"It is not the intention of this policy to abridge the rights of students to express political, religious, philosophical, or similar opinions by wearing apparel on which messages are stated. Such messages are acceptable as long as they are not lewd, vulgar, obscene, defamatory, profane or do not advocate violence or harassment against others," the H-BC policy states.

When the code in Luverne was in question, Jauert talked to students and pitched the modified dress code to LHS Principal Gary Fisher, who said he thought it was reasonable for students to follow.

Fisher said the school has had few problems with students, but notes that changing fashion trends have made undefined areas in the codes more obvious.

"We have to remember that this isnÕt a fashion show; it's a school," Fisher said.

Room for expression
Girls following fads like wearing thong underwear at a higher level than their pant waists, to Fisher, cause more of a disruption in the classroom.

But having said that, he also wants students to be able to show their personality and individual style through their clothing.

"There are limits to what we want to do," Fisher said. "They can be able to express themselves, but not at a cost to someone else. Everyone has a right to be there too."

Fisher said inappropriate dress hasn't been a huge issue for the school. Usually, a quick word with a student or talk with parents takes care of small problems before detention is needed.

"We have a good relationship with the kids," Fisher said. "We donÕt want to make it something to fight about."

The best testament to Luverne's students cooperating with current rules, Fisher said, is that the student handbook hasn't needed updating for five years.

He commended Jauert and the Student Council for taking the dress code on as something to work toward.

"They know that wants are different from working for a goal," Fisher said.

Above, Lexi Jauert and Abby Klosterbuer model what should not be worn to school.

By Sara Strong
As shoppers amass back-to-school receipts, parents and students should be aware that some clothing ensembles may be considered contraband.

In Luverne, the official school dress code is vague, saying, "students are expected to observe standards of dress and grooming which emphasize neatness and appropriateness. Students must avoid dress and grooming styles that create a disruption of the learning process..."

Katie Jauert, now a freshman at the University of Minnesota, Twin Cities, last year clarified some of the vague points in that code.

Jauert was a junior when teachers suggested a strictly-defined dress code to eliminate some obvious problems in the classroom.

As a senior and Student Council president, Jauert spearheaded what's now a compromise between puritanical dress and indecent exposure.

She said, "I think it's a happy medium. I can see where there were concerns, but also, some of the first days of school are hot, and I just like wearing tank tops."

Fashion police
Some of the guidelines are in response to current fashion trends that donÕt fit in with the Luverne school's idea of studious attire:

With low-waisted or hip-hugger pants, underwear can't be seen. Shirts should meet the waistline even when seated to keep underwear and extra skin from showing. Mid-drifts must be covered at all times.

With extra baggy pants worn low, the same rule applies. Underwear can't be showing above the waistline of the pants.

For shirts, tank tops can be worn if the straps are at least 2-inches wide, and cover bra straps. No tube tops, halter tops, one-sleeved tank tops or spaghetti straps are allowed.

The usual rule of no hats still applies, and inappropriate t-shirts could result in Saturday detention.

In Hills-Beaver Creek, the dress code is similar and makes special mention of clothing that may contain written messages or symbols.

By Lori Ehde
Nobles Rock Public Health Board has suspended the tobacco license of Luverne's Pump 'N Pak, formerly Cenex-Ampride, for 30 days, starting Sept. 1.

That penalty, in addition to a $250 administrative fine, stems from the businessÕs third failure in two years to pass a compliance check.

According to Public Health Educator Paula Anderson, Nobles Rock Public Health is the licensing authority for all businesses in the two counties that sell tobacco.

The businesses are regulated under the Youth Access to Tobacco Ordinance, which stipulates routine checks of tobacco sales to minors.

"We use 16- and 17-year-olds with real I.D.s," Anderson said. "They're not lying about their age or who they are."

A Pump 'N Pak cashier failed the compliance check July 15 when she ran the minor's license through a scanner and sold the minor cigarettes, even though the scanner did not read the identification properly.

"The scanner wasn't working, but she basically didn't take the time to do the math," Anderson said.

The same cashier failed a similar compliance check on April 23, 2001, but that time she didn't ask for identification.

