I always think it is interesting how many people have an opinion about something even when it does not affect them personally. I am referring to the Dingmann Funeral Home that has been trying to locate in our neighborhood for the last five years.Why do people feel they have a right to tell you what should be in your neighborhood? Some people would not want a funeral home in their neighborhood, but they have no problem with it being in mine.There was an article in the Nov. 9, 2000, issue of the Star Herald that quoted Gary Verkinnes (who bought the land from the school district) saying, "Several city officials led me to that property. In fact, said it would be a great spot for a funeral home." And did I mention that it wasn’t zoned for a funeral home at the time this all started? So let’s work that into our $50,000 Comprehensive Plan, call it good and tell the neighbors we’re moving in! The whole thing started under the table and the outcome is a result of this. They wanted it, kept at it and got what they wanted.Jeane LeslieLuverne

In the Jan. 19 issue of the Star Herald, there was a wonderful editorial highlighting the vitality of the arts in Luverne. We first want to thank the Star Herald for the recognition of the arts community as a whole. Indeed, the local churches, theatre, and school music activities produce wonderful performances and each deserves due credit. Some very talented community members and students are right here in Luverne. Second, we want to thank the community of Luverne for your outstanding support of our music programs at the high school and middle school. The Winter Music Carnival on January 21 was a great success. We have been amazed every year by the overwhelming turnout for the event. The Luverne Music Boosters are second to none in their work to support our groups and Mr. Nelson, Mrs. Goheen, and Mr. Eastman give the Boosters an incredible amount of thanks for putting the carnival together, and to the community for your support.Third, by this time all should be aware the Luverne High School Concert Band under the direction of Mr. Dale Nelson will be performing on Friday, Feb. 17, in Minneapolis for the Minnesota Music Educators’ Convention (announced in the Nov. 23 Star Herald). This is an honor bestowed upon only four high school bands from the entire state! We strongly encourage and invite everyone from the community to make the trip to Minneapolis for the 2 p.m. concert at the Minneapolis Convention Center. We have the extreme pleasure of observing rehearsals while the band prepares. Your students are currently playing at a level very seldom seen or heard from high school students. The musicianship is of high quality and the music of utmost difficulty – a difficulty rivaling many college bands. The band is truly a product of hard work and dedication. If you are unable to attend the Feb. 17 concert, the band will also be giving a matinee concert at 2 p.m. this Sunday, Feb. 12, at the high school. Your supportive attendance would be very much appreciated. Thank you again for all you show toward your music students.Kyle Eastman, Luverne High School/Middle School Choir DirectorMary Goheen, Luverne Middle School Band Director

By John RittenhouseThe Luverne boys’ basketball team dropped its fourth game of the season after posting a pair of victories over the weekend.The Cardinals bested Redwood Valley by eight points in Luverne Friday before besting West Central by five points in Hartford, S.D., Saturday. State-ranked Russell-Tyler-Ruthton ended Luverne’s run of four straight wins by toppling the Cards by 13 points in Tyler Tuesday.Luverne, 14-4 overall, hosts Windom for a key section game Friday. The Cards play Central Lyon in Rock Rapids, Iowa, Tuesday.R-T-R 63, Luverne 50The Cardinals were in position to knock off the Knights before succumbing to the two-time defending state champions in Tyler Tuesday.With Derek Boeve netting all 15 of his points in the first half to lead the way, Luverne sported a 26-24 advantage over R-T-R at the intermission.R-T-R, however, rallied to outscore LHS 39-24 in the second half to win by 13."We were able to slow things down in the first half with our zone defense and controlling the tempo on offense. They adjusted to our zone in the second half, and we didn’t make enough shots to stay with them," said LHS coach Tom Rops.Marc Boelman netted 11 points for LHS. Nick Heronimus and Tim Miller snared four rebounds each.Box scoreMiller 1 0 0-0 2, Ward 1 0 0-0 2, Boelman 4 0 3-5 