Hillcrest Connection Spring 2011

Spring 2011 • Volume 72 • Number 2

CONNECTION

A MAGAZINE FOR FRIENDS AND ALUMNI OF HILLCREST ACADEMY

LIVE. LEARN. GO.

HOW SHORT-TERM MISSIONS ARE HAVING LONG-TERM IMPACT.

2

GREETING

Dear Alumni and Friends, One of the blessings of being a child of God is that we are pretty clear on our “purpose” in life. What we do in life stems from who we are as children of God. Since we are loved, we are compelled to love others. Since we are forgiven, we are compelled to forgive others. God’s actions give purpose to our lives.

Recently I purchased a new book on the topic of motivation in the business world. It was very interesting to read that having a purpose bigger than personal gain has become the new motivator for personal satisfaction.

In other words, you can’t lead a life that is excellent without belonging to something greater and more permanent than yourself. So businesses improve their employees’ emotional well-being through matching charitable giving programs. Customers purchase coffee, shoes, and hamburgers from vendors who share their profits with charitable causes. Can you identify 5 successful businesses today whose purpose is more than making a profit? I bet you can.

My motivation for living goes far beyond making a living. As part of the Hillcrest community, I am caught

up in something much bigger than myself. Practically speaking, I get to participate in: • providing creative opportunities for students to enlarge their understanding of God’s love for the world (as in short term mission work) • sharing campus financial needs to give opportunity for greater partnership through philanthropy (as in the Fresh Breeze Capital Campaign progress) • identifying with brothers and sisters in Christ who impact the world (as in Hillcrest graduate, GT Gunhus’ prayer at the Pentagon after 9/11/01) • gathering with alumni to hear how God has given purpose to their lives (as in Graduation Weekend) Read about these “bigger picture” blessings in the pages that follow. I’m grateful that God’s gift of purpose makes our lives richer and more excellent.

Blessings,

Steven J. Brue, HLA President

SO MUCH MORE THAN A DIPLOMA LIVE. LEARN. GO. NOW ENROLLING FOR 2011-2012

Hillcrest CONNECTION

CONTENTS 4 Feature G.T. Gunhus

8 Focus C. Lloyd Bjornlie Memorial Andrea Nix Memorial

10 Finance An Incredible Gift HLA Heritage Society Club Members

12 Campus News Short-Term Missions M-Term Recap HLA Christmas

17 Campaign Fresh Breeze Update

Spring 2011 Hillcrest Connection is published quarterly by Hillcrest Academy.

18 Alumni News

Hillcrest Lutheran Academy 610 Hillcrest Drive Fergus Falls, MN 56537 STEVE BRUE | President Editor-in-Chief sbrue@ffhillcrest.org RYAN ERICKSON Managing Editor/Graphic Design rerickson@ffhillcrest.org LINDA PATCH Alumni Relations lpatch@ffhillcrest.org HLA TODAY STAFF Contributing Writers STEVE HOFFBECK Contributing Writer

2011 Reunions & Graduation Alumni Updates HILLCREST ACADEMY BOARD OF DIRECTORS

J. BURDEAN ROGNESS Eden Prairie, MN

DWIGHT SCHMIDT HLA Board Chair

RANDY TRETTEVIK Alumni ‘76

DWIGHT SCHMIDT | Chair Jamestown, ND

LISA SCHULTZ-FRED Fergus Falls, MN

LISA FRED HLA Board Member

KEVEN CRABTREE Business Leader

DAVE EGGE | Vice Chair Alexandria, MN

OLAV SANDNES Mt. Bethel, PA

BURDEAN ROGNESS HLA Board Member

KERMIT KVAMME Alumni Parent

STEVE BRUE HLA President

STEVE UNDSETH Faculty Representative

NICK ROBERTS Alumni ‘05

MISSION STATEMENT

ROD SCHEEL | Secretary Fergus Falls, MN RICH IVERSON Barnesville, MN ANNIE JACOBSEN Succasunna, NJ KATHY JOHNSON Fergus Falls, MN

FRESH BREEZE CAMPAIGN CABINET OLAV & GINA SANDNES Campaign Co-Chairs ELLING & BARBARA HALVORSON Honorary Co-Chairs

CAROL STUCKER Alumni ‘81 DEAN STOUTLAND Alumni ‘76

The mission of Hillcrest Lutheran Academy is to equip students in a Christ-centered, Biblebased environment for a life of significance.

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FEATURE

G.T. GUNHUS: FROM STAR ATHLETE TO TWO-STAR GENERAL

BY STEVE HOFFBECK

It’s a long way to Washington, D.C., from Fergus Falls.

Thirteen-hundred miles, to be exact. But that was the path laid out for G.T. Gunhus, a Hillcrest graduate who eventually became Chief Chaplain of the U.S. Army in 1998.

At Hillcrest Academy, he was a high-school football star. Gunhus was “one of the greatest quarterbacks” ever to play at Hillcrest, according to school official John Kilde, when Gunhus was a “running quarterback” in a single-wing offense in the fall season of 1957.

However, Gunhus’s calling in life was not to be played out on the athletic field. Instead, it was to be on the battlefield, providing spiritual and pastoral guidance for U.S. Army soldiers in far-flung places like Vietnam, Bosnia, and Iraq. And, in the close of his career, General

Gunhus played a vital role in the reconstruction of the Pentagon after the terrorist attack there on September 11, 2001, and he ministered with hope and compassion to those who suffered in the attack’s aftermath.

As for his path to the Pentagon, Gunhus said that he “could never have orchestrated it” himself to become Chief of Chaplains. When he started his military career in 1967, there were 700 chaplains who joined at the same time, and the “Lord opened doors,” and he rose in the chain of promotions so that when he was a colonel, the Army selected him eleven different times over other candidates.

Born in 1940, G.T. (Gaylord T.) Gunhus was the son of Harms J. Gunhus, a pastor in the Lutheran Brethren Church in Enderlin, North Dakota. The family followed

FEATURE

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On the first anniversary of 9/11, Major General G.T. Gunhus delivers the invocation at the Sept. 11 Observance Ceremony at the Pentagon.

the calls given to Pastor Gunhus, from Chicago in 1941; to the chaplain ministry in 1944 to the State of Washington, then to Japan from 1949 to 1952, and then back to the Seattle area in 1954.

In a gradual progression, G.T. Gunhus became trained as a chaplain, became an officer, and moved with his wife and young family along the Army’s career path.

When G.T. received orders to report to South G.T. Gunhus was both a good student Vietnam, the war there, as Gunhus recalled, and a good athlete. In 1957, he enrolled “was going full blast.” He got to a base camp at Hillcrest Academy for his senior year, at Phu Loi in 1968, and he was thrown into and played both football and basketball. the middle of the maelstrom. For the entire Hillcrest had initiated its football program first month, he was “afraid he was going to just the previous year, and teams in the die.” On the night of October 12, Gunhus had area expected that the new program to come face to face with his own mortality. would be a “soft touch,” an easy victory When Viet Cong guerrillas attacked the Phu but, as Gunhus said, “we had a good team.”

