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Original article published in the Mower County Independent, Thursday, April 27, 2023.   Reprinted with permission and gratitude.

By Gretchen Mensink Lovejoy 

The Spring Valley Kiwanis Club has chosen Garrison Hubka as a recipient of one of its spring Kiwanis Academic Excellence Awards. He is the son of Jim and Sally Hubka.

The Kingsland senior is active in cross country, basketball, track, Key Club and National Honor Society (NHS). “Cross country and track are definitely my favorites. I used to play football, and I was in HOSA and Knowledge Bowl. My favorite class is Personal Finance because I can learn some real things.”

Outside of school, he’s employed at a local bank. “I work at Home Federal. I enjoy the atmosphere and personable interactions. I don’t do a whole lot outside of school, sports and clubs. In my spare time, I run, watch movies, take naps and play video games…my only frequent hobby is running. My favorite books are ‘The Maze Runner’ series because it is just like the movies, but better, and my favorite movie is ‘The Maze Runner’ because it is very unique and exciting. I listen to whatever is on the radio that I like – usually 106.9 or 105.3. My biggest pet peeve is if someone is picking their nose.”

He added that he most enjoys pasta. “I could live on variations of pasta, but I hate hot dogs. If I could travel to any country in the world, I would go someplace safe with a beach, like the Caribbean. And I have never spent time in California, so I would probably go there, too.”

The 18-year-old most admires Steve Prefontain, his father, and Martin Luther King, Jr. “They either have motivated me, helped me, or changed the world for the better.” If he could do one thing to change the world, he’d choose to “fix climate change or stop war so that humans will have a place to live in the future.” He has plans for his post-post-secondary life, sharing, “When I was a kid, I wanted to be a scientist, but I want to coach after I graduate college.”

The Kiwanis will honor Garrison and his parents during one of the club’s upcoming noon meetings held on Wednesdays at the Spring Valley Community Center. The club welcomes visitors who would like to learn more about becoming members of the Kiwanis organization.

 

 

 

Courtesy of the Mower County Independent, 135 E Main St. LeRoy, MN 55951, (507)-324-5325

Original article published in the Mower County Independent, Thursday, April 27, 2023.   Reprinted with permission and gratitude.

By Gretchen Mensink Lovejoy 

 

The Spring Valley Kiwanis Club has selected Andrew Imm as one of its five spring Kiwanis Academic Excellence Award recipients. He is the son of Craig and Karen Imm of Spring Valley.

The Kingsland senior participates in Key Club, National Honor Society (NHS), cross country and track and field. “Track and field is my favorite,” he noted, adding that “my favorite subject would have to be any history class, and my least favorite would have to be any English class.”

He listed, “I currently work for Kwik Trip. The best part of working there is the people I get to work with and meeting all sorts of new people. Activities I do out of school would mostly be hanging out with friends or going biking. In my spare time, I like to draw or play on my computer. I don’t have a favorite book, but I enjoy the book series ‘A Song of Ice and Fire.’ It’s my favorite because I like the author, and it’s the source material for one of my favorite TV shows. My favorite movie would have to be one of the ‘Marvel’ movies. I don’t think I have a specific favorite.”

He continued, “I listen to a wide variety of music. I don’t have a specific genre that I listen to. Normally, it’s just whatever I feel like at the time. I’ll pretty much listen to anything. I don’t have a favorite food, so I’ll say the basic thing and choose pizza. Anything with beans grosses me out – I hate them and can’t eat them. My biggest pet peeve is when someone announces they have a secret or they make some sort of emotion to gain attention, and then they don’t even tell you what. One thing that others can know about me is that I enjoy being outside, whether running or biking.”

If he could have free airfare to any country in the world, he’d go to the one shaped like a boot. “If I could travel to any country, it’d probably be Italy because I’d love to visit Rome. If I could go to any state, I would travel to Arkansas because it’s a fun state and I have some friends that live down there.”

Imm, 18, most admires three people. “Three people I admire the most are my father, Garrison Hubka and Lisa Glynn.” He shared, “If I could do one thing to change the world, I’d hope everyone’s kinder to each other. When I was a little kid, I wanted to be a dentist just because I thought their offices were cool and they made a lot of money. Now, I don’t want to because I hate [going to] dentists. I’d like to become an engineer after college. I’m not sure what jobs that would entail, but I enjoy math and physics in school, so I figured that would be a good place to start.”

The Kiwanis will honor Andrew and his parents at an upcoming noon meeting at the Spring Valley Community Center. The club meets on Wednesdays and welcomes prospective members who are interested in serving the community and the children of the world.

 

Courtesy of the Mower County Independent, 135 E Main St. LeRoy, MN 55951, (507)-324-5325

Original article published in the Mower County Independent, Thursday, April 27, 2023.   Reprinted with permission and gratitude.

By Gretchen Mensink Lovejoy 

 

On top of spaghetti, all covered with cheese, we fundraised with first aid, played dodgeball and learned to patch knees.