11, Hendricks 3 0 0-0 6, Boeve 2 2 5-5 15, DeBoer 1 0 1-2 3, Heronimus 2 1 0-0 7, Haakenson 0 0 1-2 1, Uphoff 0 0 2-2 2, Sawtelle 0 0 2-2 2.Team statisticsLuverne: 17 of 61 field goals (28 percent), 15 of 18 free throws (83 percent), 22 rebounds, three turnovers.R-T-R: 24 of 54 field goals (44 percent), 15 of 19 free throws (78 percent), 32 rebounds, seven turnovers.Luverne 54, WC 49Some clutch free-throw shooting down the stretch carried the Cardinals to their fourth straight win Saturday in Hartford, S.D.After struggling from the stripe (seven of 23) in the first three quarters of play, Luverne canned eight of nine charity shots in the final eight minutes of play to secure a five-point victory.The game was tight most of the way with LHS sporting 14-10, 24-23 and 38-36 at the first three quarter breaks.With Heronimus sinking six straight free throws and Jake Hendricks making two of three in the fourth quarter, the Cards outscored the hosts 16-13 in the final eight minutes to help lock up the victory."We really played an up-and-down game," said LHS coach Rops. "It was nice to see Nick and Jake step up in the fourth quarter and make some free throws when we needed them most."Boeve led the Cards with 17 points in the game. Hendricks scored 14 points and passed for three assists. Heronimus scored 10 points and latched onto eight rebounds.Box scoreBoelman 2 0 1-6 5, Miller 1 2 0-3 8, Hendricks 3 1 5-7 14, Boeve 4 2 3-7 17, Heronimus 2 0 6-8 10, DeBoer 0 0 0-2 0.Team statisticsLuverne: 17 of 49 field goals (35 percent), 15 of 33 free throws (45 percent), 23 rebounds, 16 turnovers.WC: 21 of 66 field goals (32 percent), three of four free throws (75 percent), 27 rebounds, 10 turnovers.Luverne 60, RWV 52The Cardinals overcame some tense moments late in the game to sweep the season series with Redwood Valley Friday in Luverne.After LHS opened a 37-22 lead when Boeve drained a three-point shot with 13:22 remaining in the second half, the Cards found themselves in a fight when RWV went on a 26-13 run to trail by two points (50-48) with 3:34 left to play.Hendricks stemmed the tide by converting a three-point play to make it a 53-48 game with 2:46 left, and the Cards received three free throws from Hendricks and two each from Boeve and Heronimus in the final minutes to win by eight.Both teams put together surges during a competitive first half.After falling behind early, the Cards led 13-5 when Jake Clark converted a free throw at the 12:48 mark.RWV trimmed the difference to three points (20-17) with 6:29 left to play before Luverne ended the half with a 6-0 spurt that ended with Heronimus converting a field goal with 26 seconds remaining to give the hosts a 26-17 cushion.Heronimus scored 11 first-half points and led the Cards with 17 counters. Boelman scored 15 points, pulled down seven rebounds and charted three assists. Hendricks and Boeve chipped in 14 and 10 points respectively.Box scoreHaakenson 0 0 0-0 0, Boelman 7 0 1-2 15, Miller 0 1 0-0 3, Hendricks 2 2 4-5 14, Clark 0 0 1-2 1, Boeve 2 1 3-9 10, DeBoer 0 0 0-0 0, Heronimus 6 0 5-9 17.Team statisticsLuverne: 21 of 44 field goals (48 percent), 14 of 27 free throws (52 percent), 19 rebounds, 10 turnovers.RWV: 21 of 59 field goals (36 percent), eight of 13 free throws (62 percent), 23 rebounds, nine turnovers.

By John RittenhouseThe Adrian wrestling team upped its record to 27-7 after posting three wins at a pair of events.The Dragons pulled out a three-point win in Wabasso Friday before besting a pair of foes at the Redwood Valley Triangular in Redwood Falls Tuesday.Adrian completes the regular season with a match in Pipestone tonight before opening the Section 3A Team Tournament in Worthington Tuesday.RWV triangularThe Dragons emerged as the lone undefeated team of Tuesday’s triangular in Redwood Falls.Adrian topped RWV 52-21 before securing a 36-25 win over Tracy-Milroy-Balaton.Tony Thier, Brandon Bullerman, Andy Heitkamp, Zach Reker, Nate Engelkes, Cody Reverts and Will Lutmer all went 2-0 for the Dragons, while Brock Bullerman was 1-0.Matt Gades and Stephen Loosbrock went 1-1 for AHS. Jordan Bullerman, Tyler Sieve and Luke Tiesler went 0-1. Jordan Reker, Shea Klooster and Clint Metz went 0-3.Match wrap-upsAdrian 36, T-M-B 25103 (A) Bk.Bullerman3-1 Campbell.112 (T) Thao 11-6 Tiesler.119 (T) Prarie pins Loosbrock.125 (T) Cooreman 6-1 Gades.130 (A) Thier 4-3 Evans.135 (A) Bd.Bullermant.f Cooreman.140 (A) Heitkamp 6-2 Hebig.145 (A) Z.Reker pins Dieter.152 (T) Nelson 5-0 J.Reker.160 (T) Prarie