Hills-Beaver Creek students in grades K-6 perform the song "Sing of Christmas Time" Thursday for their Christmas program, "A Rainbow Christmas." Jodi Ackerman is the vocal director.

The Hills-Beaver Creek bus drivers are a dedicated group. They transport area students to and from school in all kinds of weather.

Recently, winter weather has added stress to their jobs. "The cold weather is worse," said bus driver John Tilstra. There were plenty of places the plows hadn't been over yet when he started his afternoon bus route Tuesday, according to Tilstra.

He was quick to say other drivers on the road were usually cautious. He said it has been several years since he has had to report a driver.

The Hills-Beaver Creek School provided the following rules for bus safety.
School Bus Safety
Getting children to and from school safely each day is serious business. Every year, thousands of children are injured in school busÐrelated accidents. Many of these accidents can be prevented if children know and follow these rules for bus safety:

-"Rushing" roulette. When children are late for the bus, they concentrate more on getting aboard than on safety. Too often, accidents result. Set your morning routine so that your child arrives at the bus stop at least five minutes before the bus is due.

-Stay in the "safe zone." Bus drivers have blind spots because of bus design, and many children have been injured because the bus driver simply didn't see them. Tell your children to always stay in the "safe zone" - at least 10 feet in front of the bus.

-Save the horseplay. Bus stops are not playgrounds. Goofing around while waiting for the bus, especially if the play extends into the street, can be deadly. Make sure your children understand the danger.

-One at a time. Every child wants to get a "good" seat, but it's important for children to take their time entering the bus, lining up in single file and not trying to push their way through a swarm.

-No distractions. Children may think that bus rules - no shouting, no throwing things, no horseplay - are just to keep them in line, but there are serious safety issues involved. They should understand the importance of never distracting the bus driver.

-Stay put. Children are so eager to leave the bus that they often start for the front before the bus has stopped. Let them know that they should wait until the bus comes to a complete stop before leaving their seats.

-Cut the ties. Clothing with drawstrings can be a real danger because loose strings can get caught on bus handrails. To be safe, remove drawstrings from your children's jackets and look for backpacks that don't have drawstrings.

-Heads up. A dropped book can turn into a serious accident if the bus driver doesn't see it. Tell your children to let the bus driver know immediately if they drop something while getting on or off the bus.

-The inside story. As tempting as it might be to wave through an open window on a sunny day, children need to understand the importance of keeping their hands, arms and heads inside the bus.

-Getting there. Figure out the safest route to and from the bus stop and walk it with your children a few times. Make sure they cross streets only at crosswalks or corners, never darting out between parked cars, and that they always look both ways before crossing.

It takes only a few minutes to review these bus safety tips with your children. Please, make the time.

With annexation complete, the Hills City Council was able to approve a building permit for the Tuff Memorial Assisted Living Facility at its meeting Tuesday night.

Necessary documentation was finally received from the state of Minnesota. Council member Dana Dahlquist abstained from the vote since he also serves as Tuff Home Administrator.

The council also approved a building permit for the Hills-Beaver Creek School District bus barn in Hills.

Community fitness center
City Attorney Doug Eisma and H-BC Superintendent Tom Knoll were present Tuesday to update the council on the status of a community fitness center project.

"We want to conduct a public meeting before we allocate any money," Knoll said, speaking for the Hills-Beaver Creek School Board.

Eisma suggested several possible funding sources for the council and School Board to pursue.

Among others, he suggested approaching Rock County for funding. "A lot of communities are starting to wake up and say education and fitness are forever. Twenty years ago you wouldn't see a joint venture between a school, city and county," said Eisma.

Since the building would be on school property, Eisma recommended ownership of the building eventually revert to the school district if the city became involved in the project.

"The city wouldn't have an asset when the dust settles, but that is not your purpose," Eisma said to the council. "It would benefit the community."

In other business:
•The council reviewed bids to refinish the wood floors in the Legion building. The project was awarded to the lowest bidder Reed Forster who bid $2,220.

•No concerned taxpayers attended the Truth in Taxation meeting which was called to order at 6 p.m. The council scheduled a hearing to adopt the city’s levy at 6 p.m. Wednesday, Dec. 13, in City Hall. This year's levy is $24,104, a decrease of 16.6% over last year’s levy of $28,104.

