Alexis Tourtillott at home doing online school work. Submitted photo.
Alexis Tourtillott, age 11, attended Fort Scott Middle School until the COVID 19 Pandemic, closed down classes nationwide in March 2020.
Tourtillott started about a month ago to do lessons with teachers on the internet as a part of USD 234 Continuous Learning Plan.
“I started four weeks ago and I am doing online school for about five classes,” Tourtillott said via an email interview.
“A typical school day is waking up, doing a zoom class, then work,” she said. “I probably spend about one-and-one-half hours on it daily.”
She has faced some challenges, she said.
Submitted photo.
“Doing my work at home is kind of hard because there are so many distractions,” Tourtillott said. “My greatest challenge is pushing myself to do the work even though I don’t want to.”
“I think the new learning plan is going well, especially for the amount of time the teachers had to plan for it,” Alexis mother, Amy Wiltse said. “I cannot imagine the stress that this causes for them.”
Payments Have Started for Producers Impacted by Drought, Excess Moisture
WASHINGTON, May 1, 2020 – The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) has started making payments through the Wildfire and Hurricane Indemnity Program – Plus (WHIP+) to agricultural producers who suffered eligible losses because of drought or excess moisture in 2018 and 2019. Signup for these causes of loss opened March 23, and producers who suffered losses from drought (in counties designated D3 or above), excess moisture, hurricanes, floods, tornadoes, typhoons, volcanic activity, snowstorms or wildfires can still apply for assistance through WHIP+.
“To date, FSA has received more than 33,000 WHIP+ applications,” said Richard Fordyce, Administrator of USDA’s Farm Service Agency (FSA).“We want to remind producers that we are still accepting applications for WHIP+, and we encourage producers to call our offices for next steps on how to apply.”
To be eligible for WHIP+, producers must have suffered losses of certain crops, trees, bushes or vines in counties with a Presidential Emergency Disaster Declaration or a Secretarial Disaster Designation (primary counties only) for qualifying natural disaster events that occurred in calendar years 2018 or 2019. Also, losses located in a county not designated by the Secretary as a primary county may be eligible if a producer provides documentation showing that the loss was due to a qualifying natural disaster event.
For losses due to drought, a producer is eligible if any area of the county in which the loss occurred was rated D3, or extreme drought, or higher on the U.S. Drought Monitor during calendar years 2018 or 2019. Producers who suffered losses should contact their FSA county office.
In addition to the recently added eligible losses of drought and excess moisture, FSA will implement a WHIP+ provision for crop quality loss that resulted in price deductions or penalties when marketing crops damaged by eligible disaster events. To ensure an effective program for all impacted farmers, the Agency is currently gathering information on the extent of quality loss from producers and stakeholder organizations.
USDA Service Centers, including FSA county offices, are open for business by phone only, and field work will continue with appropriate social distancing. While program delivery staff will continue to come into the office, they will be working with producers by phone and using online tools whenever possible. All Service Center visitors wishing to conduct business with the FSA, Natural Resources Conservation Service or any other Service Center agency are required to call their Service Center to schedule a phone appointment. More information on Service Centers can be found at farmers.gov/coronavirus, and more information on WHIP+ can be found at farmers.gov/whip-plus.
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USDA is an equal opportunity provider, employer, and lender.
Shayla Knight, the owner of the Sunshine Shack, makes a soft pretzel for a customer on Saturday.
Shayla Knight is a mother of six children and has a food trailer business that she started last year.
She has reopened her business, Sunshine Shack LLC in her driveway at 606 Sherman in Uniontown.
“It’s convenient with the kids,” Knight said. “They can be with mom while I’m working.
She also has the help of husband Kyle Knight, she said. “This is our home base address.”
Kyle works for the City of Fort Scott during the day.
“I have been in the food industry for 10 plus years,” Shayla said. “Ranging from fast food, fine dining, and schools. I enjoy serving the community and customer service is a high priority for me! I love to chit chat! “
She started her business in April 2019.
“My food trailer has the ability to move wherever I would need to be such as fairs, festivals, and other community events,” she said.
