All posts by Loretta George

Bourbon County, Business, Fort Scott, Fort Scott Chamber of Commerce, Fort Scott Community College, Government, Jobs, Schools

Work Ready Students Is Goal of New Program: Employers Cooperation Needed

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Fort Scott High School.

Workers are needed across the state to fill workforce needs.

The Kansas State Board of Education, working with Kansas legislators, are providing the opportunity for juniors in high school, including Fort Scott, to take assessments to help fill those workforce needs.

The title of the program is ACT Work Ready Community and is paid for by Kansas legislators in collaboration with the state board of education.

Students are offered two assessments for the program and can either take the ACT, or ACT WorkKeys, or both.

The program facilitators are hoping to fill job vacancies in Bourbon County.

“An opportunity was seen to provide a connection for local Bourbon County employers to gain understanding of the ACT and the ACT WorkKeys assessment to help fill and build their workforce,” USD 234 Superintendent Ted Hessong said.  “The opportunity for juniors to take the ACT assessments will continue this school year and for years to come.”

A career readiness certificate can be earned, after taking an assessment, which will help to evaluate future employees for the workforce skills needed.

The program allows employers to use it as a tool to see if the skills set will work for their need.

“ACT Work Ready Community is a program to provide Bourbon County the distinction of a county where the employers recognize the ACT WorkKeys National Career Readiness Certificate earned upon completion of taking the ACT WorkKeys assessment, as a tool to evaluate future employees,” Hessong said.

The basis of the certification: current and future workers earn the certificate and the employers recognize the credential.

“Employers can be the fuel to drive successful state and county Work Ready Communities initiatives simply by recognizing the ACT® WorkKeys® National Career Readiness Certificate®. And in doing so, they will have a more qualified workforce ready to fill their jobs,” according to the ACT Work Ready Communities website.

“The foundation of a community’s certification is based on individuals at the county level across the current, transitioning and emerging workforce, earning an ACT® WorkKeys® National Career Readiness Certificate®…and employers recognizing the ACT® WorkKeys® NCRC®,” Hessong said. “(It) is a portable, industry-recognized credential that clearly identifies an individual’s WorkKeys® skills in workplace documents, applied math, and graphic literacy.”
A collaboration of local entities and employers will have two years to start reaching goals for the program.
“The Fort Scott Chamber of Commerce in conjunction with Bourbon County Economic Development, USD 234, Fort Scott Community College, and Bourbon County employers will have two years to attain goals set by ACT Work Ready in order to be recognized as an ACT Work Ready Community,” Hessong said.
For more information: workreadycommunities.org
Fort Scott, Schools

New FSHS Math Teacher: Bill Hall

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Bill Hall. Submitted photo.

William Hall is a new math teacher at Fort Scott High School, whose hometown is Manhattan, KS.

Hall earned a bachelor of science degree in secondary math education from Kansas State University and has previously taught math at Hugoton High School.

His family consists of his father, brother, and sister, who still live in Manhattan, another brother in Las Vegas, and another brother in Sydney, Australia.

” I’ve always been interested in working with students,” he said. And his students inspire him, he said.

Hall is looking forward to getting to know the students at Fort Scott High School, he said.

His greatest challenge in teaching math is working with technology.

“I am what you would call ‘technology challenged,” he said.

 

Fort Scott Community College

Burris Hall Gets Addition and Update

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Workers were working on the Burris Hall lawn Monday, August 19, the first day of classes at Fort Scott Community College.

Fort Scott Community College classes started Aug. 19, but a few of the renovations and additions are not quite finished.

 

FSCC instructor Sarah Sutton said, “The goal is to have everything completed by the end of September for the (FSCC) Centennial Celebration.” Sutton teaches in Burris Hall.

 

Burris Hall has an additional building space, while the existing building was remodeled.

The existing building is the left one in this photo, the new addition to the right.

Sample drilling for the project site began last June 2018, and the contract was let out for bid in February 2019, according to info from Darlene Wood,  assistant to the president.

 

Actual construction began in late May 2019, Crossland Construction Foreman Cory Spear, said.

 

“We are down to the punch list,” Spear said. “We are awaiting the architects, Hight Jackson, with a list of corrective actions, things that need to be fixed.”

 

Burris Hall is the agriculture department of the campus. Three to four classrooms are housed here, as well as offices for the instructors.

FSCC Instructor Sarah Sutton, right, speaks with a student on the first day of classes at Fort Scott Community College, August 19.

