H-BC School Board 
meets Oct. 27
Hills-Beaver Creek Dist. 671
Minutes
Oct. 27, 2021
The Hills-Beaver Creek School Board met for its semi-monthly meeting at 7:03 p.m. in the H-BC Secondary School Board room, 301 N Summit Ave, Hills, MN.
Board members and Administration present were Bosch, Fransman, Gehrke, Harnack, Rauk and Rozeboom. Superintendent Holthaus and Business Manager Rozeboom were also in attendance. Principal Kellenberger and Board member Knobloch were absent.
Motion by Harnack, second by Rozeboom, and carried to approve the agenda.
Visitor to the meeting was Mavis Fodness with Star Herald.
PATRIOT PRIDE:
-End of Regular Seasons for Jr. High Football and Volleyball
-End of Regular Seasons for Varsity Volleyball and Football
-US News and World Report recognizing H-BC Elementary as a top 50
elementary school in the state of MN.
Board Committee Meeting Reports:
-Personnel/Finance Committee - 10/13, Community Education Advisory-10/27
Motion by Fransman, second by Rauk, and carried to approve Consent Agenda:
-Minutes—10/11/2021
-Bills and Imprest
-Student Activity Accounts
-Secondary Principal Contract for the 21-22 school year
-Adjusting activity bus driver route pay to $15/hour beginning November 1 and
for the remainder of the 2021-2022 school year INDIVIDUAL ACTION ITEMS:
Motion by Bosch, second by Rozeboom, and carried to approve
Cyber Security Contract with SWWC.
Motion by Bosch, second by Harnack, and carried to approve Canvass of November 2, 2021 Special Election results at regular Board of Education meeting, November 8, 2021.
Motion by Harnack, second by Fransman, and carried to approve
purchase of new riding lawn mower.
Motion by Bosch, second by Rauk, and carried to approve
purchase of 10-passenger van.
Motion by Fransman, second by Harnack, and carried to approve setting 15 2017 MacBook Pros as excess district property and direct administration to sell.
DISTRICT NON-ACTION ITEMS:
•Secondary Principal Report - Mr Kellenberger absent
•Superintendent/Elementary Principal Report
AGENDA ITEMS FOR THE NEXT REGULARLY SCHEDULED MEETING
DATES TO REMEMBER:
-District Special Election, Tuesday, November 2, 2021- 8 a.m.-8 p.m. NO School
Activities 6 p.m.-8 p.m.
-Regular Board of Education Meeting, Monday, November 8
-Regular Board of Education Meeting, Monday, November 22
Meeting adjourned at 7:44 p.m.
Tamara Rauk, Clerk
(11-18)

Rock County hearing for variance request Nov. 29
Notice of Public Hearings for Variance Request
Close Proximity Owners and Local Officials of the Rock County Board of Adjustment
Notice is hereby given that the Rock County Board of Adjustment will hold a public hearing on Monday, November 29, 2021, at the Rock County Law Enforcement Center located at 1000 North Blue Mound Avenue, Luverne, Minnesota, at 7:00 p.m. to act on the following applications:
Property Owner and Applicant 1: Justin and Sara Ilse
Legal Description: Lots 12-14, Block 4, Village of Kana-
ranzi, Section 3 of Kanaranzi Township, 
T 101 N, R 44 W, Rock County, MN
Request for a variance to allow the construction of a garage, entry, and bathroom addition to an existing dwelling with the proposed addition being located no less than 35 feet from the centerline of the public right of way, Second Street. 
Property Owner and Applicant 2: Dean Tofteland
Legal Description: A 60.4 acre tract located in Section 12 
of Luverne Township, T 102 N, R 45W, 
Rock County, MN
Request for a variance to allow the construction of 3 proposed cul-de-sacs, not to exceed 825 feet in length, as part of a rural subdivision to be proposed by Dean Tofteland.  
All persons interested may appear and by heard at said time and place, or submit views in writing or by representative.
Dated: November 18, 2021
By order of the Rock County Board of Adjustment
Eric A. Hartman, Zoning Administrator
311 W. Gabrielson Road
Luverne, MN 56156
507-283-8862
(11-18, 11-24)

Rock County hearing for variance request Nov. 29
Notice of Public Hearings for Variance Request
Close Proximity Owners and Local Officials of the Rock County Board of Adjustment
Notice is hereby given that the Rock County Board of Adjustment will hold a public hearing on Monday, November 29, 2021, at the Rock County Law Enforcement Center located at 1000 North Blue Mound Avenue, Luverne, Minnesota, at 7:00 p.m. to act on the following applications:
Property Owner and Applicant 1: Justin and Sara Ilse
Legal Description: Lots 12-14, Block 4, Village of Kana-
ranzi, Section 3 of Kanaranzi Township, 
T 101 N, R 44 W, Rock County, MN
Request for a variance to allow the construction of a garage, entry, and bathroom addition to an existing dwelling with the proposed addition being located no less than 35 feet from the centerline of the public right of way, Second Street. 
Property Owner and Applicant 2: Dean Tofteland
Legal Description: A 60.4 acre tract located in Section 12 
of Luverne Township, T 102 N, R 45W, 
Rock County, MN
Request for a variance to allow the construction of 3 proposed cul-de-sacs, not to exceed 825 feet in length, as part of a rural subdivision to be proposed by Dean Tofteland.  
All persons interested may appear and by heard at said time and place, or submit views in writing or by representative.
Dated: November 18, 2021
By order of the Rock County Board of Adjustment
Eric A. Hartman, Zoning Administrator
311 W. Gabrielson Road
Luverne, MN 56156
507-283-8862
(11-18, 11-24)