“They have been working hard to fundraise, including a spaghetti dinner this [past] weekend, and they will also be doing a first aid kit fundraiser soon, as well as potentially a dodgeball tournament. Details are still being worked out, but their goal is to raise $5,000, and seven students will be heading down to the International Leadership Conference in Dallas, Texas, in June to represent Kingsland and the state of Minnesota,” cited Kingsland Health Occupations Students of America (HOSA) advisor Kevin Geer. She highlighted that the Kingsland chapter of HOSA has a collection of students focused on facilitating travel through selling platefuls of spaghetti, rounding up first aid kits, and kicking it together as organizers of their proposed dodgeball tournament, all activities meant to underwrite the chapter’s mission to fulfill HOSA’s official purpose.

According to the HOSA website, “The mission of HOSA is to empower HOSA-Future Health Professionals to become leaders in the global health community through education, collaboration and experience. The purpose of HOSA-Future Health Professionals is to develop leadership and technical HOSA skill competencies through a program of motivation, awareness and recognition, which is an integral part of the Health Science Education instructional program. The goals that HOSA believes are vital to each member are to promote physical, mental and social well-being; to develop effective leadership qualities and skills; to develop the ability to communicate more effectively with people; to develop character; to develop responsible citizenship traits; to understand the importance of pleasing oneself as well as being of service to others; to build self-confidence and pride in one’s work; to make realistic career choices and seek successful employment in the healthcare field; to develop an understanding of the importance in interacting and cooperating with other students and organizations; to encourage individual and group achievement; to develop an understanding of current health care issues, environmental concerns and survival needs of the community, the nation and the world; to encourage involvement in local, state and national health care and education projects; to support Health Science Edu[1]cation instructional objectives and to promote career opportunities in health care.”

The site listed the organization’s core values, including learning – “We are committed to learning and becoming respected, knowledgeable and skilled health professionals…we will respect the experiences and contributions of our teachers, peers and patients and seek to learn from them.” Leadership and service also register among HOSA’s core values. “We will serve as role models in our academic program, profession and community. We will be ethical, accountable and trustworthy. We will use our influence to empower others to strive for excellence. We value service. We are dedicated to serving others with compassion. We believe that individuals are important, and we will treat everyone with respect and care.” Finally, it stated, “We value innovation. We are dedicated to enriching the lives of others. We will continuously seek the knowledge and skills to address challenges and improve the health professions.”

Geer, Kingsland’s life science and biology instructor, is proud of his HOSA students for their dedication, curiosity and willingness to try new HOSA health projects and competitions. “Primarily, our activities have been spent practicing various events to prepare for competitions, trying out new events and practicing the ones that they are signed up for. This year, we have had 15 active members, and they have participated in many different events including HOSA Bowl – a Knowledge Bowl-style event where they compete in medical based trivia, emergency medical technician (EMT), parliamentary procedure, extemporaneous writing, persuasive writing and speaking, public speaking, forensic science, and more.” He added, “The state conference was good – we almost did not make it up there due to bad weather” …but they were able to get the high school students there to complete. “Our Parliamentary Procedure team placed first and will be advancing on to the International Leadership Conference in Dallas.”

Previous HOSA projects over the chapter’s nearly five-year history have included learning about biology and medical procedures, holding a teddy bear drive for the Spring Valley Ambulance Service to help EMTs approach and assist children and individuals with special needs, and gaining leadership skills.

Geer previously commented on the chapter’s membership during a prior school year, stating that participation in H has numerous benefits, such as preparing students for their future careers – or not. “For some of them, it is about finding what they want to do or sometimes, more importantly, what they don’t want to do in the future. They get exposed to so many things that they would never see in school normally. They get to collaborate with students from other schools and learn from each other.” He remarked that he enjoys advising HOSA for “the enthusiasm of the kids,” and added, “The kids involved are interested in the medical field and want to learn more about it. They are excited to learn and then even more excited to show it off. The more excited they are, the more into it I’m able to get… they work hard but have fun. They have a great attitude and are setting themselves up for a very bright future.”

 

Courtesy of the Mower County Independent, 135 E Main St. LeRoy, MN 55951, (507)-324-5325

Original article published in the Mower County Independent, Thursday, April 20, 2023.   Reprinted with permission and gratitude.

By Gretchen Mensink Lovejoy 

 

When the clock strikes six, have a ball on Broadway and generate some startup for the Project.

“A group of us held a masquerade ball seven years ago to raise some funds for playground equipment at the school. It was a great fundraiser and a fun event, so we decided to host another one to generate some startup funds for ‘The Broadway Project,’” stated Spring Valley Business Alliance (SVBA) member Jenn Slifka, donning her masquerade costume in preparation for the grand masquerade ball set for this Saturday, April 22, in downtown Spring Valley.

