Northeast Neb. News photographers took hundreds of photos during the annual five-day fair. Those photos can now be found on this website – hartington.net. Just click the link below to access the pages.

http://web.mac.com/ccnews/iWeb/Cedar%20County%20Fair%202010/Aksarben.html

Cedar County Commissioner Dave McGregor, County Road Supt. Kathy Uhl and Engineer Jeff Waggner met with the Hartington City Council concerning access to 882 Road, which is on the south edge of Hartington.

Discussion on problems, solutions, curb and gutters, assessments, legalities, deadlines, public hearings, liabilities, engineering costs and speed limits along with “who will pay for what” took up a large part of the  council meeting Monday night.

“This has gotten complicated. It should be a simple fix,” said McGregor. “This project is definitely coming with a cost.”

The proposed plan to eliminate traffic congestion by building a street between the two schools that would continue on south and exit onto 882 Road would help eliminate a safety hazard.

The north one-half of 882 Road south of the schools is owned by the city and the  south one-half of the road is owned by Cedar County.

The schools, which own the land will pay for the cost of the curb and gutter or for a  retaining wall – whichever is necessary due to the location of the city’s water mains.

McGregor asked if the city would be willing to share some of the cost of the project.

“The schools are asking for access to the city’s side of the road,” said McGregor.

It was after 10 p.m. before City Council members agreed the city would be responsible for 40 percent of the cost and the county pay 60 percent of the county’s engineering bill dealing with access to 882 Road.

If it is determined curb and gutters are needed, the schools would be responsible for that portion, according to the plan.

Council members and McGregor all agreed they needed to do what they could to eliminate any delays in the plan to extend the street.

“This is a safety hazard. We need to do what we can to help move this forward – this has been put off way too many years already,” said Council member Deb Addison.

Located in Blair, Dana College announced June 30 it would be closing its doors to faculty, staff and students following 126 years of service. After a group of investors made plans to buy the school four months ago, the Higher Learning Commission denied its request for accreditation, which forced the college to shut down.

“This takes away one opportunity for local students to choose a smaller-sized post-secondary educational institution,” said Ken Kneifl, Guidance Counselor at Hartington Public School. “A lot of kids look into those types of places because that’s what they’re used to. They want to feel comfortable and find the right fit.”

Dana had experienced financial problems for several years by accumulating a high number of deficits. Looking to get back on track, the investors who bought the college hoped to convert it to a for-profit enterprise.

“The situation is definitely sad and came as a surprise to a lot of people,” Wynot High School Principal Rich Higgins said. “In a way, the economy can be seen as a possible driving force in this. It’s unfortunate that a place of education had to be at the brunt of it.”

Established in 1884, Dana was a school rich in tradition and history. The closing shocked both former and current Dana students who felt like they were a part of it.

“The effect on graduates is obviously different from those who were still attending the school,” Erin Bazata, a 2009 Dana College graduate and daughter of Randolph Principal Dennis Bazata, said. “I think the alumni feel more distressed, while current students feel frustrated and rushed to make a decision they thought they wouldn’t have to six weeks before the start of the fall semester—apply to a new school.”

The 500 students enrolled at Dana were forced to start the college process all over again.

While Dana made agreements with the University of Nebraska at Omaha and Grandview University in Des Moines to accept students, other area colleges, including Wayne State College and Midland Lutheran, Fremont, also welcomed applicants.

“It has been a long time since Nebraska has lost a college,” Hartington Cedar Catholic Guidance Counselor Rob Bengston said. “It is great that other schools are taking note and hopefully the students affected can see that there are good options out there.”

Early last week, Midland Lutheran College claimed nearly half of the Dana students by adding four athletic programs to accommodate transfers. Midland also hired 24 Dana staff members to assist with the increased size of the student body.

“As disturbing as the Dana situation was, I think that it is wonderful for these places to open their doors,” Diane Baker, Laurel-Concord and Coleridge High School Guidance Counselor said. “Students go to college to get a degree, and everyone needs to work together to make that goal a reality.”

Midland also made the decision to lift athletic restrictions in order to give the student-athlete transfers a chance to fully participate without having to sit out their first season.

“I had trouble because I couldn’t find a school that would let me play football, graduate on time and had both areas of my double major,” Matthew Remacle, a Dana student-athlete since 2007, said. “But since the blanket waiver, Midland seems like it should be a pretty good fit for me. Not to mention, I know that I’m going to still graduate on time.”

