CONNECTION
Featuring
H I L LC R E ST TO U R S 100 year tradition spans country and builds bridges
Featuring
H I L LC R E ST TO U R S 100 year tradition spans country and builds bridges
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UPDATE Dear friends, This year was a crash course in education for me. Thankfully, I have great mentors in the Hillcrest staff and Principal Isaac. One thing is standing out as I’m leading the dynamic ministry of Hillcrest Lutheran Academy. Hillcrest has a unique foundation for Christian education.
Members of the Church of the Lutheran Brethren voted in 1915 as a synod to create Hillcrest to train young people, “who are hungry to know the Word of God, in a strong and Christcentered Bible training that rests solidly on the Word of God.” Some Christian schools emerge from the pressures of a postChristian culture. According to the history, there is a special part of the story that can often get overlooked. Hillcrest was a simple outgrowth of the Lutheran Brethren Bible School, a natural progression to enhance training and equipping for service in the Church. The Lutheran Brethren DNA makes us distinct. A hunger for God’s Word is evident in our Synod, and a passion to engage the world, both foreign and domestic, to live in reflection of Jesus Christ, are two primary ways the DNA is manifest. Our faculty are continually called to consult other schools on creating a Christ-centered school atmosphere, spiritual development, and mission-focused
academic program. The Lutheran Brethren perspective is unique, and I am seeing that it is attractive and enables human flourishing as it is lived out. You’ll read stories in this Connection that show how our school continues to carry the mission and vision of our synod forward, not because we align first and foremost with our synod, but because our synod aligns with a Biblical view of the world. The Lutheran Brethren is the sole owner of Hillcrest Lutheran Academy. We fall under the theological leadership of the Church of the Lutheran Brethren. Being under the umbrella of the Lutheran Brethren allows us to operate as a church-based school, enabling us to hold unswervingly to Biblical foundations in the face of secular legal pressures. We are a better school because of our foundation in the church, and we exist to equip students to continue their engagement and service in the church. Your support of Hillcrest supports the local church as we send students into communities to continue their habits of deepening their faith and communicating Christ to the world.
BRAD HOGANSON | President
CORE VALUES
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ENROLLMENT
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To Build Faith:
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FACULTY + STAFF
Our students repeatedly tell us their years at HLA made a monumental impact on their relationship with Jesus Christ.
NATIONS REPRESENTED
TESTING (Class of 2018 Averages) All HLA
AP Students
25.1 ACT
28.5 ACT
To Develop Intellect:
A college prep curriculum infused with a strong Christian worldview enables students to leave HLA with academic foundation necessary to succeed at the demands of the university classroom and university life.
To Strengthen Character:
RECOGNITION
Character development is foundational to our Christian school program. Students develop habits that honor God and their classmates.
• 1 of 3 Colson Fellows High School Training • Tri-College Math Champions 8 years • State Contending Knowledge Bowl Champions • Top Ranked Christian Boarding School (Niche.com | Thegreatschools.com)
EXTRA-CURRICULAR ACTIVITIES Athletics
2018
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Baseball, Basketball, Cheer, Cross-Country, Football, Golf, Soccer, Track, Volleyball
Fine Arts
Pottery, Printmaking, Painting, Band, Choir, Jazz, Worship, Chapel, Photography, Vocal Ensemble
Clubs
Archery, Band, Book Club, Cheerleading, Chess, Comets for Life, Cooking, Dominican Mission, Drama, Evangelism, Fishing, Fitness, Hiking, Horseback Riding, Jr. ROTC, Junior/Senior Mentors, Key Club, Knowledge Bowl, Grade school Mentors, Robotics, Skating, Speech, Swim, Tennis, Worship Team, Yearbook, Youth Groups
GREETING
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HILLCRESTC O N N E C T I O N |
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IN THIS ISSUE 4
Feature HILLCREST T O U R S
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Focus ALUMNI IN MUSIC
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Teacher Talk
Crossing-Cultures
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Campus Update
G RA D 2018
21 N E W S! Alumni Updates
WAYNE STENDER '02 | Dir. of Mktg. Editor-in-Chief wstender@ffhillcrest.org AMANDA PORRITT '05 | Creative Dir. Managing Editor/Graphic Design aporritt@ffhillcrest.org BRAD HOGANSON '84 | President Contributing Editor bhoganson@ffhillcrest.org Hillcrest Lutheran Academy 610 Hillcrest Drive Fergus Falls, MN 56537 www.ffhillcrest.org
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DAWN SYNSTELIEN | Exec. Assistant Contributing Editor dsynstelien@ffhillcrest.org
HILLCREST ACADEMY BOARD OF DIRECTORS JAHN DYVIK '79 | Secretary Long Lake, MN
VAUGHN KAVLIE '82 | Vice Chair Eden Prairie, MN
JOSIAH LARSON, '02 Minneapolis, MN
ERIC EWAN '92 Fergus Falls, MN
HEIDI KONYNENBELT Fergus Falls, MN
SUE LEACH Naperville, IL
KATHERINE HEGGLAND '00 Brooklyn, NY
JEFFREY LANGNESS '92 Fargo, ND
MARK SOHOLT '67 | Chair Cape Coral, FL PAUL QUAM '93 Fergus Falls, MN
MISSION The mission of Hillcrest Lutheran Academy is to equip students in a STATEMENT Christ-centered, Bible-based environment for a life of eternal significance.
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HILLCREST 1 0 0 Ye a r T r a d i t i o n S p a n s Country and Builds Bridges BY WAYNE STENDER '02
A close call for the Blue Jet, losing a wheel and careening into the ditch on the 1950 music tour
C.F. Erickson delicately parted the dusty canvas curtain hanging from the roof of the car canopy, nervously peering out the opening at the rutted road below. A jolt had awoken him from slumber, a hard commodity to afford in the back of the 1917 Overland 90. The touring coupe, specially designed for longer trips than its competitor, the Ford Model T, was painfully crawling through the “North Dakota gumbo and Minnesota quagmire,” affectionate names given to the countryside by Hillcrest’s traveling quartet. Erickson shared the back seat with O.A. Monson. Dirt from the loam fields dusted the seat between the two, behind a young Daniel Erickson sitting shotgun, his travel jacket looking more like a well-worn door mat with every mile.
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Next to the younger Erickson, the passionate Alfred Bridston rubbed his hands on the steering wheel before aggressively tugging on the door lever, using his weight to pop the door ajar. A soft sigh followed as Bridston looked at the front wheels in inches of soft mud, a rock blocking the wheel from continuing in the rut. The gentle exhale from Bridston was a familiar sound for the singing group when the touring coupe knocked to a stop. Bridston was charting unpaved roads after his 1920 foray on music tours for the schools. ENCOUNTERING
MANY OBSTACLES AND SETBACKS, IT WAS ON THE SHOULDERS OF BRIDSTON AND HIS PUPILS DURING THE INFANT YEARS OF HILLCREST THAT A 100 YEAR TRADITION OF MUSIC TOURS AT HILLCREST ACADEMY STANDS. The fateful 1923, three-month, 3,000-
mile trip, with top speeds peaking at 30mph on seldom traveled roads, is a simple glimpse into the passion that has continued in Hillcrest’s music tours.
F E AT U R E
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TO U RS
The Hillcrest Male Quartet forges through the mud outside Fordville, ND
C.F. Erickson was the last to the back of the car. Sludging through encrusted ruts, Erickson found the routine painfully machine-like now. Monson and Bridston would lean with outstretched arms shoving the vehicle forward as Erickson sat with his hind-quarters on the bumper, shoving his feet into stiffened mud to pry the car from the slop in the trough of the rut as Daniel Erickson worked to steer the vehicle to higher ground. When the group wasn’t forcing their trusted carriage through mud they were found with their heads under the hood, nursing the vehicle to the next church where the group would sing, share a testimony of God’s faithfulness, and call all in attendance to consider the goodness of living in the grace of Jesus Christ. After departing from the school following closing exercises in June of 1923, the group would return in August road weary, having ministered to nearly 5,000 people in weeknight rallies and Sunday morning services. The trip acts as a blueprint for the Hillcrest tours continuing to this day. Alfred Bridston had joined the Lutheran Brethren Schools faculty in the fall of 1918 with abacus in tow, set to teach mathematics and science. Shortly after arriving, Bridston found a title next to his name that hadn’t been written in his call letter signed by E.M. Broen. Chair of the Music Department would be Bridston’s lasting legacy. It was a position he held until he passed the reins to C.F. Erickson, one of his first pupils, in 1931. Bridston was an ace behind the piano, taking classical pieces and adjusting their arrangements for untrained voices to pick up and sing with ease.
