Notice of Gathering of the USD 234 Board Members On Nov. 16

Submitted by Gina Shelton, Board Clerk, USD 234

 

Notice of Gathering     Wednesday, November 16, 2022

5:30 p.m.

Bourbon County REDI Visioning Session

Liberty Theater

 

There may be a majority of USD 234 Board Members present at the Bourbon County REDI Visioning Session to be held at the Liberty Theater, 113 S Main, Fort Scott, Kansas, on Wednesday, November 16, 2022 at 5:30 p.m.  Even though a majority may be present, no school district business will be conducted.

 

Farmers: Kansas Local Food Purchase Assistance Program Accepting Producers

Kansas Local Food Purchase Assistance Program Now Accepting Applications from Producers

For Immediate Release:
November 15, 2022

Media please contact:
Heather Lansdowne
785-564-6706
[email protected]

MANHATTAN, Kansas — The Kansas Department of Agriculture is now accepting applications from producers to participate in the Kansas Local Food Purchase Assistance (LFPA) Program. The Kansas LFPA Program will strengthen the state’s local food system by providing expanded wholesale market access to Kansas’ food producers and increasing access to locally sourced food in rural and urban counties impacted by food insecurity.

KDA was awarded a $2,500,000 cooperative agreement under the U.S. Department of Agriculture Agricultural Marketing Service’s Local Food Purchase Assistance Cooperative Agreement Program. Funds will be used to purchase and distribute Kansas grown and processed foods to underserved communities and families across Kansas through the state’s existing distribution network of food banks.

Kansas producers are encouraged to apply to participate in the Kansas LFPA Program in order to sell their products to the food banks serving the state. Products eligible for sale under the program include produce, dairy, meat, eggs, honey, and processed foods. Products must be grown or processed local to Kansas to be eligible for sale under the program.

Applications are due to KDA no later than 5:00 p.m. CST on February 15, 2023. For more information, please visit agriculture.ks.gov/LFPA or contact KDA grants coordinator Brittney Grother at [email protected] or 785-564-6797.

The vision of the Kansas Department of Agriculture is to provide an ideal environment for long-term, sustainable agricultural prosperity and statewide economic growth. Helping expand market access and making local food available to underserved communities helps to achieve this vision.

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Kansas Local Food Purchase Assistance Program Now Accepting Applications from Producers.pdf


Obituary of Ellen Kruse

Ellen Marie Kruse, of Fort Scott, passed away Saturday evening, November 12, 2022, at Ascension Via Christi in Pittsburg. She was born on December 20, 1952, in Cedar Rapids, Iowa the daughter of James Hewitt Miller and Willa Mae (Moore) Miller.

She married Fred Blair Kruse on June 4, 1971, in Mt. Vernon, Iowa and he preceded her in death on February 22, 2009.

 

Ellen is survived by her daughters, Tammy Baughn (James), of Moundville, Missouri, Tina Kerr, of Fort Scott, and Teresa Saunders (William), also of Fort Scott; three sisters, Linda Hartman, of Branson, Missouri, Alice Screws, of Little Rock, Arkansas, and Victoria Webber of Donna, Texas; ten grandchildren, and seven great-grandchildren.

In addition to her husband, she was also preceded in death by her parents.

 

Graveside services are scheduled for 11:00 a.m. Wednesday, November 16, 2022, at Fort Scott National Cemetery under the direction of the Konantz-Cheney Funeral Home.

Memorial contributions may be made to Wreaths Across America and may be left in the care of the Konantz-Cheney Funeral Home, 15 W. Wall Street, P.O. Box 309, Fort Scott, Kansas, 66701. Condolences may be submitted to the online guestbook at konantz-cheney.com.

 

Gordon Parks Museum: Award of Excellence

From left: Jane Campbell, president of the Gordon Parks Museum Board, Executive Director Kirk Sharp and Fort Scott Community College President Alysia Johnston. The museum is housed on the FSCC campus.  From the museum’s Facebook page.

A recent honor was awarded those who worked on a local trail project that tells of Gordon Park’s life in Kansas.

