October 30 2006
Volume 86 Number 1

News

Bring out the Red and White It's Homecoming Week! By:  Samantha Gacke Every school year, people look forward to Homecoming Week, and this year was no different than the rest! Homecoming 2006 was kicked off with Pajama Day on Monday.  Monday evening was Coronation and the Powder-puff football game. The king candidates for 2006 Homecoming Coronation were Marc Boelman, Derek Boeve, Andrew DeBoer, and Ben Uphoff.  The queen candidates were Erin Hoiland, Alyssa Klein, LaRae Kor, and Brittany Mulder. "It's an awesome feeling being up for queen candidate!  Kowing that your class picked you out of how many is very awesome!" said Alyssa. The crowns went to Derek Boeve and Erin Hoiland. Right after Coronation was the Powder-puff football game.  The seniors girls rocked the field, winning 34-24. Tuesday started off with Decades Day.  Tuesday night was the Homecoming volleyball match, where Edgerton upset Luverne, winning three games to Luverne's one. Wednesday was One Color Day, except for the seniors who pulled out the togas. Thursday was Costume Day.  That day after school was the first major Cross Country meet held in Luverne, not the Adrian Golf Course.  The LHS girls placed second, with Lexi Heitkamp leading the way.  Heitkamp placed first with a time of 15:57.  Kayla Riddle placed sixth, Debbie Schneiderman placed seventh, Katie Schneiderman placed 11th, and Paige Nath rounded out the top of the LHS girls' team, placing 19th. The LHS boys placed eighth as a team.  Matt Kreuch placed 35th, Devin Richters placed 38th, Kirk Oldre placed 47th, Matt Christensen 48th, and Brandon Schultz 50th. Friday was the annual Red and White Day.  At the end of the school day, the cheerleaders put on a pep-fest where everyone got a chance to see an amazing fashion show, the football and volleyball players going head-to-head, and a few other games. The Homecoming football game Friday night was played against Mound-Westonka.  The LHS boys pulled out an amazing performance, beating the White Hawks 34-0.

The boys are back in town Twins clinch home field advantage in playoffs By:  Caleb Bruynes One year after watching the playoffs on television, the Minnesota Twins were back as one of the eight teams remaining in this season's World Series hopefuls.  Playing in memory of the late Kirby Puckett, a former Twins great and fan favorite, the Twins clinched a wild card berth on September 26. Most teams would have been satisfied, but the Twins took it to another level when they beat the Chicago Red Sox to win the division title on October 1.  They also needed a little help to get it done.  The Kansas City Royals defeated the Detroit Tigers in twelve innings as 40,000 fans awaited in the Metrodome for the final out to assure the Twins the division title and home field advantage in the playoffs. This was one of the most improbable occurrences in the last decade as the Twins trailed the Detroit Tigers by 12 games earlier in the year. "The Twins are the greatest team ever to play baseball!" said Jacob Arndt as he excitedly left the Metrodome after the Twins' thrilling victory over the Chicago White Sox on October 1. Much of the Twins' regular season success was due to the performances of rising stars such as Joe Mauer, Justin Morneau, and John Santana. Joe Mauer, who ended the season with a league leading .347 batting average and became the first catcher to take the American League batting crown, has proven to be one of the best hitters in baseball. Justin Morneau is the Twins' biggest power threat since Hall-of-Famer Harmen Killebrew.  With .321 batting average, 34 home runs, and 130 RBIs, he is a favorite for this year's American League Most Valuable Player. Johan Santana has had another incredible year for the Twins.  After winning the 2004 Cy Young, he is the runaway favorite for this year's award also.  With a record of 19-6, a 2.77 era, and 245 strikeouts, heas been one of the league's best pitchers the last couple of seasons. While it seemed as though the Twins could do no wrong in the regular season, the opposite proved to be true in the playoffs, as they could do nothing right.  The Twins' run ended very quickly, as they were swept by the Oakland Athletics in three games in the American League Division Series. The Twins are bad, not gonna lie," said Alyssa Klein. Even though the Twins disappointed many people, some fans remain loyal to their favorite team. "The Twins are awesome; they just let the other team win sometimes.  Next year they will win it all," said Derek Boeve. The Minnesota Twins had a great year and faced many challenged with a very young team but should be in the hunt next season as well.

"Trick or Treat" - Fact or Fiction? By:  Bethay Kuhlman Ghosts, goblins, and witches, O, my!  Halloween is the modern term for All Hollow's Eve, or the eve of All Saints Day.  All Saints Day is a day for Roman Catholics to honor the deceased.  In fifth-century BC in Celtic Ireland, summer officially ended on October 31.  Samhain was a holiday and marked the New Year in Celtic Ireland.  This holiday celebrated those that had died. People in the fifth-century dressed up like witches and goblins, because people did not want to be possessed.  On the night of October 31, villagers would extinguish the fires in their homes so that people were cold and undesirable. The villagers would then dress up in costumes and noisily parade around the neighborhood.  Villagers tried to be as destructive as possible in order to frighten away the spirits looking for bodies to possess. In the ninth-century Europeans called trick-or-treating "soulling."  On November 1, All Saints Day, Christians would walk from village to village, begging for soul cakes.  The more soul cakes the people got, the more prayers they would promise to say on behalf of dead relatives. Other countries celebrated Halloween a little differently then in the U.S.  In Mexico they call it the Day of the Dead and celebrate from October 31 through November 2.  November 1 is focused on children who have died, and November 2 is for adults who have died. In Italy they celebrate on November 1 and 2.  On the morning of November 2, they get sweets and toys left behind from their dead relatives.  Eastern Europe uses the day to visit cemeteries and attend Mass, like people in the U.S. do on Memorial Day.  France celebrates Halloween for fun, similarly to the U.S.  South Africa celebrates for fun like the U.S., but it is not an official holiday. This year make Halloween a safe holiday for everyone.  Have fun with friends, but don't cause or get in trouble.  Have a Happy Halloween!