•Christmas tree pickup was scheduled for Monday, Jan. 22.

•The council opened bids for the road grader and '57 Chevrolet fire truck. Jeff Williams, Canton, S.D., was the high bidder on both vehicles. The council passed separate motions to accept the high bids. Williams bid $2204 for the road grader and $1511 for the fire truck.

Residents to vote on gym bond next month
When district residents voted on the elementary school bond in December 1998, they were also asked to vote on construction of a new $2 million gym. It was narrowly rejected by a vote of 502 to 466.

That issue will again appear on a ballot on Dec. 19. This time, voters will be asked to support a $2.62 million bond for a gymnasium and multipurpose room at the high school.

Improvements are needed to provide space for physical education, athletic and community recreation activities.

According to reports from the Department of Children Families and Learning, AdrianÕs current gymnasium is outdated and ranks among the bottom 10 percent of physical education, athletic and community recreation spaces in the state.
Plans call for new construction to include:

oCompetition-level gym designed for two sections of physical education and bleacher seating for 800,

oTwo varsity locker rooms with an office, toilet and shower facilities,

oAdditional uniform storage and laundry facilities,

oFitness and weight training room with an area for aerobics and adjacent toilets,

oOffice/dressing and shower room for visiting referees, staff and coaches,

oMulitpurpose room large enough to accommodate wrestling mats and physical education programs,

oLobby space with a concession/ticket stand,

oPupil rest rooms as required by assembly space and occupancy codes.

Since the bond was so narrowly defeated in 1998, supporters are optimistic it will pass this ti

The annual Festival of Trees kicks off Christmas at the Carnegie with 32 creatively decorated Christmas trees in the Carnegie Cultural Center, Luverne. Each tree is decorated by a different local organization, family or group of individuals. The tradition was started more than five years ago when Charlie Braa filled the Carnegie with his own decorated trees Ð each with its own theme. Braa, the long-time Rock County auditor, died in 1996, but his tradition of Carnegie trees lives on.

* * * * *
Christmas at the Carnegie wouldn't be complete without the traditional family tree in memory of Charlie Braa. This year, his tree follows a tea party theme of gingerbread men, teapots, teacups and saucers. Pictured are his daughter, Kathe Stearns, and her daughter, Addie Stearns.

Charlie's widow, Luella Braa, connects homemade gingerbread men with hooks. Charlie's sister, Jan Baustian, made 130 gingerbread men and two dozen miniature gingerbread men (about an inch tall) in her own kitchen from applesauce and cinnamon.

Charlie's granddaughter, Addie Stearns, helped make the teapots, which started with large round ornaments adorned with polymer clay for a base, handle, spout and lid. The tree sports more than 48 of the handmade teapots. The project was a family affair, according to Kathe. "Charlie never had a traditional tree," she said. "Every year we do something different. He would be proud of us. We get together right after Christmas and decide what we're going to do the next year. Then we buy everything on clearance."

Another of Charlie's daughters, Karen Vogel, Rapid City, S.D., came up with the teapot idea and made hers and sent them home. Their sister, Carla Sirorine, even sent a few from her home in Missouri.

Students and staff at Adrian Elementary School are settled into their new classrooms and offices since construction was completed this fall.

"I think the people are just really amazed that this really happened, that they have this new school," Adrian Elementary Principal Russ Lofthus said Monday. "I don't think people realized how nice it was going to be. They're very proud of what they have here."

In December 1998, taxpayers in the Adrian School District said "yes" to a $4.9 million bond referendum for improvements to the district's elementary school facilities. It passed easily with a vote of 637 to 374.

"The reason it was so successful is that we had so many people in the community get involved in the process who took a real interest in it and got the information out to the public," Lofthus told the Star Herald after it passed.

Prior to construction, the early childhood special education, kindergarten and first-grade classes met in the high school, and grades 2-6 met in the elementary building.

Students in pre-kindergarten through fifth grade are all now in the newly improved elementary building, and sixth-graders moved to what is now the middle school wing of the high school.

