UCLA softball celebrates student athletes

Allexis Bennett, second from left, is pictured with her parents and sisters; from left to right are her mother Mari Trooien Bennett, Kennedee Bennett, Estella Bennett and father Rob Bennett. Allexis. granddaughter of Roger and Sonya Trooien and a senior at Troy High School in Fullerton, Calif., will join the UCLA Bruins for the 2013 season.

By Violet Nelson

vanelson@yahoo.com

Allexis Bennett’s expertise in softball has earned her a five-year scholarship to UCLA.

Bennett, the granddaughter of Roger and Sonya Trooien, for­merly of Hendricks, and daugh­ter of Rob and Mari Trooien Ben­nett ofFullerton,Calif., signed a letter of intent and scholarship agreement to UCLA (UniversityofCalifornia Los Angeles) for a five-year scholarship. She will graduate from Troy High School this spring.

Throughout the years,Troy High School in California has produced a number of fine ath­letes. Head Softball Coach Kelly Inouye-Perez announced this year’s signing class of five future Bruins to National Letters of Intent. He said the five recruits have great depth and strength and they excel in the classroom, “I have no doubt they will come in and carry on the tradition of excellence at UCLA starting with the 2013 season and beyond.”

Bennett is a left-handed hit­ting infielder/outfielder. She helped the Troy Warriors to a quarterfinal finish in the Division 4 CIF-Southern Section Cham­pionships in 2011. She earned All-Freeway League first team honors and she plays club with the OC Batbusters (an Orange County athletic team), which she helped lead to a pair of cham­pionships for the 16 and Under Team in 2010. She is a member of Fellowship of Christian Ath­letics.

“Allexis ‘Chip’ Bennett plays with an energy and passion that goes unparalleled,” Coach Inouye-Pereze said. “As a left-handed hitter, her speed will add another dimension to the Bruin offense. It will be inspiring to see Chip roam the outfield in blue and gold, UCLA colors.”

Bennett chose UCLA because it is a prestigious university. “I had many offers from other schools, but UCLA gave me the opportu­nity to be with my family, go to other states as well as the Pac-12 Conference (Pacific college ath­letic conference). I loved UCLA. It’s inBeverly Hillsand it is pret­ty. It was an offer I couldn’t pass up.” Her intended major is either sociology or physiological sci­ence 5, which is kinesiology.

Bennett is grateful to her teachers atTroy. “I would like to thank them,” she said. “They have kept me in check. They’ve made sure I did everything right. They prepared me.”

Mari and Rob held a signing party in their daughter’s honor before Christmas at their home in Fullerton.

Getting into the swing of it

Tyson Frank is pictured above practicing his chipping during the golf clinic being held at Hendricks Public School.

By Tammy Mathison

hendrickspioneer@gmail.com

Organizers of the golf clinic being held at the school in Hen­dricks say that they are pleased with the turnout so far and look to see more student involvement as a few of the basketball players at HHS have expressed an inter­est in participating in the clinic and possibly joining the HHS Golf Team.

As an avid golfer and parent of two students at Hendricks Pub­lic School, Fred Schmidt was the driving force behind getting the golf clinic started.

“I got the idea from watching other parents stepping up and throwing together soccer and basketball clinics,” said Schmidt. “Watching parents and fami­lies showing up on Sundays to play games with the kids in our school’s gyms. I love seeing local parents taking the time to share what they personally enjoy with the children in our community. I think golf is the greatest game in the world and can be played by anyone willing to take the time to learn it. And I thought if I was going to get involved in something it should be golf. I asked several of my golfing friends if they thought it would be a good idea to hold some kind of golf clinic for the kids. They all thought it would be a good idea,” said Schmidt. “Tom Olson suggested I talk with Mr. Evert, the sports director for the Hen­dricks School. There are a lot of guidelines from the Minnesota High School Athletic Association regarding sports seasons and practices. Thanks to Mr. Evert’s advice, we were able to safely navigate those waters. The golf clinic should run up until the start of the regular high school golf season. Students who meet the requirements in their re­spective school districts could then start golfing under the guidance of their school’s coach. It was my hope that kids who were interested in going out for their school’s golf team would have some basic driving, chip­ping and putting skills on the first day of golf with their coach,” said Schmidt.

Despite the fact that the clinic is aimed toward fostering an interest and developing skills for those students interested in playing golf, the clinic is not a Hen­dricks School event says Schmidt.