Shayla Knight, owner of the Sunshine Shack, a food trailer in Uniontown. Submitted photos.
Sunshine Shack is currently open from 11 a.m.-8 p.m. Monday through Saturday and closed on Sundays,” she said. This is… subject to change as we hope to attend some events throughout the season.”
“We are currently looking at the possibility of catering our fun stuff like cotton candy and snow cones for birthday parties,” she said.
When social distancing is over the Knights will provide a few picnic tables for people to sit and enjoy their food on the property, but not currently, she said.
A happy customer of the Sunshine Shack on Saturday.
The business Facebook page is Sunshine Shack LLC, or call 620-224-8493.
Fort Scott Community College novel coronavirus, COVID-19 update
We are beginning to phase in our new normal at FSCC and I want to say thank you to our students, faculty, staff, and stakeholders for your efforts, expertise, patience, and dedication transitioning to online learning and remote work. I truly appreciate all you have done to meet our FSCC mission that provides affordable, academic, technical, and occupational programs.
Regardless of what our new normal looks like, I am confident we will continue to meet student needs with high-quality educational programs, as well as robust athletic and co-curricular programs. The good news is we have become better at delivering education in an online format and have developed critical policies and protocols on how to help keep our college and community members safe and healthy.
The June 2020 summer school session will change from face-to-face classes to an online format, with the exception of our John Deere Technician Training program. The determination to move classes beginning in the July 2020 summer session from face-to-face to online will be made in the next couple of weeks. We will update you as soon as we have more information. If you have questions concerning summer school, your schedule, or would like to schedule an appointment to enroll please contact [email protected]
Fort Scott Community College students who are currently enrolled for the Spring 2020 semester may qualify for COVID-19 emergency relief funds. The Federal CARES Act may provide students with emergency financial aid grants to help cover expenses related to the disruption of campus operations and ensure students are able to continue their education. To apply for FSCC Emergency Relief funds please submit the application at FSCC COVID-19 Student Emergency Relief Grant Application
If you have any questions regarding the FSCC COVID-19 Student Emergency Relief Grant, please contact us at [email protected].
Updated information:
Continue remote work through May 17th.
Begin our summer work schedule (minimal staffing on Fridays). Our first Friday of summer hours will be May 22.
Allow student tours by appointment only on June 1.
Our goal as of today is to have face-to-face courses, and also have students in the dorms when the fall semester begins. However, we continue to evaluate both fall and July courses to determine the appropriate modality.
June summer school classes will be moved from face-to-face to an online format (with the exception of John Deere Technician Training)
The last day for withdrawals has moved from May 1 to May 8.
Enrollment is open. Please encourage students to contact advising to schedule an appointment to enroll [email protected]
Online tutoring will be available for students via Zoom or email. Please contact Susan Benson at [email protected] for any tutoring needs.
Students desiring to setup a payment plan for an outstanding balance, need to access their Gizmo account and click the link located in the “Account Balance Information” section.
We are developing a plan to recognize graduates from this spring at a special fall commencement ceremony. More information regarding this will be released at a later date.
Craw-Kan is providing free wi-fi to locations in our region. Here is a link to the map https://ckt.net/hotspots/
Internet
For students without readily available internet access, please contact your local area internet service and cellular service providers. Many companies are working with students during this time to ensure access to internet services. If this is unsuccessful, please contact Janet Fancher ([email protected]) or Adam Borth ([email protected]).
Updated Closures
The Bookstore, Library, Computer Labs, and Student Success Center will be closed until at least May 18.
Advising and Enrollment:
Fall enrollment is open and advising will be assisting students via phone appointments and email. To schedule an appointment please contact via email:
Sunshine Boutique has added space to their shop at 18 E. Wall and now has a storefront at 2 S. Main that is connected to it.
It is a small, family-run business with a wide variety of goods and services.
Sunshine Boutique has more space to shop in. Submitted photo.
“We do fresh and silk flowers for all occasions, tuxedo rentals, decor, gourmet foods and coffees, clothing, jewelry, candles, and more,” Rillie Creollo, store manager, said.
Creollo is the grand-daughter of Georgia Brown, the store owner of the long-time boutique in downtown Fort Scott.
