A co-worker at the Star Herald office recently passed around a copy of the best selling self-help book "Who Moved My Cheese?" The book is a parable about four characters living in a "maze" and looking for "cheese" to nourish them and make them happy.

In the book, "cheese" is a metaphor for what you want out of life; for example, a good job, a loving relationship, money, a possession, health or spiritual piece of mind.

The maze is where you look for what you want - the organization you work in, or the family and community you live in.

Two mice named Sniff and Scurry and two "little people" named Hem and Haw travel through the maze.

Sniff sniffs out change early, while Scurry scurries into action. Hem denies and resists change because he fears it will lead to something worse, while Haw learns to adapt in time when he sees change leads to something better.

If we read carefully, we may recognize ourselves or someone we know in these characters or a combination of characters.

As adults, we shouldn't need to be compared to mice and "little people" to point out how we handle change. But it is probable we wouldnÕt spend much time thinking about how we handle change without an analogy like this.

Corporations are distributing "Who Moved My Cheese?" as a tool to help employees handle the changing business climate, but it also works for dealing with changes in our personal lives.

Recently, I have received some funny looks when talking about "cheese." Those who have not read the book have no idea what is going on when I start rambling on about "my cheese." During one such conversation a friend gave me a puzzled look and asked, "Do you have mice?"

I had to share with my friend the philosophy of "Who Moved My Cheese?"

The book stresses having "cheese," or whatever reward makes you happy. The more important your cheese or reward is to you, the more you try to hold on to it. If you do not change and find a new reward you can become extinct.

In other words, anticipate change. Movement in a new direction can help you find new rewards.

What would you do if you weren't afraid? When you move beyond your fear you feel free. What is holding you back?

In my opinion, which was formed long before I read the book, change strengthens a person. Meeting new people and trying new things shouldn't be feared. Personalities are built on experiences; if you stay continuously in your comfort zone you miss out. Each person and experience has something special to offer, some lesson to be learned.

According to the book you should imagine yourself enjoying new rewards even before finding them. Determine what is really important to you. So if you want to be president of the United States, visualize!

It is safer to search in the maze of life than remain in a situation with no rewards. In other words, if something is not working in your life, try something else. Do not get stuck in a rut.

Old beliefs do not lead you to new rewards. Think good thoughts! Seeing that you can find and enjoy new rewards helps you change course. Change is unavoidable!

The Random House dictionary defines change as the substitution of one thing for another. If you become good at substituting rewards change is easy.

We all share something in common, a need to find our way in life, to succeed and be happy in changing times. "Who Moved My Cheese?" could help you reach that goal.

By John Rittenhouse
The Hills-Beaver Creek-Ellsworth baseball team opened the 2001 season by playing a double-header in Edgerton Tuesday.

The Patriots rolled to an 8-0 win in the opener before battling the Flying Dutchmen to a draw at five in Game 2. The game was called due to darkness after seven innings of play.

A solid pitching performance by Lyle DeBoer and timely hitting late in the game set the stage for an eight-run H-BC-E victory in the opener.

DeBoer tossed six innings of shutout ball in the tilt, limiting Edgerton to one walk and four hits while fanning seven batters.

The Patriot offense ended a scoreless draw by scoring two runs in the top of the fourth inning before putting the game away with six runs in the fifth.

Darin DeBoer singled home a run and Lyle DeBoer scored on a throwing effort when H-BC-E opened the scoring in the fourth.

Lyle DeBoer and David Top delivered two-run singles to highlight the six-run uprising in the sixth. Justin Van Maanen, who led the Patriots with three hits in the opener, added a run-scoring single in the sixth.

A late rally by the Patriots carried them to a draw at five in the nightcap.

Trailing Edgerton 5-1 heading into the bottom of the sixth inning in a scheduled six-inning game, H-BC-E erupted for four runs to knot the score at five. The game was declared over due to darkness when neither team could produce a run in the seventh inning.

Van Maanen, David Top and Matt Buck slapped consecutive singles to load the bases in the bottom of the sixth. After two outs were recorded, Tyson Metzger singled home two runs, Kevin Van Batavia singled home another and Paul Jess received credit for an RBI with a fielder's choice.