The first offense by the business, this time by a different cashier, was Oct. 25, 2000.

Anderson said Pump 'N Pak did pass a compliance check on Nov. 6, 2001, but this summer's failure prompted penalties.

Other tobacco retailers have failed compliance checks once or twice in a two-year period, but Anderson said this is the first time since the ordinance was passed in 1999 a business failed three times in 24 months.

According to the ordinance, a minimum suspension of seven days is required for third violations, but in this case the licensing board decided to levy the maximum penalty.

Pump 'N Pak manager Lila Sudenga said the penalty translates into $10,000 to $15,000 in losses for the business.

"They're really sticking it to us," she said. "But it's like she said, they're making an example out of us."

Anderson said she and local law enforcement hope other tobacco merchants learn from Pump 'N Pak's mistakes.

The clerk, who has been fired, was fined $50 for the infraction.

By Sara Strong
The city of Luverne has a chance to use up to $1.4 million to improve the structure and appearance of its buildings.

Luverne has the chance because of a Community Development Block Grant through a federal program for small cities. The city would get a grant and be able to turn it around to deferred loans, which can be forgiven over time.

The Southwest Minnesota Housing Partnership is writing the grant application that could remodel and update homes and businesses with owners paying just 34 percent of the cost up front.

Before any of that can happen, though, city residents and property owners have to do their part.

In about a month's time, people living in or owning property within a select part of the city have to answer a survey - and if there's a 70 percent response rate, the Housing Partnership will complete the application process.

The survey is just a questionnaire and doesn't determine if the individual wants or qualifies for the program. But surveys must be turned in before the application process can begin. Even if those receiving surveys don't want to apply for the program, it's important to complete them.

The target areas for the program spread outward from the stop lights at Main Street and Kniss Avenue numerous blocks in all directions.

If approved, the grant program can be used for the following improvements: exterior renovations, structural repairs, mechanical repairs and replacements, electrical system repairs, windows and doors, accessibility modifications, signage and awnings and energy improvements.

Individuals must meet income guidelines during the application process. For example, an individual must earn less than $27,550 to qualify; a household of two must earn less than $31,500; a household of three must earn less than $35,400 to qualify; a household of four must earn less than $39,350; a household of five must earn less than $42,500; a household of six must earn less than $45,650 and so on.

A program representative will personally visit homes and businesses within city's target areas.

In other business, Tuesday the council:

Acknowledged Red Arndt, city utility coordinator, for his service as president of the Minnesota Municipal Utility Association. His term is now ending.

Granted a request from Habitat for Humanity to block a portion of Southwest Park Street from 4 to 8 p.m. Thursday, Aug. 29, for an open house and benefit supper. The house is located at 204 Southwest Park Street. The Council waved the $25 processing fee.

Approved a temporary on-sale beer license for the Chamber of Commerce during the Sept. 7 Blues on the Rocks festival at the Verne Drive In.

By Lori Ehde
The failed agreement between the state and landowner Dennis DeJongh means Rock CountyÕs bike path will follow Plan B.

The recreational trail will continue from the sidewalk on Blue Mound Avenue in Luverne north to the Blue Mounds State Park where it will cross County Road 8 and follow the right-of-way to the quarry parking lot just east of Tom BirkelandÕs acreage on the curve.

State officials and trail planners had hoped to purchase the Dennis DeJongh farm land and route the bike path along the east side of that property near the road. It would ultimately connect with the driveway near the lower lake dam and head into the state park.

With no purchase agreement on the DeJongh land, the route will now follow an existing service pathway closer to the cliff line used by park personnel.

That route will bring trail traffic through the parking lot and along the north side of the Dennis DeJongh fence line. At the tree line, it will loop back out to County Road 8 around a piece of recently reconstructed prairie.

It will head back west toward the beach and campgrounds at the lower dam driveway on the north end.

Rupp Construction was awarded the bid on the project last week for $365,369, and all dirt work will be completed by fall.

The trail has been planned for a few years and will receive 80 percent federal funding, 10 percent from the state and 10 percent from the county.