From left: Jane Campbell, Carl Brenner, Aly Turvey, Kirk Sharp, Shane Walker, Kassie Fugate-Cate, Arnold Scholfield and Janice Fewins were part of the planning committee for the Learning Tree Sign Trail. Picture from the museum’s Facebook page. (2019)
In late October, 2022, Gordon Parks Museum Executive Director Kirk Sharp, was notified that a recent project,“The Learning Tree” Film Scene Sign Trail had garnered the Award of Excellence from the Kansas Museum Association.
The award is presented annually by the Kansas Museum Association during the organization’s yearly conference, this year on November 7-9, to an institution whose project or achievements are worthy of special recognition.
“This is an amazing honor for us to receive such a prestigious award from the KMA,” said  Sharp said.  “This award is something that not only both of the communities of Fort Scott and Mound City can be proud of, but also the entire state of Kansas.”
No photo description available.
The film trail is a series of signs situated at the different filming locations for “The Learning Tree,” written and directed by Parks. The signs also include QR codes along with a virtual tour of the identified scene locations for the film.
To learn more about the trail:
The Learning Tree: Library of Congress

“In 1989 The Learning Tree (A Warner Bros. – Seven Arts Inc. Production) was one of the first 25 films selected by the Library of Congress for preservation in the United States National Film Registry for being culturally, historically, and aesthetically significant,” Sharp said.

 

The  recent project received funding from Humanities Kansas and the Fort Scott Area Community Foundation.
National Humanities Alliance Foundation
The Learning Tree” film trail is also part of the National Humanities Alliance Foundation’s initiative, NEH for All (https://nehforall.org/projects/gordon-parks-fort-scott).
NEH for All spotlights more than 260 projects funded by the National Endowment for the Humanities through its website NEHforAll.org.
Established in 1965, the NEH recognizes the unique role the humanities play in fostering the wisdom, vision and knowledge required to participate in a thriving democracy.
To this day, the NEH supports excellence in humanities research, teaching and lifelong-learning opportunities that provide millions of Americans the knowledge of their history and culture. NEHforAll.org highlights that excellence. Visit the website at http://nehforall.org/.
Kirk Sharp, left, and Rachelle Meinecke, the chairperson of the Kansas Museum Association’s award committee, pose with the Award of Excellence bestowed recently upon the Gordon Parks Museum for it’s “The Learning Tree” Film Scene Sign Trail.

About the Gordon Parks Museum in Fort Scott

Parks spent some of his childhood in Fort Scott and later went on to be an internationally-known photographer, filmmaker, writer, and musician.

A museum to honor Gordon Parks is located on the campus of Fort Scott Community College.

The mission of the Gordon Parks Museum in Fort Scott is to use his remarkable life story to teach about artistic creativity, cultural awareness, and the role of diversity in our lives, according to the museum’s website.

 

Press Release from U234

Unified School District 234

424 South Main

Fort Scott, KS 66701-2697

www.usd234.org

620-223-0800   Fax 620-223-2760

 

 

DESTRY BROWN                                                                                                                                      Superintendent                                                                                                                                            

BOARD OF EDUCATION REGULAR MEETING

NEWS RELEASE

Monday, November 14, 2022

 

Members of the USD 234 Board of Education met at 5:30 p.m. on Monday, November 14, 2022, for their regular monthly meeting at the board office.

 

President Danny Brown opened the meeting.

 

The board approved the official agenda, and the consent agenda as follows:

 

  • Minutes from October 10, 2022, Board of Education meeting
  • Financials – Cash Flow Report
  • Check Register
  • Payroll – October 20, 2022 – $1,572,916.54
  • Activity Fund accounts
  • Parent/Teacher Conference Statistics
    • FSPC – 92%, Winfield Scott – 94%, Eugene Ware – 89%, FSMS – 56%, FSHS – 63%

 

Scott Kimble, Fort Scott High School Principal, introduced Anna Laubenstein, a senior at FSHS, who provided an update on the varsity Cinematography Challenge at the 4-State Academy of Scholastic Broadcasting Film Festival in Springfield, Missouri.  Anna, along with FSHS students Lily Brown, Elena Robison, and Zaida Gomez, all competed in the festival with 30 other schools. In total, eleven students from FSHS were able to attend.  The students shared information with the board on the competition and the Digital Media program at the high school that they are a part of.

