HLA Today - Issue 3 (11-12)

HLA

Hillcrest Lutheran Academy’s Bi-weekly News

Today

October 7, 2011 Volume 18, Issue 3

Visit the HLA Website ffhillcrest.org HLA Today is produced bi-weekly by the Journalism class.

HLAToday Staff

Homecoming Hillcrest Style

Clayton Bothun Heidi Christofferson Brooke Ferenczy Homecoming week is crazy, here’s Shawnie Hestenes to survive Homecoming at HLA. Morgan Jennen Ronnie Johnson

by Katie Thorkildsen Grant Malmstrom Homecoming is a time of the year Nisius McAllister-Powell known across the country in high schools Zach Nersten Katie Thorkildsen and colleges alike. It takes place in the Gene Twedt If you are interested in having the HLA Today mailed to your house, contact the front office, 218-739-3371.

The cost is $30 per year.

fall semester during football season and traditionally is a time when graduates of the previous years return to enjoy the week’s special festivities, which could include anything from a home football game, a concert, or maybe the passing of the crowns to the incoming Homecoming King and Queen. Most schools celebrate for a week; however, some go more all-out than others…

Poster collage by Shawndelle Hestenes

what you need to know in order Here at HLA, Homecoming is a pretty big deal. There are dress up days all week, various class competitions, an iron man volleyball game, powder-puff football, and more. Because of Hillcrest’s uniqueness, being a small boarding school, Homecoming is a little different than most other schools. There are some things you should know in order to survive Homecoming at HLA. Step 1: Nerds, Pirates, Hippies, Oh my!

There is an endless amount of possible dress up days that could occur during continued on page 2

continued from page 1

Homecoming, so be sure you know exactly what day is which theme. And though it may be obvious, make sure you dress appropriately for each day (for example, you wouldn’t want to get caught in a nerd costume on Ninja Day!). Don’t be afraid to be creative. The more all-out you go the better; after all, it is Spirit week! Group costumes are fun, but be confident enough to rock a solo costume. “My favorite dress up day was Character Day because a bunch of us got to dress up like Star Wars and fight all day,” said junior Josh Tonnesen. Also, remember this is a competition, so dress up every day to help your class.

Step 2: Iron Man Volleyball

As much as they may resist, the boys on each team should practice at least a little beforehand. The girl volleyball players in each grade are to be the coaches. Mascots are welcome, cheerleaders encouraged, and photographers accepted. Warning: Don’t get too serious; remember it’s only a game. Team uniforms are also encouraged, whether it be your coaches’ jerseys, cutoffs, or short shorts. Don’t expect to make it to the championship game unless you are a senior or on the faculty team, but continue to play for fun and go all out!

Step 3: Don’t forget you’re still in class.

There still is school this week, even with all the distractions.

Page 2

Class won’t slow down just because its Homecoming week.

You might have one less memory verse or delay your vocab test, but slacking will not be accepted.

“I see Homecoming as a time where we all finally come together as Comets,” said Coach Brue at the pep fest. “You’re no longer whatever you were at your old school; now you’re a Comet.”

Step 5: Powder-Puff Football

Step 4: Pepfest

Pepfest is, in a way, the official opening ceremony of Homecoming week. It is where all the elements of the week come together. Posters are judged, games are played, and teams are introduced. The main part of the pep fest is the class skits. Be sure that your skits are organized, have a storyline, and are well rehearsed (Tip: stress class skit practice, make sure your whole class comes, knows what to do, and does their part). Winning the skit competition doesn’t necessarily equal winning the entire Homecoming week competition but it certainly does help. Seniors almost always win it all at the pep fest, however all grades are still encouraged to do their best and attempt an upset (though your chances are slim). Pep fest is meant to be a time of enjoyment and fun for students. It pumps up the spirit and brings everyone together.

After Pep fest, the highly anticipated powder puff games are played. Four powder puff teams are created for each grade. This year they were a little different consisting of a senior team, junior team, Norwegian team, and combined freshmen/sophomore team (aka freshmores). Match-ups for the first games were seniors vs. Norwegians, juniors vs. freshmores, and an exhibition match between two Jr.High teams. The second round of games includes a consolation match and the championship game. This year the championship took place Friday night, under the lights during halftime of the Homecoming game.