Loi Camp with rocket and mortar fire under The Campbell, Minnesota, team scheduled cover of darkness, Chaplain Gunhus hurried Hillcrest to be its homecoming victim, but to shelter in a deep bunker held up by huge by halftime, the score was “thirty-four to timbers and covered with sandbags. There, zero, in favor of Hillcrest.” Playing nineas he said later, “I had to come to grips with man football, using helmets discarded my calling.” He and Ann had two small boys,

by Augsburg College and second-hand Kevin (age four) and Michael (just one and Gunhus poses for the equipment from other programs, there was 1958 Beacon. one-half years of age), and within himself “not a team that could beat us,” recalled came forth the “image of a family without Gunhus, and “it was a fun year.” a dad and husband,” and he was thinking, “I didn’t sign up for any of this.”

G.T. Gunhus went to college at Seattle Pacific University, graduating in 1962 with a pre-med degree, majoring in But at that time, in that night of fear, his soul centered zoology. At the end of his junior year, he had a sense on a Bible passage, from the Gospel of John, chapter of God calling him into the ministry, and he also had a 15, verse 16: “You did not choose me, but I chose you,” calling to marry Ann, a young woman from Seattle. and at that point, he realized that he was a “servant of the Lord,” and his response was to say, “Lord, send me Drafted into the Army in 1962, he took the medic’s where you want me to go.” course, and followed his calling to attend the Lutheran Brethren Seminary while in the Reserves. G.T. and Ann After that pivotal night, G.T. Gunhus came to know his moved to Fergus Falls, where he served as Dean of Men role in the military and the need of his men for spiritual while taking seminary classes. guideposts in Vietnam, the most desperate of places.

“Every day,” he came to understand, “is Sunday in a When G.T. Gunhus graduated in 1967, he was at a war” for a chaplain, for he was always on call. Death crossroad, and a difficult one at that. The Army required was never far away in Vietnam, and Gunhus suffered its chaplains to attend an accredited seminary, which the loss of friends who were killed or who were seriously was not the case with the Lutheran Brethren Seminary, wounded in Vietnam. and that the candidate had to be already ordained.

The Lutheran Brethren Church required that those who After serving his tour of duty in Vietnam, Gunhus went would be ordained must have a call to a specific church. to Fort Lewis, Washington, where his family grew by one Pastor D.A. Erickson, in charge of ordinations, asked more child when daughter Holly was born in 1970. There, Gunhus: “Where do you want to go?”

Chaplain Gunhus counseled young soldiers en route to “I want to go into the Army as a chaplain,” declared the war or returning after one year in Southeast Asia. G.T. Gunhus. talked to draftees who were “scared going to Vietnam,” Disappointed by this response, Erickson responded reassuring the young men of “God’s care and love for by saying: “I’m going to pray about it.” them.” Gunhus calmed young soldiers with a gentle request Feeling the call of the chaplaincy, Gunhus murmured, to “pray with me” before being sent across the Pacific.

“I will, too.”

Gunhus himself returned to South Vietnam for his Whose prayer was answered? Well, the Army accepted second tour of duty in 1973, when the war was ended all of Gunhus’s seminary credits after Trinity Evangelical by a ceasefire, and he was the “last chaplain in the Seminary of Deerfield, Illinois, certified them. And, in Delta” region before the U.S. pullout. an unprecedented move, the Lutheran Brethren synod ordained him on June 7, 1967, at its annual convention in Stateside once more, the Gunhus family moved to the Fergus Falls, even though he had no congregational call. Nekoma, N.D., Safeguard Missile Base chapel, for just

6

FEATURE

over two years, in an assignment that was like a regular parish ministry with a choir, a youth group, and familiar Sunday services.

After that came advanced training at chaplain school at Fort Wadsworth on Long Island in New York and accomplishment of the Masters of Theology at Princeton University. The whole family accompanied Gunhus to Heidelberg, Germany, in 1976, for his parish ministry at the Army headquarters there.

The Gunhuses returned to the States in 1980, with G.T. gaining more training at the Command and General Staff College to qualify him for promotions. For the next five years, 1980 to 1985, Gunhus participated in the restructuring of the all-volunteer Army at a base in Indiana, writing policies for the role of the chaplaincy.

He moved up to be a division chaplain after that, with promotion to full colonel by 1987. Then came a year of top-level leadership training at the Army War College in Carlisle, PA., in 1988 with the subsequent assignment to the chief chaplain position for all of the U.S. Army troops in Europe from 1989 to 1992.

When the U.S. forces and the coalition armies participated in the Persian Gulf War in 1992, Gunhus journeyed to Kuwait City and to the desert war zone to help supervise the chaplains sent along with the U.S. forces from Europe.

When he returned stateside, the Army promoted him to Deputy Chief of Chaplains and in 1994 he became a one-star general with an office in the Pentagon. For the next decade, G.T. and Ann Gunhus lived in a house at Ft. Belvoir, located eighteen miles south of the Pentagon near historic Mt. Vernon, along the Potomac River.

Thus began a regimen of twelve or thirteen-hour days, commuting at 6 a.m. to the Pentagon, attending meetings, staying late, ministering one-on-one with the Army senior commanders there.

The last promotion was the biggest, to Chief Chaplain of the Army, in 1999, with an appointment by President Bill Clinton. By statute, G.T. Gunhus was to serve for four years in that post. As George W. Bush ascended to the White House after the 2000 elections, no one knew that the U.S. Army would suffer an attack on its headquarters in D.C., and the date of September 11 was not noted for any particular historic significance.

Upon the arrival of G.T. Gunhus in the nation’s capital, his assigned office as Deputy Chief Chaplain in the Pentagon was on the southwest face in a portion of the building designated for the Army. His office was located right next to the office of the Chief Chaplain of the Army.

As the decade of the 1990s unfolded, after a terrorist bombing of the Twin Towers in New York City by

Islamic radicals in 1993, and following the Oklahoma City bombing of a federal courthouse by a homegrown terrorist in 1995, Pentagon officials authorized a renovation of the entire building to protect against a potential terroristic bombing.

When Congress authorized the construction of the Pentagon in 1941, the structure was designed to be a massive office building, allowing all branches of the military to be under a single roof. The official date that construction began, strangely, was on September 11, 1941, which was a mere three months before the Japanese attack on the U.S. base at Pearl Harbor.

