ISSUE 01 | NOVEMBER 27, 2013
The Big Ask Staying Awake in Class Kara Nash Testimony Boys Soccer Season Recap Zakary Zwiers, Daniel Isaac, Sam Ihrke, Nate Frustol and Eric Konynenbelt hover over the button strip, ready to buzz in and answer a question at Monday’s Junior High knowledge bowl meet.
Bowling For Knowledge
Rena Fedorova | Staff Reporter
Jr. High Knowledge Bowl Excels in Scholarship and Teamwork How would you like to skip a few classes and enjoy lunch at Pizza Ranch? Those are just a couple of the perks that come with participation in Jr. High Knowledge Bowl. However, many of the young participants agree that Knowledge Bowl has more to offer than free food; it provides them with a chance to build friendships with one another, while also enabling them to learn new knowledge, as well as show off their own.
received an award for the most science questions answered correctly.
on the teams, and they can kind of read each others’ minds.”
Although the students gain much knowledge, they’re not the only ones to acquire it. Mrs. Jane Uggerud, head of both high school and junior high Knowledge Bowl, claims that she, too, learns many new, fun facts.
Instead of joining a team and competing, eighth-grader Andrew McLain decided to work the computer. “He’s better at the computer than I am!” remarked Jane Uggerud.
Many of the participating Junior High students value the learning experience.
“[Knowledge Bowl] keeps me on my toes.” she commented. Mrs. Uggerud has led high school Knowledge Bowl for 19 years, and junior high Knowledge Bowl for 14 years.
“You learn new things you wouldn’t ever have known before.” commented one student.
A highly appreciated aspect of Knowledge Bowl is the unity that is built between the students.
Most of the interviewed students chose science as their favorite subject and it shows; at the last meet, the Hillcrest Honeydew team
“I like going to the meets and seeing how they do when they work together.” commented Jane Uggerud, “There are a lot of friendships
“When you do computer, you can learn just by listening to the answers!” added Andrew. Knowledge Bowl works at equipping young students with a desire to learn about the world. There are people who perceive Christian school education as “dumbed-down” and weak, however these young students are proving these stereotypes wrong.
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Classtime, Not Naptime Rena Fedorova | Staff Reporter
Ever find yourself zoning out at the fluorescent lights while your teacher drones on in a monotonous tone? There are days when it is simply hard to focus on extensive lecturing. However, it may still be crucial to pay attention in order to prep for the upcoming quiz or test. So, what do you do? Coffee works like magic when it comes to staying alert and attentive. A cup of coffee can help a student stay focused for the entire school day. Some people dislike coffee; in this case, a bottle of cold water could serve as a helpful substitute. Though cool water will help with waking up, its effect is not long-term. Students try to think of creative ways to ask that ‘special someone’ to Christmas Banquet.
The Big Ask Liz Peterson | Staff Reporter
Two Hillcrest guys roam Fergus Falls, setting up an extreme scavenger hunt. They plan to ask their soon-to-be dates at the famous Fergus Otter. Another guy surprises a girl at dinner with a card and stuffed animal. It’s that time of year again! As the Holidays approach, and the “asking” begins, there is excitement building throughout the school. Christmas Banquet is less than a month away, and many students at Hillcrest are looking forward to the night devoted to celebrating Christmas. Every year, many guys put a lot of effort into asking girls to the banquet. Jeehoon Park told about how he asked Kelly Dzalio, convincing her over Facetime to meet him. When she arrived he surprised her, showering her with tootsie rolls, and asked her to go with him to “CB”. When asked about his favorite memory of past Christmas Banquets, Jeehoon commented, “Taking pictures with some of the
most random people the whole night is the best part.” Christmas Banquet is organized by the Student Council, and is a long-standing tradition at Hillcrest. A’viands provides a formal dinner and an opportunity for the Student Body to practice chivalry and table manners. The banquet includes a guest speaker, special music provided by various student groups, and a massive photobomb session. The purpose of Christmas Banquet is for the school to come together as a family. Students enjoy each others’ company as they celebrate Christmas before leaving for vacation. This year the banquet takes place on the evening of Friday, December 6th. The guest speaker is seminary student Nick Joyal. After the banquet, everyone is welcomed and encouraged to stay on campus and be a part of the activities planned by the resident life staff.