Jess gave the Patriots a 1-0 lead with a two-out, one-run single in the bottom of the second, but Edgerton moved in front 5-1 by scoring once in the third and twice in the fifth and sixth frames.

Top tossed all seven innings for H-BC-E. He yielded seven hits and two walks while striking out five batters. Buck and Van Batavia led the Patriots offensively with three and two hits respectively.

The 1-0-1 Patriots play a road double-header against Sioux Valley-Round Lake-Brewster tomorrow before hosting Adrian and Murray County Central Monday and Tuesday respectively.

By John Rittenhouse
The Patriot boys' basketball team found itself overmatched when it squared off against host Harris-Lake Park in the second round of the H-LP Tournament in Lake Park, Iowa, Saturday.

H-LP is a team coming off a strong 1999-00 campaign and displayed few weaknesses when it rolled to an 80-59 win over the Patriots.

The hosts canned 54 percent (32 of 59) of their field goals in the contest and sported convincing advantages in two other important statistical categories at game's end.

H-LP had a 37-28 cushion on the boards and turned the ball over eight fewer times (17-9) than the Patriots did.

Patriot coach Steve Wiertzema was impressed with H-LP, and he is looking forward to a rematch when the teams square off in Hills Feb. 13.

"H-LP is a very good team,"he offered. "They were 25-1 last year, and I don't think they graduated any of their players. They are a good squad, and we'll play them again at home later in the season. It will be fun to see how much we progressed when we meet them again."

The hosts raced to a 19-7 lead in the first quarter before extending the margin to 21 points (41-20) by halftime when they outscored the Patriots 22-13 in the second period.

H-LP extended its lead to 39 points (71-32) by outscoring H-BC 30-12 in the third quarter, but the Patriots used a 27-9 scoring cushion in the fourth quarter to make it a 21-point difference in the end.

Brad Haak turned in a solid performance for the Patriots that featured him scoring 14 points and nabbing four rebounds.

Matt Buck, David Top and Trey Van Wyhe added four rebounds each. Top and Justin Van Maanen registered four and three assists respectively.

Box score
D.DeBoer 0 0 0-0 0, Jess 0 0 0-0 0, Van Batavia 0 1 1-2 4, Van Maanen 1 0 0-2 2, Fransman 4 0 1-2 9, Haak 6 0 2-6 14, Van Wyhe 0 1 5-6 8, Top 2 0 1-2 5, Crawford 2 0 0-0 4, Krull 1 0 0-0 2, Buck 1 0 1-3 3.

Team statistics
H-BC: 19 of 45 field goals (42 percent), 11 of 23 free throws (48 percent), 28 rebounds, 17 turnovers.
H-LP: 32 of 59 field goals (54 percent), nine of 19 free throws (47 percent), 37 rebounds, nine turnovers.

By John Rittenhouse
The Hills-Beaver Creek boys were unable to knock off the top team in the Tri-County Conference when they traveled to Edgerton Thursday to take on Southwest Christian.

The Patriots put up a good fight through two quarters before being outscored 36-13 in the second half during a 66-36 loss to the Eagles.

"We played OK for a half," said Patriot coach Steve Wiertzema. "We just couldnÕt score in the second half."

SWC led 12-10 after eight minutes of play and sported a 27-23 edge late in the second quarter before hitting a three-point shot at the buzzer to make it a 30-23 game at halftime.

The shot late in the first half seemed to inspire the Eagles as they outscored the Patriots 19-7 in the third quarter to make it a 49-30 game before using a 17-6 scoring cushion in the fourth quarter to make it a 30-point difference in the end.

Matt Buck, who scored five of his team-high nine points to help the Patriots keep the game close in the first half, came up with seven rebounds and three assists for H-BC. Brad Haak and Trey Van Wyhe snared five and four rebounds respectively. Lance Crawford led the Patriots with four steals. Lyle DeBoer charted three assists.

Box score
D.DeBoer 0 0 4-6 4, Van Maanen 0 0 0-1 0, Fransman 0 0 3-6 3, Haak 3 0 0-2 6, L.DeBoer 2 0 0-2 4, Top 2 0 0-2 4, Crawford 2 0 2-2 6, Buck 3 0 3-4 9.