“The golf clinic is spon­sored by the Hendricks PTO, which is its own in­dependent organization,” explained Schmidt. “The PTO actually rents the mini-gym from the school. Checks are submitted to the PTO and are used to pay for getting a quality trainer to work with the students, Mike Buseth. What Mike is charging probably won’t pay his gas mileage back and forth from Brookings, so we are so grateful for his help. He is also sharing a lot of his own equipment to make this clinic a success. He is a real asset to our communi­ty and a great golf educa­tor for our students,” said Schmidt.

Donations from addi­tional community mem­bers have played a big part in getting the golf clinic off the ground and, in ad­dition to assisting Buseth wherever needed, Schmidt helped construct special tee boxes to be used in the gym that help protect the floors from damage. Ad­ditional safety precautions are also being taken.

“Jay Nelson donated the frames for the tee boxes that the kids hit from. My father-in-law Francis Kearney helped complete the hitting decks, carpet and finished with adding rubber tees,” said Scmidt. “Matt and Kim Amundson, as well as my wife Lisa and I, donated the foam golf balls for hitting in the gym. Only the students that are actually making contact with the balls are allowed in the gym. Everyone else is working with me in the putting areas. The kids ro­tate about every 15 to 20 minutes until the end of the training session. Each training session of the clinic lasts about one hour. The clinic will continue for a total of eight weeks. Mike Buseth is helping me come up with fun putting games to keep the kids busy while they wait to swing in the gym.”

Schmidt went on to say that any students from third through 12th grades are welcome to start at­tending the golf clinic at any time during the eight weeks. The clinic is held each Monday and Thurs­day from 3:30-5 p.m. in the mini-gym at the Hen­dricks Public  School.

Dueling Duo piano request show Mar. 3

The Hendricks Fire Dept. is hosting Dueling Duo dueling pi­anos request show on Saturday, March 3 at 7 p.m. at the Hen­dricks Fire Hall.

March 3 Beach Bash liquor license granted

By Violet Nelson

vanelson@yahoo.com

The Hendricks City Council met in regular session Tuesday, Jan. 17 with Mayor Rick Hamer presiding.

County Commissioner Adam Gillund reviewed the final 2012 county budget with the council. “The county ended the year on a positive note,” he said. “We are running a very tight ship and we have to make sure we have the staff and programs to meet the peoples’ needs.” In other county issues: the payable taxes increased due to change in the in homestead taxes. The county rat­ing agents gave Lincoln County a thumbs up. “For a county this size, it is a solid rating, one to be proud of,” Gillund said. A seven percent overall reduction cut was made on our debt service fund, which is a reserve fund used to account for the accumulation of resources. Gillund has appreciat­ed working with David Blees on county law enforcement. “I am hopeful over the next five years we will have a positive agree­ment within the county on law enforcement,” Gillund said. MPR coverage is actually downsizing their police department. Lincoln County now has five deputies who will provide service to the county, new officers, additional training and police cars. The county has put a cap on health insurance for a money savings. The environmental office has had a reduction in staff. The county will still be able to work on GIS (geographic information systems) projects. The highway department will be working on county roads 1 and 19 this year. Robin Sterzinger has been re­posted as office manager so she is now accountant/office manager. The assessor’s office is expanding.

Tom Reeves addressed Gillund about driving golf carts on the county road. “It is an issue,” he said. Gillund said it is illegal to drive a golf cart or ATV outside the city limits. County Road 17, out to the golf club, is owned by the county. Tom Reeves in­quired about the annexa­tion process. Gillund said he is not sure what the mechanics would be. “As far as on the county level, I haven’t heard of any is­sues”, Gillund said. “The first step in annexation would be to contact Robert Olson about a zoning ordi­nance.” He added that he does not see the sense of just annexing the cart path. “It would still be a county road, but it would be a city jurisdiction owned by the county,” Reeves said. “It comes down to a local is­sue,” Gillund said. He sug­gested engaging the right people and getting their opinion on how the pro­cess would work. Reeves said the city would have to go through the annexation process without a peti­tion. “It is informal but ex­pensive,” he said. “We can look into it,” Gillund said, “if this is something you would like to see done.” Gillund said Robert Olson should be asked. Reeves told Gillund that he should ask the county attorney. “I can do that,” Gillund said. “If it is just to change the ordinance, it would be Robert Olson’s issue,” Gil­lund said.