Dorm Thanksgiving Excursion Thanksgiving break at Hillcrest is a time when dorm students either go home or take a trip down to Minneapolis. This will be the second year that the dorm students go to the Mall of America for Black Friday shopping. According to Director of Resident Life Craig Nersten, “The students that attend this trip are always happy to have a couple days out of the dorms.” The trip involves three nights at the Radisson hotel by the Mall of America. 2|
The activities taking place on this trip include: a lot of pool time at the hotel’s waterpark, shopping at the Mall of America, and the big Thanksgiving buffet at the hotel restaurant. The waterpark is where most of the bonding occurs between the students. On Wednesday night the students attend the Thanksgiving service at Grace Church in Eden Prairie. On Thursday, the students go to a Thanksgiving dinner at the hotel restau-
Another helpful idea is chewing gum. The British Psychological Society held a study determining the usefulness of gum. Participants were given an audio task; those who chewed gum had quicker reaction times and more accurate results than the participants who didn’t chew gum. Other times, you may not feel particularly exhausted, but the class still seems uninteresting and tedious. Doodling in your notebook can help with concentration. A new study by psychologist Jackie Andrade suggests that doodling during meetings or boring lectures can help people retain more information and pay closer attention. Andrade’s main theory, concerning the aid of doodling, suggests that doodling prevents a person from daydreaming, which forces the brain to pay just enough attention to the lecture or speech. Last, but not least, asking a question about the material being presented is a great way to stay focused and score participation points. Once you show interest in the subject, you may feel more involved and intrigued. Who knows? Maybe pre-calculus will become your new favorite subject.
Amanda Doiron | Staff Reporter
rant buffet. Devotionals and a prayer are read before the the meal to give thanks for their many blessings. Friday is shopping, starting as early as midnight. After more time at the waterpark and more bonding, the students return to Hillcrest on Saturday. The students attending the trip this year are looking forward to a couple of days spending time with their fellow students out of the dorms.
a sweeping win, the Comets advanced to the next round and defeated Alexandria 4-1. In the third round of playoffs, the Comets met St. Cloud Apollo on the home field, and after a hard fight in the rain and mud, the season came to a heartbreaking end with a fall of 2-1. There is no question that the boys left it all on the field this season, and all of the fans are extremely proud of them! The Hillcrest soccer program is a co-op between Pelican Rapids and HLA. Several different languages and nationalities are represented on the team. The boys worked hard under the coaching of Rod Jensen at building unity and an ability to work together as one team. Judging by their impressive record, all this hard-work paid off.
2013 Boys Soccer Season
Top Left: Chris Pellegrino, Top Right: Danny Franco
Boys Soccer Experiences Incredible Season
Bemidji W Fergus Falls W Detroit Lakes W Crookston W Fargo North T St. John’s Prep W EGF W Little Falls W SC-C W Crookston W W-H-A W EGF W Detroit Lakes W Little Falls W Bemidji W *WHA W *Alexandria W *SC-A L
only rally 3 goals against the Comets but gave up a record-shattering 135. Chris Pellegrino, one of the senior captains, commented, “We have had a good season so far, but none of that matters once playoffs start. We are looking to play to our full potential.” Playoffs started on Thursday, October 10th. The first round for the Comet boys was against Walker with the home field advantage. After
1-0 2-0 3-0 4-0 4-0-1 5-0-1 6-0-1 7-0-1 8-0-1 9-0-1 10-0-1 11-0-1 12-0-1 13-0-1 14-0-1 15-0-1 16-0-1 16-1-1
*Playoff
Scoring Total Comparison
Liz Peterson | Staff Reporter
The excitement and hope for the HLA boys soccer team was like no other this year, especially since the boys broke the school record for goals scored in a season. Not only did the Comets hold an undefeated season, but their defense made it close to impossible for any opponents to score on them. As the victorious season came to a close, the Comets stood with a record of 14-0-1. This incredible record is made even more impressive by taking into account the season score tally. Opponents could
5-0 10-0 12-0 9-0 0-0 12-0 9-0 8-0 4-0 14-0 23-0 9-1 3-0 11-1 6-1 13-0 4-1 2-1
157 pts 74 pts 47 pts Hillcrest St. Cloud Apollo St. Paul Como Park
Comet Soccer set a new all-time scoring record this year. Despite a tough loss in playoffs, Comet fans had a lot to cheer for as the Comets scored 157 total points. That is 3x the total of St.Cloud Apollo, the team that defeated Hillcrest in the playoffs, and over double the total of St. Paul Como Park, the State champions. |3