The Luverne High School volleyball team challenged residents of the Minnesota Veterans Home, Luverne, to a balloon volleyball match Thursday. The All Stars from the Veterans Home, which included both residents and staff, started out strong, but the Cardinals battled back for a near win. In the end the Cardinals, who played with imposed handicaps (some with hands tied behind their backs), came up short as the All Stars took the game by 15-8.

Photo by Tracy Wieneke

By John Rittenhouse
A near-deadline interview turned into a success for the Hills-Beaver Creek School District as it found a new volleyball coach five days before practice began Aug. 12.

The hunt for a mentor reached a crisis point the week before the official start of practice, because no replacement for former coach Nicole Fey had been found.

School official Steve Wiertzema said he did have a few interviews lined up for Aug. 8, and H-BC found an Iowa man willing to take the post.

When the dust settled, Curt Doorneweerd, who grew up between Larchwood, Iowa, and Hills, was tabbed H-BC's new coach.

A 1997 graduate of West Lyon High School, Doorneweerd will assume his first coaching position at the high school level.

Doorneweerd attended Iowa Lakes Community College, Estherville, Iowa, for two years, and in 1999 enrolled at Iowa State University in Ames, Iowa, graduating in 2001. He also obtained a coaching license during his college years in Iowa.

The Patriot coach, who will not teach at H-BC, is in the process of buying a house in nearby Lester, Iowa, where he works as a plumber with Lester business, DRG Mechanical.

Although Doorneweerd does not have varsity coaching experience, he loves the game of volleyball. He plays in a number of winter and summer leagues throughout the area. When he found out there was a coaching vacancy in Hills, Doorneweerd decided to throw his hat in the ring.

"I know a lot of people from Hills, and I knew they were looking for a coach early this summer. When I heard they had not found a coach a couple of weeks ago, I decided to give it a shot," he said.

Doorneweerd takes over a program that had a couple of good seasons for Fey, who compiled a 26-24 two-year record. The Patriots went 14-10 during FeyÕs first year in 2000, and 12-14 last season.

Competing in the Red Rock Conference for the first time last year, H-BC went 6-5 while earning a share of fifth place. The Patriots notched a 3-1 win over Sioux Valley-Round Lake-Brewster during the quarterfinal round of last year's South Section 3A Tournament before being eliminated by eventual champion Southwest Christian in the semifinals.

H-BC lost four important members of the 2001 team to graduation.

Tonya Leenderts and LaDonna Sandstede, a pair of seniors who rarely left the floor, leave big shoes to be filled. Leenderts made the All-RRC team as a hitter. Sandstede drew honorable mention as a setter.

Jana Hup and Brittney Olson also drew starting assignments for Fey during their senior seasons.

The good thing about being a new coach for an unfamiliar program is Doorneweerd doesn't know what kind of talent he lost from the previous year.

The changing of the guard leaves everyone with a clean slate, and the players have a chance to earn playing time by impressing Doorneweerd.

"It's just like starting over," he said. "I think it's a good opportunity for the girls to prove themselves to a new coaching staff, and the players are all new to me, too. I'm looking forward to the challenge. From what I've seen, I think we should fare very well this fall."

The new coach hadn't determined which positions the players will man prior to this interview. The Patriots were focusing on the fundamentals during the first week of practice, and Doorneweerd said the plan is to put players in positions they can handle as the pre-season moves along.

The Patriots have impressed the coach with their work ethic in practice, and that only can help everyone involved in the long run.

"They are a good group to work with," Doorneweerd said. "They are working really hard in practice. They did get a wake-up call with some of the tough practices we are having, but they are trying their best on the floor."

H-BC will open the season with a 10-player roster featuring five seniors and five juniors. Some sophomores and freshmen could be added to the list as the season progresses.

The roster features a standout player in 6-1 junior Erin Boeve. Boeve emerged as one of the area's top hitters as a sophomore, leading the Patriots in kills and earning a spot on the All-RRC team.

H-BC's five seniors will be expected to provide leadership to the team on and off the floor.

Jody Rentschler and Angie Sjaarda are 5-8 seniors, Melissa Fagerness and Angie Bush are 5-7 seniors, and Sarah Roozeboom is a 5-6 senior.