Fire Department Chief Dustin Hauschild request­ed a liquor license for the upcoming Beach Bash on March 3. He said it will be more of a banquet style this year. It was so moved by Scott Pearson, seconded by Julie Hogie, to grant the fire department a liquor li­cense for this event.

Hamer said the city re­ceived information this morning from the engineer regarding relining sewer lines. “I would like to move forward with the project so we can start putting it out for bids,” Hamer said. It was so moved by Scott Pearson, seconded by Kar­ol Nelson, to move forward with this.

It was so moved by Ju­lie Hogie, seconded by Judy Pearson, to accept the AWAIR safety manual as it is written. A workplace accident and injury re­duction (AWAIR) requires many employers to devel­op and use a formal work­place accident and injury reduction program as they are responsible for safety and health at all levels.

Financials were ap­proved followed by a closed session on union negotiations.

Five seniors at Hendricks High School

The five Hendricks High School seniors pictured above represent a good start to a happy future. From left to right are Breanna Hofland, Micah Mathison, Nick Digre, Emily Johnson and Tina Fuller.

By Violet Nelson

vanelson@yahoo.com

So what’s it like to be the first graduating class in a new school? Is it difficult going from being one of many to one of five in a class? These five seniors, who will be graduating in May, are setting a path for the young­er students. They all started out their last year of high school in a new place. With that in mind, here are some of their thoughts and some things you might want to know about them.

Emily Johnson is satisfied with the education she has received so far this year. “It is no less or no more than what I expected to re­ceive from taking online classes,” Emily said. She is confident the things she has learned in high school will be beneficial to her. She said she is taking college lev­el courses, AP Psychology, com­position/English 12 and eco­nomics. Her future plans include attending STI inSioux Fallsand major in nursing. “These courses will be very helpful,” she said.

She feels the quality of her work has met her teachers ex­pectations.

When asked what one thing she would like to change atHen­dricksPublic School, she replied she would like to see more activ­ities such as sporting events. “I realize that’s almost impossible with a small school such as this,” she said. She would like to see a bigger media room in the high school. “More space and win­dows would be nice.”

Micah Mathison is satisfied with the education she has re­ceived so far this year. The classes she is taking are AP Psychology, forensics, sociology, economics, college English and English 12. She is confident the classes she has taken and the things she has learned will help her reach her career goal. She feels the quality of her work has met her teachers expectations.

One improvement she would like to see is to have more ac­tivities and a bigger variety of things to do for the juniors and seniors. “Right now the elemen­tary grades have more activities than the upperclassmen. Give the seniors their lounge,” she said.

Her future plans include col­lege but she is undecided about her future career goal.

Nick Digre is satisfied with the education he has received so far this year and feels the quality of his work has met the teachers expecta­tions. He is excited about the future and plans to at­tend college after gradua­tion.  He is undecided as to which one

Tina Fuller is satisfied with the education she has received so far this year. She thinks the classes she has taken have been ben­eficial but will probably not help her in her career choice. Her future goal is to become a flight atten­dant. She intends to attend a vo-tech school. She said the quality of her work has met the teachers’ expecta­tions.

One thing she would like to improve in the ‘new school’ would be to have longer breaks. She would also like to change the ‘no pajama’ policy.

Breanna Hofland said the education she has received so far this year is “all right.” She is quite confident the things she has learned so far this year will help her reach her career goal. She plans on attending col­lege and someday work in the medical field either as an ultrasound tech or in medical transcripts. For the most part, she is satis­fied withHendricksPublic School, but would like to see more school activities.

Seniors, no matter what accomplishments you have made this year, big or small, somebody has helped you. You’ll never forget that!

Our school dates back a long time. We know that no school is perfect and fortu­nately, our kids don’t need a perfect one. We are fortu­nate to have a great school. Great schools are those that make improvements in students’ achievements. Let’s all help the school sustain that greatness.

Board approves retirement of long-time teacher Pearson

hendrickspioneer@gmail.com

Tom Olson was elected by unanimous consent as the new chairman of the ISD #402 Hen­dricks School Board at their Jan. 20 meeting.

Angie Schumacher and Ches­ter Frank will remain board clerk and board treasurer, re­spectively, as they were re-elect­ed to these positions, also with unanimous votes.