 

Terry Sercer, CPA, with Diehl, Banwart, Bolton CPAs, P.A., presented the financial audit for 2021-22 year.  There were no violations.

 

Superintendent Destry Brown noted that the final Visioning Session hosted by Bourbon County REDI will be Wednesday, November 16th at 5:30 p.m. at the Liberty Theater.  Mr. Brown discussed the district’s preschool expansion project to take place at the old Mercy Hospital and how the current location on Judson will then be utilized for an elementary school specific for behaviors.  Mr. Brown updated the board on the delivery and installation of the air purifiers purchased with KDHE grant funds.  Superintendent Brown closed with discussing the “40 Developmental Assets” that help young people grow up healthy, caring, and responsible and how these are things our community can take part in to support our students.

 

Assistant Superintendent Dalaina Smith thanked the board and community for their support of PLC time.  Mrs. Smith discussed conversations happening regarding attendance at PLC conferences or whether that training should be held in-house.  Mrs. Smith provided an update on the cases purchased to protect student technology devices and the Science adoption that will come to the board for approval in March.

 

Gina Shelton, Finance Director, reported on the workers compensation renewal, federal funds, open enrollment for employee benefits, and staff retirements.

 

The board received an update on District Communications from Superintendent Brown.

 

The board approved the following items:

  • ESSER III Budget – information, including the budget can be found on the USD 234 website.
  • Contract with Benchmark Inc. for a full-time project management service for the roof replacement project in the amount of $178,000.
  • Resolution to join Kansas Municipal Investment Pool and investment of funds into the KMIP for 180-days, with an interest rate of 3.96%.
  • Acceptance of quote from City State Bank for a 90-day CD, with an interest rate of 3.13% with revaluation in 90 days.
  • RPS Benefits by Design, Inc Consulting Agreement for health insurance broker services.
  • Premium Rate Schedule for 2022-23.
  • District Benefit Committee Recommendation with no increase to health insurance premiums, increase in Wellness Stipend to $350.00, and change in accident/cancer policy options.
  • Personnel Report – following

 

The board went into an executive session for personnel matters and the superintendent evaluation process.

 

President Danny Brown adjourned the meeting.

 

 

 

PERSONNEL REPORT – APPROVED EMPLOYMENT

RESIGNATIONS/TERMINATIONS/RETIREMENTS:

  • Amy Lybarger – Early retirement as Eugene Ware third grade teacher, effective at the end of the 2022-23 school year
  • Chris Sather – Early retirement as Winfield Scott physical education teacher, effective at the end of the 2022-23 school year
  • Rachel Patton – Resignation as Eugene Ware paraprofessional, effective Oct. 19, 2022
  • Kaylie Harper – Resignation as Winfield Scott paraprofessional, effective Oct. 26, 2022
  • Elizabeth Rose – Resignation as FSHS paraprofessional, effective Nov. 11, 2022
  • Amaiya Terry – Resignation as FSHS paraprofessional, effective Nov. 11, 2022
  • Bethany Higgins – Eugene Ware teacher, leave of absence
  • Andi Heckman – FSPC teacher, leave of absence
  • Francis Torres – Winfield Scott paraprofessional, leave of absence

EMPLOYMENT/REASSIGNMENTS – FOR THE 2022-23 SCHOOL YEAR

  • Brad Wright – Central Office HVAC Maintenance
  • Kathryn Harrington – FSMS paraprofessional
  • Robert West – Eugene Ware/FSPC custodian
  • Belinda Pitts – FSHS paraprofessional
  • Billi Jo Shoemaker – Winfield Scott 7.5-hour paraprofessional
  • Amanda Jamison – Winfield Scot 7.5-hour paraprofessional
  • FSHS newspaper sponsor change from Brian Pommier to Bethany Anderson for the second semester
  • Langdon Giddens – Tech Department paid intern
  • Sara Schnichels – FSMS paraprofessional
  • John Metcalf – FSHS assistant wrestling coach
  • Colin Downey – FSHS assistant freshman boys basketball coach

Lack Of Agriculture Workforce Is Inhibiting Growth

A lack of a skilled agriculture workforce is a top inhibitor of growth and expansion for many Kansas agriculture entities. To help support growth in agriculture, the Kansas Department of Agriculture seeks to help the industry better understand workforce needs among agricultural employers in the state. To link the supply of human capital to the needs of Kansas agribusiness enterprises, KDA conducted the second Kansas Agriculture Workforce Needs Assessment Survey in 2022. The survey was analyzed by the Agricultural Land Use Survey Center at Kansas State University.

