By Jolene Farley
At Monday's Hills-Beaver Creek School Board meeting Superintendent Dave Deragisch informed the board of extensive damage to both the high school and elementary computer networks caused by a lightning strike.

The strike occurred Monday, Aug. 12, to the water tower in Hills. The voltage traveled to the high school in Hills and through Internet lines to the elementary school in Beaver Creek.

"Just about every piece of equipment has either been replaced or needs to be replaced," said Deragisch.

Roger Jackson, who had the computer network ready for school to begin, is now working on repairing the damages.

Internet service has been down at both schools since the lightning strike.

Representatives of the district's insurance company were surprised by the extent of the damage. "They had never seen damage from a lightning strike like we had here," said Deragisch.

Officials hope the system will be operational by the first day of school on Tuesday, Sept. 3.

"Hopefully, we'll be limping by the time school starts," said Deragisch.

In personnel mattters
Cindy Larson has agreed to move from Title 1 instructor and physical education instructor to the Little Patriots position vacated by Angie Blasmo.

Chris Louwagie will move from fifth and sixth-grade computer instructor to the Title 1 position and teach physical education class.

The board hired Dale Huber as a special education paraprofessional at $10.75 per hour.

In other board business
At 6:50 a.m. beginning Tuesday, Sept. 3, Deragisch will host the Patriot Pride radio show on KQAD sponsored by the Exchange State Bank in Hills.

The district purchased a 1997 Dodge van with 112,000 miles for $5,500 to transport lunch from the high school to the elementary school.

Thirteen seniors will lead the Hills-Beaver Creek-Ellsworth football team into the 2002 season. They are (sitting, from left) Dustin Bonnema, Robert Metzger, Dusty Seachris, Pete Kramer, (kneeling) Ryan Fodness, Jesse Leuthold, Pat Nelson, Brant Deutsch, (back) Jason Jansma, Clint Roozenboom, Kyle Sammons, Tyson Metzger and Chris Reid.

By John Rittenhouse
Hills-Beaver Creek-Ellsworth football coach Dan Ellingson knows it's coming. It's the nature of the beast.

A year after his Patriots had one of the best seasons in recent history, Ellingson expects H-BC-E to be a targeted team every time it takes the field in 2002.

The question is, are the Patriots worthy of being the prized trophy team on the schedule of the eight opponents they will face during the regular season?

The Patriots are coming off a 2001 season that featured them winning a Southwest Ridge Conference championship (7-0), recording an 8-0 regular season and winning the Section 2 Nine-Man title (with 26-19 and 21-0 victories over Nicollet and Sioux Valley-Round Lake-Brewster respectively).

The section wins gave H-BC-E its first berth in the state tournament since 1997, when it came up on the short end of a 30-12 decision to eventual state champion Fergus Falls Hillcrest Lutheran Academy.

As great as their 10-1 season was, the Patriots will have to pay a price for it. They will be a marked team every week of the 2002 campaign, and they will have to meet the challenge without a core group of seniors who made success possible in 2001.

"We have two starters coming back on offense and four on defense," Ellingson said. "We knew we would be in this situation at the end of last season. IÕm sure the other teams will want to beat the guys wearing the red helmets this year. At the same time, they also know weÕre a team that lost 12 seniors, and they probably don't expect us to do well. The thing is we expect to play well, while the other teams may not. That could be a good thing for us."

Losing 12 players from 2001 will make the Patriots a different team this year, especially considering the type of kids who graduated.

Brad Haak started at end and safety, making the All-State Nine-Man Team and All-SRC Team at year's end. Kevin Van Batavia (wing back-defensive end) and Darin DeBoer (end-defensive back) were two-way starters who made the All-RRC squad, and Justin Van Maanen drew honorable mention from the SRC coaches as a starting center.

Other starters in last year's senior class include Kyle Braun (guard-defensive tackle), David Top (quarterback), Chris Tiesler (wing back), Lyle DeBoer (fullback-linebacker) and Lee Walraven (nose guard).

Linemen Ryan Ranschau and Randy Krull round out the senior members of the 2001 team.