The ultimate goal, of course, is to win the championship, which most likely includes either beating the seniors, or in the senior’s case, just to win. The game this year was also live-streamed to parents and fans over the internet. Each year the winners of the powder puff game walk away with glory

and bragging rights, along with clinching the Homecoming week competition.

Step 6: Sports! Sports! Sports!

Sports are a major aspect of Homecoming. Each sport has at least one home game in which everyone is encouraged to attend.

Everyone goes to the football game on Friday, but other sports would like attention as well. Volleyball games are fun to watch, but be prepared. If the game is planned to be a whiteout, fans are expected to dress in all white! Soccer games are also fun to watch. Sit up on the hillside and hang out with family, friends, and alumni while watching an intense game.

Step 7: Returning Alumni

This is where the term ‘Homecoming’ gets its name. Graduates from the previous year, and some older alumni with strong connections (ex: live in town, siblings in the school) return to Hillcrest, most of the time in the latter half of the week for the football game and Saturday night concert. It is a good time to reconnect with old classmates, fill them in on all the changes and enjoy each other’s company.

Step 8: Concerts

witness the musical talents of their students as well as alumni to appreciate their old classmates’ abilities. Even if you have no one to watch in the band or choir it is still an entertaining night and is a perfect way to close a busy week.

This is how you will survive an HLA Homecoming. Above all enjoy the week, have fun, be friendly and thank the Lord for the opportunity of fellowship between students, alumni, parents, siblings and friends.

The Homecoming concert is the last event of the week. It acts as a closing ceremony in a way.

It is a good time for parents to Page 3

Chaos in the Cosmos Imagination soared during the 2011 Homecoming week Dress-up Days.

by Morgan Jennen

The insanity all started on Monday with Back to the Future Day. The halls were filled with lab coats and ‘80s citizens wearing wigs, and goggles and yelling about the Flux Capacitor.

The next day, it seemed like those who wished for time travel wished too hard: Tuesday was Senior Citizen Day! The afro wigs were swapped with gray hair and the school was filled with constant thuds from canes and walkers.

As Wednesday came, the wrinkles were packed away and replaced with black eyes, broken bones and safety gear; Fake an Injury/Unnecessary Safety Equipment Day seemed like the aftermath of championship football game! Students learned to stay in the classrooms or be run over by racing wheelchairs.

Page 4

Thursday was, by far, the most bizarre day that week; Character Day reigned as well-known characters such as Super Woman, Batman and Darth Maul roamed the halls.

One had to be careful throughout the day lest they be caught up in a lightsaber dual between Jedi Master Yoda and Darth Vader!

But as the sun rose on Friday over the dewed grass, enemies were once again friends as all prepared for the final Homecoming Dressup day‌Spirit Day! Capes and jerseys, which the girls had asked for from the guys for the past few

weeks, were donned. Red, white and black clothing and face paint defined the day all the way through till the victory of the Homecoming football game against Ashby.

Pep-Fest Students prepared to cheer on the team.

by Shawndelle Hestenes

The sound of excitement filled the gym as students cheered on their classmates in the games during the Pep Fest on Friday afternoon. All the games chosen were minute to win it games and each grade would encourage whoever they thought should play to go out and win their class a good title.

While these games were being played one grade would go and get ready for their class skit. For skits the senior class received third place, junior-high received second place, and sophomores received the highly respected first place.

Senior Katie Thorkildsen described what she thought of each skit as follows: “The freshman and sophomore skits were organized while the junior’s skit was chaotic and the dancing was pretty out there. The junior high had bright colors and it was really cool. The senior’s skit was good, but you just can’t top what we did last year!”

Skits were not the only thing

that received scores, each class made a poster to hang on the wall in the new gym for a poster contest. The ranking for the posters were no surprise to most, as the juniors received third place, sophomores got second place and the seniors won with first place. “Every class did a good job coming together to make a poster” said Ronnie Johnson “They were all very ‘outta of this world’ and all in all they did a pretty good job.”

During pep fest all of the sports are introduced with their team members. Each team member was introduced then cheered for, for playing on the team.

As people talked about pepfest things that were mentioned were how well it went, and how it was a great tradition. This will be a tradition to be carried on for the years to come.