A joint public-private project will restore a portion of the Rock River back to its natural course.
The city of Luverne and two private land owners are working with state and federal agencies to remove six former railway pillars in the Rock River south of the Luverne City Park.
Planning began in 2018 and work will be completed this fall.
The Rock County Soil and Water Conservation District, U.S. Fish and Wildlife, and the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources are also involved.
Partners for Fish and Wildlife is funding the majority of the $25,000 project. The DNR is funding the rest.
“We want the stream to do what the stream naturally wants to do,” said Scott Ralston with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service in Windom.
“Unfortunately, some human structures get in the way.”
Officials estimate the existing pillars in the early 1900s supported a railroad bridge over the Rock River.
The railroad ceased to exist in the 1940s, and while the decking and the rails were removed, the sandstone pillars remained.
The current railway bridge is 130 feet north of the abandoned pillars, which have multiple owners.
The pillar in the center of the Rock River is owned by the DNR. Three pillars to the west of center are owned by the city of Luverne, and the two remaining eastern pillars are owned by Mike and Karen Mensen.
Together, the pillars have caused a sandbar to develop in front of the central pillar, which now directs water toward the river’s eastern bank.
It’s creating a “scour hole” that is gradually eroding the river bank adjacent to land owned by the Mensons and neighbor Robert Verhey.
Doug Bos of the Rock County Land Management said the sandstone pillars have for decades prevented sand and other debris from freely traveling down the river.
During weather events the pillars create a “fire hose effect” that blasts water into the riverbank. “It’s a project that needs to be done,” Bos said. “It’s good for it to be done.”
Stone from the pillars will be used as riprap along the scour hole area to lessen the soil erosion along the river banks.
The pillars are blocks of stone and are arranged in configurations that are 6 feet wide and range in length from 17 to 24 feet and are about 3 to 4 feet below the lowest point in the Rock River.
The estimated 298 cubic yards of stone may be enough to complete the 150 feet of riprap on the river’s eastern bank.
A sandbar that developed as a result of the pillars is expected to be used to get equipment up to the sandstone structures. With the pillars gone, nature will reclaim the sandbar over time as the Rock River moves back to a more natural course.
Versteeg Excavating of Luverne was awarded the bid. His $25,000 bid was the lowest of three submissions.
Other recent Rock River projects in this area include the 2010 low head dam removal and construction of rock riffles to ease the water flow.
In 2019 an oxbow restoration project on the Verhey property eased flooding of farm fields. An L-shaped flood berm was constructed on the Mensen property to protect their nearby residence.

Community members, veterans, students and staff gathered in Luverne Middle School-High School Thursday afternoon for a Veterans Day program in the Performing Arts Center.
Minnesota National Guardsman Jeff Thacker spoke about military service and what it means to serve.
Thacker, who has been deployed numerous times overseas, shared an analogy of wolves, sheep and sheep dogs.
He said the wolves are predators, much like ISIS, al-Qaeda or the Taliban, and the sheep are defenseless civilians.
The sheep dogs, he said are there to defend the flock. “Military members are like sheep dogs, willing to lay down their lives for the defenseless,” Thacker said.
“They have a powerful willingness and desire to serve something greater than themselves.”
He said veterans are the sheep dogs, the heroes who have stood guard to keep those they love safe.
In his address Thursday, Thacker recognized sacrifices military families make when loved ones are deployed.
“These deployments have a profound impact on families,” he said, listing “firsts” and major events that deployed service people miss back home.
And he encouraged people to consider service to others.
“It doesn’t have to be in the military,” he said. “It may be as a volunteer fireman, law enforcement officer, paramedic, EMT, doctor, nurse or a teacher. There is no better way to live a life of purpose and in that purpose their meaning and joy.”
He encouraged people to thank veterans and to visit with them about their service in the military.
“More important than asking what they did, ask how it changed them and formed them,” Thacker said.
“You might be surprised to learn something about the sacrifices people are willing to make to serve the greatest country on the planet, the United States of America.”
When it was pointed out that Thacker had served overseas and was not welcomed home as a hero, he received a standing ovation in order to provide that hero’s welcome.
Thursday’s program included music by the Luverne High School band and choir and posting and retiring of colors by the Rock County Color Guard, which included the Luverne and Hardwick American Legion and the Rock County VFW.