pins Klooster.171 (T) Carlson 11-3 Metz.189 (A) Engelkes pins Lanners.215 (A) Reverts 13-2 Bauer.275 (A) Lutmer pins Jacob.Adrian52, RWV 21103 (R) Sweetmanpins Jd.Bullerman.112 (A) Loosbrock by forfeit.119 (R) King pins Sieve.125 (A) Gades by forfeit.130 (A) Thier by forfeit.135 (A) Bd.Bullerman pins Harazin.140 (A) Heitkamp 13-5 Schiller.145 (A) Z.Reker by forfeit.152 (R) Myers 6-2 J.Reker.160 (R) Potter 6-2 Metz.171 (R) Anderson 9-3 Klooster.189 (A) Engelkes pins Okins.215 (A) Reverts pins Vermillion.275 (A) Lutmer by forfeit.Adrian 34, Minneota 31The Dragons erased a 13-point deficit late in the match to nip the Vikings by three points Friday in Minneota.With the score tied at 18 after the 145-pound match, Minneota registered three straight wins to gain a 31-18 advantage heading into the 189-pound tilt.Adrian’s Nate Engelkes secured a 9-6 decision win over Wade Eischens at 189 before Cody Reverts and Will Lutmer received forfeits at 215 and heavyweight to complete the comeback.Minneota led 18-3 after the first five matches of the contest. Adrian’s win came from Stephen Loosbrock, who secured a 5-3 decision victory over Jordan Bottelberghe at 112.The Dragons tied the match at 18 with pins from Tony Thier (2:11 over Andrew Bradke) and Brandon Bullerman (27 seconds over Jordan Kimpe) at 125 and 140 respectively, and Andy Heitkamp’s 3-2 victory over Craig Peterson at 145.Match wrap-up103 (M) Derynck 6-2 Bk.Bullerman.112 (A) Loosbrock5-3 Bottleberghe.119 (M) Longtin pins Croat.125 (M) Buettel pins Polzine.130 (M) Skillings 7-2 Gades.135 (A) Thier pins Bradke.140 (A) Bd.Bullerman pins Kimpe.145 (A) Heitkamp 3-2 Peterson.152 (M) Buysse 7-1 J.Reker.160 (M) Peterson pins Metz.171 (M) Hammer 14-6 Wagner.189 (A) Engelkes 9-6 Eischens.215 (A) Reverts by forfeit.275 (A) Lutmer by forfeit.

By John RittenhouseThe Luverne gymnastics team picked up a pair of victories at different venues.Luverne secured a four-plus point win in St. James Tuesday after besting Marshall by three-plus points in Luverne Tuesday.The Cardinals attempt to post their fifth straight victory when they host Martin County West tonight.Luverne 128.175, SJ 123.55The Cardinals had little trouble in besting the Saints during Tuesday’s meet in St. James.Luverne athletes won three of four individual titles during the meet to lead the way to a four-plus point victory.Courtney Fodness had a big night for the Cards. Along with placing second on the bars (7.65) and fourth on the vault (8.7), Fodness won the beam (8.275) and all-around (32.925) titles.Victoria Arends and Brittany Mulder also won events for LHS.Arends, who placed third on the vault and fourth on the floor with respective 8.875 and 8.4 tallies, took top honors on the bars with a 7.75. Mulder, who placed second on the vault, third on the bars and fourth on the beam with 8.95, 7.4 and 7.1 efforts, won the floor title with an 8.65.Luverne’s Morgan Bosshart finished second on the vault and third on the floor with scores of 8.6 and 8.475. Brittany Sandager turned in a third-place effort on the beam with her 7.4Individual resultsVault: Mulder, 8.95; Arends, 8.875; Fodness, 8.7; Bosshart, 8.6; LaRae Kor, 8.075.Bars: Arends, 7.775; Fodness, 7.65; Mulder, 7.4; Bosshart, 6.75; Krista Van Dyk, 5.8.Beam: Fodness, 8.275; Sandager, 7.4; Mulder, 7.1; Van Dyk, 6.85; Arends, 6.55.Floor: Mulder, 8.65; Bosshart, 8.475; Arends, 8.4; Fodness, 8.3; Sandager, 7.6.Luverne 131.175, Marshall 127.5The Cardinals broke even (3-3) in Southwest Conference competition for the season by defeating the Tigers by three-plus points in Luverne Thursday.Luverne athletes won two of four individual events during the evening to highlight the win.Fodness took top honors on the bars with an 8.15.Arends and Mulder shared the vault title by recording 8.8s.Mulder also finished second on the floor (8.9), fourth on the beam (8.0) and second all-around (33.025). Arends placed fourth on the bars and floor with respective 7.55 and 8.5 tallies.Luverne’s Bosshart placed third on the floor and vault with 8.7 and 8.75 tallies.Marshall’s Amy Daniels, the all-around champion with 35.45 points, won the floor and beam with 9.5 and 9.55 efforts.Individual resultsBars: Fodness, 8.15; Arends, 7.55; Bosshart, 7.5; Mulder, 7.5; Krista Van Dyk 6.1.Beam: Mulder, 8.0; Fodness, 7.875; Brittany Sandager, 7.8; Bosshart, 7.15; Van Dyk, 7.1.Floor: Mulder, 8.9; Bosshart, 8.7; Arends, 8.5; Fodness, 8.35; Sandager, 7.1.Vault: Arends, 8.8; Mulder, 8.8; Bosshart, 8.75; Fodness, 8.65; LaRae Kor, 8.1.