As former students, both Bazata and Remacle agree that their time spent at Dana was irreplaceable.

“I loved it, and I would go back there again if I could,” Bazata said. “There was an open-door policy on all levels, and that really comforted a lot of people who were there.”

“I made good friends that I know I will have for the rest of my life,” Remacle said. “I enjoyed myself, and I hope that I can have that same kind of experience at my next school.”

Even though the closing of Dana College is a loss, area educators agree that the gain comes from knowing there will be efforts made to support those of the college community.

“As tough as times look, it is always important to remember that when it matters, people will come together to help out,” Bengston said. “Whether in high school or college, students should know that they can look forward to quality institutions that will allow them to continue their education.”

“We have all of the details worked out with Holy Trinity so we can go ahead with the legal documents,” Board member Colin Kathol told Hartington School Board members on Monday night.

Representatives from both schools had agreed the street was needed to eliminate traffic congestion.

Ed Bottolfsen, Radec Construction, updated board members on the proposed street.

The street will continue south from the existing street and cul-de-sac that is between the schools, the street will then curve somewhat to the west and exit onto the gravel road.

In order for the plan to be approved it will be a one-way street with the traffic traveling south, according to Bottolfsen who had met with Cedar County Commissioner Dave McGregor.

“The engineer will not sign off for it any other way,” Bottolfsen said. “There are about 500 cars a day on that gravel road and any other way it would be a safety hazard having the exit towards the top of a hill.”

If the funds come through so the gravel road to the south could get paved there would be room for a third lane for traffic that is turning and at that time the street between the schools could be changed to two-way traffic.

“McGregor is still hoping to have the gravel road paved some day,” Bottolfsen said.

The County Road Dept. will grade the hill where the exit will be located.

The land switch between the two schools will also allow a better location for a practice field for Holy Trinity while Hartington Public could use the newly acquired land for parking space.

The school will be selling surplus property which includes several computers.

An ad will be put on Cedar Vision and an ad may be put in the newspaper according to Anderson.

“Anyone that is interested can call the school for prices,” said Anderson.

Before giving their approval on the Student Absentee Policy board members discussed the changes that would be made.

All students will be taking semester finals according to Princ. Russell Flamig.

Some of the previous policies had allowed students with a combination of good grades and almost perfect attendance to opt out of semester finals.

“There had been a concern that attendance and grades should not be connected,” Flamig said.

The new policy states if students miss more than three days of school they will have to be at school for a make-up day which will be the day before the semester ends.  If the student has a doctor’s written notice – the absence will not go against the three days.

“We came up with the make-up day so the kids who have good attendance at school can get a day off as a reward,” said board member Brenda Steiner.

If a student has a large number of absentee days or tardy marks the parents will be notified.

“The committee talked about these changes for a long time,” Steiner said. “The policy will be re-evaluated at the end of the year. We want it to be what is best for the kids.”

The next school board meeting will be at 6 p.m., July 19.

HARTINGTON — Five local high school students recently returned home from the trip of a lifetime.

The group packed their bags and left the country, headed for Spain from May 28-June 5.

Along the way, they experienced a different culture, aged architecture, and engrossing cuisine.

Cedar Catholic Spanish teacher, Melissa Knight, accompanied the students — Jonathan Heimes, Zach Kathol, Kellyn Dump, Kelsey Lentz and Eric Kruse — on their trip to Spain.

The six of them traveled to different places and saw many sites in Spain. They went to Morocco, Toledo, Costa del Sol, Sevilla, and Madrid.

“In Madrid, it was so packed, you were shoulder to shoulder with everyone everywhere you went,” Kruse said.

They also took a day trip to North Africa, where they got to ride camels.

“I think it was a great experience for the kids to witness Spain first-hand. It was funny watching them going through the market and having people trying to sell them stuff non-stop. Also, just seeing all that meat hanging up there with flies swarming it,” Knight said.

All involved said they had a great experience.

“I’m still peeling,” Kelsey Lentz said with a laugh. “But I had a great time.”

They also got to witness a bull fight in a huge coliseum

“When we went to Sevilla we went to the Catedral de Sevilla, which is the third largest cathedral in Europe and inside contains the grave of Christopher Columbus,” Kruse said.

They saw many different cathedrals and aged buildings that held so much history.

Knight was glad to return to Spain since her first trip that she took almost 12 years ago.