The construction of the Pentagon was accelerated when the U.S. entered World War II. In a remarkable day-andnight continuous effort, it was completed in a mere 16 months. Built mainly of thick, reinforced concrete in order to “avoid using critical war materials whenever possible,” the building had an exterior facing of limestone from Indiana. Architects installed concrete ramps in place of passenger elevators, and minimized the use of metal. Each of the five outward facades of the Pentagon was five stories high and each side was 1/5th of a mile in length. The Pentagon is really five pentagons, five rings with a common center courtyard (six acres or the size of six football fields). With “spoke-like corridors” that radiate through all of the rings, a person can efficiently walk from any point in the building on any of the five floors to the farthest point in seven to ten minutes.

The Pentagon and other federal buildings became targets after the Persian Gulf War, when Islamic fundamentalists like Osama Bin Laden became outraged over the presence of U.S. troops in Saudi Arabia, deeming them to have profaned Muslim holy ground. To counter potential terrorist threats to the Pentagon, the government began to strengthen the basic structure of the building and update its basic plumbing, air conditioning and heating systems in 1994, anticipating that the changes would be completed in 2011.

To make the Pentagon bomb-proof, workers made the walls and floors stronger by installing structural steel beams. To reduce potential injury to Pentagon employees, designers put in place new “blast-resistant glass” windows, each window was one-and-one-half inch thick of glass layers “bonded together by an inner layer of plastic” so that it would not shatter in an explosion. It was so heavy that it could shield people from the heat and fire of a bomb blast. The interior office walls were reinforced with “superstrength polymer mesh,” similar to Kevlar, to limit the fractured pieces from splintering like shrapnel.

To accomodate the renovators, G.T. Gunhus and his chaplain’s staff moved out of their Wedge One Pentagon offices and into temporary, leased space in 1998. After three long years, the improvements were completed, and, in the last week of August, 2001, General Gunhus met with

FEATURE

7

J.B. Hudson, the civilian manager of the Army’s Pentagon space, and said that “it was time to move my folks back in from the [temporary] Crystal City location.” Hudson was determined to move his own financing and accounting employees, thirty-five total, from another wedge to be renovated and temporarily place them in Gunhus’s offices, and the chaplains would just have to wait longer. “I did not get my way,” recalled Gunhus. At the end of August, traditionally one of the hottest times in Washington, D.C., G.T. and Ann got away for a vacation at the family cabin retreat, located thirty-five miles northwest of Fergus Falls for a time of fishing, picnicking and rest.

The morning of September 11, 2001, seemed like just another day for employees at the Pentagon, until strange news spread about a plane crashing into the World Trade Center’s North Tower in New York City at 8:46, and then came shocking word of a second plane ramming the South Tower at 9:03. One Pentagon staffer, Peter M. Murphy, turned on a television to find out details on the incidents, and he “started speculating, wondering who’s next.” Twenty minutes after he checked the TV, at 9:37 a.m., Murphy, and the other Pentagon workers, found out.

An American Airlines jetliner, Flight 77, had been hijacked by five Islamic suicide bombers after its takeoff from Washington’s Dulles airport. The al Qaeda leadership had made the immoral decision to use aircraft as huge airborne bombs, similar to World War II Japanese kamikazes, but more wicked because of the innocent passengers onboard. Al Qaeda had plans of targeting the White House or the U.S. Capitol, but they hit the Pentagon as a symbol of the American military. The terrorist fliers approached the Pentagon at a low level, clipping off the tops of light poles outside the building, before they crashed the nose into the first floor of the southwest wedge. The flying bomb exploded. Red kerosene jet fuel, about 6,939 gallons of it, ignited with the force of the crash. The plane, now a fireball, penetrated into the outside ring of the Pentagon, and further into the second ring, and then went partway into the third ring. A forest of concrete columns that anchored the building, spaced every twenty feet, stopped the incoming, blazing force. The new sprinkler system in the renovated portion of that side of the building “helped halt the fire” in that section, but the fire raged unimpeded in the unrenovated, older portion of the building. The reinforced walls held long enough for employees located above the impact point to evacuate the blast zone before the four upper levels collapsed into the gaping hole in the wall.

The sixty-four plane passengers all died. The terrorists who had inflicted the deaths perished. 125 Pentagon workers were killed. Of the thirty-five accountants and finance workers located temporarily in the chaplains’ offices, all were killed. Firefighters and rescue teams raced to the Pentagon zone of horror. In the swirl of

Gunhus looks on as President Bush addresses the memorial gathering.

smoke and flames, survivors fled from the floors above the breached wall and some Pentagon employees returned to the inferno to bring injured workers to safety.

Far from the East Coast, G.T. Gunhus was at the family lake home in Underwood, Minnesota when he heard the dreadful news of the Twin Towers and the Pentagon attack. Since all air traffic had been grounded, He and his wife Ann started driving to Washington, D.C. Gunhus did not know exactly where the Pentagon had been hit or who had been killed. He soon discovered that the gaping hole in the building was “in the very space” where the chaplains’ offices had been. The thirty-five civilian employees of J.B. Hudson, temporarily in the chaplain’s offices, all died instantly that morning. When he found out, it was a hammer blow of sorrow for G.T. Gunhus because “he knew a lot of them.”

Even more deeply, Chaplain Gunhus understood that “it should have been us, but it was not.” It was not his time to die, it was his time to be a help to the afflicted.

The first work was to care for the spiritual needs of the search and rescue workers, the firefighters and the searchers who were moving through the horrible wreckage of the Pentagon, to help them cope with what they experienced.

For the next three months, Gunhus and his fellow chaplains in the Pentagon had a larger ministry in the building than before 9/11. They charted out the Pentagon and sent a chaplain to each area to minister to the individuals in each section, to try to help comfort the families and meet the needs of the Pentagon people for solace. They helped with funerals, which continued for weeks and for months because the bodies of the deceased could not be immediately identified. The remains of the bodies of those who were in the military were interred in a special section of Arlington National Cemetery, on a gentle slope that overlooked the Pentagon.

8

FOCUS

IN MEMORY:

Rev. C. Lloyd Bjornlie (1925-2011) Hillcrest Instructor, Principal and LBS President

FOCUS

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The Rev. C. Lloyd Bjornlie, 85, of Fergus Falls, died Sunday, Jan. 9, 2011, at Broen Memorial Home in Fergus Falls.

position, Lloyd was in charge of the office of accreditation for all private schools in the state of Minnesota.

Clarence Lloyd Bjornlie was born July 25, 1925, to Norwegian immigrants Lars and Bertha Bjornlie, in Cooperstown, N.D. Lloyd grew up in a loving Christian home, the youngest of five children, in Cooperstown, and the small farming community of Leonard, near Clearbrook, graduating from Clearbrook High School in 1943.

During these years, he enjoyed worshiping and serving as an elder at Ebenezer Lutheran Brethren Church. By 1970, Lloyd had also received his masters degree in administration, and completed all course work for a doctorate.

Lloyd served in the U.S. Army in France, Norway and Germany from 1944-46. While in the service, he experienced the grace of God and the reality of prayer in a new and vital way.