Lofthus said it's nice that all elementary students are now together, rather than in two separate buildings. AdrianÕs elementary enrollment has been holding steady, with three sections per grade. There are 320 students in grades K-5.

Renovations to parts of the 1954 building included adding 10 classrooms to the north and east sides plus a media center, art and music classrooms, a cafeteria and a full-service kitchen.

Construction also included new kindergarten and preschool rooms and new elementary office areas.

The 1912 elementary building, although charming with high ceilings, ornate woodwork and squeaking floors, will be demolished during Christmas break. The work was approved as part of the of the bond.

Lofthus said community members had a chance to salvage woodwork, doors, mop boards and other pieces of the old school during an auction earlier this year. "So they could save a piece of the past," he said.

The building didn't meet current fire safety codes nor was it accessible to people with mobility handicaps. The three-story building has bathrooms only in the basement and the electrical system cannot begin to meet the demands of computers.

By Lori Ehde
An elk, of all things, wondered through the west side of Luverne last week, creating a stir among residents on the west side of town.

According to DNR Conservation Officer Joel Mikle, the elk was spotted Sunday, Nov. 12, in the neighborhoods south of the school bus garages.

"It looked all right, but it looked tired," Mikle said. "It was standing upright between a house and garage looking around. It was prancing and running with its head up high, so it looked good."

Mikle said he has no way of knowing where the elk came from or where it was headed.

In the wild, elk normally live in the western states of Montana, Wyoming and some in the Black Hills and a small area of northwestern Minnesota.

A more likely home base for this elk, he said, is a game farm, possibly from Murray or Nobles counties.

He said there's no way to know for sure. "Wild elk have been known to pass through here," he said, adding that it's been 15 years since he's heard of one in this area.

He guessed it was a 2-year-old male around 700 pounds. "As far as elks go, it wasn't huge, but compared with a deer, it was quite a bit bigger, especially with the antlers."

Mikle said full-grown elk weigh between 700 and 1,000 pounds, while the largest deer get to be only 400 pounds.

There's no excuse to mistake it for a white-tailed deer," he said. "Hopefully people leave it alone."

The animal was last seen in the Beaver Creek area.

Mikle said the only reason he got involved with the elk was because it was in town. "Public safety was a concern," he said. "It's fun to look at, but don't get too close. It's like any animal. If you leave it alone, you'll be OK."

Children's librarian April Gangestad reads "Hurry, Santa!" to a full crowd Friday in a story hour that kicked off Winterfest activities. The children were treated to snacks, a puppet show and a visit from large furry friends Peppermint Moose and Christmas Bear. At right are Samantha Kramer and Kasey Madtson anticipating the end of Gangestad's suspenseful story of Santa's deliveries.

By Lori Ehde
When Adrian district residents approved their elementary school bond in December 1998, they were also asked to vote on construction of a new $2- million gym. It was narrowly rejected by a vote of 502 to 466.

That issue will again appear on a ballot on Tuesday. This time, voters will be asked to support a $2.62-million bond for a gymnasium and multipurpose room at the high school.

Polling places will be open from 4 to 8 p.m. at Adrian High School and Lismore Community Center.

Improvements are needed to provide space for physical education, athletic and community recreation activities.

According to reports from the Department of Children, Families and Learning, Adrian's current gymnasium is outdated and ranks among the bottom 10 percent of physical education, athletic and community recreation spaces in the state.

Plans call for new construction to include:

-competition-level gym designed for two sections of physical education and bleacher seating for 800,

-two varsity locker rooms with an office, toilet and shower facilities,

-additional uniform storage and laundry facilities,

-fitness and weight training room with an area for aerobics and adjacent toilets,

-office/dressing and shower room for visiting referees, staff and coaches,

-multipurpose room large enough to accommodate wrestling mats and physical education programs,

-lobby space with a concession/ticket stand,

-pupil rest rooms as required by assembly space and occupancy codes.

In December 1998, taxpayers in the Adrian School District said "yes" to a $4.9-million bond referendum for improvements to the district's elementary school facilities. It passed easily with a vote of 637 to 374.

Construction was completed this fall, and students and staff began the 2000-01 school year in their new classrooms and office space.