“The first time I went I didn’t have students with me. I really think I enjoyed and appreciated this trip a little more. It was amazing to soak up all that culture and history again,” she said.

She recommends for everyone to travel abroad to other countries because you really get the chance to expand your knowledge of different languages, cultures, and surroundings.

“I definitely would go back. Especially because you didn’t have to constantly swat at flies, there were literally no bugs over there,” Jonathan Heimes grinned.

They all really enjoyed just relaxing on the beach, especially after working hard for a whole year at school.

“When there are no waves, the water was just so clear,” Kruse said.

But with all trips comes troubles, and good luck to follow.

Dump said he wanted to experience everything he could on the trip, that’s why he tried all the unique foods he could. Some of them were pretty good, he said, but others, like ‘blood pudding,’ will never go near his stomache again, he said.

The trip will evoke different memories for different folks: Kruse losing his cell phone right away when running to catch the plane, to everyone losing their luggage, except Dump.

“We all would have loved to stay, check out more sites, and just chill at the beach, but we were all glad to finally come home,” Lentz said.

HARTINGTON — The Hartington School Board accepted the resignation Monday of board member Wendy Sudbeck.

She has served on the board for close to four years. Sudbeck was appointed to finish out a term when a vacancy occurred and then was re-elected to a four-year term.

Sudbeck said it had been an honor to serve with the other members on the school board.

“We all had diverse personalities but we worked well together,” said Sudbeck. “I am proud of the things we accomplished.”

President Jason Dendinger thanked Sudbeck for her service to the school.

“I appreciate that you took on the appointed position when you did,” Dendinger said.

Supt. Randy Anderson said it had been a privilege to work with Sudbeck.

The appointment to fill the vacancy on the board will be made by the remaining board members.

“An appointment should be made within two months,” Anderson said.

It was also decided Monday that Hartington School will continue with the inter-local agreement to share administration services with the Crofton School. The 2010-11 school year will be the second year for Supt. Randy Anderson to share his time between the Crofton and Hartington schools.

Board members agreed to hire Josh Morten as the Head Girls Basketball Coach.

“We were looking for someone who would be committed to the program,” Anderson said. “He had a good attitude – I am sure he will work well with the kids. Morten is working toward getting his certification.”

Board member Doug Miller said he had heard good comments on Morten from some of the parents.

The opening for a SPED route driver was also advertised. Marilyn Thoene was hired for the job.

HARTINGTON — The land transfer between Hartington Public and Holy Trinity Schools which will allow the street between the two schools to continue on south and exit onto 882 Road will finally become a reality.

“We have all of the details worked out with Holy Trinity so we can go ahead with the legal documents,” Board member Colin Kathol told Hartington School Board members on Monday night.

Representatives from both schools had agreed the street was needed to eliminate traffic congestion.

Ed Bottolfsen, Radec Construction, updated board members on the proposed street.

The street will continue south from the existing street and cul-de-sac that is between the schools, the street will then curve somewhat to the west and exit onto the gravel road.

In order for the plan to be approved it will be a one-way street with the traffic traveling south, according to Bottolfsen who had met with Cedar County Commissioner Dave McGregor.

“The engineer will not sign off for it any other way,” Bottolfsen said. “There are about 500 cars a day on that gravel road and any other way it would be a safety hazard having the exit towards the top of a hill.”

If the funds come through so the gravel road to the south could get paved there would be room for a third lane for traffic that is turning and at that time the street between the schools could be changed to two-way traffic.

“McGregor is still hoping to have the gravel road paved some day,” Bottolfsen said.

The County Road Dept. will grade the hill where the exit will be located.

The land switch between the two schools will also allow a better location for a practice field for Holy Trinity while Hartington Public could use the newly acquired land for parking space.

The school will be selling surplus property which includes several computers.

An ad will be put on Cedar Vision and an ad may be put in the newspaper according to Anderson.

“Anyone that is interested can call the school for prices,” said Anderson.

Before giving their approval on the Student Absentee Policy board members discussed the changes that would be made.

All students will be taking semester finals according to Princ. Russell Flamig.

Some of the previous policies had allowed students with a combination of good grades and almost perfect attendance to opt out of semester finals.

“There had been a concern that attendance and grades should not be connected,” Flamig said.

The new policy states if students miss more than three days of school they will have to be at school for a make-up day which will be the day before the semester ends.  If the student has a doctor’s written notice – the absence will not go against the three days.