William Windahl, Alfred Bridston, Joseph Langemo, Elmer Hagen represented LBS in stunning fashion on tour in 1927
Before his foray into formal music instructing, Bridston was refined as the music director for the up-and-coming Young People’s Mission League, a youth rally group kicked-off by E.M. Broen, who noted in forming the group that, “It will indeed be an evil day in our church if it can be said truthfully that: ‘Lutheran Brethren congregations cannot keep their young people.’” Bridston was a general placed in a strategic position as he frequently combined Hillcrest choirs with volunteer choirs from the synod’s Young People’s Mission League for synodical conventions.
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Roadside preparations were common even in the early days of tour, where presentation in church was a key consideration
Bridston’s direction drew out expressions in the DNA of the Church of the Lutheran Brethren. A disciple of Jesus, Bridston forged new paths in the disciple-making movement of the Lutheran Brethren using music. Odvin Hagen was in Bridston’s first class at the Bible School. After graduating in 1919, Hagen joined the Bible School faculty from 192527. Hagen grew from Bridston’s mentorship to take hold of a nationally recognized acapella choir at Waldorf Lutheran Junior College in Forest City, Iowa. Hagen’s thirty-nine-year tenure at Waldorf displayed a special aspect of Bridston’s training that is evident in the missional commitment of two of Bridston’s other mentees. Chris Erickson, affectionately known as C.F., spread his wings after Bridston’s tutelage, graduating from the Bible School in 1923. C.F. studied under the renowned F. Melius Christiansen at St. Olaf College in Northfield, Minnesota. A member of the early touring groups, Erickson directed the Bible School choirs for twenty-five years in two stints ranging from 1931-1942 and 1955-1969. Bridston passed the reins of his self-built music program to C.F. in 1931, where Erickson was joined by friend and fellow touring-mate William Windahl, from the class of 1928. Windahl earned his credentials from the MacPhail School of Music in Minneapolis, Minnesota. His rare tenor voice was honed in music study before Windahl joined C.F.
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in 1932, and the two united to form a powerhouse of training that is the foundation for Hillcrest’s ongoing music training. Windahl taught voice, piano, and music theory from 19321955, leading the choir tours during C.F.’s absence from 19421955. The choirs followed the resolve Bridston interjected in the early years of the music program as he cast the mold for Hillcrest choirs. Conscious of the effect the road had on the school’s presentation, the group would pull over to shave, tend to their disheveled hair, and dust off their travel clothes before arriving at a church where the care in physical presentation was matched by thoughtful presentation of the gospel through music. Bridston took special care to elevate sacred music in concerts, making the music accessible to the choirs while taking the top students on longer tours in smaller vehicles. The early programs tickled the ears of Norwegian listeners. But in the mid-1920s the programs slowly shifted to hold a hybrid of Norwegian tunes and English lyrics. In watching this shift, C.F. and Windahl took opportunities to communicate the message of the cross by adapting pieces to minister to churches. Windahl took these habits in his training to craft a school song during his tenure that speaks to the missional and God-ordained design of Hillcrest.
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J.H. Levang, former president of Lutheran Brethren Schools and caretaker of much of the history and stories that undergird the ongoing ministry of the synod, noted the significant role Hillcrest’s music program is playing today. “THE MUSICAL HERITAGE OF THE SCHOOL REACHES INTO THE CONGREGATIONS OF THE LUTHERAN BRETHREN THROUGH ALUMNI AND FORMER STUDENTS.” Continuing, Levang shared
Bridston’s care to communicate the gospel, carried on in the music tradition by C.F. Erickson, William Windahl, and the host of choral and instrumental music directors at Hillcrest, which continues to impact the churches students serve. “The love for the gospel songs and the great chorales alike follows these young people as they return home to their own congregations or become pastors or missionaries.” In 1939, Walter Christianson, a 1941 graduate of Hillcrest, attended one of the music tours directed by William Windahl. He said, “God marvelously guarded us from danger...probably more than we realized, but after these experiences we could not help but praise Him more for His protecting power...The most disheartening experience was to see the destruction wrought by hailstorms to bountiful fields ready for harvest in Montana and South Dakota. Nevertheless, the friends whom we visited in these sections acknowledged that ‘God’s way is the best way.’”
The mixed octet from Hillcrest stops on their way to the Synodical convention in Eau Claire for a bite in between concerts performed in churches along the way
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R AC HEL C HRISTENSON' S C ATALYST F OR A CAREER IN MUSIC
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BY WAYNE STENDER '02
Choir director David Strom stood with his back facing the camera as he gave one last set of instructions to a pupil he had grown to know and respect during her time at Hillcrest. The final encouragement sparked a reflexive deep breath from Strom’s student, whose shoulders raised and dropped as she worked to shake off nervousness before the pivotal audition tape started rolling. The young senior girl flipped her curls from her shoulder before grabbing a final sip of water as Mr. Strom called her attention from the grand piano. She was another one of Strom’s many pupils who found herself standing on the precipice of graduation with a future in music on the horizon. TH E O PEN IN G N OTES FRO M THE PIANO E C H O ED IN THE EMPTY SANCTUARY B E F O RE RAC HEL C HRISTENSON FILLED TH E AIR W ITH ELEC TRIC ITY FROM THE D E P THS O F HER VO C A L RANG E. The recital took a mere forty-five minutes, but set in motion a career move that will last a lifetime, the video vocal recital filmed that day earned Rachel a spot in her college choir at Liberty University, beginning her career in opera. “HLA had an important role in preparing me for college,” Rachel noted. After graduation, she’d driven back to Mount Bethel, Pennsylvania, Hillcrest diploma in hand. The “Class of 2013” emblazoned on the parchment represented a lifechanging experience in the Castle. “I have so many good memories, from being in choir and praise team to taking voice lessons, where I had many opportunities to sing for the Lord and to grow to become a better musician.” Rachel’s time in Hillcrest’s halls were marked by more than the fun choir tour memories hiking around Arches National Park and singing happy birthday at Organ Stop Pizza in Phoenix, Arizona. Rachel’s class had started a tradition of sharing testimonies in chapel every Friday. They were the last senior class to walk the famed wooden floors and slam the old-fashioned lockers in the classroom section under Hillcrest’s spires before the classroom updates from the Fresh Breeze Campaign.
It was in these hallowed classrooms that Rachel was pushed to think deeply to understand the world of apologetics. The movement in routines at Hillcrest built habits of spiritual growth, opening opportunities for Rachel to tailor her natural talents in music to be Christ-centered and God-honoring. “I was challenged to grow deeper in my faith and to seek the Lord with my whole heart...RAs and teachers spiritually encouraged me.” Hillcrest’s classrooms shaped Rachel and worked alongside many opportunities that lit a fire to develop her gifts in music to greater reflect her knowledge and love for Jesus Christ. “I was even able to participate in a vocal competition and perform a senior recital, both of which were valuable experiences.” After Rachel’s time of training at Hillcrest she ventured to Liberty University in Lynchburg, Virginia. It was here that she discovered a love for opera, a catalyst for a career in music that is taking her to places she never thought imaginable after traversing the United States as a pastor’s daughter. “I auditioned for the school’s production of an opera by Mozart,” Rachel recalled, thinking back to her freshman year in Lynchburg. “I was so thrilled and excited when I was cast in the chorus.” The opening night of the opera naturally pulled Rachel into four years of singing some of the most difficult vocal pieces. “I could tell this is what God had given me a desire to do.” Rachel earned accolades in her undergraduate experience. She was pulled into senior recitals to bolster the quality of music that earned friends passing grades and positions in careers in music. When it came her turn to close her time at Liberty through her senior recital, it was only the beginning of her formal career in music. Rachel completed her first year of graduate school at Bob Jones University this past year, studying voice performance. She is in Los Angeles this summer as part of an opera intensive where she is taking classes, preparing music for performance, and practicing for future auditions. “This program is designed to prepare me to launch a career in music.”