The ball is an effort to advance the SVBA’s support of the numerous community improvement and event projects the organization has undertaken. As Slifka noted, “This a formal event, but people can have fun with it. The idea of a masquerade ball is to wear a mask of some sort. We will have masks at the door, and they are not required for the entire event, but the theme is ‘masquerade.’ We want people to get creative…this is all about creative freedom. We will have food, full bar, casino games, silent auction, a display and Q&A about ‘The Broadway Project,’ and a photo booth at Photography by Kari. Daniel Hayes Hall will be playing piano music during social hour. Players from Brave Community Theatre (BCT) will be doing songs and shows of Broadway hits, including songs from ‘Phantom of the Opera,’ ‘Mamma Mia,’ ‘Greatest Showman’ and many more. Chateau de Chic has partnered with area stylists and The Nova Academy in Rochester to put on an avant-garde masquerade runway show where students and stylists can show off their hair, makeup and costuming skills.”

She elaborated while referring to Spring Valley’s monthly Wednesdays on Broadway downtown summer celebrations, “We are looking to raise some initial funding for ‘The Broadway Project,’ which is an idea our group was presented with, and we are wanting to push forward. The plan entails improvements to downtown Spring Valley through better signage, lighting, additional seating and landscaping. Our goal is to turn Broadway into a place, not just a street. We want the vibe that we get from Wednesdays on Broadway to resonate through downtown all of the time.” The SVBA’s Facebook page mirrored that statement, reading, “‘The Broadway Project’ explores several ideas and potential changes for improving safety, pedestrian access and accessibility, and traffic flow, as well as making the heart of our town more appealing through landscaping, signage, public seating and gathering spots.”

Slifka explained that the SVBA “is formed of area business owners who wanted to come together to work on projects and events that will push Spring Valley forward as a community… we have a very passionate group of people working together to plan and bring new ideas out of the woodwork, and we want to see our community thrive.” She continued, “Our group consists of business owners and people who are passionate about Spring Valley and want to push this town forward. A lot of exciting things are happening in Spring Valley, and we want to see that continue. As business owners, we are movers and shakers, and we need to work together to make sure our community is growing and thriving. We are just coming to the end of our first year of being organized. In our first year, we have started Wednesdays on Broadway, as well as the SVBA Winter Market. We have partnered with Fins & Films and The Ron Merkel Cratebox Derby to assist with planning and overseeing those events. We started the Angel Wing Project, which is a mural project to help bring additional art downtown. Last month, we started our first membership drive which has already been a huge success. Now, one of our main goals is ‘The Broadway Project’ and improvements to downtown. As we see so much growth on the outskirts of town with new businesses coming, additional housing going up…we want to make sure our downtown is beautiful and thriving, as it is the heart of our town.”

The owner of Spring Valley’s affectionately named “Spring Valley mini-mall,” a run of four buildings on the northwest end of downtown Broadway that encompasses Slifka’s salon, her clothing boutique, her mother’s cake shop and Stellar 181 Taphouse (the establishment that she and her husband, Alex, operate) reiterated that varying generations of current Spring Valley businesspeople have collaborated to underwrite volunteerism for several Broadway events. “The SVBA has a lot of exciting things coming up. Wednesdays on Broadway kicks off in June and will go through October; Fins & Films and The Ron Merkel Cratebox Derby are July 14 and 15. Plus, with the weather getting nicer out, we hope to see some expansion to our Angel Wing Project and some additional murals downtown. It will be a busy and exciting summer downtown. Our SVBA board is small, and we would love to see additional members. Everyone is welcome to come to our meetings and be a part. We also have separate groups for Fins & Films, Wednesdays on Broadway and ‘The Broadway Project.’ If you are just passionate about one of those things, you are welcome to join in on those committee meetings as well.”

Sometimes, being “passionate” about something means that one must cave in and hold a masquerade ball. “This event is being hosted by the SVBA, but the goal is to bring awareness to ‘The Broadway Project.’ We will have an area at the masquerade ball that will have information about the SVBA and ‘The Broadway Project’ as well as all of the other events we are a part of. The masquerade is going to be fun because the entertainment will be off the hook. Exciting music and performances from the BCT group that will have a smoke show and lighting effects…and it will jump right into a high-energy runway show with out-of-this-world looks. It will be the perfect combination of music, performing arts and art. Your ticket to the masquerade ball gets you all-you-can-eat food and desserts provided by Some Like It Hot. It will be a wide variety of small plates, appetizers, and amazing desserts. Stellar 181 will also have a full cash bar, with proceeds going toward ‘The Broadway Project.’ It is a formal event, but we really want everyone to dress their comfort level. If you want to come in shorts and a T-shirt, you won’t get turned away.” She went on to state, “For $50, this masquerade ball is a fun night out full of food and entertainment…a great event to bring our community together for a great cause.”

The Spring Valley Business Alliance will hold its SVBA Masquerade Charity Ball this Saturday, April 22, at 6 p.m. at the Spring Valley Community Center, 200 S. Broadway Ave., Spring Valley. For more information, log onto the Spring Valley Business Alliance’s Facebook page.

 

 

Courtesy of the Mower County Independent, 135 E Main St. LeRoy, MN 55951, (507)-324-5325