Rounding out the roster are juniors Amanda Olson (5-9), Alissa Hoyme (5-8) and Jessi Wassenaar (5-7).

The Patriots opened the season by hosting Fulda Tuesday.

By John Rittenhouse
The Hills-Beaver Creek-Ellsworth cross country program is coming off a record 2001 season, and a move made earlier this year has made the 2002 campaign a bright one.

Two years after adding Ellsworth to the fold, H-BC school officials took action to allow Edgerton Public School athletes to join the program.

Edgerton did not compete in cross country in 2001 after sharing a program with Adrian for two years.

Patriot coach Tom Goehle said he's happy to have Edgerton on board.

"It will only make us stronger. At the same time, it gives the Edgerton kids a chance to run," he said.

Running is something the H-BC-E boys' team did well last season.

Competing in their first Red Rock Conference meet, the Patriots stole the show by winning the team championship and earning four of 10 all-conference positions during the meet.

Things got even better a few weeks later, when the Patriots produced a program-best, third-place performance as a team at the Section 3A. The top two teams at the section level advance to state, and H-BC-E missed an invitation by one place.

A group of five seniors helped make the 2001 season a good one.

Matt Buck and Nathan Fick ran at the section meet, placing 54th and 58th respectively. Lee Walraven is another senior who ran some varsity races last season, while Paul Jess competed at the junior varsity level.

No senior, however, made more of an impact than Brad Haak.

Haak won the RRC individual and Section 3A individual titles, with the latter giving him his third straight berth in the state cross country field. By placing 14th at the state attraction in Northfield, Haak made the All-State team.

"We'll miss all of last year's seniors, but you just don't replace a kid like Brad," Goehle said. "It's hard to measure how much he did for our program, but I can say he influenced all of the other runners in our program. As a whole, he has brought a lot of people up to the next level, and we'll be better for it in the long run."

Some of the kids who benefited from Haak's leadership skills will be asked to provide some to the 2002 team.

Junior Lee Jackson and sophomores Tyler Bush, Greg Van Batavia and Kale Wiertzema all earned varsity letters during Haak's senior season.

Bush, who was H-BC-E's second-ranked runner last season, should get better with age. He placed fifth in the RRC and 12th in the section as a freshman, which makes him an athlete to keep an eye on for the next couple of years.

Goehle thinks Jackson could have a breakout season in 2002. He was a member of H-BC-E's state-qualifying 3,200-meter relay team in track last spring, and he placed 39th in the section meet last fall.

Van Batavia and Wiertzema also made the All-RRC team by placing sixth and eighth respectively as freshmen. Van Batavia placed 25th and Wiertzema 45th at the section meet.

Edgerton additions Zach Hadler and Todd Alberty are two runners who should make positive impacts at the varsity level this season.

Hadler, the team's lone senior, was a member of A-E's state-qualifying team in 1999 and advanced to state as an individual in 2000. That kind of experience should elevate Hadler to the status of a team leader.

Alberty, a junior, also was a member of the A-E program in the past. Goehle says Alberty will get better as the season progresses.

A pair of sophomores to watch are Derek Haak and Michael Bos.

Haak has improved with each season, and Goehle would not be surprised if he had a breakout 2002 campaign. Bos, whom Goehle considers to be the team's sleeper prospect, is coming off a strong track and field season.

EllsworthÕs Jared Drenth and H-BC's Justin Hinks are sophomores who will offer experience to the junior varsity team this season, and freshmen Kerry Fink, John Sandbulte and Devin DeBoer will be strong runners with the same team.

Eighth-grader Adam Finke and seventh-grader Grant Hoogendoorn are up-and-coming talents who will serve as the backbone of the junior high teams this fall.

"We got a lot of good kids returning to a team that finished one place short of qualifying for the state meet last season," Goehle said. "One of the goals we'll be shooting for this year is to see if we can place first or second at the section meet and go on to state. It takes a lot of hard work and a lot of hours of practice to get a team to the state meet. I think the opportunity is there if the kids put in the hours."

The H-BC-E girls made program history by fielding a complete team for last year's section meet.