Like 2001, seniors will form the backbone of H-BC-E's 2002 team. Ellingson reports there are 13 senior members on the 2002 squad, but a lot of them are untested at the varsity level.

"We have a lot of seniors, but we also have a lot of juniors and sophomores who will have to play," he said.

H-BC-E will have three All-RRC performers and one honorable mention selection on the field in 2002, and all four are projected to be two-way starters.

Having Chris Reid back in the ranks does give the 2002 Patriots instant credibility. The 2001 Back of the Year in the SRC, Reid led the Patriots in rushing and scoring as a junior. Reid, a 190-pound senior tailback, was an all-state honorable selection last year.

"I think teams will key on stopping Chris this year, and that should open things up for our other runners and our passing game. With teams gearing up to stop the run, passing will be a necessity this year," Ellingson said.

Pulling the trigger for the passing game will be Curt Schilling, who will replace Top at quarterback. Schilling, a 195-pound junior, made the All-RRC team for his play as a linebacker last season.

Seniors Jesse Leuthold and Brant Deutsch are other key members of the H-BC-E squad.

Leuthold, an All-RRC selection, started some games at fullback last season and was a full-time starter at linebacker. The 175-pounder will be asked to play as a guard on offense this year.

The 210-pound Duetsch drew honorable mention from the SRC coaches as a junior. He will play as an end on offense and defense.

By John Rittenhouse
The pool to draw talent from for the Hills-Beaver Creek-Ellsworth cross country program has expanded.

Two years after joining forces with Ellsworth, the H-BC-based program will include Edgerton Public School athletes in 2002.

A new three-way sharing agreement between the districts has the girls' and boys' cross country teams competing under the tag H-BC-E-E this fall.

Patriot coach Tom Goehle is not only excited about the Edgerton addition, he also is looking forward to working with a strong nucleus of runners who are returning from record-setting boys' and girls' teams in 2001.

With that in mind, Goehle will stage his first practice session at 6 p.m. Monday, Aug. 12, at H-BC High School.

All boys and girls in grades 7-12 are welcome to participate, and sixth-graders will have the option to participate any time before school starts. They also can wait to join the team when the school year begins.

Athletes will be given a practice schedule on Aug. 12 that indicates the times, dates and locations of future practices as the teams will be practicing at a variety of places next month.

Goehle said a car pool will be leaving Ellsworth High School at 5:30 p.m. for the first practice.
Contact coach Goehle at 962-3623 with any questions.

Hills-Beaver Creek senior Angie Bush has a tip blocked at the net by a Fulda player during Tuesday's volleyball match in Hills.

By John Rittenhouse
The Hills-Beaver Creek volleyball team opened the 2002 campaign by hosting Red Rock Conference foe Fulda in Hills Tuesday.

The Patriots and Raiders shared fifth place in the RRC last season, but it was Fulda who gained the early advantage in the league standings this year by sweeping a three-game match from the hosts.

H-BC is a young team that made some errors in the opener, but first-year coach Curt Doorneweerd was happy with the effort he witnessed from the bench.

"It went better than I thought it would," he said. "The girls played hard. We just made some little mistakes that we, hopefully, can take care of before our next match."

Fulda raced to a 7-1 lead in Game 1 of the clash before H-BC went on a 7-1 surge featuring a four-point service run by Angie Sjaarda to trail 8-7.

The Raiders led 10-8 after Patriot Erin Boeve served an ace, but Fulda scored the next five points to ice a 15-8 win.

Fulda led 6-0 in Game 2 before H-BC went on a 7-0 run featuring two service points from Boeve, one kill by Sarah Rozeboom, two points and an ace serve by Angie Bush and a kill from Kelly Mulder to take a 7-6 advantage.

Fulda, however, scored the next six points and outscored the Patriots 9-3 the rest of the game to prevail by a 15-10 margin.

Sjaarda served a point early in Game 3 to slice an early Fulda advantage to two points (3-1), but the Raiders went on an 8-0 run moments later to take an 11-1 lead.