Surprise and gratitude emanated from high school English teacher Amy Sahly as she accepted the 2022 Luverne Education Association Teacher of the Year plaque Monday afternoon in the new middle-high school commons.
“I was surprised,” Sahly said after the ceremony. “We have so many great teachers in Luverne that every year it could be anybody.”
The 2021 recipient, Lucy Rofshus, was matron of ceremonies for the annual event that honors teachers on the first day of American Education Week. The rest of the week is dedicated to other employee groups.
“Public schools are the cornerstones of our communities,” Rofshus said. “During American Education Week, we celebrate public education and show our appreciation for the men and women who make a difference in students’ lives every day.”
As is tradition, the introduction of the new teacher honoree was made by reading comments from the nomination forms:
“They are a dedicated educator who knows her content well and also knows how to deliver the content in a way that is engaging for students.”
“They build a culture of high expectations and respect for learning in her classroom and those expectations of excellence impact other classes and our school overall.”
“Students enjoy her sometimes quirky passion for her subject matter and her fun, yet serious, personality overall.”
Sahly, who grew up in Sioux Falls and graduated from Lincoln High School, knew at a young age she wanted to be a teacher, following in the footsteps of her mother and maternal grandmother.
“I liked how every day has both variety and routine — each class period is different, but each day follows the same structure,” she said. “I like both the predictability and unpredictability, if that makes sense.”
Originally, Sahly focused on becoming a French teacher, but in college the writing and speaking in English was easier and she switched her major.
Luverne High School has been her first and only school in which she has taught. She was hired 22 years ago and teachers grades 11-12 English and advanced placement literature classes.
“This was actually my first job interview,” she said. “I was very fortunate to get this position right out of college and have always been happy with my decision to teach here.”
As a child with an English teacher as a mother, Sahly developed a love of reading and “losing myself in other worlds and having experiences I could never have in real life.” She tries to keep that level of energy and surprise when teaching.
“There is a certain amount of drama that I think helps get students fired up about literature,” she said. “I have sort of trained myself to ‘forget’ what is coming next in whatever we are reading, so that if one character betrays another or someone unexpectedly dies, I can be surprised all over again with the kids, which makes it more interesting both for me and them.”
Sahly takes the passion for teaching into her membership with the LEA.
“The LEA is so important because everyone has opinions on teaching, but the only people who really understand what it is like in the classroom are other teachers,” she said.
“Whenever we needed to change gears for covid or construction and whatever else, everyone in the LEA pulled together and made sure no one got left behind, which really means a lot.”
With her more than two decades in Luverne, Sahly now has colleagues, who are former students. She continues to be their teacher in becoming a mentor for the next generation of instructors.
“I have quite a few students in class now whose parents I had as students, which amazes me because I truly don’t feel like I’ve been teaching for that long — I still remember being nervous and new and unsure of where things were or how to do things,” she said.
Sahly also shares her love of quilting with students, offering a hand sewing enrichment flex option that most don’t expect from an English teacher.

The Luverne Education Association honored Main Street Financial Services as the 2022 Friend of Education.
An ice cream social Monday afternoon also revealed the 2022 Teacher of the Year (see related story) and kicked off American Education Week in Luverne schools.
Annually the LEA group nominates an outside individual or group who supports public education within the school district.
Nominations praised Main Street Financial and owner Nancy Van De Berg for many years of support for Luverne Public Schools.
“Main Street Financial has funded speakers in the past that have been at our school to enjoy,” one person wrote in a nomination. “They are very willing to support Luverne Schools and help in any way.”
For many years, Main Street Financial has given “thousands of dollars” to sponsor the annual kindness, respect and courage retreats, and Van De Berg herself is a second-year mentor in the high school’s Creating Entrepreneurial Opportunities program.
Van De Berg said her staff (which has two children in Luverne Elementary School and graduated 11 children from LHS) helps decide where donations are directed and have supported providing extra educational opportunities in Luverne.
“We are a supporter of positive role models and encouraging others to be the best that they could be,” Van De Berg said.
“The programs we are sponsoring at school center on encouragement, being a positive role model, having the courage to step out of the box and also the courage to do the right thing — especially when it isn’t popular — treating others with kindness and respect. These attributes have gotten me and our entire team to where we are today.”
Van De Berg said education continues to be important to the business she purchased in 2016. Each of her staff brought to the business skills to be lifelong students.
“Much studying was required to obtain the insurance and securities licenses that each one of us holds, and each was gained to fulfill a need within our business,” she said.
Van De Berg recalls as an LHS senior she participated in the school’s vocational program, where she and two other students worked at Tri-State Insurance in Luverne.
The experience allowed Van De Berg to gain an interest in business. She wants to give that same experience to young people in her role as a mentor.
“There were many role models in my life and so much encouragement, and many life lessons were learned from each one,” Van De Berg said.
“I want to give back and be able to encourage a young person to think out of the box, take chances they many not take, and gain a lifelong friendship.”