Committee appointments were also made at the meeting with the following results:

HendricksPublic SchoolPer­sonnel Committee – Nick Citter­man andChesterFrank;

MSBA Liaison – Phil Moen;

MREA Liaison – Nick Citter­man;

Community Education Advi­sor Committee – Tom Olson and Lisa Schmidt;

Curriculum/Wellness Com­mittee – Angie Schumacher and Lisa Schmidt;

School and City Committee – Tom Olson and Phil Moen.

Jessica Jordahl presented in­formation on the FLY (Flexible Learning Year) to the board ex­plaining what the FLY is and what the FLY team does. Accord­ing to the handout provided by Jordahl, “The FLY is made up of 25 school districts in southwest Minnesota including the Hen­dricks District, who have agreed to cooperatively work together to provide high quality profes­sional development by pooling human intellectual and financial resources together. Our goal is to improve student achievement in the areas of math and reading. The goal of the FLY team is to create a framework for profes­sional development to be imple­mented collaboratively among the FLY districts.”

Jordahl told the board that the FLY committee is made up of one representative from each of the participating districts. Jordahl is the representative for theHen­dricksSchool.

Jordahl also explained to the board that there are three sub-committees that meet and plan all of the activities associated with the FLY with representa­tives within each district for each of the subcommittees.

During the principal’s report, Principal Shelly Jensen spoke about the girls basketball team, saying the team has been im­proving and that it would be nice if there were more people in attendance at the games. She asked Tom Olson if he would put information on the signboard by his business announcing home games. Olson said that he could do that.

Jensen also said she had met with the student council and that the students would like to combine a Snow Days celebra­tion with a winter formal. The students do not wish to have it called a prom. This event will be held in March.

One hundred ninety years

Friends Velma Larson and Freda Burns, both from Hendricks, share a special bond. They both turned 95 years old the first week in January.

By Violet Nelson

vanelson@yahoo.com

Freda Burns celebrated her 95th birthday Friday, Jan. 6, shar­ing memories and laughs with family and friends. The celebra­tion was hosted by her daughter, Yvonne Burns. Long-time friend and acquaintance Velma Larson, who turned 95 on Jan. 1, was a special guest.

Both former Hendricks Main Street business employees, hard work and dedication kept them motivated. Velma started work­ing at Larson’s Grocery Store in 1937 when she and her husband Ronald purchased the business from L.A. Larson. She quit five years ago, at the age of 90. Freda worked 16 years right across the street at Schulz Hardware. In 1974 she continued working at the business under new owners Wayne and Audrey Burns. She also worked at Vick’s Grocery, Carvell Johnson Clothing Store and Lovestrand’s dime store. “I remember a customer asking to buy a pacifier,” she said. “I had to ask her what that was.” She re­calls selling bull nose rings at the hardware store. Velma and Freda would go out for lunch together. “We went to Arvid Pederson’s bakery until it burned down,” Velma said.

Born in 1917, the duo have seen a lot of changes throughout the years. Hendricks was only 17 years old when they were born and the price of gas was eight cents a gallon.

In other meaningful statistics, Woodrow Wilson was the Presi­dent of the United States and America entered into World War I.

The world’s entrance into the computer age is the biggest change they have seen. “We used a lot of pen and paper,” they said, “and the memory in our heads.” Prices were written down on a slip and added up. Change was figured out by hand. “We didn’t have a cash register showing how much the customer was to get back from a 20-dollar bill,” Freda said.

Velma owes her longevity to eating good and keeping busy. Longevity runs in her family. “My mother died at the age of 101,” she said. She grew up on the farm where Doug and Linda Buller now live. “Every Saturday night the family got to go into Hendricks,” Velma said. “I got to play with other kids.”

Freda, who grew up byFishLake, credits hard work and hu­mor to her long life. “I worked long hours,” she said, “but I en­joyed it.” Her sense of humor has effectively kept her young.

They both agree that life is wonderful and precious. “We should acknowledge that on a daily basis,” they added.

Golf Clinic looking for volunteers

Parent volunteers and golf equipment such as portable put­ting greens and clubs are want­ed for the golf clinic that will be held for all students in the area in grades three through 12. The clinic will begin at Hendricks Public Schoolon Monday, Jan. 23. The clinic is not a fundraiser and is not put on by the Hen­dricks School. See ad inside for more details.

Cafe in Astoria under new ownership

Joseph and Ronda Campbell, pictured above, are the new owners of the café in Astoria, S.D. They have renamed the café Campbell’s Kitchen and Catering.

By Tammy Mathison

hendrickspioneer@gmail.com

The café in Astoria,S.D.is un­der new ownership. Joseph and Ronda Campbell recently pur­chased the business, which has been most recently known as TimBuck2, from Jill Eilers.