FOCUS: ALUMNI IN MUSIC
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Zoey BY DAWN SYNSTELIEN
HER NAME MEANS “LIFE.” As she regards you with
a piercing gaze from under a cascade of wild, dark curls you immediately know what you are dealing with: a live one. Zoey Schweitzer graduated from Hillcrest in May 2014. During her two years on campus she made quite an impression and, in turn, Hillcrest’s influence on her was indelible. Zoey is quick to point out that merely attending the school, even living in the dorms, does not automatically translate into a storybook transformation. “You have to DO things, be proactive in your environment, sow seeds, be committed, and don't just expect things especially other people's faith and values - to rub off on you, simply because you walk the same halls as them or go to church services and chapels.” // Zoey
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When asked what she would tell current Hillcrest students, Zoey speaks emphatically of the biblical concept of sowing and reaping, basically, “whatever you put in, you get out.” With regard to her own experience, she says that seeds were planted during her time at Hillcrest when she was largely unaware seeds that are now so evident in the skillset she sees blooming before her. “Looking back, [I see] most everything my life involves now was jump-started by my time at Hillcrest!” A lot of seed fell on Zoey’s heart during the two years she was a teacher’s assistant in Wayne Stender’s mentor marketing classroom. This is where she first fell in love with photography and videography, and was taught valuable information about branding and marketing - which is how she currently makes a living as a freelance photographer in Minneapolis. Similarly, Hillcrest provided opportunities for Zoey to lead worship in chapel, helping her to recognize, “[This is] what I now know is my main life calling and what God placed me on the earth to do for the Kingdom and His glory.” As a student at Hillcrest, Zoey took all the main required subjects but her main focus was on music, art classes and numerous media projects. These ignited her creative passion and she blossomed through exposure to these unique opportunities. Like every other senior, Zoey wrestled with what her next step should be following high school. College is expensive and she could not see the wisdom in spending her money (or her parents’) without a solid goal. The more she thought about it and prayed for direction, the more convinced she became that college would not be her default. She did not want to “check one more thing off” some mysterious, unwritten list of expectations society has for high school grads. Initially, she told her parents that she wanted to take a gap year which, in her head, she’d already determined would be more of a “gap until Jesus returns” sort of hiatus. Zoey did not regard this time as a chance to simply take a vacation, but dove right in, working two jobs and living at home to save money. She used the year to travel, venturing to places like New York and Norway. She began to plant seeds of her own now, creatively networking with other photographers - sowing in areas she hoped to one day harvest a career. The following year, she applied for a photography internship in Southern California with a non-profit called Krochet Kids International. She arrived to find most of the other interns were a good deal older than she was, having completed four years of college. And yet, here they were on the same footing
as Zoey, who had never so much as filled out a college application! She was able to use the money she’d saved to live on during the five-month internship, which proved to be truly transformational in terms of her art and business aspirations. It provided Zoey with the information and experience to go forward confidently in pursuit of her own photography business, “which,” she states, “isn't only about photography - it's about having the freedom to actually live an enjoyable life, having the time and space to make money doing what I enjoy.” While photography is Zoey’s bread and butter, leading worship is her calling. She is on the worship team at Substance Church in Minneapolis and is also involved in a para-church worship ministry called Grace House - which a friend launched from Zoey’s living room. The two friends invited others to join them for a couple hours of worship, to simply bask in the presence of the Lord and let His spirit do the moving - and 30 people showed up. The next time, there were 65 and they realized it needed to be held elsewhere. After seven meetings, 220 people were crowding together and they’re searching for a venue big enough to hold everyone. Grace House is fully believing to see Minneapolis return to Jesus Christ. When she looks ahead to her future, Zoey is filled with hope and excitement for the establishment of God’s Kingdom and his partnership with The Church to bring it about. She looks forward with laughter and without fear. She is glad she did not settle for the status quo, but dared to trust God to lead her into the adventurous paths of the unknown. Her advice to Hillcrest students comes from Romans 12:2: "’Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind! Then you will be able to test and approve what God's will is - his good, pleasing and perfect will.’ Never fall into the pressures of others’ expectations. Do not rush into college because it's ‘what people do next.’ I grew up in a household with the motto, ‘We don't do things just because other people are doing them.’ So my advice is to slow down enough to take the time to pour into your relationship with God - outside of school, away from friends, it is the GREATEST treasure you will find. I would advise soon-to-be grads to take time. Take a gap year. Work a humbling job and save money. Travel. Do an internship. Press into God. Ask for wisdom. He is FAITHFUL to honor that request. Ask Him what He has for you. Humbly, openly. Ask. Then be willing to wait for the answer. And be faithful enough to obey.”
FOCUS: ALUMNI IN MUSIC
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Radiate N O RWAY ’ S M ARTIN HAG EN SPREADS A M ESSAG E O F U N IT Y AND RECONC IL IATION WITH C HRIST BY WAYNE STENDER '02
“In our church there was a lot of internal struggle when we went to Hillcrest, in terms of elders versus younger people.” Martin Hagen was sitting on his couch in Bergen, Norway, leaning in to his computer as he recounted his Hillcrest experience over a Facebook video call. He remembered the internal conflict his church in Norway faced. It was something he and his youth group friends were leaving behind as they embarked on their one-year experience as part of the Danielsen-Hillcrest partnership. “We were struggling if our church was our home, because we were in this struggle and there was some intense internal warfare in our church.” The envelope holding Martin’s acceptance letter from Hillcrest was torn in half, an apt picture of how he tore away from the conflict in his home church to pull out a more comfortable faith-forming experience. Leaving the challenges of his home church was easy with Martin’s Americanized view of Hillcrest. He envisioned large lockers where freshman would easily fit, and because of the popular movies at the time, there was likely a hope that students would sing in unison in the hallways between classes. God used Martin’s time at Hillcrest for more than a reprieve from conflict. There were specific gift sets God developed in Martin during his ten months in the Castle with his friends
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from his youth group. “To get a year away from the church and come back with a new perspective and new fire definitely had a part in playing us (sic) to stay and be faithful in our church.” American students swarmed the Hillcrest bus when the Norwegian students arrived at Hillcrest. Martin remembers looking up at Hillcrest and creating a connection to Harry Potter and the Hogwarts building. After a flurry of introductions, the Norwegian students had their bags whisked off to the dormitory. Martin’s held a CD that had his name written on it, a recent production from his church worship team. The album was a reminder of the conflict back home, but Martin was on to new obstacles in the Castle. “I didn’t know there were other nationalities at Hillcrest,” Martin said matter-of-factly. “I think that played a part, to get that experience so early, to be living in a multicultural society in the dorms where you have to be open and get outside of your comfort zone.” Martin recalled his first encounter with dried seaweed, and his favorite Taiwanese noodles that melted his Norwegian palate. “That comfort zone grows wider and bigger.” While Martin experienced the stretching atmosphere of the dormitory, he continued developing his music writing and worship leading. He thought back to some of the other
FOCUS: ALUMNI IN MUSIC
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churches in Norway who had worship teams writing their own music. While Martin’s church was smaller, he thought he and his friends could write as well, especially with the experience they were getting at Hillcrest. “The wheels started spinning. Doing worship on a weekly basis (in chapel at Hillcrest) and doing other worship nights brought us closer to God and made us go forward with what we had been receiving in school. We did a worship night at the gym.” Songs the worship team wrote became favorites in guiding the Hillcrest student body to the cross in worship. The team wrote a song called Colors and For Us. They led the worship sets during prayer day. Hillcrest became a training ground for the students who were preparing to catapult back into a conflict they left back home. But, they felt prepared for the conversations they would have with church leadership because of what God was doing in their hearts during their time at Hillcrest. “That was a very special time, because the presence of God was intense.” The trip back to Norway was filled with tears. The goodbye on the front steps was the most painful and difficult thing many of the students had to undergo. For Martin and his friends, heading back to their home church might’ve been the second most difficult thing. “They wanted the church to be how they grew up doing church. Some left the church and
took leadership elsewhere. But for us, it didn’t make sense to change churches, so we stayed and kind of got it in our hearts to stay and be faithful to what we had been given in our church.” Martin noted that the process was painfully slow. He made a comment about turning an ocean liner to a new heading. “It has taken a lot of time, but now we’re seeing the fruits of it. Our year at Hillcrest made us want to stay.” Martin is continuing his service in ministry to his church. The worship team formed at Hillcrest has morphed into a worship band that travels in Norway to lead at youth camps and in revival settings. They have released a number of albums, using various social media channels to connect with youth around the world. Martin’s eyes were opened to the world during his year at Hillcrest, and the Lord used his faith-shaping experience in the Castle to mold Martin’s heart for his church. The Lord is continuing to draw Martin's gaze to broader horizons as his church band, Radiate, spreads their message of unity and reconciliation with Christ. Being reconciled to Christ was something Martin experienced first hand in his membership with his home church. During his formative time at Hillcrest, Martin received a call to this ongoing ministry that the Lord continues to expand.