Page 5

Down, Set, Hike!

Hillcrest girls participate in Powder Puff football during Homecoming week.

by Ronnie Johnson

Hillcrest Lutheran Academy’s Homecoming week was nothing less then entertaining. The week was full of girls and boys dressing up, practicing skits, and making posters. With competition in the air, the girls of Hillcrest were preparing for the Friday, September 30, 2011 Powder Puff games.

Around 2:30 p.m. the four teams geared up for the games.

The freshmen/sophomore team was coached by Quincey Circo and Jacob Isaac. For the first time ever, there was a Norwegian team with coaches Theodore Taylor and Jared Kugler. Dalton Tostenson and Samuel Martens coached Page 6

the junior team. Then there was a senior team with coaches Gene Twedt, Mark Undseth, Ronnie Johnson, and Matthew Fox. Each team played a total of two games.

For first time Norwegian players, playing was at times confusing.

“I didn’t really understand what I was doing, but it was still fun,” said Norwegian Rita Haugsær.

The winners of the afternoon games advanced to the championship game, which was played during halftime at the Homecoming football game. The junior and senior team had the chance to play under the lights and be streamed live on the Hillcrest

website.

“The girls put on a very entertaining halftime show,” said Nisius Mcallister. Even though the game resulted in a 6-6 tie, the girls smiled and took photos together after the game.

“Overall, I think it was really fun to play with the Norwegians since it was their first time ever.

It was especially sweet and intense playing under the lights at halftime during the Homecoming game,” said senior Gracia Larson.

The Powder Puff tradition at Hillcrest lived on another great year with the girls from the 20112012 school year to lead it.

Competing for the Prize Hillcrest boys competed in a volleyball tournament during Homecoming Week.

by Brooke Ferenczy

Determination. Strength. Intensity. These are the qualities that describe the boys volleyball teams at Hillcrest Lutheran Academy. With all hoping to win their way to the top and claim the championship, the teams competed against one another during last Monday’s Homecoming Tournament.

The boys were divided into eight teams: a freshman team, a sophomore team, a junior team, a senior “A” team, a senior “B” team, a Norwegian team, a Korean team, as well as a faculty team. Each team had at least one coach from their class who plays on Hillcrest’s girls volleyball team. The coaches had the opportunity to organize practices with their teams where they could work on drills and play scrimmages in order to improve the skills of their players.

The sophomore team did not have an official coach, but the boys practiced for about an hour on Saturday, Sept. 24. The boys played against the Norwegian team first in the tournament, and their hopes rose when they came out victorious. Even though the team did not win any more games, Daniel Nersten, the captain of the sophomore team, said, “We did pretty well as a team. Everyone got some good playing time. But I did expect to

win at least one more game because we had a good practice on Saturday and everyone was on the ball. I’m very proud of our team and all of our hard work, though.”

The senior “A” team, coached by Brittany Christenson, Heidi Christofferson, Hannah Juliot, Emily Pellegrino, Katie Thorkildsen, and Alyssa Wolderich, had two practices, both lasting an hour. Dillon O’Sullivan said, “I expected us to win because we’re seniors; seniors

always expect to win.”

The team won game after game, advancing all the way to the championship, when they played against the faculty team. “I think we did pretty well as a team,” said Dillon. “Some people on our team started getting mad, so we stopped having fun, and that’s when we started to lose.” The score was close, but in the end, the faculty team walked away the ultimate winners.

Page 7

Ending A Season of Success Soccer girls prove what they’re made of as the season comes to an end.

by Heidi Christofferson

A new year means a new team, which means new talent, which means a new record. This is most definitely true for the Lady Comets soccer team this season.

From day one of practice, the girls have brought potential to the field, more than Hillcrest has seen

Page 8

in a while. The team is optimistic as they approach playoffs that are coming up soon. This week is their last week of regular season, and the girls are hoping the next two games go well, boosting their record.

The girls soccer team’s record is currently 4-7. The next two games they will be playing are against Detroit Lakes and Walker.

Senior Gracia Larson said, “Our game on Tuesday against Detroit Lakes will be tough. We will be ‘seeking redemption,’ since when we played previously, we lost pretty bad.”