The Patriots were incomplete at the RRC race, but they fielded five runners for the section event, finishing 13th as a team.

H-BC-E did lose senior Becky Broesder, who finished 96th at the section level, to graduation.
The other four runners are back in the ranks, and additional athletes from Ellsworth and Edgerton should help the teamÕs fortunes.

Goehle lists sophomores Cassi Tilstra and Brittney Rozeboom as his top returnees.

Tilstra led H-BC-E by placing 31st at the section meet. Rozeboom finished 50th.

"As a coach who wants to start a tradition in cross country, having runners like Cassi and Brittney on the team is a great place to start," Goehle said.

Edgerton's Erika Fransen, another sophomore, is a welcome addition to the program.

Fransen has competed in the past and will add depth to the team in 2002.

Eighth-graders Amanda Tilstra and Mya Mann are other members of the team.

Tilstra lettered for the Patriots last fall, placing 91st at the section meet.

Mann, an Ellsworth athlete, did not run cross country last season. She is coming off a strong track and field campaign.

"Erika (Fransen) definitely added depth to our team. Mya (Mann) and Amanda (Tilstra) will run junior varsity and varsity races this year. I think they'll progress nicely and have a great year. All of our girls will set a good foundation for our program in years to come," Goehle said.

The Patriots opened the season in Mountain Lake yesterday.

By Jolene Farley
Mutual Funds magazine has chosen Hills native Jim Sandager as one of the top financial advisers in the nation.

Sandager, a financial planner at Syverson, Strege, Sandager and Co. in Des Moines, Iowa, is modest about the honor.

"I just happen to be the face that was chosen to represent the firm," he said.

Sandager was selected for the second time as one of The Top 100 Advisers in the United States. He was the only adviser from the Midwest region to be profiled in the September issue and is one of three financial planners pictured on the magazine's cover.

"We were honored and privileged and delighted, but for us it's just an exclamation point in the trust of our clients," he said.

The Top 100 selection involved comparison of Syverson, Strege, Sandager and Co. to other firms nationwide.

Assistant managing editor of Mutual Funds Richard Teitelbaum and his team began compiling possible candidates for the Top 100 edition by talking with estate attorneys, professors and other professionals that come into contact with financial planners around the country.

We asked, "Where would you send your mother to get financial advice?" he said. Teitelbaum and his team gathered more information, narrowing the list down from hundreds of candidates, on why the professionals recommended the planners they did.

"We had a great degree of confidence in his (Sandager's) ability," said Teitelbaum. "He was judged to be very good from the technical standpoint."

"It wasn't just a question of here are the numbers," said Teitelbaum. "He's really trying to help you solve your financial problems."

"Our purpose for the entire package is to assure people it's alright to say they need some hand holding."

Syverson, Strege, Sandager and Co. operate according to the four C's, as Sandager calls them, which may explain the firm's 97 percent customer retention rate.

They are comprehensive and holistic in their approach to financial planning, consistent in advice provided to the customer, customer service orientated and completely caring in their approach to clients, according to Sandager.

"We realize we are not just talking about numbers here," said Sandager. "We are talking about people's lives. People are really looking for clarity around their goals. What they ultimately want is peace of mind."

Peace of mind is hard to achieve with the current market. "These are the times that test men's souls," Sandager said. "Are you going to choose to react with fear to the headlines, or are you going to respond with confidence? There is a dark before the dawn. There is risk in the market."

Sandager and his partners work with clients to determine their financial goals and try to take the emotion out of investment decisions.

"We are really helping them achieve what they feel is important in life," he said.

This could include donating money to people who are less fortunate, helping children become contributing members of society or to retiring to some remote location.

Many people take four hours to prepare for retirement but spend 400 hours planning for vacation, according to Sandager.

Sandager enjoys the diversity of his clients. "We are all unique individuals," he said. "That for me is the real joy in it."

I want to use this in the cutline for photo.

Sandager's partner, David Strege, also has local ties. Raised in Washington, his late grandfather, Paul Beyer, is a Luverne native and his mother, Jo Ann Strege, has returned to Luverne to live.