The score was 12-3 when Brittney Rozeboom served a pair of aces, Boeve added a pair of points and Sarah Rozeboom added a point and a kill to bring H-BC within three points (12-9) of the Raiders. Fulda then scored the next three points to cap a 15-9 victory.

Boeve had a big night for H-BC by recording 12 kills, seven blocks and two ace serves. Sarah Rozeboom and Jody Rentschler registered six and four kills respectively, while Mulder added four kills and one block.

Doorneweerd said Bush and Brittney Rozeboom, who served a pair of aces each, handled their setting duties well during the match.

The 0-1 Patriots host Central Lyon Tuesday.

By Jolene Farley
The Hills-Beaver Creek School District hired two teachers this year to staff the new after school Kid Kare program.

Heather Erickson
Heather Erickson is the Kid Kare After School Program Coordinator.

Erickson, a Dawson native, received her degrees in 1998 from South Dakota State University, Brookings, S.D., in sociology and criminal justice.

She worked as youth development coordinator for the St. James School District and for two years as after school program Instructor at Hope Haven, Estherville, Iowa.

The Hope Haven program provided at risk youth and their families with educational support and in-home or individual counseling.

Erickson and her husband, Aaron, live in Beaver Creek and are expecting their first child in February. Aaron is a Hills-Beaver Creek High School graduate.

Haley Tollefson
Kid Kare Assistant Haley Tollefson graduated in December from Southwest State University, Marshall, with a bachelor's degree in elementary education.

She was a substitute teacher during the spring and worked over the summer for Kid's Inc., a summer day camp sponsored by the Sioux Falls School District.

Tollefson and her husband, Josh, live in Sioux Falls.

Tollefson's goals for the upcoming year are to help make Kid Kare as great a program as possible and to have fun getting to know the kids and staff in the H-BC School District.

Fifteen-month-old Garrett Raymon, Hills, plays in the park with his mother on Tuesday. "There won't be many days or weeks left of nice wetaher," said his mother.

Photo by Jolene Farley

I missed a great opportunity last weekend. I was home alone because my husband left me to spend time with his in-laws - meaning my family. That could be a story in itself, but the point is that I had a fluffy couch and newly made bed all to myself, and I didn't even rent one chick flick.

I was feeling under the weather. so I wasn't even up for a Turner Classic Movie on cable.

One of my friends pointed out that I was a fool to not take in at least three chick flicks to reconnect with the Bronte sister within.

She's right. I'm tired of walking into rooms to hear, "Bad boys, bad boys. Whatcha gonna do? Whatcha gonna do when they come for you?" broadcast at high volumes from our FOX affiliate.

When I say I wished I had watched a chick flick, I might be using the wrong term. I don't like predictable plots about hookers who marry their rich and handsome clients. The kind of flick that gets my pick makes me think and pulls at my heart: movies like "Life is Beautiful" or "An Affair to Remember."

To get the "chick" stamp of approval, a movie should be the perfect blend of drama/comedy/tragedy/ and ROMANCE. Please note the absence of the word action in my description.

I don't feel too sorry for my missed opportunity last weekend because I'm spending an extended Labor Day weekend with a couple dear chicks this year. I think I might suggest a trip to the nearest video rental outlet.

Two of my closest friends and I are gathering for a little carefree fun on Lake Michigan before one of them becomes a mom in November. We can sit on the beach and imagine Bette Middler singing "You Are the Wind Beneath My Wings," or we could fry up some green tomatoes or we could form part of an all-female baseball team.

I don't think anyone would consider the secrets of these ya-ya sisters worth a movie deal, but we'll certainly have a wonderful time. Because I've learned from watching my chick flicks, that girlfriends have to stick together - especially when their husbands make them watch COPS reruns.

Voters' information in this week's Star Herald
The primary election will be on Sept. 10, and this week the County Auditor's office published a sample ballot to help you decide whom to vote for, along with other information.

The most interesting race for Rock County voters will be the seven choices they have for the auditor/treasurer office, being vacated by Margaret Cook.

The top two vote-getters will advance to the general election on Nov. 5.