Red Bird Field gets nice addition By:  Magie Wieneke Many people can't picture a baseball game without some sort of snack.  Whether it is peanuts, hot dogs, or sunflower seeds, baseball and food just mesh well together.  Many baseball fans might be happy to hear that talks of a new concession stand at Red Bird Field are in the works. The new building will serve, not only as a concession stand, but also double as a storage unit.  It will hold equipment needed to play baseball and keep the fields looking nice, as well as provide food for enjoyment.  The school will provide one third of the money needed to put it together. "It is going to be a great addition," said Coach Mike Wenniger. The old concession stand will more then likely be taken down and replaced with the new one.  The new concession stand will probably be a bit larger in size and look much like the dugouts and buildings already around the field. Don Dinger is heading the committee that is behind the improvement.  Not only will the new stand be a nice addition, but it will add to the nice appeal Red Bird already has. If the plan and proposal goes through, let's hope that the stand will be ready to go by the baseball season this spring.  Many people are in favor of the new concession stand, and hopefully baseball fans will be able to enjoy it in the future.

Extreme Home Makeover By:  Heather Frey What would any person do if Ty Pennington showed up at their house door?  Would they freak out? Those who've seen Pennington's previous shows, such as Trading Spaces, know that he's one of those people that puts himself out to help others.  He works as hard as he can to make other people happy. Pennington's goal now is to get to all fifty states and find one household that deserves to have something good happen to them. One lucky family from South Dakota got to experience this firsthand when Ty Pennington decided to take his show, Extreme Makeover Home Edition, to South Dakota to try and find a lucky family who deserves to get their home redone.  According to the Argus Leader, the episode will air on November 5. "The purpose of this show is to give back to people who give so much for our communities.  This makeover will be the answer to their prayers...the solutions to their current problems," stated Ty Pennington on an interview for the TLC website. If he ever makes it to Minnesota, put in a recommendation for a family that you know who deserves this more than anything in the world.

Seniors learn how to defend our country By:  Meagan Riddle How often this summer did you have to wake up at 5 a.m.?  Once?  Twice?  Three times?  Four seniors who joined the National Guard had to wake up at this time every day for three months. Before these seniors could go eat breakfast, they had to be outside for physical training (PT).  These soldiers did this for three months and are going back this summer for Advanced Individual Training (AIT).  Seniors Brad Donth, Dana Beyenhof, Eric Kraetsch, and Lexi Peterson may be just normal students in the hallways, but once those uniforms go on, they become members of the Army National Guard. Donth, Beyenhof, and Kraetsch are members of the 13 Bravo Cannon Crew, and they were sent to Fort Sill, Oklahoma last summer.  These boys will be going back this summer for their AIT. "I feel more responsible for the well-being of others.  I'm proud to be a professional soldier," said Brad Donth. Soldier Lexi Peterson spent her summer at Ford Leonard Wood, Missouri.  She is from St. Paul Medical Detachment.  Peterson is also looking forward to completing her AIT in the summer and fall.  She has no regrets and has always wanted to follow in her family's footsteps. Another senior, Stephanie Mark, has not gone to basic yet, but she belongs to the Sioux Falls Medical Detachment.  She will do her basic training in Fort Jackson, South Carolina.  Her AIT will be spent on Fort Sam, Texas.  Being in the National Guard is the best thing she feels she can do for her country and a way she can make a difference. In the past few years, there have never been as many soldiers in one grade as what we have in the class of 2007.  They are ready for their training and look forward to whatever assignments come ahead of them.

Promoting healthy choices School adopts new wellness program By:  Kelly Winkels Take a step back and look around.  What are teachers doing?  What is new every day at lunch time? Today school vending machines hold healthier choices.  There are now 60% healthy snacks and 40% candy in the "candy" machine.  Juice and pop have always been options, but now healthy eating is really being promoted. Last year, all year long a group, including teachers, family members, the school nurse, and a student representative, took a look at how unhealthy our school was becoming.  It turned out that the situation wasn't as bad as expected.  There are plenty of physical education classes offered.  While students may not choose them, they at least had the option available.  All that the school is trying to do is promote healthy choices over the unhealthy choices that students love so much. What else has been going on around school?  The teachers are also getting in wellness.  Teachers have been wearing little red things on their waists -- what are they?  They're pedometers!  The teachers are counting their steps; they want to see an improvement on the amount of exercise that everyone is getting. "We have added a new class to the schedule, which is personal training.  We took out some unhealthy choices from the vending machines, and now the teachers are counting their steps.  But of course, wellness is not just from the hours of 8 to 8; it is also outside of school hours," said Superintendent Gary Fisher. Even though most people would hate to admit that actions do need to be taken towards healthier eating habits, it is still true.  Students love to walk over to the vending machines and choose E1 for Snickers or D4 for M&Ms, but think about hitting the buttons for a healthier choice, and see how it goes.