Submitted photo.
“We offer our community a friendly and personable place to hang out and shop,” Creollo said.
“2 S Main is the new addition and we are having a soft opening on Monday (today),” she said. “To keep ourselves and our customers safe we will be practicing social distancing and scheduling times to sanitize throughout the day.”
“We expanded to introduce some new inventory and give us and our customers a little more breathing room while shopping,” Creollo said.
Georgia Brown, left, is the owner of Sunshine Boutique. The store manager is Rillie Creollo, right. Submitted photo.
The store manager has added new items during the expansion.
“A whole new line of clothing including Kancan jeans, crystals, plants, candles, sage, hand-blown crystal orbs, and Doterra essential oils,” Creollo said.
Submitted photo.
Operating hours will be Monday through Friday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Before and after hour appointments are available upon request.
Approval of minutes of the regular meeting of April 21st, 2020.
Approval of Appropriation Ordinance 1262-A totaling $615,308.86.
Request to Pay #4 – Schneider Electric – $216,807.84 – Energy Service Project
Approval to Pay #5 – Strukel Electric – Electric Vault Project – $5,130.00
Approval to Pay – Olsson – Electric Vault Project Engineering – $5,193.01
VII. APPEARANCE/COMMENTS/PUBLIC HEARING:
APPEARANCE: None
B. CITIZEN COMMENTS (Concerning Items Not on Agenda – 5 minute limit per citizen) Comments will not be taken during this meeting. If you have a topic to discuss not listed on the agenda, please contact a City Commissioner or send a written request to [email protected].
C. PUBLIC HEARINGS/COMMENTS: None
VIII. CONSIDERATION:
Request to Pay – Skitch’s Hauling & Excavation, Inc. – February – $1,185.00 – Porta Pottie Services
Approval to publish 2020 Budget Amendment and to hold a public hearing on May 19th, 2020 at 6:00 p.m.
Consideration to repeal Ordinance No. 3556 and approve Ordinance No. 3562 establishing a Street Advisory Board
Consideration of appointments to Street Advisory Board (Six (6) City residents – One (1) County resident within 3-mile limit)
Consideration of appointments to Design Review Board
Consideration of appointments to Planning Commission
Approval of Hay Bid – Airport
Discussion of Pool Opening
Discussion of Fuel Bid
IX. COMMENTS:
Director Updates:
Travis Shelton – Margrave Street School zone discussion
Robert Uhler – Shiney Studio roof update – Certificate of Appropriateness
Commission:
City Manager:
EXECUTIVE SESSION:
I MOVE THAT THE CITY COMMISSION RECESS INTO EXECUTIVE
SESSION FOR ________________________________ IN ORDER TO
(see below justification)
DISCUSS ______________________________________. THE
EXECUTIVE SESSION WILL BE ___________ MINUTES AND THE OPEN
MEETING TO RESUME AT ________________.
Justifications for Executive Sessions:
Personnel matters of non-elected personnel
Consultation with an attorney for the body or agency which would be deemed privileged in the attorney-client relationship
Matters relating to employer-employee negotiations whether or not in consultation with the representative or representatives of the body or agency
Confidential data relating to financial affairs or trade secrets of corporations, partnerships, trusts and individual proprietorships
Preliminary discussions relating to the acquisition of real property
Haley Troutman, 27, is the new kindergarten teacher at West Bourbon Elementary school in Uniontown for 2020-2021.
She has two years of experience teaching at Precious Lambs Preschool and two years teaching at Eugene Ware Elementary School in Fort Scott in Grades 3 and 4.
Troutman completed a Bachelor of Science in Psychology from KSU in 2014, then took a position with Precious Lambs Preschool as their director/lead teacher.
“To gain more experience in childhood behaviors, I worked for a year at SEK Mental Health as a children’s case manager,” she said.
“In 2018, I began Kansas State University’s Master of Arts in Teaching Program (MAT program). I have spent the last two years as a 3rd and 4th-grade teacher at Eugene Ware Elementary. It has been a wonderful journey, but I am beyond excited to settle in my hometown.”
Troutman’s hometown is Uniontown, Kansas.