“We came up with the make-up day so the kids who have good attendance at school can get a day off as a reward,” said board member Brenda Steiner.

If a student has a large number of absentee days or tardy marks the parents will be notified.

“The committee talked about these changes for a long time,” Steiner said. “The policy will be re-evaluated at the end of the year. We want it to be what is best for the kids.”

The next school board meeting will be at 6 p.m., July 19.

Aon April 21 at 7:18 a.m. the Cedar County Sheriff’s Department was called to the scene of an accident four miles south of Crofton on 552 Ave.

The 2005 Chevrolet Malibu driven by Shawn Potts, 17, Crofton, was discovered at the scene. Potts was pronounced dead at the scene. There were no other occupants in the vehicle.

Law enforcement officials said no seat belts were being used at the time of the one-car roll over accident. The accident is stil being investigated by the Cedar County Sheriff’s Dept. and the Nebraska State Highway Patrol.

The agreement will allow for the construction of a street between the two schools to help eliminate traffic congestion. It will also give Holy Trinity a better location for a football practice field, and provide a spot for the Hartington School to have a parking lot.

School board members put their stamp of approval on a memorandum of understanding for the land swap between Holy Trinity and Hartington Public School at the April 19 board meeting.

The street will make a bend in order to allow the portion of land where the catholic convent was previously located to remain under the ownership of Holy Trinity Church.

Each school will own land to the center line of the street, which will exit onto 882 Road.

“It will probably be a one-way street,” said board member Colin Kathol. “It’s to eliminate traffic congestion and for the safety of the students.”

The engineer will meet with the members of the committee within a few weeks, according to Hartington Supt. Randy Anderson

A rough-in showing the locations for the street, practice field and parking lot will be completed before fall of 2010.

“It will be what is best for both schools and what would be the safest for the students,” Anderson said.

“This was first brought up between the schools 20 years ago. This has been a long time coming,” said Kathol. “I want to express my appreciation to the other board members for the work that has been done.”

“This is worth celebrating,” said board member Brenda Steiner.

Funds from a grant may be available to construct a walking trail, which would loop through the property and around both of the schools.

Anderson said he had recently attended a conference in Kearney for the Nebraska Rural Communities School Association.

“The shortfall the State is experiencing was talked about. Everyone is concerned about the funding of the school systems,” Anderson said. “We will be hearing about it more and more and the schools will be affected more as time goes on.”

According to Anderson records may soon be kept in order to start tracing how well both students and teachers are doing.

The students and teachers will be kept track of by number and comparisons of the successes will be done between schools.

“We were told it could get to a point where the teachers and the principal could be removed from schools with poor performance records,” Anderson said. “It is something you will hear about as time goes on.”

Anderson told board members the contracts for educators will be issued on April 20.

“The position of head coach for girl’s basketball is open as the person did not want it back,” Anderson said. “We may not fill the opening for one of the assistant coach jobs for football – it depends on the number of kids that will be out.”

The school board discussed moving ahead on several improvement projects for the school.

It will cost approximately $530 to install GFCI circuits in the locker room.

An estimate for replacing the lighting on the stage came in around $2,900.

A detailed sheet showing what is involved will be reviewed by board before the project gets the final okay.

The price for a dishwasher plus installation will run around $14,000.

“It is expensive but it will need to be done,” said Anderson. “The cost of a rebuilt dishwasher is about half but we would be buying one that someone else has already had trouble with. It would also have a limited warranty”

Anderson said he would firm up the offer for replacing the dishwasher in the lunchroom before the next board meeting.

Arrangements will be made for the school architect and Ed Bottolfsen to come to the May meeting to discuss plans for closing in the glass in the entryway of the school.

Diplomas for twenty high school graduates were signed at the end of the board meeting.

There are fifteen girls and five boys in the 2010 graduating class.

Current records show there will be sixteen kindergarten students starting school in the fall.

The next school board meeting was scheduled for May 17 at six pm.

HARTINGTON – Students at Cedar Catholic High School danced the night away at Prom 2010 Saturday at the Msgr. Werner Activity Center.
Lucy Herbolsheimer and Jordan Hochstein were crowned Prom Price and Princess.
Check out more photos on:
http://web.me.com/ccnews/Prom_2010/Cedar_Prom_2010.html

HARTINGTON – Hartington Public celebrated Spring Friday with their annual Prom.

This year’s event was held at the Hartington City Auditorium with a banquet in the basement, and a dance on the main floor. A Post Prom party was also held at the auditorium after the dance.