On Jan. 2 the Campbells and those involved completed the necessary paperwork in rela­tion to the transaction, including signing the lease for the build­ing, and opened for business on Jan. 3.

Originally from California, Ronda and Joseph Campbell, along with their four sons Mi­chael, Christopher, Joe and Timmy, moved to Astoria in late 2005 after having lived in South Dakota for few years. “We moved here right after the ice storm,” said Ronda.

Many in Hendricks may rec­ognize Ronda as being the first place winner of the pie baking contest held during the 2011 Hendricks Harvestfest. The ap­ple pie recipe used during the contest is one she uses at the café. Ronda is also the person who has had the baked goods available at Vick’s Grocery in Hendricks. “I love baking. I bake all of my own hamburger buns here, along with the dinner rolls, pies and desserts,” said Ronda.

Unsatisfied with her job and having a love of cooking and bak­ing, a couple of years ago Ronda took some advice from someone close to her and opened her own catering business, which she and her family have done out of a lunch truck for the last couple of years. The truck has a com­plete kitchen in it, with all of the requirements in place to meet code. “We cater three days a week at Larson’s Manufacturing and when the wind turbine guys were working we were there on the jobsite for lunch,” said Ron­da. “We offer burgers and brats, hot dogs or specials like lasagna and fettuccine Alfredo and a lot of Mexican food out of the truck,” she added.Campbell’s Kitchen and Catering is a family busi­ness and, as such, three of the couple’s sons, 24-year-old Michael, 19-year-oldJoe and 16-year-old Timmy help out at the café and with the catering. Her daughter-in-law and two of the sons’ girlfriends also help out.

As the Campbells already had the existing catering business known as Camp­bell’s Kitchen and Catering, it was necessary to change the name of the café to the same. “Knowing what the name TimBuck2 meant to Jill, we would have loved to keep the name, but since we already have the business name, we needed to change it,” said Ronda. She went on to say that the phone number is the same, but still listed under the old name for now.

The name isn’t the only thing theCampbellsintend to change.

The couple plan to make some additions to the menu and the hours of business. At the time of the interview, the Campbells had yet to finalize what the additional hours and days they will be open.

However, they did say that they plan to try a breakfast buffet every oth­er Sunday and would like to add some ethnic foods to the menu. The existing Tuesday and especially Friday night specials will remain the same for now and other specials may be added. A Valentine’s Din­ner is also being planned. “We are planning on doing some advertising in the lo­cal papers and we are on Facebook,” said Ronda. She went on to say that their specials and hours will be on their Facebook page or that people can call the café with questions or to make a reservation for the Valentine’s Dinner. “Res­ervations will be required for the Valentine’s Dinner,” said Ronda.

The Campbells said that they would be willing to deliver meals to home­bound people and they are discussing the possibility of doing pizza delivery toAstoria,Torontoand Hen­dricks if there were inter­est in such a service.

Ronda said that they are excited about running the café and have many other plans in store. They are also thankful for all of the support they have received so far. “We are blessed with good sons and blessed with good people in our lives,” said Ronda.

City Council committee appointments designated

By Violet Nelson

Lincoln County Sheriff Jack Vizecky was present at the Mon­day evening, Jan. 3 meeting of the Hendricks City Council. Vizecky asked if the county could pur­chase the squad car radar now that the city police department is elimanated. Vizecky’s offer of $1,000 was accepted. He asked David Blees how much it origi­nally cost. Blees said it was free and the city got it as a promotion. Vizecky asked how the council wanted to handle the cable that goes underneath the floor mat. Blees said he would ask Dustin Hauschild. Vizecky asked if the council had any questions or concerns on future law enforce­ment. He said a new deputy has been hired and started Jan. 1. “We ironed out the vehicle situ­ation today,” he said. “We should be good to go.” He requested a copy of the city golf car ordi­nance.

Kevin Huber’s maintenance report was reviewed. The man­hole and bypass valve has been raised at the lift station. They have installed 435 feet of 15- inch storm sewer in the alley behind Mike Buchholz’ house. Some curb stop valves have been lowered. The erosion control project at the primary pond is almost complete. Another strobe light has been added to the snow truck. They are working on the manhole survey for relining bid, end of year reports, moving into a new office, trimming trees and digging out rocks on the marina to make it easier to get the dock in and out.