The survey was emailed to over 25,000 businesses with 1,192 choosing to participate. Participating businesses employ 27,466 individuals in Kansas and 9,244 outside of Kansas. Respondents were asked to self-select the major category that applied to their business.

“We are committed to growing agriculture in Kansas, and that centers around a reliable and capable workforce,” said Secretary of Agriculture Mike Beam. “We know recruiting and retaining skilled, talented workers to fill critical roles is a priority of the agriculture industry in our state.”

The survey findings will be used along with action items developed at the Kansas Summit on Agricultural Growth, which was held in August, to help direct KDA’s vision in serving the farmers, ranchers and agribusinesses of Kansas. Employers and state agencies need to work together to find or develop programs so that businesses may implement successful on-the-job training. By working with secondary schools and postsecondary educational institutions, the agriculture industry can develop beneficial partnerships that will help teach the skills and content needed by employers and will help the industry gain access to trained future employees.

To view the final report from the survey, go to agriculture.ks.gov/workforce. For more information, please contact Russell Plaschka, Director of KDA Ag Marketing Division, at 785-564-7466 or [email protected].

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Agriculture Workforce Survey Results Complete.pdf


“Langston Hughes & Gordon Parks Story Board Collection” Lunch and Learn

Guest Speaker: Bill Martin
Wednesday, November 30, 2022, from 12:00 p.m. – 1:00 p.m.
Gordon Parks Museum
FREE Attendance
Please feel free to bring your lunch and drinks.
Birthday Cake will be available.
Come and celebrate Gordon Parks 110th birthday as Bill Martin, Diversity Archivists for the Langston Hughes Cultural Society in Joplin, Missouri, will share the story board collections of
Langston Hughes & Gordon Parks along with his research with the help from the Library of Congress and Ancestry.com and historic African American Newspapers.


For more information contact the Gordon Parks Museum at 620 -223-2700 ext 5850 or
email: [email protected]


The Gordon Parks Museum Presents
“Langston Hughes & Gordon Parks
Story Board Collection”
Presentation Explores The Story
Board Collection of
Langston Hughes and Gordon Parks
Celebrating Gordon Parks110th Birthday
Lunch & Learn Event

Free Instruction on Digital Photography Nov. 30

 

On Wednesday, Nov 30, 2022, 5:30 p.m. to 6:30 p.m.
at the Gordon Parks Museum,
Professional photographer, Veretta Cobler will give a free photography instruction on
working with digital photography.

This in-depth workshop is designed to help the
beginner and the novice learn how to get the most out of their digital camera. More
experienced photographers can learn some techniques to improve and enhance
their shots.


Veretta lived and worked in New York City as a professional photographer for over four
decades. She has recently relocated back home in Fort Scott, Kansas. Her work is in fine arts, fashion, portraiture, still life and journalistic cultural study. Her fashion images are seen in various U.S. magazines including Bride, Modern Bride, Bridal Guide, Elegant Bride, Martha Stewart Living, The Knot, Seventeen, Prom and New York Magazine.


Veretta’s fine arts photography has resulted in exhibitions and publications of her work
throughout her career. Published works include New York Underground (2004), a coffee
table photography book depicting the nightlife in New York City in late 1970’s and early
1980’s.

Her most recent book about the life and teachings of a Lakota spiritual man, “Teachings From A Chief ”, is in the publishing process.

She received her BS degree of Photojournalism from the University of Kansas in 1974.


For more information contact the Gordon Parks Museum at 620 -223-2700 ext 5850 or

email: [email protected]

 

The museum is located on the campus of Fort Scott Community College.


Celebrating Gordon Parks,
110th Birthday
Digital Photography
Digital Photography
Workshop

Gordon Parks Birthday Celebration Nov. 30

A panel in the Gordon Parks Museum.


 The Gordon Parks Museum at Fort Scott Community College will celebrate the anniversary of Gordon Parks birthday on Wednesday, November 30th with presentations, workshop and the showing of films throughout the day. The events are free of charge and the public is invited to attend.