FOCUS: ALUMNI IN MUSIC
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Ruth Skovolt BY JACK NORDICK '20
Students walked Hillcrest’s halls under the gloom of war. The early 1940’s brought times of uncertainty, as World War II raged in Europe. But as men died and bombs exploded in France and Germany, Hillcrest’s students carried on their lives on the Home Front, mindful of imminent conflict. As the chapel filled, classmates talked, some muttering of the war. It was warm, and the dry, dusty atmosphere created a soft, brownish light. In the midst of dark talk, one student began to hum the hymn “It Is Well With My Soul.” A friend joined in, and then another. The students in the next pew looked over and nodded. They must have come from Mrs. Skovholt’s class, a class that gave students a grounding in uncertain times. In a time full of uncertainty and confusion, there were still a few constants in school. One of these was English class. For Hillcrest’s students, English teacher Ruth Skovholt was a familiar face on campus. Some students perceived her as being strict and stern, a disciplinarian. “I never thought about her that way,” testified John Kilde, a student at Hillcrest in the early 1950’s, who gave insight into Ms. Skovholt’s teaching style.
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T E A C H E R TA L K
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For Hillcrest students in the 40’s, English class started on a worshipful note. As the boys in ties and the girls in dresses shuffled into their seats, Ms. Skovholt, back turned, wrote a verse of a hymn on the blackboard. Then, she summoned the class to their feet and led them in singing. Ms. Skovholt would choose a hymn every week, presenting a new verse each day. By the end of the week, all the students would know the hymn, and Hillcrest’s halls would fill with song. In the memories of some, Ms. Skovholt was a disciplinarian, quick to crack down on nonsense, and a little stern. Others remember her as the teacher that came alongside and helped them when they were struggling, whether in academics or spiritually. “She was one of the biggest influences on my youth,” a former student said.
Ms. Skovholt did have her quirks. She was a very traditional woman who taught classical grammar and literature. But at the end of every school year, Ms. Skovholt would destroy all of her notes, and start fresh the next year. She constantly
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rethought the books, poems and essays she taught her class. Her goal was to keep from getting “stale” as a teacher. John, who later became a Seminary Professor and pastor, decided to follow in her footsteps, and used a lot of her methods in his own career. John was excited as he explained Ms. Skovholt’s love for poetry. “I remember I memorized the end of William Cullen Bryant’s poem Thanatopsis,” he reminisced. “I loved Thanatopsis. I’ve quoted it myself many times since then. So when my summons comes/ To join the innumerable caravan/ Which moves…” John’s voice trailed off. “I forget,” he said bemusedly. Though Ms. Skovholt could appear to be stern, the impact she had on her students was great and she taught them a way of life, a love for worshipping God, and an appreciation of beauty in writing that lasted, in many of these students, their whole lifetime.
So live, that when thy summons comes to join The innumerable caravan, which moves To that mysterious realm, where each shall take His chamber in the silent halls of death, Thou go not, like the quarry-slave at night, Scourged to his dungeon, but, sustained and soothed By an unfaltering trust, approach thy grave, Like one who wraps the drapery of his couch About him, and lies down to pleasant dreams. -William Cullen Bryant Thanatopsis
”
Ruth Skovholt with her graduating class of 1921: Front Row: Olga Huss, Helen Stensland, Agnes Skovholt, Ruth Skovholt, Esther Anderson; Second Row: Selma Strand, Engelaus Reisem, Joseph Rude, Christine Fryhling; Third Row: Philip Broen, P. Lauritz Mork, Emil Saether
T E A C H E R TA L K
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CROSSING CULTURES DEBORA ABATE'S STORY
BY JACK NORDICK '20
Hot coals filled the fire pit trench in the concrete floor of the boys dorm patio. Kebabs sizzled on the grate. She looks between her African, Norwegian and American friends, effortlessly switching between languages. Debora Abate is a true testament to the power if bilinguality. Born in Ethiopia to full-blooded Ethiopian parents, Debora considers herself Norwegian. Her father leapt at a chance to move from Africa to Norway by way of a job change. She is fluent in Norwegian, Amharic Ethiopian, and English. Amharic is an official language of Ethiopia. Debora Abate is a planner. After forming new friendships at the patio party, Debora unveils how she thinks in the Student Union with friends bustling behind. “I like to have control, and I like to plan ahead,” she asserts, smiling. On the subject of deciding to come to Hillcrest through the partnership with the Danielsen school, she reminisced, “When I was in ninth grade I started to try to find high schools. Then, I met Robel Mazengia.” Robel is familiar to many at Hillcrest. He attended Hillcrest as a Danielsen student a few years ago. Robel’s glowing words about Hillcrest, both before and after his experience, led Debora to plan for her own trip to the little school in Fergus Falls, Minnesota as part of the Danielsen partnership with Hillcrest.
16
Debora’s parents are Christian converts, but more specifically, they are Protestants. Ethiopia is primarily a nation of traditional religion, embodied by the Ethiopian Orthodox church. Alongside the Trinity, Ethiopian Orthodox teaching venerates saints, angels, and other spiritual beings. In the past, Protestants were persecuted in Ethiopia, but now conflicts have cooled, leaving two very different modes of Christian worship alongside each other. Debora’s involvement in church is growing at Hillcrest, built on practices she developed in Norway. “I went to church every Sunday. I went to youth group, I was on the worship team.” With friends chatting at tables behind her, Debora leaned forward, resting her chin on her hand. She started contemplating her faith and how she is growing at Hillcrest. “I think I am learning to be more independent and make my own choices,” she says thoughtfully. “When I was young, when I had to go to church, I had to go to church.” Debora says she is becoming more mature spiritually at Hillcrest, working to be more intentional with her relationship with God. In some ways, Hillcrest fits perfectly with the picture Robel gave Debora. In others, it’s very different. “The people here are more engaging than in Norway. In Norway, there’s lots of people, but they won’t talk to you if they don’t know you... nobody talks to each other on buses. I’ve made a lot of friends here, more than I thought I would.”
C R O S S I N G C U LT U R E S
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J
esus did many things. He healed people who couldn’t walk, turned water into wine, and calmed raging storms. Wrapped in all of the miracles Jesus performs is something that I think is astonishingly interesting. It happens when the disciples ask Jesus to teach them. They didn’t seek instruction on controlling weather patterns or how to heal diseases. The disciples asked Jesus to teach them to pray. Prayer is incredibly powerful. It stood out against the backdrop of everything the disciples saw Jesus do. So when people say they’re praying for Hillcrest, I don’t think it’s possible to adequately convey what that really means to us. Hillcrest is a physical place, but it first and foremost is a Spiritual place. Your prayers mean more than you know. Your prayers unite us together in the specific mission we embark on every day. Hillcrest has significant needs, and we thank you for partnering with us in the most important need we have, that of directing our program and campus to align with the Creator. Hillcrest also has physical needs. We addressed a recent physical obstacle in complying to health and safety standards with the purchase and remodel of the former Seminary building into our Student Union and cafeteria. In this we incurred debt that is weighing us down and keeping us from running freely to engage our mission in full force. We are addressing this weight internally, honing our budget to give projections of a financial surplus that will eventually help pay down the figure. Will you help us progress with this current physical need in eliminating our debt to enable us to run forward with our mission? There are many ways you can partner with us to address this obstacle. One way that builds momentum and excites our staff is through our Giving Clubs. You can sign up to support Hillcrest with a recurring gift monthly. A handful of alumni from 2018 told me they’re signing up to give $10 per month, joining the $120 club. They’ve told me as their wealth builds that they will step up their giving. Others are looking to make an impact with a one time gift at the end of the year. Some have mandatory retirement disbursements that they’ll direct to Hillcrest this winter. Your tax deductible donations not only address our debt, they also fund the Hillcrest Fund. The Hillcrest Fund is helping at least ten families attend this year, providing scholarship dollars above and beyond our endowments. Giving to Hillcrest is life changing. Please contact me to set up your giving (bhoganson@ffhillcrest.org | 218-737-6402). Thank you for your partnership in our life changing ministry. BY PRESIDENT BRAD HOGANSON '84
60%
CLASS OF 2008 COMPLETED SURVEY
95% 95%
BELIEVE THE BIBLE IS THE ONLY BOOK THAT TELLS THE WHOLE TRUTH ABOUT GOD
BELIEVE GOD IS THE ALLPOWERFUL, ALL-KNOWING, PERFECT CREATOR OF THE UNIVERSE WHO RULES THE WORLD
81%
STUDENTS HOLD A BIBLICALLYBASED VIEW OF JESUS
TESTIMONIES F RO M S U RV E YS When I first came to Hillcrest, I thought I had come from a Christian family because we had gone to church and Sunday school while I was small child. Hillcrest taught me Christianity isn’t just something you do on a Sunday. I learned how to seek God in all aspects of my life. I learned how to pray. Certain things I learned at Hillcrest have certainly impacted my daily life. My Book of John class hugely impacted my faith, helping me understand purpose, truth, and Jesus in profound ways. The English and writing classes I took created a foundation as I went into a communications career. Overall, classes at Hillcrest helped me create a framework for thinking critically about the world/society while still listening to God's call to love the hurting and broken in this world.