Then God began laying on his heart a call to fulltime ministry that he couldn’t ignore. When Immanuel Lutheran Brethren Church in Eugene, OR, issued him a pastoral call in 1970, he accepted this outward confirmation of the inward call he had felt from the Lord. The years spent in Eugene were rewarding for the entire family.

After his discharge, during a three-month bout with Rheumatic Fever he committed his life to God’s service whatever that might be. Enrolling at Concordia College in Moorhead, he took many pre-seminary courses, and graduated in 1950, with two majors, business education and history, and political science, with minors in psychology and education.

The Church of the Lutheran Brethren annual convention elected Lloyd as president of Lutheran Brethren Schools in 1972. LBS included Hillcrest Academy, Junior Bible College, and Seminary, where he served three terms (12 years).

It was at Concordia that Lloyd met the love of his life and many other lifelong “Cobber” friends.

Lloyd and Eleanor made a good team, and remained so as they served Berea Lutheran Brethren in Alexandria from 1984-1988, and Dovre and Union Lake parishes in Winger from 1989-1993 before retiring to Fergus Falls in 1993.

Lloyd and Eleanor (Eastvold) Bjornlie were married Oct. 29, 1949, at Jevnaker Lutheran Church in rural Borup.

To this union five children were born, Cheryl (Olsen), David, Ethan, Lori (Kristiansen), and Teresa (Heikes).

Lloyd accepted a call to teach at Hillcrest Lutheran Academy in 1950. He became principal in 1954, and served there until 1964. His passion for the Lord Jesus, and love for his students have borne fruit in the lives of many who call him friend.

During these years, he also attended Lutheran Brethren Seminary, preached at various churches as a supply pastor, and led several gospel teams.

In 1964, the family moved to Minneapolis, where Lloyd held the position of assistant to the University of Minnesota’s vice president for educational relationships. In this

During this time, he also served three years as president of the Minnesota Non-Public Accrediting Association.

The diagnosis of Parkinson’s Disease in 1993 cut short his retirement plans for writing, and even interim preaching, as his voice weakened. But his faith and spirit was strong, and he graciously accepted this weakness, trusting in God to walk with him on this road as well.

As principal, president, and pastor, Lloyd was a servant leader. His compassion, genuine concern for each person he met, and dry wit will be missed.

As father, grandfather and great-grandfather, he has passed on a legacy of faith to three generations who are all walking the path of faith in his, and his Lord’s footsteps. Lloyd is survived by his wife, Eleanor; five children and their spouses, 13 grandchildren and seven great-grandchildren.

Andrea Marie Nix, better known as "Andy," was born on August 14, 1940 to Walter and Edna Nix in Grand Rapids, Minnesota. She attended Hillcrest Academy, graduating in 1958 as salutatorian. After college, Andy returned to Hillcrest to teach English and serve as school librarian.

Andy went on to receive a Master's Degree in Library Science and in 1969, she moved to Eugene, Oregon and continued her career as a librarian.

Always one for adventure, Andy loved to travel. The highlight of her travels was the six months she spent in Chad, Africa setting up a library for seminarians.

IN MEMORY:

Andrea Nix (1940-2011)

Andy will be remembered for her servant spirit. She put in many hours organizing and updating the archives of the Church of the Lutheran Brethren and most recently was planning the 50th anniversary celebration of her home church in Eugene, Oregon.

Andy passed away unexpectedly on January 2, 2011.

10

FINANCE

An Incredible Gift The 12th hole on Bully Pulpit Golf Course in Medora, ND has significant meaning for Hillcrest. It was there, on June 24, 2010, that President Brue received a text message from school requesting that he contact Ewald Sems.

Ewald and Alice Sems had joined the HLA $120 Club in September, 2006. In February of 2008, they agreed to meet with a consultant preparing a Readiness Study for HLA’s upcoming campaign. President Brue met them for the first time in January of 2009, sharing that the quiet phase of Hillcrest’s $5 million campaign had begun.

Ewald and Alice were very interested, and recalled that fifteen years earlier their nephew Ryan had attended Hillcrest and had a very positive experience.

HLA President, Steve Brue, presents Ewald and Alice Sems with a framed portrait of the classic Hillcrest building.

President Brue made the phone call after a disappointing hole – a triple bogey. But the mood changed dramatically when he was informed that Ewald and Alice had decided to give a million dollars to the Fresh Breeze Campaign.

What a blessing this incredible gift is to Hillcrest Lutheran Academy! It joins a number of other significant gifts to date, bringing the campaign to within 27% of reaching its goal. Thank you, Ewald and Alice!

HLA HL H LA

HLA HL H LA

Heritage society s so oci c et e y

Legacy club c lub b

The HLA Heritage Society acknowledges those who have named Hillcrest in an estate gift.

The Fresh Breeze campaign Stanley Arlton Estate provides an opportunity for Irv & Kay Bergsagel friends of Hillcrest to name Keven & Debbie Crabtree the school as a beneficiary in Evelyn Ebner Estate their estate plans. This is one Joel & Barbara Egge of the ways that donors may Marian Egge Estate Mabel L. Foss Estate participate in the campaign, Rich & Karen Iverson through a deferred gift. Selma Langeland Estate Already, the campaign has on John & Donna Olson record over $1 million that will Glenn & Yvonne Rogness be gifted through estate plans. LaWayne & Beverly Rogness While estate amounts that are Dwight & Gwen Schmidt designated for Hillcrest are not Lisa Schultz-Fred included in the campaign goal, Norma Senum a record of these future gifts helps to ensure future support for the school. It also gives Hillcrest the opportunity to thank families who choose to name Hillcrest in their estate planning.

We would love to include any who have named Hillcrest in their estate plans. Please contact President Steve Brue at 218739-3371 to discuss this further.

The HLA Legacy Club acknowledges individuals and groups whose accumulative giving reaches $25,000 or above.

Stanley Arlton Estate Kenneth & Mavis Austin John & Cheryl Backstrom Steve Benjamin Irv & Kay Bergsagel Steve & Linda Brue Keven & Debbie Crabtree Evelyn Ebner Estate Edward D. Jones & Co. David & Val Egge Joel & Barbara Egge Marian Egge Estate Lori Fedje First State Bank of Alex-Carlos Mabel L. Foss Estate Agnes Freeland Charitable Trust Adleide Gunhus G. T. & Ann Gunhus Elling & Barbara Halvorson Richard & Linda Heggland Roy & Barbara Heggland Hillside Lutheran Brethren Missions Interstate Inc. Gladys Jensen

Jack & Sharon Lacey Minnie Nelson Nordic Contracting Co, Inc. Olsoe Charitable Remainder Trust Clara Olsoe John & Donna Olson Wesley & Ruth Orrestad Otter Tail Power Company Ron Powell Donald & Marie Roberts Charitable Foundation Nicholas & Leann Roberts J. Burdean & Kay Rogness Darren Rogness LaWayne & Bev Rogness Olav & Gina Sandnes Security State Bank Dwight & Gwen Schmidt Ewald & Alice Sems Norma Senum Eleanor Sollie Thrivent Financial for Lutherans Victory Lutheran Brethren Church Viking Construction Corporation

FINANCE Club Membership Club|500 Club|120

Club|1000

82 Club Members

40 Club Members

84 Club Members

Club|2500

Club|5000

Club|10000

12 Club Members

7 Club Members

4 Club Members

A wonderful way to participate in Fresh Breeze is by joining a Hillcrest giving club. Club members support the school's annual fund, a vital initiative of the $5 million Fresh Breeze campaign.