Megan  Kneifl was crowned as the Prom Princess and Kyle Johnson was named as the Prom Prince.
Check out this link for more photos from Friday’s event.

http://web.me.com/ccnews/Prom_2010/HPS_Prom_2010.html

HARTINGTON — Hartington City Council is still trying to decide how to correct problems at the Community Complex Center.

Problems that have occurred with the turf on the fields have been intensified from excessive amounts of rain last fall.

Board members agreed to focus on getting the football field in better shape this year and get an estimate to do additional work on all four fields next year after talking to Kevin Bruening from Bruening Landscape and Turf Management out of Norfolk and Gary Ford.

“The fields need to be plugged,” said Bruening. “The issue is root depth.  The heavy clay, which is the main problem out there, could be modified by working some sand into it. Mowing can play a big part in root growth – maybe you could try mowing more often.”

Drain tile could also be added on the outside edge of the west side of the field.

Board members decided to have aeration work done on the football field five times this year. Aeration needs to be started as soon as possible on this field.

Several areas on the football field will need to be re-seeded.

“There are two or three spots in the center of the football field where there is nothing growing – just bare spots,” said Mayor Bill Yates.

Aeration will be done two times on the two softball fields and four times on the practice field this year.

The fields will be fertilized and normal lawn care maintenance will be continued.

It is time to renew the contract agreements to use the Community Complex with Hartington Public and Cedar Catholic Schools.

Board members decided to keep the price the same as last year which was $7,500.

The practice field will not be available for the schools to use.

Legion baseball coach Tim Loberg, who works with the fifteen to eighteen year old players, talked to council members about uniforms for the team.

Each player will continue to purchase his hat and belt and will now pay for his uniform pants.

The cost of the pants is $40 but the amount will be split between the player and the city.

“The kids will pay $20 toward the pants and the pants will be his,” said Loberg. “The pants will be shoe top length and the kids can make any alterations that need to be done.”

There will be a $50 deposit on the shirts which are owned by the city.

The cost of any pictures will be the responsibility of the player.

Board members raised the price to $6 for dog and cat tags that are purchased at the city office.

LB 910 which was passed by the Nebraska Legislature requires one dollar be submitted to the Dept of Agriculture for each tag that is sold.

It had been suggested that more people would re-cycle if they were given a break in their fees according to City Clerk Crystal Lenzen.

Board members decided against giving a break in fees as it would be difficult to determine the amount and keep track of.

Education on re-cycling could be looked at along with promoting more re-cycling by word of mouth.

The information put out by FEMA (Federal Emergency Management Agency) at the April 9th meeting at the City Auditorium was disappointing Yates said.

The city will probably receive very little of the estimated amount of $62,000 for snow removal that was turned in.

“We could still get paid for the expense if the streets were opened for a called-in emergency or for damages to buildings and trees from the severe winter storms,” said Yates.

City Council and the Mayor gained knowledge from a presentation on Tax – Increment Financing (TIF) which the city can choose to participate in.

Photos from the events will begin to be added to the hartington.net web pages on Friday night.

The coverage is being sponsored by the Bank of Hartington.

Check back to these photo galleries from time to time as photos will be entered throughout the weekend.

Nanette Heimes was selected as the alternate for Hartington Public School and Falon Goetz is the alternate for Wynot Public.

Girls’ State is a nationwide program sponsored by the American Legion Auxiliary. The students will participate in role-playing that emphasizes our Democratic form of government.

The students that have been selected for Girls’ State have demonstrated an interest in learning about government and are leaders in their schools.

Steiner and Burbach are sponsored by the Hartington Chamber of Commerce and the Wynot American Legion Auxiliary is sponsoring Hans.

Carrie Burbach, daughter of Raleigh and Christie Burbach, will represent Cedar Catholic at Girls’ State.

Burbach is an honor roll student.

She has participated in speech, one-acts, choir, swing choir, band and has been a cheerleader.

Burbach received the All-State Academic award in one-acts and in speech.

As a freshman she was named best-supporting Actress at the Conference.

She has received the World Geography Most Valuable award, Presidents Award for Educational Achievement and is a NECC Quiz bowl participant.

Burbach is the junior class president and serves on the student council.

She is a member of Peer Ministry which is a group of students whose purpose is to put their religious beliefs into practice.

Burbach is an EMHC (Extraordinary Minister of Holy Communion) for Holy Trinity Church.