VA L U E + V I S I O N
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Graduation 2018 Salutatorians Eric Konynenbelt and Brent Ferenczy flank Valedictorian Anna Murray
Hillcrest’s 98th class continued the traditions on the front steps
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The class of 1968 is honored as the 48th Golden Alumni class of Hillcrest
Over 200 alumni and friends gathered for the alumni brunch on Saturday
Hillcrest Seniors smile during commencement address
Looking out over the front steps
Nick Lunde, Hunter Christopherson, and Ethan Bock
Inga-liese Hantho with her mom, Heidi Grundyson Hantho, H'86
Class of ‘83 gathering for a nostalgic picture on the front steps
C A M P U S U P D AT E
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2 0 1 8
ALUMNI LaWayne Rogness '68 The following is the acceptance speech from LaWayne Rogness, Alumni of the Year, abridged for print in the Hillcrest Connection. I want to take you on a trip of sixty plus years that tells you what HLA has done for me, personally, what HLA has done for my family, and how it’s continuing to bless me today.
R E U N I O N S 1958
1963
Front Row: Carol (Sletto)Johnson, Lorette (Strack) Larson, Arleen (Samuelson) Dyrud, Janice (Seaver) Daggett, Lillian (Tjornhom) Foss, Dori Ryen; Second Row: Ethan Windahl, Richard Johnson, Ronald Samuelson, Steve Johnson, Walter Berge
1968
Front Row: Lois (Norheim) Johnson), Faith (Paulson) Van Zee, Rhoda (Windahl) Stenson, Carol (Thompson) Miller, Judy (Asheim) Ganyo, Borgy (Haugland) Thompson; Second Row: Paul Flugstad, David Dyrud, Pernie Walla, Arnold Christenson, Marshall Both, Glenn Endrud
GOLDEN ALUMNI
Come with down to a rural community located in north central Iowa. One mile up the road there was a little church. That’s where my parents intended to raise their family. We went to everything that church provided, every Sunday, year after year. One Sunday there was a red station wagon outside of the church. On the door was written “Lutheran Brethren Schools”. Inside the church that Sunday there were three lovely ladies who sang for our church. Years later that car showed up again. This time four young men from the seminary came. That was my second introduction to LBS. Years later a big bus pulled up and twenty or thirty young men and women came and they sang for about an hour and a half. That was the first time Hillcrest hit my bucket list. Wanting to attend Hillcrest was only a dream. Going to Hillcrest was pretty much out of the picture. But it was about my freshman year when I heard my parents starting to add up some things. And it wasn’t too much later that we were brought into the conversation that we were going to pull up stakes in Iowa, and leave the farming community that we had known all our life, and move to Fergus Falls so we could go to Hillcrest.
Front Row: Denise (Juliot) Potratz, Kathy (Kittelson) Kvenild, Serene (Erickson) Ysteboe, Anny (Rafoss) Pandolfo, Rachel (Dyrud) Hollister, Alice (Johnson) Modert, Cheryl (Timboe) Backstrom, Rachel (Erickson) Paulson, Brenda (Skoglund) Lohmer, Betty (Kleven) Tengesdal, Sheryll (Halvorsen) Storry, Virginia (Tonneson) Steele, Penny (Sunwall) Eidem, Paul Kalleberg; Second Row: Steven Hill, David Overland, Carl Bergsagel, Paul Thompson, John Backstrom, Gary Thompson, James Jensen, Rosalie (Foss) Sorensen, Peter Tweed; Third Row: LaWayne Rogness, Dennis Erdahl, Tim Nordtvedt, Erick Erickson, Rich Engebretson, Warren Haag, Don Sorensen, Dennis Sunwall, Mark Storry
1983
1988
Front Row: Jennifer (Brackin) Schneider, Susan (Halverson) Jacobson, Dana (Rogness) Miller; Second Row: Ann (Peterson) Lovcik, Darci (Grundyson) Ringen, Dawn (Colbeck) Hanson, Sean Erickson, Becky (Malingen) Lundblad, JoAnn (Reinertson) Erickson, Brian Carrington
Front Row: Pete Svaren, Betsy (Johnson) Mortenson; Second Row: Brenda (Strack) Nikunen, Debi (Christenson) Foss
The faculty of this school, they invested in us students. They weren’t just teachers, they were missionaries. They had a purpose in their mission, building relationships. They pointed us to Christ. In the fall of 1974 I was given a gift. I romanced that gift for about nine or ten months, and in June of 1975 I married that gift. We made our home here in Fergus Falls, me and Beverly. In the fall of ‘78 Darren was born. Two years later, Douglas was born, Two years later, Donovan was born. Two years, two years, two years. There really wasn’t much planning there, and it was in the fall of ‘93 when we were faced with a question. Darren wanted to go to Hillcrest. Bev was employed in the public school system. Two thirds of our family income was coming from the public school. We decided to send our kids to Hillcrest.
1993
1998
As it was twenty-five years earlier, there were faculty missionaries doing their things. My boys got a Christ-centered education, and a good one at that. They have friendships that last to this day. They received good morals and good spiritual understanding. What a blessing we had when we sent our kids to Hillcrest. Training for Christian service started in the home, but it was greatly fueled here at Hillcrest Academy. Hillcrest Lutheran Academy is changing lives, and that’s where I want to be. I want to be involved, with my time and my resources, where things are happening. I support Hillcrest in my prayers. I support them morally. And last but not least I support them financially. They need our prayers, our moral support, and our financial support. So I ask, will you be involved?