However, they are looking forward to playing Walker again. On Thursday, Sept. 30, the Comets beat Walker 6-0 (Abbe Monacelli scoring 3 and Hannah Haegeland with the other 3). Yesterday they met Walker on the field again and they won 3-2.

“I think we definitely have a shot at winning some playoff games this year,” said senior Kristie Thorkildsen, “We have better potential this year and our record has gone up.”

The girls soccer team is going stronger than they have been in previous years, and according to the girls, have developed better teamwork and have made progress throughout the season.

Bringing Their A-Game The volleyball team enjoys their first win of the season.

By Grant Malmstrom

Everyone has participated in or watched a game where the team just cannot pull it together, and no matter what happens they just can’t get the points on the board. For some reason, the players can’t work as a team to win. On the other hand we have all experienced the games where everything seems to happen in your teams favor, making the team seemingly unstoppable. Hillcrest had one of these great games against Rothsay.

The Hillcrest volleyball team’s hard work paid off on Sept. 22, when they pulled off their first win of the season against the Rothsay Tigers. The win was a much needed boost

for the Lady Comets considering their record before the win was 0-12. Team captain Emily Pellegrino said, “We played really well and our overall intensity on the court was good. Out of Laura Tungseth’s 27 serves, 25 were good and of those, 10 were aces. We’re hoping for another win on Senior Night.”

Katie Thorkildsen said, “I thought we played really well; we put up our blocks correctly, attacked the ball and communicated well, which was probably the key to our success.”

Alyssa Wolderich said, “It was the first time collectively that we played as a team instead of just for ourselves.”

Page 9

Deja vu

By Gene Twedt

…The Hillcrest Comets have been dominating the game as they take on the Underwood Rockets.

The undefeated Rockets seem to stand no chance against the Hillcrest running game. So the Comets will take the Homecoming victory 48-14…

That was Homecoming 2010.

That was last year’s Comet football team. The Comets don’t have Twedt, Taylor or Tungseth anymore. They are a new team with new strengths. Having different excuses for different circumstances, like the fact that crucial player Sam Martens will not be playing, is something that our players cannot afford. They are a new football team and it is their time to leave a legacy. And on Friday night, they were ready to do just that by taking it to the Ashby Arrows.

The game for the players began at the beginning of the week with the preparation on the practice

Page 10

field. The Arrows this year have proven to be a well-conditioned team, so the Hillcrest team knew that they would have to be more conditioned to stick with them.

The team also needed to be smart. So far, the Comets have been struggling with penalties each game and that would have to change if they expected to win. All the preparation proved itself to be enough when the team played Friday night, especially when they left the field with only one penalty the whole game.

The Comets dominated both sides of the field and took the victory 41-24. Theo Taylor rushed for five touchdowns on offense while Mark Undseth owned the sky with two interceptions. But they aren’t the only players who came to play.

The Hillcrest defense was all over the place on Homecoming night.

Jason Fox and Mark Undseth each had 15 tackles, Jared Kugler had

13, Matt Fox had 10 and Gene Twedt had 8.

“It was super fun,” said running back Theo Taylor. “The line really opened things up so it was really easy to find the holes.”

Hillcrest will be traveling to Underwood to face the Rockets at their homecoming. After the loss to them in the Fargodome last year, the Comets are eager to get revenge this coming Friday.

TIDBITS Compiled by Clay Bothun

Allison Battillo was tackled on the sideline during the Monday, Sept. 26 JV football game. Mr. Jahr started a fire on the science classroom’s ceiling. Jason Frustol gave a high-five to a road construction worker by Wal-Mart.

Stephen Schultz, Clay Bothun and Erik Vestol stayed up until 4:00 a.m. on Sunday playing cards. Ellen Nielsen scored a touchdown for the wrong team during the Powder Puff game. The boys dorm went to Fargo on Sunday.

Nick Demarest drinks two Monster energy drinks a day. Katie Thorkildsen got a bruise the size of a tennis ball on her arm from Powder Puff football. Ye Jun Cho got a new hat at West Acres in Fargo.

