Music Boosters start planning for Winter CarnivalOne of the first pieces of mail we receive at the Star Herald each year is from the Luverne Music Boosters, promoting their Winter Carnival.Promoted as the official cure for cabin fever, this year’s event will be Saturday evening, Jan. 24.Money raised from the Carnival is used to help fund music-related activities such as music camps, band and choir trips and scholarships.According to the promoters, more that 150 local families participate to put on the event.This will be the 24th annual Winter Carnival and will again be in the Luverne High School gymnasium.Past carnivals have featured cakewalks, bingo, games, booths and raffle drawings.Past events have typically raised $9,000 to $12,000.Community Blood Bank coming to LuverneYour chance to donate blood to the Community Blood Bank is coming.The Community Bloodmobile will be in town Tuesday, Jan. 27.The collection will take place from noon to 6 p.m. at Luverne Community Hospital. If you would like to make a donation, phone the hospital at 283-2321, ext. 224.To donate blood, you must be at least 17 years old, weigh at least 110 pounds and be in general good health.Donating blood takes approximately 25 to 30 minutes.Besides the Luverne Community Hospital, donated blood is also used by hospitals in Pipestone, Windom, Jackson, Westbrook, Slayton, Tracy, Worthington and Tyler.Top 10 College application mistakesIt’s that time of the year, when high school students need to get their applications in for the school of their choice.Schools are now in the process of sorting through thousands of applications from potential students.ACT media relations recently published a list of the 10 most common mistakes made on college application.1. Misspellings and grammatical errors – This is a big pet peeve of admissions people.2. Applying online, but the application isn’t submitted – If you submit online, you should receive confirmation that the college or university received it.3. Forgotten signatures – Make sure you sign and date the form. Often students overlook it if it’s on the back of the form.4. Not reading carefully – Know the difference between county and country.5. Listing extracurricular activities that aren’t – Those that make the list include sports, the arts, formal organizations and volunteer work. Talking on the phone and hanging out with friends don’t make the cut.6. Not telling your guidance counselor where you’ve applied – Let your guidance counselor know which colleges you’re applying to, and ask to review your high school transcripts before it’s sent to colleges. Sometimes transcripts have errors.7. Writing illegibly – First impressions count, so take your time and use your best handwriting.8. Using an e-mail address that friends might laugh about, but colleges won’t – Select a professional e-mail address. Keep your fun address for your friends.9. Not checking your e-mail regularly – If you’ve given an e-mail address, the college will use it. Don’t miss out on anything, because you didn’t read your e-mail.10. Letting your mom or dad fill out your application. – Admissions people know if your parents help, whether you have two different styles of handwriting or if your admissions essay sounds more like a 45-year-old. It’s OK to get help, but do the work yourself.Publisher Roger Tollefson can be reached by e-mail at tolly@star-herald.com