Front Row: Kendra (Larsen) Muraya, Randi Myhre, Catherine (Eastvold) Ewan; Second Row: Nathan Endrud, Richard Tostenson
Front Row: Jennifer (Levang) Rogness, Erika (Heggland) Hoidalen, Beth (Langlois) Hanson, Kristin Oxendahl, Jessie (Nelson) Schultz, Erika (Komestakes) Reinertson; Second Row: Jessica (Hansen) Knutson, Hailey (Miller) Priola, Mari (Vigessa) Barnhart, Dongwon Shin, Seth Spidahl, Brent Aasby, Cory Reinertson; Third Row: Mark Erickson, Erik Knutson, Ben Hanson, Jim Vesta, Jeff Larson
C A M P U S U P D AT E
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! S W E N
(Quernemoen) Nicole H’04: My n Leveringto ve
ul, and I ha husband, Pa e 5 years and ar d rie been mar th ed or oy N pl , ty lle em Ci vi us en rd rg be Watfo planted in A o, iffs office in ll I tside of Farg County Sher s and last fa ar ye Dakota just ou 11 st pa n is 13 . de iff Ka er . Sh ys r ND for the bo fo with our 3 is cision to run d the 8th grade th made the de in January an and will be in n ga be y ne d Ander in an n 3 tio is ec The jour el an y fall, Trum the primar at e vote. sy as a stay first step was with 65% of th is 1. I am bu a on w ve I ha ch l e hi ra w w and June the gene home mama continues with mpany e co er t Th en . em 18 The journey ag 20 grain man ovember 6th ring 14 years since election on N s happened du ve it’s been ha lie at . be th t t n’ lo a ca ill I . w ns rd at the school ru Lo d has been d ke he an or “T sb w . that my hu Exodus 14:14 years since I s the 8 ed ay u d w ar e sh yo an th k d A r an en fo HL fri m e and a ry true... Th ibly thankful e graduating fro this election tim need only to be still.” So ve and so incred ur me on mor .com u eet memories riff yo sw ds to help sp he u; rs ch en yo fo fri Su r en d fo ns an , ha rs fight jo he / / ac s. te er , A ay inued pr Lord used HL for your cont s! ) Bates H’10: rg be le towards Jesu al (K Michele d H’08: Since Nick, and I d, an sb hu (Reme) Sanfor st, I went on an eg M to ed In 2017 my mov m Hillcre rstream and graduating fro ate and d bought an ai y undergradu We’ve enjoye m a. e ni et or pl lif m Ca co iversity to e Un th e g Southern in th studies at nd and explor te ou ua ar ad g my g in gr lin y. iv ve ve ce tra er Da After re ith our daught Connecticut. y, God of a ap er as west coast w th e al tim ic phys works full doctorate of portunity to and I My husband e with the op perintendent m su d n se io ct es bl tru ed al therapist, er cons ic st ys gi re ph a ric as diat a week work as a pe to er the past t work one day ov ge g I in e st of the tim have been do I re e ch hi Th w e. er I married rs , ht nu daug June 2, 2018 my hilarious 2 years. On st e able to er be hangout with w y e m w of d ds! Some s Sanford, an rti Cu e day with th l t ia and visit frien ar ec very sp we live far ap celebrate this ends. We even though fri s. nd d A rm an . st do ily re e m llc th fa d m Hi still in many belove friends are fro as if we were from Bergen, e are as strong in all the way fly t es gu al bonds we shar ci senior year Diniz extra-spe e during my even had an Joanna (Abel) my roommat as e another w on e ho ! w se od a, to th go we were able Norway! Mar d H’01: God is so azed an endously p, m tri e tre th e ade am rd blessed m Lo e at Hillcrest, m Th iritual I am always s! ar s, e in 10 ye the lesson sp d uses for the first tim Hillcrest. It is beautiful how ntinue at the way Go co , st re llc to Hi at e n at places during my tim , which bega people and Curtis out to d relationships t himself able to bring as w disciplines, an I y. teach us abou da is th are with him sh to d d er an an ng , ire y to grow stro past October is and to insp th e tim e st er will be man e fir roughout t. Hopefully, th ar Fergus, for th he y direct us th m to so dear One of a place that is our lives. come! rtant to po s im sit vi e or m these life was places in my years have n tia ris H’14: As the e halls of n levance of Ch to re es d Pr an e ny nc I To th importa heart. There I last walked 0-2001). The inted on my passed since singly aware Hillcrest (200 cially. I n being impr so ai d ag an ce become increa ly on al ve tu as ha iri I , sp st re ly, al llc ic Hi I am learning . an Education w em re teachers and to grow acad of my time he ft ng ed gi vi e ng -lo le tru le al e God has op ch th of was ing, pe y life have l significance. d by God-fear ve years of m a life of eterna el e es over tw liv ur nt st to d ve was surrounde pa an ad e e t many grea al (Portugues ng friends! Th on lo gu ee lin lif m Bi ending n n of sp ke tia y ta g ra ris o, ar a Ch ars, includin (Campo Larg d to founding past few ye sees in uthern Brazil er e So ov th to in been dedicate e ry ty tim se ci l ur of al period ol in a sm ents from N is an extended at English) Scho d of God. Th ound 200 stud ar. I believe th ying the wor ye se now has ar ud e ou ch st th tim r ea e gh ng do Li lo ad ua y ). Ec PR ng a gr to marry m ion, molding d we are addi ill be er, I was able ristian Educat w m Ch m e h w su s, ug 6th grade, an ic d ro an em th eetheart, best acad a difference proving the has in store Ecuadorian sw we can make r as well as l and inspiring what the Lord te ia e nt ac se te ar to ch po ’ st seling ll ts fu gu studen ach their tion. My icago in Au ying pre-coun udents to re moving to Ch te. I am stud e their genera and rv itu ng se st In rti d e hu an le bl e nourishing st le ib Bi th d, love peop of reaching of God incred us at Moody Go y pe r ea on fo ve ho ar lo im e st th an to te lit ith g them amazin rvices w large metropo ings God will ds is also an and human se itioning to a avenly e the great th ns se He r tra to t at ou le family of 4 ki ai th hi at w W ts th ot d. e promise love! I cann all the studen brokenhearte we trust in th ol d the lives of ly had a friend creativity and ove daunting, e way. I recent ay for our Scho h their lives an pr th pr ug ill of se ro w th ea ep time.” d Pl st y s. an do in the year with us ever is ALWAYS on volunteers sted to us over Father will be t us n is open for ly early, but He re ee tio ra m ta , ill vi te in w la to e r d God has entru t ve Th Go . l of us today. me, “God is ne play sports, ge nges we face , ll al le rd r te al ish fo Lo gl r ch e e En de th th in h ay d m an d teac great re He sees fit. M e to come an This is such a ays welcome! through ovide for us as w g al pr in e d ar who would lik liv an u e th yo ar or , e ue a life w ilian culture right where w u as you purs know the Braz then all of yo gue.com.br ng ance. ilin re fic eb st ni us sig l ho ht na // lig one of eter Jesus Christ, tings! I have
H’97: Gree Matt Johansen with the McKenzie
20
A L U M N I U P D AT E S
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: S E T A D UP I N M U L A E R O M + , S B O J , S H T BIR on@ l to : co n n ec ti ai em r o l ai u p d at es vi a m S en d u s yo u r
ff h il lc re st .o rg
y H’07: I met m David Listor le hi w , nn tia tiful wife, Chris
beau y’s These berty Universit working in Li our 14. 20 ce in sin t s en ar keting departm past two ye ar em lif 2, il en pr be A have ried on 2016 reunion We were mar leigh, ter our af Ra in tly e or liv Sh w changing. 2016 and no ll to lead video cepted a ca here I am the w reunion, I ac C ng N ni or M Summit at e e ad Th gr h at teach 5t producer rgus Fe in for my ol ul ho ef at Sc ch. I am gr Son Christian ur d Ch an et an in m de st us fir t and as a Falls. Many of th as a studen grew bo , in those , ps st er hi re th ds llc ge en Hi to fri time at grew up g ped so many in lo nn tion ve gi uc de be I . od re pr rm fo the boys do ve with video classrooms be today return and rd, and fell in lo am I Lo to e re n th he fu to w en er clos s be ld not be w at Hillcrest. It’ e there. I wou minds of ne our journey during my tim on my life. e hearts and th e ce en in tim k flu ng in or lo ’s w y st m see God at without Hillcre , I married er m n. m an su is dm Th 7: After r, Christa Re generations. d Ouse H’0 as a ay ei co-conspirato w R t ry in ist Po in m n d tio years friend an aff at Inspira spending 7 h, someday as summer st sketball coac We first met no idea we’d ba ng vi ge ha e lle , ov ol co w ho d to sc Go 14 w gh 20 hi ho in in YC back blessed by I moved to N do!” We’re so ancé us together. be saying, “I to my then-fi ars to bring ye er e os th cl as ut be be ho :9 ug ing 16 ro liv th bs d s er an th ov s pa Pr r es ou the words of Amanda. Jobl "The ay e: m le, , m pp 06 to A 20 g en the Bi Class of ey have be just outside to you as th establishes ining tra RD t LO ar e st th t encouraging , bu I decide to e plans his way ayers on th heart