Team statistics
H-BC: 12 of 33 field goals (36 percent), 12 of 25 free throws (48 percent), 26 rebounds, 26 turnovers.
SWC: 23 of 42 field goals (55 percent), 16 of 25 free throws (64 percent), 33 rebounds, six turnovers.

By John Rittenhouse
The Hills-Beaver Creek-Ellsworth track squad picked up their first exposure to outdoor competition this season at the Central Lyon Relays in Rock Rapids, Iowa, Tuesday.

Unfortunately for H-BC-E, the Patriots were unable to finish what they started.

After rain started to make cold and windy conditions even more miserable, Patriot coach Tom Goehle made the decision to pull his team out of the meet with five girls' and boys' events remaining.

"They wanted to finish the meet, but I wasn't interested. We got a good workout in, with all of our kids getting to run in at least one event," he said.

The H-BC-E girls picked up two event titles before they left Rock Rapids.

Erin Boeve, who placed second in the 100-meter dash with a time of 13.38, won the long jump with a distance of 14-10.

H-BC-EÕs 3,200-meter relay team of Cassi Tilstra, Bev Wurpts, Brittney Olson and Janelle Jenniges produced the winning time of 10:32.87.

Wurpts finished a strong second in the 400-meter dash in 1:07.65.

The Patriot boys came away with one meet championship as the 3,200-meter relay team of Chris Willers, Lee Jackson, Tyler Bush and Brad Haak recorded the winning time of 8:42.43.

Patriots Vlad Pastushenko and Greg Van Batavia came up with the team's best individual efforts.

Pastushenko finished second in the long jump with a distance of 17-2 1/2. Van Batavia ran 1,600 meters in 5:14.85 to place third.

The Patriot teams will run at the Pipestone-Jasper Invitational Saturday before attending a triangular meet in Windom Tuesday.

Here is a look at the rest of H-BC-EÕs individual results from the Central Lyon Relays.

H-BC-E girls
Third place: Shuttle-hurdle relay (Angie Bush, Kari Roozenboom, Kelsey Hansel and Sarah Rozeboom), 1:29.95.
Fourth place: Shanna Tilstra, 200, 29.34; Roozenboom, 400 hurdles, 1:32.36; 800 relay (Rozeboom, Jenniges, Melinda Feucht and Connie Lewis), 2:01.41.
Fifth place: Lewis, long jump, 13-2 1/2; Rachel Kvaale, 800, 2:56.56; Bush, 400 hurdles, 1:37.75; medley relay (LaDonna Sandstede, Olson, Brittney Rozeboom and Feucht), 5:05.53.

H-BC-E boys
Fourth place: Chris Fransman, high jump, 6-0; 800 relay (Jackson, Fransman, Willers and Haak), 1:37.95.
Fifth place: Derek Haak, 3,200, 13:26.
Sixth place: Pastushenko, 200, 25.96; Jared Drenth, 3,200, 13:52; Kerry Fink, 1,600, 5:53.

By Lori Ehde
Field work that was just starting to pick up pace last week was halted by the weekend's downpour and subsequent flooding.

By this time last year, many local farmers had already finished planting corn and were started on beans.

According to Rock County Extension Educator Fraser Norton, by April 30 last year, 75 percent of Rock County's corn was planted and 20 percent of the soybeans were in.

"Last year was an exceptional planting year," he said Tuesday.

Compared with that, it may seem we're getting a late start on field work this year, but he said that's definitely not the case.

"It's still not a crisis at all," he said, adding the short-term forecast calls for several days of warm, dry weather. "They'll probably be back in the field by the end of the week."

Norton said a later spring planting also has its advantages. "When they do get into the fields, the soil will be nice and warm, so the plants will grow faster," he said.

According to planting records for this area, corn begins to lose 1-percent yield potential if planted after May 1. Soybeans start to lose yield potential after the first week in May.

"Having said that, we're not advising people to change anything until after May 25," Norton said. "There's nothing to panic about."

He said yield loss predictions are only general averages, and the growing season has more effect on yield than late planting.

"If we have a good growing season, we'll have record yields, no problem," Norton said. "We could get a late frost in the fall, which would allow a longer growing season."

By Jolene Farley
The Tuff Village Assisted Living facilities' original eight one-bedroom units and four two-bedroom units are on course for Aug. 1 completion, according to Bonnie Hengeveld, Tuff Home assistant administrator and manager of Tuff Village.