Team of Diversity The Comet boys soccer squad develops team trust within different ethnicities.

by Zach Nersten

English might not be the dominant language spoken on the soccer field at Hillcrest. The Hillcrest varsity boys soccer team is full of different ethnic backgrounds. Although they have played in different countries, it has not hindered their team’s focus and playing ability.

Again, the Comets have a winning season with a record of 9-4. What is even more of an accomplishment is the team’s bond within different cultural backgrounds. Unfortunately, the team lost all of their Korean players from last year, but the return of Americans, Mexicans(all from Pelican Rapids, except for Jose Stender), and a new group of Norwegians have formed together well. Also added into the

mix is the lone Ecuadorian, Josue Gomezcoello.

What would you think if you were an opposing player hearing three different languages spoken on the field? Hillcrest boys soccer definitely seems to have the edge on communicating to one another, one would think, since they all can speak English as well as their primary language. Apparently, this is not the case, according to Norwegian soccer player Byron Varner. “It’s fun, but sometimes it can be hard to communicate to each other.” Varner’s statement does seem to be true. After all, three languages being spoken at once might get a little confusing.

During Homecoming week, the team was proudly named the Team of the Week by Craig Olson. Their week consisted of three games, all in which they were able to shut out their opponents.

In those games, the team scored

a total of twenty-three goals. The team’s variety of ethnicity seems to be bonding remarkably well late in the season.

Dillon O’Sullivan said, “Our team has been playing well this year. Even though we have four nationalities on the team, we move the ball around well as a team. Sometimes we even have three different languages being spoken on the field at once. We all are having a blast playing soccer together.”

The Comets have had two three-game win streaks , and with receiving the Team of the Week, they couldn’t be in a better position. If their defense can keep the ball out of the net, which they have by only letting up ten goals in thirteen games, they will be in good shape for playoffs. They have one shot this season, one shot of a lifetime, one shot as the team of diversity.

Page 11

Sports

Volleyball Tue, Sep 27

Hillcrest..................................... 0 Parkers Prairie............................ 3

Thu, Sep 29

Hillcrest..................................... 0 Battle Lake................................. 3

Tue, Oct 4

Hillcrest..................................... 2 Ashby........................................ 3

Thu, Oct 6

Hillcrest..................................... 0 Underwood................................ 3

Girls Soccer Tue, Sep 27

Hillcrest..................................... 3 Crookston.................................. 1

Thu, Sep 29

Walker-Hackensack-Akeley.......... 0 Hillcrest..................................... 6

Sat, Oct 1

East Grand Forks........................ 5 Hillcrest..................................... 2

Tue, Oct 4

Hillcrest..................................... 2 Detroit Lakes.............................. 6

Thu, Oct 6

Minot? Why Not?

Hillcrest..................................... 3 Walker....................................... 2

Boys Soccer

Minot Mission Trip

Tue, Sep 27

by Nisius Mcallister-Powell

The bell rings and all that is heard is talk about the upcoming mission trip to Minot. On June 24, 2011 a record-breaking flood stormed through the city of Minot, rushing over the levees and forcing itself through the barricades built to protect the city. After school Friday, Sept.23, a group of students from Hillcrest Academy went to Minot, ND to help out those affected by the flood.

When the group got to Minot, they slept at Our Redeemer’s church. The next morning they ate and went to work. The group Page 12

broke off into three different teams. One team pulled all the nails and wires out of the houses to prepare them to be cleaned, another group gutted out two houses, and the third group did carpentry work to help rebuild one of the damaged houses.

There are multiple houses damaged and many people who are still in need of a helping hand.

Bethel church will be having a trip to Minot from Oct. 20-23. For those who are interested, contact Bethel at 218-736-5654 or on www.bethellbc.org.

Hillcrest..................................... 6 Crookston.................................. 0

Thu, Sep 29

Walker-Hackensack-Akeley.......... 4 Hillcrest..................................... 8

Sat, Oct 1

East Grand Forks........................ 4 Hillcrest..................................... 9

Tue, Oct 4

Hillcrest..................................... 1 St. John’s Prep......................OT 2

Thu, Oct 6

Hillcrest..................................... 2 Detroit Lakes....................... OT 3

Football

Fri, Sep 23

Hillcrest................................... 27 Verndale.................................. 14

Fri, Sep 30

Hillcrest................................... 41 Ashby...................................... 24