of man basketball pl full-time a d un his steps.” fo I side until e I n H’98: Sinc t long before job. It wasn’ Mark Erickso m rest y m llc Hi re he is w fro realized that graduating ne nded ago, I atte st Training. O ly ta Ca d de 20 years a un ot h fo ak as I D N d le th an or Ky N m A graduate passion was graduated fro t that ds & 2006 HL en d worked en ev an fri or y st sit on be er rs y iv pe of m st is “a State Un int idea. A Cataly was a motto for a small pa gave me the action.” That as a chemist or en th ge I an within ch a. Iow the court and quickly causes company in about, both on ayers, be pl school at l to na al d ic te sio ed es an m w of that I over 40 pr attended re I ith w he k w just a or d a, w w an w s Io er y of my faith. I no school play the Universit in the hip-level high s in North ed rs ar la ct ye le ho 4 se sc t ng 50 ge di over spen st client Des e , Gina. After o I had my fir has placed m e settled in met my wife few weeks ag l training, w that the Lord d na ve ll an lie tio ba st di be et gi ad ly sk lo r m ba Anesthesio Carolina fo in love with NBA Draft. I fir I work as an time od has ed to be. I fell y G os re m n. pp g he ia w su rin ic s, du ys am I ne Ph ew Moi ncy where at love gr n, as an Emerge 3rd grade. Th nships I built autiful childre Gina works when I was in to the relatio althy and be rt he pa 3 in y ith el w rg la , at I have with st th re p llc hi Hi blessed us ns at d the relatio and Selah. an e on m er m ga e le to use my Ca th ab e, Chlo through y. I now am da r is te th Af to 8: n the Gospel ’0 H Coach Presto to help share Zach Lewison attended these players ith w p I hi ns n, relatio ball. graduatio me of basket l University through the ga North Centra al or st pa ed in (Brandon) where I major hel d ac te R ua ad gr I years n The studies. Whe LengauerH’08: g, I went on nd sharing ba a in ed tin I tour since gradua rough music elor’s degree the gospel th r, I get a Bach te Af to s. ar ye le up Studies, got co l a ra r fo in Intercultu ch and to ur ch a at gave birth interned married, and e opportunity recently, e or M . rn was given th bo our first d coach a high and I decide to start and my husband a youth ily m ok fa to l I al 15 r sm . In 20 to uproot ou ball program e to ity Christian school basket sota and mov ay Commun ne ew in at M h G ut m at yo fro a n en d io be te sit ar ve st po I ha or g. e st in w pa stria where God n View, Wyom ai e Au rs. nt se te ou to an M pl d in Church en blesse s as church and have be for two year tholic agers in this en Ca ng te ki ity or of or w aj es ministry here m liv e in this ed my ing ways in th al church here around two s God has us work in amaz The evangelic s y somewhere es hl the past year kn r ug ea ve ro w l, O al . as sm ity ry t of relationship ve gh al is ou on commun th rs try ce pe coun ose and gs That I on lation claim rp in pu th pu po d d e nd coined an fin la th y d is of or st percent is slow in th to students an my life. Looking re he te la k re or w to netheless ur be used has for we enjoy it no with Christ. O the plan God my savior, ionaries”, but d us to as iss de m s ar su of e aw Je av confidence in ty g “the gr es acceptin ch opportuni life and sid ea y r be m fo , ith my in w w ul t e kf no in m an po back rning and are th ys I stay at ho be, rest was a tu ths ago, as meant to spel. These da on w I m go e e ho attending Hillc re th w th e e ar m sh arrived portant d showing n, one newly ect with family of the most im the start of Go three childre those were 2 rman, and conn st Ge re llc ng ni Hi ar ks joying the le so than plod along in smates are en e. pe all my clas ho I . ds years of my lif en fri and God gives us. daily blessings
Armin
JahrH’06:
A L U M N I U P D AT E S
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CHARLOTTE MOEN H’49 Charlotte Moen passed away January 24, 2018 at Pioneer
grandchildren. Norman is remembered as a Godly man with
Cottages in Fergus Falls. She was born to John H. and Clara
passions for missions and preaching the Gospel. Blessed be the
(Hovland) Moen on December 29, 1930 in Rothsay, MN.
memory of Norman Harry Berge.
Charlotte earned her degree in elementary education from Moorhead State College in 1961, teaching in rural schools in the lakes area before teaching in Mandan, ND, Robbinsdale, MN, Johnston, NY, and Hillsboro, OR. She was a devoted teacher who invested in her family, specially noted in her move to Fergus Falls where she and her brother Ardell Moen cared for each other. God bless the memory of Charlotte Moen.
STEVEN HEXOM H’62 Steven Hexom passed away January 25, 2018. A dedicated and determined worker, Steven was born to Eugene and Ruth (Foster) Hexom on August 10, 1943 as the second of four children. After graduating from Hillcrest in 1962, attending from Williston, ND, Steven completed his schooling in diesel mechanics in Wahpeton before returning home to start his business. He and his wife, Doreen (Koeser) looked into retirement with a sense of remaining connected. Steven served on the Youth for Christ board, volunteering with the ministry in between spending time with his grandchildren. Steven will be long remembered as a loving husband, father, grandfather, and good friend who worked tirelessly for others. God bless the memory of Steven Hexom.
JOHN TUNGSETH H’83 John Tungseth passed away April 30, 2018 at Lake Region Hospital in Fergus Falls, MN. He was born to Peter and Irene (Leland) Tungseth on February 20, 1965. John grew up in Fergus Falls, graduating from Hillcrest in 1983 before attending the North Dakota State College of Science in Wahpeton. John married Nancy Schroeder June 30, 1990. They were blessed with their daughter, Alexis, and enjoyed fifteen years of marriage before Nancy’s passing in October of 2005. John later met his second wife, Ruby, and the two were married in Ruby’s home country, the Philippines. John loved his special one-on-one time with Alexis, watching her school activities, having coffee or a banana split, or simply watching movies together. John will be remembered for his contagious laugh and the way he loved others. Blessed be the memory of John Tungseth.
NORMAN BERGE H’53 Norman Berge passed away March 28, 2018 in his home under the care of Hospice of the Red River Valley. Norman was the fourth child and first born son of eight children to Tobias and Anna (Nodeland) Berge in Hagen, Saskatchewan on October 7, 1934. Norman attended Hillcrest after attending the Saskatchewan Lutheran Bible Institute in Outlook, Saskatchewan. Norman graduated from Hillcrest in 1953 and returned to Hagen to begin farming. At the age of 67 Norman married Martha Vorvick, in 2001. They enjoyed married bliss until March, 2010 when Martha passed away. In December 2011 Norman was blessed in marrying Marion (Westrom)
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Koslowsky where he enjoyed Marion’s loving children and
REV. HAMPTON KAVLIE H’49 Reverend Hampton Almor Kavlie passed away May 29, 2018 in the hospital in Minot, North Dakota. Hampton was born to Leonard and Dagney (Brujhell) Kavlie January 29, 1930. Rev. Kavlie graduated from Hillcrest in 1949 and moved from Bottineau to Fergus Falls following his marriage to Ethel Schroeder on September 2, 1951. Hampton was a faithful Lutheran Brethren pastor. He served communities in Osakis, MN Grandfork, ND, Sioux Falls, SD, Williston, ND, Minot, ND, and Phoenix, AZ. Rev. and Mrs. Kavlie returned to Williston from Phoenix in 1978 before returning to Minot in 1995 to serve Our Redeemer's Lutheran Brethren Church. He completed his ministry in 2004, marking 50 years as a pastor in the Lutheran Brethren. Rev. Kavlie was an evangelist, who enjoyed singing, telling stories, and fishing. Blessed be the memory of Reverend Hampton Almor Kavlie.
KRISTIAN “STAN” KRISTIANSEN H’54 Kristian Stanley Kristiansen passed away March 17 in Fergus Falls. He was born to Idar and Ingeborg Kristiansen in Kristiansand, Norway. He grew up in New Jersey before attending Hillcrest Academy. He graduated from Hillcrest in 1954 and attended the Northeastern Bible College and the Lutheran Brethren Bible College. He married Ellenor Abrahamsen in New Jersey and move to Fergus Falls where they started their family. Their daughters, Karin and Mary Ann, were added to their family as Stan worked as a carpenter before his health failed. He enjoyed serving as a Scout Master for Troop 308 in Fergus Falls, a commitment he enjoyed that highlighted his love for being outdoors. Stan was an avid hunter and fisherman, enjoying God’s creation. Blessed be the memory of Kristian “Stan” Kristiansen.