By John RittenhouseA charged-up Parents’ Night Crowd at Ellsworth High School witnessed a historic performance Tuesday.Aaron Van Der Stoep, a 5-11 junior guard, established two individual school records during an incredible offensive effort.Van Der Stoep, who made 16 of 23 shots in the game, established EHS standards in three-point shots made and total points in a single game to lead the Panthers to an 89-57 victory over Hills-Beaver Creek.The junior sensation nailed 12 shots from behind the three-point arc and finished the game with 44 points.Connecting on 12 of 19 three-pointers, Van Der Stoep surpassed the former school record of 10 threes made by Dale Lewis in 1998.His 44 total points eclipsed a school standard that was established 35 years ago, when Tom Nolte pumped in 41 points in a single game in 1971.With Van Der Stoep leading the way, EHS rolled to its 20th win of the season.The hot-shooting guard sank eight three-pointers and scored 30 points to help the Panthers open a 55-17 halftime lead.Van Der Stoep struck for 14 more points in the second half, when EHS led by as many as 45 points before settling for a 32-point victory.Cody Schilling recorded a triple-double by scoring 21 points, snaring 14 rebounds and charting 11 assists for the 20-2 Panthers, who play in Flandreau, S.D., Friday before hosting George-Little Rock Tuesday.Aaron Esselink scored 19 points and pulled down nine rebounds for H-BC. Cody Rozeboom added five rebounds for the 1-19 Patriots who host Southwest Star Concept tonight before playing at Southwest Christian Tuesday.Box scoreH-BCVan Wyhe 0 0 4-4 4, Reid 0 0 0-0 0, Rozeboom 1 0 7-11 9, Fink 0 0 0-0 0, Scholten 1 1 3-4 8, Van Batavia 0 0 1-2 1, DeBoer 1 0 2-2 4, Hup 4 0 0-2 8, Sandbulte 2 0 0-0 4, Esselink 7 0 5-6 19.EllsworthNolte 0 0 0-0 0, DeBerg 0 0 0-0 0, Deutsch 0 1 0-0 3, Kramer 4 0 0-0 8, Schilling 7 1 4-4 21, Van Der Stoep 4 12 0-0 44, Herman 1 0 0-0 2, Klaassen 0 0 0-0 0, Chapa 3 0 0-0 6, Lindemann 0 0 0-0 0, Kix 0 0 0-0 0, Golombiecki 0 1 0-0 3, Jansma 1 0 0-0 2.Team statisticsH-BC: 17 of 54 field goals (31 percent), 22 of 31 free throws (71 percent), 23 rebounds, 23 turnovers.Ellsworth: 35 of 63 field goals (56 percent), four of four free throws (100 percent), 29 rebounds, 13 turnovers.