Anonymous George & Alice Aase Peter & Katie Aasness Kathi Abel Guy & Beth Adams Erik & Janet Ambjor Hans & Kari Andersen Roy & Marie Barsness Joseph & Susan Battillo Irv & Kay Bergsagel Tim & Mary Bigelow Ethan & Carla Bjornlie Olive Blikstad Joyce Boehland Roger & Kay Borowski Doug & Nancy Bounds Cathy Brokke Nick & Dahlia Brue Charlie & Carrie Brue Benjamin Brue Hans Brue Matthew & Faith Brue Lindsey Brue Steve & Linda Brue Tom & Kari Brue Titus Brue Arlen Brunsvold Thor & Edna Bugge Lorraine Burt John & Larissa Campbell David & Dagney Christenson Scott & Val Christenson Joel & Liz Christenson Lane & Lori Christopherson Keven & Debbie Crabtree Dan & Lita Crowley Dave & Vicki Crowser Clair & Sharon Daines Leif & Sonja Dalen Thelma P. Dalene Steve & Kathy Doering David & Val Egge Joel & Barbara Egge Chuck & Penny Eidem Spencer Endrud John Endrud Rich & Jeanene Engebretson Gerald & Sheri Erickson Elroy & Judy Erickson Ryan & Kristin Erickson Micah Erickson Gary & Cynthia Erickson Eric Ewan Carol Featherstone Lori Fedje Lawn Pro of Fergus Falls Dr. Allan Fischer Mark & Joan Folden Gay & Carol Folden David & Ruthann Forland E. Thor & Lillian Foss Mark & Joanne Foss Allen & Goldie Foss Masson Family Foundation Kevin & Lisa Fred Sharon Fuhrman Wayne & Ruth Goats GT & Ann Gunhus Richard & Diane Gunhus

(4) Fergus Falls, MN Fergus Falls, MN Fergus Falls, MN Lexington, KY Succasunna, NJ East Wenatchee, WA Kirkland, WA Mount Bethel, PA Minnetonka, MN Erhard, MN Fergus Falls, MN Fergus Falls, MN Arvada, CO Campbell, MN Jamestown, ND Minneapolis, MN St. Paul, MN Fergus Falls, MN Fergus Falls, MN Bloomington, MN St. Louis Park, MN St. Paul, MN Fergus Falls, MN Bloomington, MN Vadnais Heights, MN Naperville, IL Willow Street, PA Chicago, IL Edmonton, OK Lynnwood, WA Fergus Falls, MN Fergus Falls, MN Everett, WA Fergus Falls, MN Marysville, WA Fergus Falls, MN Bozeman, MT Mt. Bethel, PA East Hartland, CT Fergus Falls, MN Alexandria, MN Fergus Falls, MN Altadena, CA Buxton, ND Loves Park, IL Edina, MN Mukilteo, WA Fargo, ND Fergus Falls, MN Banning, CA Dalton, MN Fergus Falls, MN New Hope, MN Beaverton, OR Fergus Falls, MN Hillsboro Beach, FL San Jose, CA Fergus Falls, MN Huntington, NY Southold, NY Glastonbury, CT Everett, WA Laguna Beach, CA Fergus Falls, MN Joice, IA Scottsdale, AZ Underwood, MN Blue Earth, MN

Adleide Gunhus Victoria Hackett Roy & Heather Haegeland Elling & Barbara Halvorson Evelyn Hansen Tore & Vivian Hansen Luke & Angela Hansen Donald & Saundra Haugen Greg & Rita Hayek Kim Hazel Joy Headrick David & Beverly Heggen Rich & Linda Heggland Amanda Heggland Paul & Sheri Hohncke Diane Ihrke Gary & Renee Isaac Jeff & Missi Isaac Rich & Karen Iverson Martha Jacobs Herb & Helen Jacobsen Elizabeth Jacobsen John & Annie Jacobsen Ken & Ann Jensen Gladys Jensen Edgar & Myrtle Jensen Richard & Carol Johnson Tim & Karen Johnson Fred & Elsie Johnson Dennis & Kathleen Johnson Brent & Ruth Juliot Elmer & Julia Kaardal Curtis & Elaine Kavlie Vaughn & Deb Kavlie John & Janet Kilde Kermit & Grace Kvamme Kevin Kvamme Scott & Becky Kvamme Philip & Marilyn Labrosse Andy & Brenda Lacey Jack & Sharon Lacey Paul & Jane Langseth Morris & Myrt Larsen Josiah Larson Victory LB Church Hillside LB Missions Matthew & Sue Leach Frank & Elaine Legerat Brian & Jennifer Leivestad Carol & Michael Lewin Patricia Linson Lloyd & Thelma Listor Steve & Heidi Listor Harry Ludvigsen Joel & Alice Lunde Dorothy Madsen Jeffrey & Eileen Mahn Brad & Trena Martinson Luther & Adeline Mathison John & Lisa McAteer Bruce & Irene Miller Jr. Tom & Gladys Moline Tom & Bobbi Monacelli Alice Monsen Wallace & Audrey Ness William & Marcia Nilsen Peter & Lillian Nilsen Joseph & Berit Olafson Clara Olsoe

Fergus Falls, MN San Francisco, CA Lake Stevens, WA Woodinville, WA Snohomish, WA Mt. Bethal, PA Edina, MN Marysville, WA Fergus Falls, MN Eden Prairie, MN Denver, CO Rothsay, MN New Port Richey, FL Farmington, CT Fergus Falls, MN Fergus Falls, MN Denver, CO Fergus Falls, MN Barnesville, MN Seatonville, IL Mt. Bethel, PA Minnetonka, MN Succasunna, NJ Huntington, NY Staten Island, NY Mt. Bethel, PA Willow City, ND Little Falls, MN Boone, IA Fergus Falls, MN Fergus Falls, MN Saint Paul, MN Richville, MN Eden Prairie, MN Fergus Falls, MN Fergus Falls, MN Williston, ND Fergus Falls, MN Saint Paul, MN Wendell, MN Wendell, MN Fergus Falls, MN Fergus Falls, MN Minneapolis, MN Jamestown, ND Succasunna, NJ Omaha, NE Fairbanks, AK Loveland, CO Keizer, OR Fargo, ND Brooklyn, NY Mt. Bethel, PA Kerhonkson, NY Fergus Falls, MN Fergus Falls, MN Albuquerque, NM Fergus Falls, MN Maddock, ND Mt. Bethel, PA Mt. Bethel, PA Erhard, MN Mt. Arlington, NJ Richfield, MN Fergus Falls, MN East Hartland, CT Brewster, NY Louisville, KY Seattle, WA