General contractor Design Craft, Luverne, extended a July 1 expected completion date to Aug. 1 because of recent heavy rain.

Aside from this recent setback, the project had been on schedule. "It has gone really well," Hengeveld said. "Design Craft has been very good to work with."

She said interest in the project exceeded everyone's expectations. Consequently, the Tuff Memorial Board voted last week to finish seven more units in space in the lower level, bringing the total to 19 units.

The additional units will not be completed until after the original apartments are done. There are currently 39 people on the waiting list for the facility.

Tuff Village will carry an Assisted Living Home Care Providers License. Licensure requires registered nurse program supervision, 24-hour supervision of residents, three meals a day plus snacks, socialization programs and transportation.

Services not required for a license but still offered are: weekly housekeeping, on-site mail delivery, weekly linen service, beauty salon/barber shop and secured entrances. Residents also can utilize the exercise area, large commons area and rent one of six garages.

Tuff Village has set the rate for a one-bedroom unit at $1,375 per month and the rate for a two-bedroom unit at $1,575 per month with an extra $50 for a garage. A $400 fee is charged for an additional occupant.

Rental fees include utilities, cable TV and computer access and maintenance of apartments.

A stay in the Tuff nursing home in a single room with a minimum amount of care is $75.92 per day.

"We would really like people to know if they do not have their own personal resources, Tuff Village is available to everyone regardless of ability to pay," said Hengeveld.

The administration is currently developing a contract with Rock County Family Services to help potential residents with funding their stay at Tuff Village.

Rock County Family Services has "allotted a certain amount of money to help people with housing needs," according to Hengeveld.

Lola Jensen will be one of two Tuff Home residents who will move into Tuff Village when it officially opens. She moved into the Tuff Home in December because her son, Bob Jensen, worried about her living alone, according to Lola.

Jensen is happy to move into Tuff Village. She stresses everyone was wonderful to her at Tuff Memorial Home, but she said, "I like the idea I can do what I want to. It will be nice to have people for coffee or ice cream. There won't be anything for Bob to worry about."

Tuff Village is an attractive option for those who no longer wish to or are unable to maintain their own homes, those who are beginning to need supportive services and for those who desire companionship and fellowship for meals and daily activities.

By Jolene Farley
Scores released last week by the Minnesota Department of Children, Families and Learning show Hills-Beaver Creek and Hills Christian School students scoring among the top 10 schools in Minnesota this year on the reading portion of the eighth-grade Basic Standards Tests.

Twenty-three Hills Beaver Creek students and three Hills Christian School students took the test this year from the same "site," according to Dan Ellingson, District Testing Coordinator.

The Hills-Beaver Creek site had 92 percent of students receive a passing score on the math portion of the test and 85 percent on the reading portion of the test. Across the state an average of 72 percent of students who took the test passed.

The average score for H-BC and Hills Christian students on the math portion of the test was 88 percent and on the reading portion 85 percent. A score of 75 percent is passing.

Ten percent of the H-BC students taking the Basic Standards Test were special education students. No students with limited English proficiency took the test from the H-BC site.

"When you have a small number of students, one or two students can make a big jump (in the scores)," said Ellingson. "To have a proper sampling you have to combine different years."

Last year, 80 percent of Hills-Beaver Creek students passed the math portion and 84 percent passed the reading portion of the test.

Although higher scores cannot be pinpointed to one thing, parent involvement, students working hard, and teachers all help improve testing, according to Ellingson.

This year students utilized practice tests provided on the CFL website.

Students are notified when the test will be administered, and parents are invited to an informational meeting.
Basic Standards testing was implemented in 1996 to ensure students did not graduate from high school without learning the basic skills needed to live in today's world.

Almost every public school student takes the tests, in addition to high school students who have not yet passed.

Reading and math tests are administered in the eighth grade; the written composition test is given in the 10th grade. Students are allowed to retake the tests if they do not pass.

All Hills-Beaver Creek seniors except one have passed and are on track to graduate.

Patty Vanden Hoek, officer in charge, raises the American flag Tuesday morning as part of her job at the Steen Post Office.

Photo by Jolene Farley