“I am so excited to be an Eagle again,” she said. “The staff has been so welcoming and wonderful to me already.”
She is married to Stuart and has three children, Molly (age 8), Sadie (age 5), Jett (age 2).
What is the best part of teaching for you?
“I love building relationships with students and their families. It is also rewarding to see the gains that children make throughout the course of a school year, both socially and academically.”
What are the greatest challenges?
“I would say, ensuring that every student is challenged at his/her academic level while meeting the needs of the whole group. I love the challenge of differentiation. Additionally, being a responsive teacher can be challenging; being able to notice what is working and change what isn’t.”
When I read that 10,000 New York Covid-19 victims had died, I could not stop thinking about who logs the names of the deceased and tries to find their relatives. About how long the bodies could be stored in semi-truck freezer vaults. About what kind of burial they would receive. To think that this was playing out 1200 miles from where we live in the Midwest seemed unfathomable. A little research led me to Hart Island, the largest municipal cemetery in the United States and burial ground for over one-million deceased.
Since New York law does not allow for the cremation of unclaimed human remains, the mass-grave site near the Bronx is where “indigent,” Coronavirus New Yorkers (who were not claimed from a morgue within 15 days of their death) are now being buried. City officials hope that when this virus ends, families will retrieve their bodies.
Fresh trenches for the deceased are dug with backhoes in a large pit holding 150 pine boxes that are stacked three-high in two long rows. Hazmat-suited workers lift coffins, some with a name and others with “unknown” written in permanent marker and a carved grave number on the lid.
After April 3rd, paid landscaping contractors buried the bodies. For years before then, jail inmates had the unenviable job. What I found most inspiring was that these inmates, themselves knowing the stigma of being “indigents,” had found ways to honor the dead when they asked correction officers to switch the portable speaker from drum and bass to Mozart.
According to the “Washington Post,” Saxon Palmer, a former inmate who spent four months at the end of 2019 burying bodies on Hart Island, shared how he and his fellow grave diggers dignified the bodies they were burying. “As they moved the coffins out of the coroner’s truck, they’d say ‘rest in peace’ or draw a cross on the pine box, or say goodbye. We’d say, ‘Mr. Rothman, this is going to be your last trip here, we’re going to make it easy for you, nice and slow,’”Palmer said. “We just had a conversation with the coffins in a kind of gentle way.”
I admit, up to that point, I had been rankled that several articles used the word “indigent” to describe the dead, knowing that in God’s kingdom, there is no such thing. No one deserves that label. But then I thought, maybe that’s why the inmates showed such compassion. They knew, first-hand, what it was like to be rejected. They knew, first-hand, what it was like to be treated with no dignity. Perhaps some of them even knew what it was like to be innocent yet be victimized by things out of their control. For some of the deceased, it might have been the first time they had been shown that kind of respect.
So, what do we take from this? We need to see others as God does, He who has “crowned us with glory and honor” (Psalm 8:5), in spite of how we all are sinners and fall short of His glory. (Ro. 3:23) If He can dignify us (yes, you and me), the undignified, maybe it’s time we learn from the “indigent” inmates. Saxon Palmer gave us a great place to start. Maybe we just need to “make it easy” for others less fortunate than us by striking up a conversation “in a kind of gentle way.”
PHASE ONE ✓
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AD ASTRA: A PLAN TO REOPEN KANSAS | APRIL 30, 2020
BEGINS MAY 4, 2020 AS DIRECTED BY EXECUTIVE ORDER 20-29
TRAVEL
Minimize or avoid nonessential travel.
Follow KDHE travel and quarantine guidelines for travel to high-risk areas.
GATHERINGS
Mass gatherings of no more than 10 individuals allowed.
ACTIVITIES
NOT ALLOWED TO OPEN
Community centers
Large entertainment venues
with capacity of 2,000 +
Fairs, festivals, parades, & graduations
Public swimming pools
Organized sports facilities
Summer camps
ESTABLISHMENTS
NOT ALLOWED TO OPEN
Bars and nightclubs excluding already operating curbside and carryout services
Casinos (non-tribal)
Indoor leisure spaces
Fitness centers and gyms
Personal service businesses where close contact cannot be avoided
EDUCATION, ACTIVITIES, & VENUES
ALLOWED TO OPERATE
Childcare facilities
Libraries
INDIVIDUALS
Masks are strongly encouraged in public settings.