Manley & Janet Olsoe John & Donna Olson Wesley & Ruth Orrestad Graham & Priscilla Parker Kevin & Linda Patch Rollin & Beverly Pederson Kenneth & Norma Peeders Frank & Karen Pellegrino Irv & Helen Peterson Ed & Elaine Peterson Wayne & Diane Preston Gregg & Marie Preston Lowell & Paula Quam LeRoy & MaryAnn Quernemoen Nick & Leann Roberts Donald & Marie Roberts Trust Les & LeAnn Rogness Darren Rogness Loran & Lois Rogness Burdean & Kay Rogness Lee & Lavonne Rogness LaWayne & Bev Rogness Kevin & Brooke Rogness Glenn & Vonnie Rogness Eugene & Rhoda Rubey Ron & Barbara Samuelsen Dee Sanberg Jack & Rochelle Sand Will Sandnes Olav & Gina Sandnes Lavona Sather Lynn & Matthew Scarfo Rod & Jo Scheel Ernie & Cathie Scheid Nick & Danielle Schmidt Dwight & Gwen Schmidt Ewald & Alice Sems Paul Senum Norma Senum Arlen & Julianne Severson Jane Shulstad Leland Sjule Ed & Shirley Smith John & Tess Soholt Alf & June Soholt Eleanor Sollie Pauline Stalsberg Security State Bank Arna Stedjan Wayne & Nancy Stender Doug & Carol Stender Dan & Eleanor Stenoien Dean & Doreen Stoutland Robert & Lorrette Strack Shawn & Amy Stroud Carol & Aaron Stucker Doug & Margarethe Swanson Wai Nam Tam Guy & Amy Taylor Justin & Phyllis Thompson Gary & Dorinne Thompson Borgny & Stan Thompson Nancy Thompson George & Julie Townsend Rosemary Traina Randy & Diane Trettevik Grande Lake Trust Mark & Cathy Tungseth Roger & Amy Twedt Lois Tweten Bruce & Lori Tysver Marvin & Opal Undseth Steve & Lois Undseth Marty & Mim Valder Ruth Vall James & Lucinda VerSteeg Dale & Leanne Vesta David & Lynn Vettrus Shawn Veum Jason Walkup Les Watson Ashley Westerman Andy & Margaret White Arthur & Marion Wickstrom Rosalie Williamsen Jim & Cheryl Wold Richard & Oddny Wolderich Bette Woodburn

11

Fergus Falls, MN Fergus Falls, MN Bellevue, WA Richland, WA Fergus Falls, MN Billings, MT Richville, MN Mt. Bethel, PA Menomonie, WI Wahpeton, ND Fergus Falls, MN Fergus Falls, MN Fergus Falls, MN Fergus Falls, MN Houlton, WI White Bear Lake, MN Fergus Falls, MN Moorhead, MN Fergus Falls, MN Eden Prairie, MN Fergus Falls, MN Fergus Falls, MN Fergus Falls, MN Underwood, MN Eugene, OR East Hartland, CT Fergus Falls, MN Moorhead, MN Mt. Bethel, PA Mt. Bethel, PA Los Angeles, CA Island City, OR Fergus Falls, MN Fargo, ND Jamestown, ND Jamestown, ND Lehigh Acres, FL Brooklyn, NY Mt. Bethel, PA Esko, MN Pelican Rapids , MN Springfield, MO Laquey, MO Golden Valley, MN Minneapolis, MN Brooklyn, NY Viroqua, WI Fergus Falls, MN Fergus Falls, MN Fergus Falls, MN Fergus Falls, MN Minneapolis, MN Northridge , CA Rochester, MN Moorhead, MN Paradise Valley, AZ Burnsville, MN Flanders, NJ Fergus Falls, MN Antler, ND Fergus Falls, MN East Hartland, CT Boca Raton, FL Mt. Bethel, PA Roxbury, NJ Mill Creek, WA Lake Park, MN Fergus Falls, MN Fergus Falls, MN Helena, MT Fergus Falls, MN Salem, OR Fergus Falls, MN Everett, WA Aitkin, MN Richfield, MN Sycamore, IL Watertown, MN Fergus Falls, MN Fergus Falls, MN Fergus Falls, MN Lino Lakes, MN Toccoa, GA Fergus Falls, MN Medical Lake, WA Fergus Falls, MN Bangor, PA Rolling Hils, CA

12

CAMPUS NEWS

SO MUCH M THAN SHOR

HILLCREST FORGES DOMINICAN PARTNERSHIPS THAT GO BEYON

CAMPUS NEWS

ORE RT-TERM

REPUBLIC MINISTRY D MISSION TRIP HIGHS COMPILED FROM THE WRITING OF: Gregg Preston, Taylor Brue, Chris Christenson & Marisa Monacelli.

PHOTOS BY: David Listor, Greg Barkey & Charlie Brue

13

Since 2009, Hillcrest senior classes have made three trips to the Dominican Republic, most recently in November of 2010. These short term mission opportunities have had an enduring impact on the student body, but there is also desire to ensure a lasting impact on the people of the Dominican. To that end, Hillcrest began a ministry partnership with a Christian grade school in a barrio of San Pedro named Santa Fe. Santa Fe is an impoverished area comprised of about seventy percent Haitian immigrants. The school has an enrollment of about 150 students which meet in two separate shifts.

"I remember holding a little girl who squeezed tight and clung to me for a long time...They needed to be loved."

A large part of Hillcrest's ministry on the ground in the Dominican Republic takes place in this school. Their campus consists of nothing more than an open dirt yard with two concrete classrooms, surrounded by a fence made mostly of scrap metal. On the mission team's ďŹ rst stop at the school they spent time cleaning and repainting desks and chalkboards, helping the school to make the best out of the limited resources available to it. On subsequent visits to the school, Hillcrest students mainly took time to care for, play with and share items that they had brought from home for the children. "I handed one small boy an old ball, and he hugged it so hard. I don't think he ever put it down or stopped smiling," recalls Marisa Monacelli about the gratitude of one of the children. Along with simple toys and candy, the mission team brought along bags of school supplies, ďŹ rst aid materials, clothes and other necessities they had collected.

However, not all of the needs the mission team addressed were as tangible. "One thing that we noticed as a team was the eagerness of the kids to come up to us," said Taylor Brue, one of the team members. "Despite the fact that they didn't know us, many still came to us giving a hug or asking to be held.