 

A student walks down the connecting hall of Burris Hall on August 19 towards classrooms in the existing building.

 

There is also a large room in the addition with a kitchenette off to one side.

The large room in the new Burris Hall addition has instructor’s offices around the perimeter and a kitchenette area off to one side.

“This room can be used for a classroom if needed,” Wood said.  “It can also be scheduled for meetings on campus or for community events.”

“The money was all donated by the estates of Chester Boileau and Lonnie Cleavers,” FSCC President Alysia Johnston said.  “We chose to add on and remodel the agriculture building to honor their legacies, as agriculture was their livelihood.” The amount was $930,000.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Fort Scott, Schools

Hayden Travis: New 2nd Grade Teacher at Winfield Scott

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Hayden Travis, 24, starts teaching second grade at Winfield Scott Elementary School in Fort Scott this year.

She was raised in Uniontown, and her mom,  sixth-grade West Bourbon Elementary School teacher Bonnie Rathbun, was her inspiration.

“My mom has been a teacher for many years, and I have grown up watching her give 110% to her students every year,” Travis said. “I was inspired by her dedication, passion, and drive to help students be successful.”

Travis previously taught 8th-grade earth science for two years in the Shawnee Mission School District in the Kansas City area.

She graduated from Pittsburg State University in 2017 with a bachelor’s degree.

Her family includes husband: Zach Travis, mother: Bonnie Rathbun, father: Randy Rathbun, sister: Taylor Graber, and brother: Chad Parks.

In her spare time she likes spending time with family, playing and watching sports, enjoying outdoor activities, staying active, and crafting, she said.

Watching students grow from the beginning to the end of the school year is the best part of teaching for Travis.

“Ultimately my goal is to help mold students into successful and independent individuals who can achieve any goal they desire,” she said.

What are the greatest challenges in teaching for you?

“One of the greatest challenges in teaching for me is finding a balance between my professional and home life,” she said.

Bourbon County, Fort Scott

Local 7-Year Old Loves To Rodeo

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Lane Murphy. Submitted photos.

Lane Murphy’s first rodeo was in 2015, at age 3, in Hume, MO, where he tried his hand at “Mutton Bustin'”, which is riding a sheep to see how long you can stay on.

He liked the challenge and later that summer, at age 4, Lane started riding with the Kansas Junior Bull Riders (KJBR).

Lane will be a second-grade student at Winfield Scott Elementary School this school year.

But like young children everywhere, he knows what he wants to do when he grows up.

Lane has hopes of being a future rodeo star.

“I want to do the same thing I’m doing now (riding in rodeos),” Lane said. “Everything except getting hurt. I want to ride as much as I can. It’s not easy.”

Lane Murphy. Submitted photos.

 

In 2018 Lane ended the season ranked as the No. 1 rider in Mutton Bustin’ for the JPBR; No. 1 in Mutton Bustin’ for the MJRC, and No. 1 in Mutton Bustin’ for the All Youth Rodeo Association (AYRA). Thus, earning his entry into the 2018 YBR World Championships in Abilene, TX where he finished No. 4 in the World for Mutton Bustin’, and then placing No. 7 in the 2018 National JPBR Championship that took place in Amarillo, TX.

The cowboy recently participated in the Youth Bull Riding (YBR) World Championships in Abilene, TX, where he placed 18th in the world for Calf Riding.

Currently, Lane is ranked No. 3 in Calf Riding with the JPBR, and No. 3 in Calf Riding with the Missouri Junior Bull Riding Circuit (MJRC) for the 2019 rodeo season.

Lane has qualified to ride in the upcoming Junior Professional Bull Riding (JPBR) National Championship in Amarillo, TX during the month of October.

Lane Murphy. Submitted photos.

He has also been invited to ride in the International Miniature Bull Riders Association (IMBA) World Finals taking place in Las Vegas, NV in December 2019.

Every weekend the family attempts to find at least one rodeo to ride in, and even for “close” rodeos, they might have to travel hundreds of miles to rodeos in Kansas, Missouri, and Oklahoma.

The family is currently seeking additional financial assistance through fundraising to help support his travel expenses to the National JPBR Championship in Amarillo, TX and the IMBA World Finals in Las Vegas, NV.

His family is selling t-shirts in youth and adult sizes, and his parents are accepting donations on his behalf.

Lane is the son of local residents Jaymie and Patrick Murphy who is the owner/operator of Murphy Day Work, and the grandson of life-long Fort Scott residents Pat and Janet Murphy and Jay and Julie Leek.