She is a 4-H member and has served in various officer positions for the Pleasant Dale 4-H Club.

Burbach is currently working part-time at Kruse True Value and plans to further her education after high school graduation.

“My plans after high school include attending college to study nursing or psychology,” Burbach said.

Burbach is looking forward to attending Girls State.

“I am excited to spend a week on the UN-L campus meeting new people and learning more about our government during Girls State” Burbach said.

Casey Steiner is a busy student at Hartington Public School and is also involved with activities in her church and community.

For the last three years Steiner has participated in girl’s golf, cheerleading, one-acts, band, jazz band, choir, speech, FFA, Little Cat-Big Cat Mentoring, and was the track manager.

Steiner has earned varsity letters in cheerleading, speech and girls golf.

She has won placement medals at golf meets, FFA placement medals in speech and Ag along with several speech medals.

Steiner was the 2010 Class D-1 State Runner-up in Informative Speaking and was a member of the D-1State Champion Speech Team in 2010.

She is a member of the National Honor Society and is the president of the junior class.

Two of her favorite subjects are math and English.

Steiner has been active in the Nebraska Leadership Seminar where she will be a Junior Counselor this summer. She will also be a mentor at the Unicameral Youth Conference.

“From attending the Unicameral Youth Conference in 2008 and 2009 and being the Speaker of the House in 2009 – I have developed a huge interest in the government and how it works,” said Steiner. “I am hoping with attending Cornhusker Girl’s State I will learn even more.”

Steiner has had a leadership position at the Junction Youth Center, is a member of LEAP (Leaders Energizing Activities Partnership) and is active in 4-H and Junior Leaders.

She is a Sunday School teacher, Bible School teacher and serves as president for Teens for Christ.

“I have always really enjoyed high school cheerleading and golf but I also have loved working with kids the last couple of summers at the Eastern Nebraska 4-H Center,” said Steiner.

Steiner has a part-time job at Kids Korner Daycare.

Steiner plans on attending either South Dakota State University for a degree in nursing or the University of Nebraska at Lincoln for a degree in Political Science.

Steiner is the daughter of Dan and Brenda Steiner.

KEARNEY — The Hartington Public Speech Team won its first state championship in seven years Friday at the state speech meet in Kearney.

Hartington produced state champions in four of the nine events and sent 11 entries to finals. The team scored a school record 166 points to win the 2010 Class D1 Speech Championship; Potter-Dix was runner-up with 138 points.

Individual state champions were Jordan Rehnstrom in Entertainment, Tara Loecker in Informative and Jo Bryan in Extemp. Rehnstrom’s speech is on pessimism, while Loecker’s topic is Bionics. In Extemp, Bryan wrote a different speech for each round of competition.

The other state champion for Hartington was the Oral Interpretation of Drama team with their performance of “Monty Python and the Holy Grail.” Team members are Dana Fuelberth, Nick Lammers, Mason Miller, Thomas Schumacher and Adam Wortmann.

“The kids gave great performances all day,” said coach A. J. Johnson. “But this was won because of the work they put in all season. We are proud of the effort they gave the last three months which led to Friday’s performance.”

Other medal winners for Hartington were: Alec Fuelberth, third, Entertainment; Jordan Rehnstrom, fifth, Extemp; Casey Steiner, second, Informative; Brittany Hinkel, second, Poetry; Ali Lammers, sixth, Serious Prose; Adam Wortmann and Nick Lammers, fifth, and Ali Lammers and Thomas Schumacher, seventh, Duet Acting.

Also competing at the state meet and earning superior ratings were Mason Miller in Humorous Prose, Nanette Heimes in Persuasive, and Megan Kneifl in Poetry.

“It is great to win a state championship,” said coach Linda Kathol, “but it is even more rewarding to see these young people become confident and talented speakers.”

This was the final meet for eight Hartington seniors who have had remarkable careers. They have all competed at the state meet and have combined for 22 state medals.

“It has been a pleasure to watch this group of seniors as they have worked for four years to achieve their goal of a state championship,” said Kathol. “Their work ethic and determination is an inspiration to the rest of the team.”

Several of the seniors first qualified for the state meet as sophomores and have been major contributors to the team for the last three years.

“These seniors will be missed tremendously,” said Johnson. “Not only were they great leaders and performers, they are simply great kids who have been a lot of fun to be around. It was a true privilege to work with them.”