I remember holding a little girl who squeezed tight and clung to me for a long time. The reality we learned was that a number of these kids were not from the best family situations.

They needed to be loved."

Taylor Brue holds one of the Santa Fe students in her arms.

THE MISSION CONTINUES AT HOME Hillcrest's partnership with the Santa Fe school does not end when the mission team boards the plane to return home. Over the past two years, Hillcrest students have been able to raise funds to help purchase land for the school, build three classrooms, support teachers and buy desks for

14

CAMPUS NEWS

the students. Currently the school is making plans to build an orphanage for the Santa Fe students without parents.

Both schools have also committed to including each other in their daily prayers.

The pastor who oversees the daily operations of Santa Fe hopes to model his school after Hillcrest. When Hillcrest instructor and mission team organizer, Gregg Preston, asked him what that meant to him, he said it would "become a place of learning in which students go to the ends of the earth in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ."

A LASTING IMPACT For the past seven years, Hillcrest has sent its senior class on shortterm mission trips to either Mexico or the Dominican Republic. To ensure that the time spent in these areas is effective, the school has partnered with a Christian organization called Christian Outreach International (COI). COI has bases in the Dominican Republic and Mexico which partner with local Christian churches for ministry.

The pastor who oversees the daily operations of Santa Fe hopes to model his school after Hillcrest -- to "become a place of learning in which students go to the ends of the earth in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ."

Because of this partnership, Hillcrest students have had the privilege of working with Dominican churches to preach the message of the Gospel, help Christian schools, and worship with other Dominican believers in churches and youth groups. Senior classes at HLA have been eternally blessed by: • • • •

Practicing the Great Commission and obediently speaking the Word of God. Describing the message of the Gospel to those who have not heard.

Praising and worshipping the Lord with brothers and sisters of other cultures.

Serving with the local Dominican churches and

•

•

Christian schools.

Honoring and loving children of other cultures who have truly experienced neglect, poverty, abuse, and abandonment.

Continuing to labor from home to provide prayer and financial support for ongoing work in the Dominican.

The experience that HLA students have had on the Mexican and Dominican missions has been so profound, life-changing, and powerful, that many have cited these mission trips as the most influential experience of their Hillcrest years.

CAMPUS NEWS

15

ANSWERS

Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have. - 1 Peter 3:15b

Some of the most common intellectual challenges to the Christian faith are over creation and evolution. In an increasingly hostile culture, students are finding themselves unprepared to counter alleged scientific "fact" with anything more than blind faith. For M-Term this year, Hillcrest invited Carl Kerby, formerly of Answers in Genesis, to shed light on some of the toughest questions surrounding this issue.

fits their own ideas of what the outcome should be. A very telling documentary snippet was played that openly showed an "artist" using a power tool to reshape a piece of bone to make it fit in the desired way. Despite their talk of missing links, Mr. Kerby demonstrated that the scientific community's own observable evidence shows that there has never been a transition from one species to another.

One of the issues Mr. Kerby addressed on day one was Noah's Ark. With the help of a video presentation and simple mathematical calculations, he demonstrated how the biblical account of Noah and the flood makes logical sense. Kerby also discussed the leaching of evolutional thought into all aspects of culture. He shared several media examples that show just how pervasive this thinking is. Among the most unsettling were references in the 1960's classic, The Andy Griffith Show, and the current children's series, Dora the Explorer.

On day three Mr. Kerby discussed the often overlooked racist implications of evolution. Darwinian evolution teaches that different groups or "races" of people evolved at different times and rates, causing some groups to be more like their apelike ancestors. However, the very idea that there are different races is false. The Bible describes all humans as being of "one blood" and science has proven through the mapping of the human genome that there is only one race.

The focus of day two was pointing out the holes in the theory of evolution. Mr. Kerby explained in detail why the purported ‘links’ between ape and man are not convincing at all. He exposed the methods by which scientists use their own conjecture and fossil fragments which are found miles apart and in different soil layers to "recreate" a skeleton that

Mr. Kerby also shared his own story. He talked about how his father had found fame and fortune as a professional wrestler in the ‘60s, but didn’t know what to do with himself after he lost it. He said that his decision not to follow in his father’s footsteps was one of the defining moments of his life. The session closed with a reminder that true fulfillment can only be found in Christ Jesus.

16

CAMPUS NEWS

Seasons Change but Christ Remains the Same Hillcrest celebrates Christmas as a family.

By Wil Twedt “Will you take a picture with me?” seemed to be the statement most said at the Christmas banquet. The banquet was held in the old gym

and was followed by a Late Night Variety Show hosted by Craig Nersten. The Christmas banquet is a formal gathering of students,

teachers, and staff to celebrate Christmas as a school and family.

The evening began with the school’s string ensemble playing music as the students and teachers mingled and found their seats. After prayer, the meal was served to the guests.

When everyone was done eating the program was opened with the Norwegian and Korean students each singing a traditional song from their culture. This year's banquet speaker was Dean Erkenbrack, who has worked at Hillcrest for over 30 years. He spoke of how, although many years have passed, the school remains Christ-centered. He shared stories of students who have changed his life, and whom he has had the opportunity to minister to over the years.

“This Christmas Banquet was the best ever,” said Mr. Peterson,

student council advisor. "Hillcrest staff members and the student council worked together to create a very festive atmosphere, complete with special lighting, decorations and plenty of Christmas trees. The junior high did a great job helping out with the serving of food and cleaning. The Late Night Show was also very well put together.”

(Left) Dean Erkenbrack speaking at the Christmas Banquet (Below, Clockwise from left) Danielsen students sing a Norwegian Christmas carol.

Cody Joy and Christina Hardie enjoy the banquet.

A group of Norwegian, Korean and American students pose for a picture after the banquet.

Josh Wolderich and Hanne Hove pose for a picture at their table.

CAMPAIGN

17

CAMPAIGN REPORT CARD AS OF MARCH 1, 2011

Florida Fresh Breeze Gathering

89 Pledges Received

$1.35 Million 27% Remains $3.65 Million Thomas & Esther Thorkildsen, Steve Brue

73% Received in Cash and Pledges

Gifting Table Remaining Gifts Needed to Complete Goal 1 1 1 1

-

$500,000 $250,000 $100,000 $75,000

5 5 6 Many

-

$50,000 $25,000 $10,000 < $10,000

Fresh Breeze Initiatives Allan & Betty Fischer, Nancy Thompson

Andy & Margaret White

• Gym debt of $1 Million will be paid off on May 31, 2011.

• Scholarship awards will begin next school year.

$5 Million Goal

Elsie & John Helgesen, June Karlsen

Fresh Breeze is Already Making a Significant Impact at Hillcrest

Eliminate remaining debt on the Student Activities Center - $1.1 Million Renovation of classroom section and installation of new HVAC system - $1.8 Million Adding endowments for ongoing scholarships, academic programs and facility costs - $300,000+ Funding for professional development, salary increases and curriculum development - $200,000 Five year Annual Fund support - $1.6 Million

• Campaign has enhanced annual fund support with significant Club membership growth.

