NRHEG Star Eagle

137 Years Serving the New Richland-Hartland-Ellendale-Geneva Area
Newspaper of Record for NRHEG School District
Newspaper of Record for Waseca County, MN
PO Box 248 • New Richland, MN 56072

507-463-8112
email: steagle@hickorytech.net
Published every Thursday
Yearly Subscription: Waseca, Steele, and Freeborn counties: $52
Minnesota $57 • Out of state $64

Feature Stories from the Star Eagle pages.

NRHEG One Act Play to perform Feb. 8 in NR

By DEB BENTLY

Staff Writer

The NRHEG contest one-act play for 2024 is a comedy piece titled “Bad Auditions by Bad Actors.” In the play, NRHEG sophomore Winter Pederson is casting director for a community theater production of Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet. She has promised to fill the cast by the end of the day, resting her hopes on the efficiency of her assistant Regina, played by freshman Caralee Koopal, and the talents of a roomful of actors waiting their turns to audition one by one.

Trouble is, Regina is not efficient–or even optimistic–and the actors are not talented.

While all this would be a disaster in real life, it makes for a hilarious play.

According to co-directors Solveig Sundblad and Holly Pederson, choosing the play was a joint decision made by a “process of elimination.” In addition to its humor, the piece is highly adaptable, with scenes which can be removed without harming the story line and with gender-flexible roles. The medium-sized cast list also fell into the right number range for the number of actors they expected.

The play was cast this past November, practices have been ongoing ever since. Performances will include a “festival” in which one act plays from the geographic region will compete, while also receiving valuable feedback from judges at United South Central on January 20. Minnesota State High School League subsection competition will be at Maple River on January 27.

The play will be performed on the NRHEG stage for the public at 7 p.m. on February 8.

During these presentations, audiences will be treated to auditions which range from “ridiculous” to “borderline psychotic,” to use the descriptions offered by participants. One actor is accompanied by her “coach” who calls out advice on everything from her handshake to her diction. Another is a prima donna who insists she must have “chocolate-covered Skittles” in her dressing room and expects to command a high salary–even though it’s a community theater production. A dancer can’t understand why her talents are being overlooked, and a nervous individual “just can’t figure out what to do with my hands.”

Directors Sundblad and Pederson say they are pleased with the number of younger students who have chosen to join the one-act play program this year. They are also impressed with the progression and improvement they have seen as the season has advanced, and state they are looking forward to the upcoming contests and performances.

 

Participants in one act play this year are Cooper Cords (grade 7), Jacob Karl (10) , Shayna Kress (9), Caralee Koopal (9), Jordis Kruger-Diaz (12), Madisyn Langfitt (11), Addison Loken (12), Winter Pederson (10), Caralee Koopal (9), Madeline Schlaak (9),  Grace Starman (11), Olivia Wencl (11), and Georgia Zimprich (11), Stage crew members are Scarlett Chance (8), Jacquelyn Duryee (7), Rielly Weitzel (11).

By DEB BENTLY

Staff writer

The Waseca County Free Fair is again sponsoring its “Holiday Lights” celebration on Friday and Saturday evenings from 6 to 9 p.m. The event will take place the next two weekends: Dec. 1 and 2, and Dec. 8 and 9.

LEGACY - Above, Vince Peterson and scenes from the display which was set up on his property near New Richland until 2015.

Anyone attending is invited to bring donations of food items to be distributed to area food shelves, or to give a free-will cash donation which will either be kept by the fair board to support future holiday lights events, or passed on to food shelf organizations in Janesville, New Richland and Waseca as the individual specifies.

Entry into the event is at the far east end of the grounds, near what is the parking lot at fair time. Those who wish can park their cars at the end of the drive-through to walk to booths and gatherings.

Fair board members will be on the grounds serving hot cocoa all six evenings. The Waseca fire department had a “cookies with Santa” event last Saturday, and will possibly other evenings as well.

Various area businesses and organizations will also have booths.

Bailie Thom set to teach business education

By MELISSA DUNN

Staff Writer

The NRHEG school district has employed a person of royalty as the new business education teacher; Miss Waseca County Sleigh and Cutter 2023 Bailie Thom has been settling in and getting ready for her classes. Thom, originally from St. Clair, says this will be her first full year of teaching. “I was hired by my fall student teaching placement to teach a few of their spring courses in La Crescent.”

4-H youth from Waseca County participated in the Minnesota 4-H State Horse show Sept. 15-18, 2023. This year, 608 youth from across the state took part in the annual event at the Minnesota State Fair. 4-H members demonstrate their skills and knowledge in hippology (showing knowledge and understanding of equine science and husbandry), horse judging (study of an animal, measuring it against an accepted ideal), horse training and achievement, speech and demonstrations about interest in horses or the horse industry, showmanship and drill team skills. 

Youth who participate in the Minnesota 4-H horse project learn about show, trail, and endurance riding; test their horse knowledge at quiz bowls or on judging teams, and study horse science. Youth may participate if they own or lease a horse. There are even options for youth who are interested in horses, but don’t have access to one in their community. 

Seberson to teach kindergarten

By MELISSA DUNN

Staff Writer

New kindergarten teacher Nicole Seberson is a Waseca native who spent her first few years teaching in Wisconsin after graduating from Winona State University in May of 2022 with a major in early childhood and elementary education and a minor in child advocacy studies (CAST). 

Seberson says that teaching has not always been her dream. "For a long time I hoped to be a vet or something with nature. However, in high school I got a job at Grace Garden Daycare Center that changed everything. I loved watching how kids explored the world, found everything interesting and had such wild imaginations. I decided then that I wanted to be a teacher. I wanted to help grow that fascination about the world and be a part of that ever-growing imagination.”