WAVA (RAMSEY) VALDER H’39 Wava (Ramsey) Valder passed away peacefully on January 17, 2018. She was born June 19, 1922, the second child to Theodore and Wilma Ramsey. She was confirmed in the Christian faith at Bethel Lutheran Brethren Church in Joice, Iowa. She played piano in her home, being asked to share her talents on the piano and organ at church. She graduated Hillcrest Lutheran Academy in 1939 with her sweetheart, Palmer Valder. Palmer and Wava wed on Valentines Day, 1942, in Lake Mills, IA. As part of their honeymoon the two ventured back to Hillcrest to visit Wava’s dorm room and recount the many pranks and memorable times at Hillcrest. When the two reached their ninetieth year birthdays they moved into Pioneer Cottages in Fergus Falls with many friends from their days at Hillcrest. They enjoyed those precious five years with the friends they formed their faith with during their time at Hillcrest. Wava passed away at the age of 95. Blessed be the memory of Wava Lorene Ramsey Valder.
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OB I TUARIES ADELINE (HANSON) SHJERVE H’56
Registered Nurse. She consistently volunteered as a tutor for
Adeline “Addie” Shjerve passed away on April 8, 2018. She was
English Speakers of Foreign Languages. She continued her love
born to Herman and Ida Hanson on June 2, 1938. She attended
of serving the Lord in her later years, teaching Sunday school,
and graduated from Hillcrest Lutheran Academy in 1956. Two
and serving as a Deaconess and member of the MIssions
years later she married Roger Shjerve. The two helped plant
Committee.BlessedbethememoryofEvangelineHopeHanson.
the Our Redeemer's Lutheran Brethren Church in Minot, ND. In 1960 the two moved back to Fergus Falls where they owned and operated North Union Towing. Addie was a faithful member of Bethel Lutheran Church. She enjoyed serving as a Stephen’s Minister, while also a dedicated Bible study leader, chairperson for the Christian Women’s group, and faithful choral member. One of Addie’s greatest pleasures was mentoring her granddaughter, Maddy, in her confirmation in the Christian faith. Blessed be the memory of Adeline “Addie” Shjerve.
PAULA MABEL (BENSEN) HELLAND H’52 Paula Mabel Helland passed away May 4, 2018. She was born to Alf and Johanne (Nilsen) Bensen on September 1, 1934. In 1952 she completed her study at Hillcrest Academy, in following the prompting to attend that was specially instilled by her father, a Hillcrest graduate himself. She traveled back to Brooklyn, NY after graduation where she reacquainted with her future husband, Harland Helland. The two wed in the summer of 1954 before embarking on a lifetime of ministry that started at the Lutheran Brethren Seminary in the fall of 1954. When Harland’s service as Director of Home Missions ended in 1984 Mabel started serving as an assistant to the Alumni Director at Hillcrest Lutheran Academy. In 1986 Mabel supported Harland in his service as the chaplain at Broen Home in Fergus Falls. Mabel’s entire life was focused on serving the Lord by serving others. Her dedication to advancing the gospel through church ministry was evident wherever she and Harland served. Blessed be the memory of Paula Mabel Helland.
GLADYS (LOVDAHL) SCHANING H’48 Gladys (Lovdahl) Shaning passed away peacefully on November 14, 2013. She graduated from Hillcrest in 1948. The proudest moments in her life came in parenting her children, Alice, Joan, Lynn, Paul, Sue, Ruth, Kathy, and Ellyn, with her husband Paul Johnson and Norman Schaning. She was the proud grandmother of 24 grandchildren, and great-grandmother to 31 great-grandchildren. Blessed be the memory of Gladys Lovdahl Johnson Schaning.
EVANGELINE (OLSEN) HANSON H’57 Evangeline (Olsen) Hanson passed away May 4, 2018. She was born to Rev. Olaf and Martha Olsen on July 4, 1939. She graduated from Hillcrest in 1957 and went on to serve as a medical missionary in Hong Kong from 1973-77 with her husband, Dr. John Parker Hanson. The two later worked together in her husband’s medical practice, where she was a
VERNA MAE (HAVERLY) BRUE H’45 Verna Mae Brue passed away July 16, 2018. She was born August 11, 1928 to William and Della (Forbord) Haverly in Grove City, MN. She moved with her parents to Spicer Green Lake and later to Fergus Falls where she attended Hillcrest Lutheran Academy, graduating in 1945. She enrolled in Augsburg College in the fall of ‘45. On August 23, 1953 she married Donald Brue in Fergus Falls. The two lived in Minneapolis and Faribault, MN before moving to Portland, OR where they served churches within the Lutheran Brethren. In 1970 they moved to Fergus Falls where Verna Mae worked for various accounting firms, and was the manager for the Promise Shop. Verna Mae loved music, specifically evident in the numerous duets she sang with her husband. She served as organist in the churches the couple served, while caring for their family of five children, Charles, Stephen, Thomas, Kathy, and Amy. Blessed be the memory of Verna Mae Brue.
REV. MORRIS LARSEN H’47, S’51 Morris Larsen passed away January 16, 2018. He was born to John and Ingaborg (Malvig) Larsen in Rochert, MN on January 8, 1927. He graduated from Hillcrest Lutheran Academy in 1947 and the Lutheran Brethren Seminary in 1951. Following his seminary graduation, Morris married Myrtle Esther Kivley in Ferndale, WA. The pair served churches in North Dakota, Iowa, Washington, and Minnesota. The two continued their ministry in Japan, where they served faithfully for twenty years before retiring. Morris was a tireless worker in his dedication to the Lord. His passion to communicate the gospel was evident in his passion and communication with those he ministered to. Blessed be the memory of Morris Clifford Larsen.
PHILIP MONSEN H’88 Philip Monsen passed away July 30, 2018 hiking near Mr. Rainer, Washington. He was born to John and Phyllis Monson April 20, 1970 and graduated from Hillcrest Lutheran Academy in 1988. At Hillcrest he met Sonja Backstrom, and the two wed October 22, 1994. Philip lived for the Lord, enjoying serving as an Overseer, Adult Bible Fellowship leader, Cubbies leader, and served the church as a sound board supervisor and worked on the audit committee. He was a devoted husband, enjoying his family where he taught his children love for hiking, coffee, music, and Tolkien. He was renown for engineering family vacations to many states in the U.S., and loved attending his children’s sporing, music, theatre, and scouting events. Blessed be the memory of Philip John Monsen.
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Saturday, Dec. 8 at 4:30pm | Hillcrest Front Lawn
HIT BASKETBALL TOURNAMENT Friday & Saturday, April 5 & 6
DIANE IHRKE BREAD AND JAM DASH April 27 at 7am | Hillcrest Front Lawn
JUNIOR/SENIOR BANQUET Saturday, May 4 at 4:30pm
GRADUATION WEEKEND - MAY 23 - 26 Hall of Fame - May 23 at 5:30pm All school concert - May 24 at 7pm Alumni Brunch - May 25 at 10am Class Night - May 25 at 7pm Baccalaureate and Commencement - May 26 at 10am President’s Reception - May 26 Following Commencement
HIT GOLF Friday, June 21 at 12pm
PAID
FERGUS FALLS, MN PERMIT #14
NON-PROFIT US POSTAGE
Hillcrest Lutheran Academy 610 Hillcrest Drive Fergus Falls, MN 56537
HILLCREST CHRISTMAS TREE LIGHTING
CONNECTION
Friday, Dec. 7 at 7pm & Saturday, Dec. 8 at 3pm | Bethel Church
HILLCRESTCONNECTION
HILLCREST CHRISTMAS CONCERT
*CONNECTION CORRECTIONS We love telling the stories of our Hillcrest friends and family. In our retelling last
The robotics club at Hillcrest is part of a cooperative with Central Lakes Robotics.
issue we had a few details out of order:
In past years the club has worked closely with the pre-engineering class, but recently the class focus shifted to coding and building in a sequence that didn’t
We didn’t have correct details in the last Connection on Jeff Richards’ education.
match the competition cycle with Central Lakes Robotics. Hillcrest still has
Jeff holds a Ph.D. in Historical Theology from Drew University, not only a Masters in
students who participate in Central Lakes Robotics, but the club is separate from
Philosophy. Over the years Jeff earned distinction in Christian service as a pastor,
the class. We thank everyone at Central Lakes Robotics for their partnership and
seminary professor, and university professor. He is currently a ranked adjunct at
leadership, specifically Clark and Diane Grotberg, who passionately lead the
Columbia International University in Columbia, SC.
program and are an inspiration to our students involved in the robotics club.
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