• Tuition is able to remain competitive.

The annual fund provides a tuition subsidy of almost 20%.

Fresh Breeze Gatherings are Happening Across the Country Oct. 2010 - Fergus Falls Oct. 2010 - Pennsylvania Feb. 2011 - Florida Feb. 2011 - California Mar. 2011 - Washington Mar. 2011 - Arizona Jun. 2011 - East Coast

18

ALUMNI NEWS

GRAD WEEKEND SCHEDULE MAY 27 FRIDAY 3-5 pm

Guided Campus Tours*

7 pm

HLA All-School Concert Bethel Lutheran Church

MAY 28 SATURDAY 10 am

Alumni Brunch* & Class Photos HLA Student Activities Center, All HLA/LBS alumni and families welcome. $10 per person.

3:30 pm

Senior Honors Awards Bethel Lutheran Church

4:30 pm

Senior Honors Banquet (by Invitation) Bethel Lutheran Church

7 pm

Senior Class Night HLA Student Activities Center

MAY 29 SUNDAY 10 am

Baccalaureate & Commencement HLA Student Activities Center

12:30 pm

Traditional Singing of Class Song HLA Front Steps

* RSVP Requested

HILLCREST ACADEMY REUN

IONS 2011

B E A C O N of

M E M O R I E S For more than 70 years each graduating class of Hillcrest Academy has had an edition of the Beacon to call their own. Each one is a cele bration of another year of memories, another year of ach ievements, and another year of Hillcrest continuing to carry out its mission of being a beacon of light to stu dents all over the world.

We love the expressions on face s of alumni as they return to the HLA campus and beg in to recall fond memories of their time at school. It isn’ t long before the memories become stories for the telling and retelling.

It is our pleasure to welcom e you back to the Hillcrest campus for this year’s Alumn i reunions and Graduation festivities. Plans have begun… it won’t be long before Friday, May 27th rolls around . We hope you’re making plans to share the weekend wit h us.

Re gi st er fo r th e Al um ni Br un ch !

Online at www.ffhillcrest.org/b runch or call Linda Patch at 218-737-641 4

ALUMNI NEWS

Memorial Gifts Hillcrest Lutheran Academy has been honored to receive gifts in memory of several alumni and friends.

This list will continue to be updated with new gifts as they are received.

The following 2010 gifts were mistakenly omitted in the Winter 2010 issue of the Hillcrest Connection: Charles Backstrom of Fergus Falls, MN Martha (Vorvick) Berge of Fergus Falls, MN Robert Bruns of Fergus Falls, MN In 2011, Gifts have been received in the name of: Janet (Monsen) Aasby of Fergus Falls, MN C. Lloyd Bjornlie of Fergus Falls, MN Grant Hammond of Minneapolis, MN Ida Hanson of Fergus Falls, MN Dennis Madsen of Fergus Falls, MN Andrea Nix of Eugene, OR Toralv Ostensen of Fort Myers, FL Alan Ryan of Sunburst, MT Joseph Undseth of Fergus Falls, MN

ALUMNI UPDATES 1960’s Karen (Backstrom) Kargel (H'65) writes: I enjoyed some moments of nostalgia for my happy days at Hillcrest this past summer when I was in Fergus for my dear Uncle Charles Backstrom's funeral. I am a semi-retired school librarian, community-theatre actor, and passionate reader and traveler. I have one grown son, Nick, from a former marriage and live in Littleton, CO.

1980’s Shawn (Lindberg H'85) and Paul Jacobsen are pleased to announce the birth of their daughter, Logan Danielle, on November 7th, 2010. Logan joins big sister Madison who is almost 3 years old.

1990’s Chuck Hall (H'85) writes: Hello, everyone. I wanted to share news that we have a new family member. His name is Canaan Wesley Tarikawi Hall. He was born

We would appreciate your help in selecting candidates for the 2011 “Alumnus of the Year.” Please submit the name(s) of the Alumni whom you believe are deserving of recognition and fall into the following criteria: Have graduated from Hillcrest Academy Have demonstrated faithful service in church, community and/or nation Have shown continued interest in the mission and ministry of Hillcrest Academy Please email the name, address and a summary of your reasons for nominating this person to President Steve Brue at sbrue@ffhillcrest.org. You may also contact Steve by phone at 218-739-3371. Deadline for nominations is May 11, 2011.

on 10/17/09 in Mekele, Ethiopia but he has been home with us since May 2010. He joins older siblings Aidan, 12, Grayson, 10 and Kennedy, 7.

2000’s Vanessa (Malecha) Jacobson (H'02) writes: On July 6, 2010 we welcomed our third daughter into our hearts and home with the birth and adoption of Xiomara Marie. She weighed 5 lbs. 14 ounces and was 18 3/4 inches long. She was lovingly welcomed home by big sisters Zoelle (3) and Meridian (1).

Haley Rodenborg (H'02) writes: I'm getting married on October 12, 2012!

WE LOVE HEARING FROM YOU! Send your updates to connection@ffhillcrest.org or submit them online at www.ffhillcrest.org/update

19

Easter Vacation

April 26

Classes Resume

May 14

JS Banquet

May 26

Last Day of School

May 27

All-School Concert

May 28

PAID

Concert Choir Tour - Pacific NW

April 11 - 25

FERGUS FALLS, MN PERMIT #14

April 8 - 24

NON-PROFIT US POSTAGE

Upcoming Events

Alumni Brunch Senior Awards Ceremony Senior Class Night

LA 10am in the H t a 8 2 y a M , y rson.

Saturda enter. $10/pe C s ie it v ti c A t Studen nch rest.org/bru at www.ffhillc e in nl o r te is Reg 7-6414. atch at 218-73 P a nd Li ll ca or

CONNECTION

CH 2011 N U R B I N M ALU ay!

R e g is t e r T o d

Hillcrest Lutheran Academy 610 Hillcrest Drive Fergus Falls, MN 56537

Baccalaureate & Commencement

Hillcrest

May 29

WAYS TO PARTICIPATE IN FRESH BREEZE I. GIVE TO THE ANNUAL FUND Give in support of the annual fund over five years or join a Hillcrest giving club. Club membership benefits the annual fund and counts towards your total campaign pledge.

II. GIVE TO THE CAPITAL CAMPAIGN A gift in support of one or more of the campaign initiatives or a general gift.

III. INCLUDE HILLCREST IN YOUR ESTATE PLAN A deferred gift in support of the future of Hillcrest Lutheran Academy.

All campaign gifts will be acknowledged appropriately through Hillcrest publications, including naming in the HLA Legacy Club (accumulative giving that reaches $25,000 or above) and the HLA Heritage Society (estate gifts).