The schedule throughout the day will include:

8:00 a.m. 6:30 p.m. Gordon Parks Museum will be open for extended hours.

10:00 a.m. 11:30 a.m. Showing of the film Criterion Collection The Learning Tree.

12:00 p.m. 1:00 p.m. Langston Hughes & Gordon Parks Story Board (Lunch and Learn Event) Bill Martin, Diversity Archivists for the Langston Hughes Cultural Society in Joplin, Missouri, will share the story board collections of Langston Hughes & Gordon Parks along with his research with the help from the Library of
Congress and Ancestry.com and historic African American Newspapers. Feel free to bring your lunch and join
us. Birthday cake.


1:30 p.m. 3:15 p.m. Showing of the film Leadbelly.

5:30 p.m. 6:30 p.m. Digital Photography Workshop” Veretta Cobler, Professional Photographer will provide free instruction on working with digital photography. This indepth workshop is designed to help the beginner and the novice learn how to get the most out of their digital camera. More experienced photographers
can learn some techniques to improve and enhance their shots.

Parks, born in Fort Scott on November 30, 1912, would have been 110 this year. He died in March 7, 2006 at the age of 93.

The events and films will be shown in the Danny and Willa Ellis Family Fine Arts Center.
For more information contact the Gordon Parks Museum at 620 2232700, ext. 5850 or by email at
gordonparkscenter@fortscott.edu

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USD 234 Preschool Screening

Unified School District 234
424 south Main
Fort Scott, KS 66701-2697
www.usd234.org
520-223-0800 Fax 620-223-27 60
DESTRY BROWN, Superintendent


November 15,2022


USD 234 will provide preschool screenings for children up to the age of5 years on December 2,2022. Children may have vision, hearing, speech/communication, motor skills, socialization skills, and general development screened.
The purpose of the screenings is to locate and identify children with
possible developmental delays who may need special education preschool and/or related services.
Appointments may be scheduled by calling Tammy Catron, Fort Scott Preschool Center,223-8965, Monday through Friday from 8:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m.

The deadline for scheduling an appointment is November 22,
2022

   The Lowell Milken Center Reaches an All-time Record for Visitors

 

Since its inception in 2007, the Lowell Milken Center for Unsung Heroes has hosted visitors from around the world, including 104 countries and all 50 US states. On November 4, 2022, the center reached a new milestone with its 12,634th visitor for 2022. That number marks the highest number of visitors the Center has had in one calendar year.

81-year-old John Hammes from Bangor, Wisconsin was the honored visitor for 2022. He is a Vietnam veteran, who visited the Center on his way to a veteran’s celebration in Branson, Missouri with his wife and children. They enjoyed learning the stories of all of the LMC’s Unsung Heroes and could relate to those about Harry Hue and Douglas Hegdahl, both Vietnam veterans themselves. While John was awarded with special gifts from the Center to mark this milestone day, he also gifted the LMC staff with his own special stories about his four tours of duty in Vietnam. The Center thanks John for his service to our country and congratulates him as the 12,634th Visitor for 2022!

Visitors like John and his family continue to help the mission of the Center grow, as they learn about and share the featured Unsung Heroes’ stories and their important impact on the history of our country and the world.

As interest in the Center grows, the number of projects entered in the Discovery Award and ArtEffect competitions grows as well. Consequently, new Unsung Hero exhibits are continually being added to the Lowell Milken Center’s Hall of Heroes, the Lowell Milken Park, and the Center’s website. These unsung heroes become role models that inspire all who learn about them to seek to make a difference in the lives of others.

About the Lowell Milken Center for Unsung Heroes:

The Lowell Milken Center for Unsung Heroes works with students and educators across diverse academic disciplines to develop history projects that highlight role models who demonstrate courage, compassion and respect. Through our unique project-based learning approach, students discover, develop and communicate the stories of Unsung Heroes who have made a profound and positive impact on the course of history. By championing these Unsung Heroes, students, educators and communities discover their own power and responsibility to effect positive change in the world. Visit www.lowellmilkencenter.org to learn more.

 

The Lowell Milken Park. Submitted photo.

 

Bourbon County Local News