Maintain 6 foot social distance.
EMPLOYERS
Telework is strongly encouraged when possible.
Any employee exhibiting symptom should be required to stay home.
PHASE ONE ✓
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AD ASTRA: A PLAN TO REOPEN KANSAS | APRIL 30, 2020
Kenny Felt Photography’s new studio is located next to the Common Ground Coffee shop location on East Wall.
Kenny Felt Photography’s new address is 10 E. Wall St.
He is moving from a small studio on Main Street, around the corner.
“When I moved into the old location, it was really only meant to last until I found a bigger space,” Felt said. “It worked well for newborns and seniors but I really needed more space.”
Having the larger space will allow Felt to accommodate large groups and families “as well as expand on what I can do creatively in the studio.”
Felt has memories of this particular building.
“I’ve loved this building on Wall Street since 2001 when I began working at the Fort Scott Tribune as a photographer,” he said. “
“I sort of grew up here as a college student. My first job out of high school was as a photojournalist for the paper even though I had barely any knowledge of how to work a camera. Through a lot of dumb luck, I fell into photography and have loved it ever since. Even after leaving the Tribune, I regularly photographed subjects throughout the various open areas in the building. it’s always had great light coming through the large windows. Now that it’s been given new life, I’m excited to see what happens! “
Kenny Felt’s new studio at 10 E. Wall. Submitted photo.
Felt is impressed with the renovation project of Jennifer LaRoche.
“When I heard about the plans for renovation I had high hopes for what it would turn into but never did I imagine it would’ve turned out as beautiful as it has,” he said. ” It’s unreal how beautiful everything is.”
Felt can be reached by phone a 620-719-0249. His website is www.kennyfelt.com OR he can be found on Facebook or Instagram @kennyfelt
Felt provides all sorts of photography services.
“I do all varieties of photography but specialize in seniors pictures, weddings and newborns,” he said.
The Glades family: Matt, Alyssa and sons, Bishop and Maddox. Submitted photo.
Matt Glades, 32, is the new Fort Scott High SchoolTechnology Teacher for 2020-21.
” I spent nine years at Fort Scott Community College,” Glades said. ” I worked as a coach, adjunct instructor, TRiO Counselor, Director of Admissions, and sponsor for the President’s Ambassador Program.”
Glades earned an Associate of Science Degree from Fort Scott Community College, a Bachelor’s Degree in Construction Engineering Technology from Missouri Western State University and a Masters Degree in Health, Human Performance, and Recreation from Pittsburg State University.
He is currently working towards a Master’s in Education at Fort Hayes State University.
His hometown is Galena, KS.
He is married to Alyssa, and they have two sons-Bishop and Maddox.
In his spare time he likes sports, coaching, movies, and spending time with friends and family, he said. He is a member of Community Christian Church and the USD 234 Mentor Program.
How did you become an educator?
“Education was not my first choice out of college. I honestly thought that I would never have the courage to be able to speak or teach in front of students. I worked for an engineering firm in Springfield, MO for almost a year. However, during that time I felt like I wasn’t in the right place. God was watching over me and changed my life forever. I would spend the next decade working with students at Fort Scott Community College. In the Fall of 2019, I was fortunate to coach for the FSHS football team and I felt that this is where I needed to be. I am very thankful and excited to be a part of USD 234.”
Is there someone who inspired you?
“I have been truly blessed to have had such amazing teachers and coaches in my life. I can only hope and pray that I can replicate their qualities and attributes to help students grow.”
What is the best part of teaching for you?
“To me, the best part of teaching is having the ability to have a positive impact on someone. Working at FSCC, I was able to see the difference one person can make in another person’s life. There’s nothing quite like having someone come back and thank you for helping them. “
What are the greatest challenges in teaching for you?
“I think the biggest challenge that I will face is trying to help students settle back into a school routine during my first year as a teacher.”