Along with the sample ballots, a list of precincts, opening hours and location of the polling places is also published in this edition.

For those who wish to vote absentee, absentee ballots will be available at the auditor/treasurer office from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 7, or during regular office hours, which are 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday.

A special testing of the electronic voting machines will be at 10 a.m. Thursday, Sept. 5, at the courthouse, and you are invited to check it out.

Magnolia and Kenneth receive grants for water projects
The 2002 farm bill, recently signed by President Bush, included money for two Rock County water projects.

The city of Magnolia will receive $700,000; $500,000 in the form of a loan and a $200,000 grant.

The money will be used to rehabilitate an existing well, construct a new well, and replace water mains.

Kenneth will collect $580,000; $220,000 in the form of a loan and a grant of $360,000.

Kenneth will use the funds to construct a wastewater collection and treatment system.

In both cases, the loan portion will have a 40 year repayment period at an interest rate of 4.5 percent.

In all, Minnesota received $40.1 million in rural development grants and loans to be used for water projects in 33 rural Minnesota counties.

Studer accepts Sioux Falls position
Linda Studer, administrator of the Good Samaritan communities of Luverne, will be leaving her Luverne position to be the administrator of Good Samaritan Village in Sioux Falls.

Studer has worked for the Good Samaritan Society for the past 19 years and has been the administrator in Luverne since 1994.

The Good Samaritan Village in Sioux Falls includes nursing and rehabilitation facilities, senior apartments, HUD housing, assisted living apartments, duplexes and new congregate living apartments.

The Luverne facility includes the Mary Jane Brown Good Samaritan Center and The Oaks Senior Apartments.

A ground breaking for a new assisted living facility in Luverne is planned for next spring.

A reception was held for Studer at Mary Jane Brown Good Samaritan Center on Monday, Aug. 26.

A replacement for Studer has not been announced.

Habitat house sets dedication
The recently completed Habitat for Humanity House will be holding a dedication ceremony on Thursday, August 29, from 5 to 7 p.m.

The house is located at 204 SW Park in Luverne.

Hamburgers and hot dogs will be served.

SWMN Habitat for Humanity was founded 18 months ago, and the Luverne house was its first project.

Future plans include groundbreaking on a house in Worthington sometime next spring.

Publisher Roger Tollefson can be contacted by e-mail at
tolly@star-herald.com

Bena Huisman, 99, Rock Rapids, Iowa, died Monday, Aug. 19, 2002, at Rock Rapids Health Centre, Rock Rapids.

Services were Thursday, Aug. 22, at First Presbyterian Church in Little Rock, Iowa. The Rev. Scott Prouty officiated. Burial was in Pleasant View Cemetery, Little Rock.

Bena Buss was born to John and Bena (Schultz) Buss on Aug. 31, 1902, in rural Lyon County, Iowa. She attended country school in Lyon County up to the eighth grade.

She married Claus Huisman on Feb. 15 1928, at Zion Presbyterian Church in rural George, Iowa. After their marriage the couple farmed in the Rock Rapids and Little Rock area until retiring and moving to Little Rock in 1965. In 1979 they moved to Rock Rapids. Mr. Huisman died in1980, and in 1982, she moved to an apartment in Ellsworth. She moved to Rock Rapids Health Centre on Nov. 11, 1997.
Mrs. Huisman was an active member of First Presbyterian Church in Little Rock.

Survivors include one son, John (Ruth Ann) Huisman, Ellsworth; one daughter, Audrey DeBeer, Rock Rapids; five grandchildren; 11 great-grandchildren; and four sisters, Vera Markus, Adrian, Emma Kruse, Rock Rapids, Lydia Tjepkes, Little Rock, and Gertrude Kannengieter, Sibley, Iowa.

Mrs. Huisman was preceded in death by her parents, her husband, one son-in-law, Lawrence DeBeer, three brothers, Fred, Herman and Henry, three sisters, Anna Hassebroek, Jennie Heronimus and Ruth Henrichs.

Roste Funeral Home, Rock Rapids, was in charge of arrangements.