HAPPYNINGS Romans vs. Christians Brandon Doering | Staff Reporter “There they are! Run!” Last Friday, Hillcrest students screamed these words many times. The “Christians” desperately searched for the “safe house” as the “Romans” closed in on them from all around, attempting to block any escape attempts. Sometimes the Romans succeeded in capturing the elusive Christians; other times the Christians escaped the cruel hands of the Romans. In any case, everyone enjoyed the chance to play a fun game that is quickly becoming a part of life at Hillcrest. Upon first hearing the phrase “Romans vs. Christians,” one thinks back to a time in history when the church was openly persecuted on a wide scale. Some two thousand years ago, it was the goal of much of the Roman government to eradicate Christianity from their empire. Many Christians were forced into hiding while others were very open about their beliefs, and paid dearly for it. But Christianity was not eradicated, but made stronger. “This is an awesome picture,” said Mr. Preston, history teacher at Hillcrest. “It shows that God’s kingdom is not going to be stopped by any power of the world.” The Roman persecution of Christians continued until the time of Constantine and the Edict of Milan, which legalized Christianity. Now that we have the freedom to express our faith, games like Romans vs. Christians are enjoyable for us as a student body to do together. It gives both the on- and off-campus students a chance to do something together that we wouldn’t normally get to do. When asked about her favorite part of Romans vs. Christians, Janaya Caines said, “It is exciting to try and not get caught, and it was a lot of fun getting to hide with friends.” This was the case for many of the people that participated on Friday. At the end of the game, the students found out that there was going to be another “Romans vs. Christians” game, but with a slight twist: there will be a $100 prize for the last one standing. Zach Nersten, son of Craig Nersten, Director of Resident Life, will be bringing twelve of his college friends, who will dress up as zombies and track us down. With this exciting announcement, the student body is already preparing for and looking forward to the next chance to outwit their pursuers.
HLATODAY is produced by the Journalism program at Hillcrest Academy. STAFF Quincy Circo Brandon Doering Amada Doiron Elisabeth Peterson 4|
Rena Fedorova
Light Despite Darkness Kara Nash | Guest Columnist
Going to church every Sunday, daily prayers and a loving Christian family made me into a stereotypical church girl. I never experienced great pain or heartache and was sure my life would never consist of such things. When my dad was diagnosed with esophageal cancer my fifthgrade world wasn’t perfect like I imagined.
as my mom told us she was battling breastcancer alone since the weekend after my dad’s death. There is no explanation to the emotions in listening to my mom’s battle. Psalm 38 resonated with me when David talks about being feeble, utterly crushed, and having an anguished heart.
Cancer didn’t make sense to me. Creating a small bump in my ideal world, I was sure it would quickly go away and life as I knew it would resume. 18 months of treatment left my dad cancer-free as I prophesied. However, 3 short months later a cancerous tumor was found in my father’s brain
My previous experience with cancer led me to believe my mom’s stage 1 cancer was fatal. Sleepless tear-filled nights concerned my mom. Depression tests revealed a score of 16, 6 points beyond a depression diagnoses. The confirmed test finally revealed who I was trying to hide.
The cancer bomb dropped on my dad’s head was downright frustrating. Despite my father’s unwavering faith in God, I struggled to make sense of God’s will. Pain and sorrow filled me, and I was lost. Where had God gone?
Prescribed sleeping pills and depression medication caused nausea. Frequent absences from school led to failing classes as I hit rock bottom in failing to be the real Kara. God was forgotten in the blur that had become my life.
Surgeries, chemotherapy and radiation treatments, hair loss and extreme behaviors caused by the tumor were painful to watch. The constant physical battle ended on August 19th, 2011.
Miracle is the only word to describe how the story changes. In March of 2012 God picked me up and gave me a change of heart. He turned my life around and gave me peace.
Death is surreal. I still sit at home waiting for my dad to come through the door and play the piano. I watch baseball in my basement waiting for him to bring down a bowl of buttered popcorn, a smile and excitement to spend time with me. There won’t be a day that goes by that I don’t think of him.
God gave me a life message. He gave a choice in the Garden of Eden and we chose sin. As a result, every person deserves hell. Hell is real! We are destined to it, but God sent His perfect son to earth to take-on flesh and die our death on the cross. He has victoriously resurrected and as we choose to believe in Him we will live eternally in Heaven. Life is so freeing when we receive the gift of Jesus.
School started again for me one week after his death. Walking the halls I expected a motionless world. Everyone moved but I stood still as reality kicked-in; my life changed. Fall turned to winter and I slowly recuperated. Thanksgiving arrived and family reunited
Life doesn’t need to be smiles and giggles when bad things happen. Sadness is okay, but remember the joy found only in Christ. Let it shine everyday.