By John RittenhouseThe Luverne girls’ basketball team put together its best week of the season by winning three games in a five-day span.The Cardinals saddled Redwood Valley with a 16-point setback in Luverne Friday before securing a five-point win at Edgerton Public School Monday. Luverne picked up its biggest prize by nipping Pipestone by two points in an overtime game played in Pipestone Tuesday.Luverne, 10-9 overall, shoots for its fourth straight win when they host Windom Friday. The Cards play in Adrian Tuesday.Luverne 66, Pipestone 64The Cardinals pulled off the biggest upset in Jason Phelps’ five-year tenure as head coach when they edged the Arrows by two points in Pipestone Tuesday.The teams battled to draws in the first and second halves. Luverne, however, used a 9-7 scoring edge in overtime to win by one."It was our biggest win since I’ve been here," admitted Phelps."We were playing on their court and on back-to-back nights with just six of our seven regular players. We played with a lot of composure the whole night."The score was tied at 29 at the intermission, and the Arrows opened a five-point cushion 13 minutes into the second half before Luverne’s Maggie Kuhlman tied the score at 57 with one layup in the final minute of regulation play.The Cards came up empty with two shots late in regulation play, but they scored the first three points in overtime and never lost the lead the rest of the night.Double-doubles from Mindy Nieuwboer (21 points and 11 rebounds) and Samantha Gacke (18 points and 11 rebounds) serve as the highlights of the win. Kuhlman added an 18-point, seven-assist effort.Box scoreKlein 0 1 0-0 3, Nieuwboer 4 2 7-8 21, Snyder 0 0 0-1 0, Kuhlman 1 4 4-6 18, Hoiland 0 1 3-4 6, Gacke 6 0 6-14 18.Team statisticsLuverne: 21 of 64 field goals (33 percent), 20 of 33 field goals (60 percent), 28 rebounds, 11 turnovers.Luverne 60, Edgerton 55An outstanding offensive performance in the first half carried the Cardinals to a five-point win in Edgerton Monday.Edgerton opened the game by playing zone defense and the Cardinals made them pay for the decision by shooting their way to a 43-25 halftime lead."We really shot the ball well in the first half. They were playing a zone, and we made five threes," said LHS coach Phelps.The Flying Dutchmen climbed back into the game in the second half, trailing by two points with 35 seconds remaining.Luverne’s Nieuwboer sank two free throws and Kuhlman added another in the final 30 seconds to secure a five-point win for the Cards.Erin Hoiland scored all 12 of her points in the first half for LHS. Kuhlman, who led the Cards with 16 points and four assists, added 10 points to the first-half charge.Gacke scored 11 points, collected eight rebounds and charted six steals for the Cards. Nieuwboer added eight rebounds to the winning effort.Box scoreKlein 3 1 0-0 9, Nieuwboer 3 0 2-3 8, Snyder 1 0 0-0 2, Kuhlman 3 3 1-3 16, Hoiland 3 2 0-0 12, Gacke 5 0 1-2 11, Vogt 0 0 2-2 2.Team statisticsLuverne: 24 of 52 field goals (46 percent), six of 12 free throws (50 percent), 30 rebounds, 10 turnovers.Luverne 67, RWV 51The Cardinals snapped a four-game losing skid and notched their third conference win of the season when they bested Redwood Valley by 16 points Friday in Luverne.Luverne, which lost a five-point game when they squared off against RWV in Redwood Falls in early January, fell behind 6-2 early in the rematch.The Cards, however, outscored the visitors 65-45 the rest of the night to win handily.Luverne answered RWV’s early spurt by going on a 28-11 run capped by a field goal from Gacke at the 3:53 mark of the first half to open a 30-17 lead.The Cards led by 12 points (32-20) at the intermission before using a 12-7 surge that ended with Hoiland canning a field goal at 14:18 of the second half to gain a 44-27 advantage.RWV trimmed the difference to seven points (46-39) with 10:33 left to play, but the Cards outscored the visitors 21-12 the rest of the night to win by 16.Gacke, who scored 15 of her game-high 23 points in the first half, snared six rebounds and blocked five shots for the winners.Kuhlman turned in a 10-point, eight-assist, five-steal effort for the Cards. Hoiland and Nieuwboer contributed seven and six rebounds respectively to the winning cause.Box scoreKlein 2 0 2-2 6, Nieuwboer 3 0 2-2 8, Snyder 2 0 1-3 5, Kuhlman 4 0 2-3 10, Hoiland 2 1 0-0 7, Vogt 3 0 2-2 8, Gacke 8 1 4-7 23.Team statisticsLuverne: 26 of 66 field goals (39 percent), 13 of 19 free throws (68 percent), 35 rebounds, 18 turnovers.RWV: 20 of 42 field goals (48 percent), five of nine free throws (48 percent), 11 rebounds, 17 turnovers.

By Lexi MooreAs students learn new skills, they often produce work that tops that of even the most skilled teachers.Members of the Hills-Beaver Creek Patriot Millworks group took the lessons they learned last semester and produced several handcrafted furniture items.The students, under the instruction of Ray Vander Wolde, created 13 different types of wood furniture.The class used raw materials and tools in the industrial arts building to produce items including a bedroom dresser, a coffee table and a curio cabinet.Vander Wolde encouraged the students to pay attention to the small details when constructing their pieces. For example, they rounded edges, which is time-consuming but enhances the quality and value of the item.H-BC has had a Millworks program for more than a decade. In the past, the students have sold their work to area furniture stores and local residents. They have installed custom-designed kitchen cabinets and made entertainment centers.The money they make from the sales is used to fund the program and to purchase materials for the classroom. Unfortunately, when Vander Wolde met with store owners this year, they were not interested in buying the pieces. After several attempts, he decided the pieces would have to be sold at the school instead of at a retail store.Not wanting the program to face the same circumstances next year, he asked store owners what they would be interested in purchasing. They suggested the students work on gun cabinets and custom pieces.Once the decision had been made to try to sell the items in Hills, the students moved the pieces they had made into the hallway of the high school. They priced and labeled each piece of furniture with the hope that local residents will be interested in making a purchase.The furniture is priced from $50 to $580, which is low considering the quality of the materials used.This year 22 students are participating in Patriot Millworks. Some are learning woodworking for the first time, but many others have been constructing items out of wood for years.

The success of a teacher’s career is not measured in awards or salary but by the number of lives they have impacted. By those standards Cyndi Ebert’s career at Hills-Beaver Creek has been a success not only for herself but for the school district.She has taught more than 1,500 students in two subject areas during her 35-year tenure in Hills.Friday the district will celebrate Cyndi’s final day in the classroom with an open house. Although she is hesitant to leave, she said she knows it’s for the best.In 2004 her husband, Greg, retired from the district and moved into the home the couple built on Lake ??Since then she has spent her weeks living at the Morningside Manor apartments and her weekends traveling back and forth.As grandchildren continue to add up (the fifth is due March 14), she knows she will keep busy in her retirement.A Career PatriotCyndi and Greg came to Hills in 1970 without ever having stepped foot in Rock County.Not long after Cyndi graduated with a German and French degree, she and Greg met former H-BC Superintendent Dean Deragisch. He had flown to North Dakota to meet the couple and convince them that their career was meant to start at H-BC."We knew such a nice person could not be from a bad place," Cyndi said of their first interview.That fall she started as part-time employee teaching German and working in the library as an aide. Coincidently, she ended up sharing a classroom with Greg during those first years.Cyndi admits to being shocked by what? the small size of the community? when they got here, but adjusted quickly as she got to know the staff and students at H-BC.District administrators knew they had a quality educator in Cyndi and encouraged her to go back to school for an English degree."I knew I had to do it if I wanted to stay in the H-BC program. It was obvious that German was not going to be offered for long."Trials and TriumphsIn the mid-1980s, long after Cyndi had finished her English degree, she was told she would need to learn to teach via telemedia.The process involved teaching students in Luverne and Adrian using the Internet, a monitor and three cameras.At first the technique seemed impossible and Cyndi said she wasn’t enthusiastic about learning the process."I just didn’t think students could learn without having their instructor in the room with them."However, after some training and experience, she realized that a well-prepared instructor could use this method to educate students through distance learning.Her passion for the technique brought her to testify in front of the Minnesota Department of Education, who were opponents of the program.Ebert also remembers struggling with the state to keep the school district open when they wanted it to consolidate with Luverne."The people of Hills, Steen and Beaver Creek have a lot of pride in the school. I hope that always stays."Ebert said her proudest moments were when committees successfully kept the district open 10 years ago and managed to get the elementary school built in Beaver Creek.Life after the classroom"I always knew I wanted to be a teacher."So how does a life-long teacher plan to spend her days when she no longer has a classroom to call home?"I want one whole year to do whatever I want to."In addition to logging some long hours with her husband, children and grandchildren, Cyndi plans to learn how to golf.The lake the Eberts live on has an 18-hole golf course, and the challenge of learning a new activity sounds exciting to Cyndi.First and foremost, she plans to sleep in during the week. Even though H-BC asks their staff to arrive at 7:30 a.m., Cyndi is in her room by 7 a.m."There is always so much to do. I like to get here and get ready for the day."Cyndi calls Hills the only home she has had, and her eyes mist over when she talks about leaving after 35 years."This is my home," she said. "I feel I finally am growing up and moving away from home."