A photo of the t-shirt the Murphy’s are using as a fundraiser to help get Lane to national and world competitions later this year.

To purchase a t-shirt in support of Lane contact, send his mother Jaymie Murphy a text message at 620-215-5012 to order. Please include name, shirt size, and color. Monetary donations can be sent to 1210 180th Street, Fort Scott, KS 66701.

“Lane also invites you to like and follow his fan page on Facebook to keep up with videos of his rides,” his mom, Jaymie said.

Fort Scott, Schools

Ashlea Taylor: New Special Ed. Teacher at WS

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Ashlea Taylor. Submitted photo.
Ashlea Taylor, 29, is a new special education teacher at Winfield Scott Elementary School.
Taylor has taught pre-school children at  Head Start 0-5 from September 2016-April 2019.
Her hometown is Phoenix, Arizona and she graduated from Pittsburg State University.
In her spare time, she enjoys traveling and spending time with friends and family, she said.
Is there someone who inspired you to teach?
“I have two aunts who are educators and I have always loved kids. Several family members have seen me with children and suggested it is where I belong.”
What is the best part of teaching for you?
“Learning each child’s individual way of learning and watching them experience breakthroughs in moments of doubt. “
 
Business, Fort Scott

Young Entrepreneur: DeLynn Abati

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DeLynn Abati holding the cake she used to announce that she would be returning to school and selling cakes to pay for it.  Submitted photos.

This is part of a series that highlights young entrepreneurs, under 30 years of age, in Bourbon County. If you would like to nominate a young entrepreneur, submit to [email protected] the name and email/phone number of the person, along with why you are nominating them and your name.

Delynn Abati, 26, first dabbed in cake creating, that has become her livelihood, when she became engaged.

“When my husband and I got engaged, my parents sat us down and gave us a choice: they would give us a set amount of money to pay for our wedding OR we could pay for the wedding ourselves and they would give us a bigger gift on our wedding day,” Abati said.

Tony and Delynn Abati on their wedding day, cutting the cake she made herself for the wedding. Submitted photos.

“We decided we’d give the second option a try,” she said. “As I planned our wedding, I saved money wherever I could, somehow we managed to do that without sacrificing anything we really wanted.”

“I decided I’d use that year to learn how to make my own wedding cake,” she said. “It wasn’t a perfect cake. There are some birthday cakes that I do now that look better than our wedding cake looked, but it was cool to be able to say I did it myself.”

She was married in 2018.

Once the wedding was over, she never stopped making cakes.

Out of that challenge by her parents, came  For Goodness Cakes, offering custom cakes, cupcakes, cake truffles, cake pops, and French Macarons. 

Delynn Drake holds a cupcake, one of several items she creates. Submitted photo.

“I started selling cakes originally, as a way to gain funds to go back to school,” Abati said. “The more cakes I did, however, the more I just wanted to do cakes… So I made a business of it.”

Submitted photos.

The business was technically formed on January 1, 2019.

“I did cakes informally for about six months before I started calling it a business,” Abati said. “I wanted to make sure I had a good chance of at least breaking even before I threw everything I had into this business.”

Abati works from home at her bakery business.

“I work out of my home for now,” she said. “I do not have any plans of moving my operation any time soon but that option is also always in the back of my mind.”

She loves creating and working from home.

“I have always loved creating so it’s great to be able to use my hands to create new things every day,” Abati said.  “The part that I love about owning my own business is that I get to create my own hours. I am a night owl so most days of the week you’ll find me baking in my kitchen or making cake videos in my living room at 2 a.m. People think I’m crazy but I come alive at about 8 p.m. every evening. It’s great to be able to do something I love, at such a peaceful time of day.”

Abati is the only paid employee of her home business.

“It’s just me right now.,” she said. “My husband, Tony Abati; mom, Amy Drake, and mother-in-law, Sandy Abati, are always willing to help and have jumped in several times to help me deliver, set up, or sometimes even finish decorating things. I’m lucky to have them! I couldn’t do it 100% on my own.”

Recently, Abati started offering new products and services.

“Thursday, August 15th, I released a lot of new changes to FGC,” she said. “The most exciting of which, in my opinion, is the fact that I am now offering French Macarons and I am introducing a cake cutting service. The rest of the changes are listed in a Facebook and Instagram post on my page @ForGoodnessCakesFS.”

Abati’s contact info:

Call or text: 6207041315 (texts preferred for orders)

Facebook and Instagram: @ForGoodnessCakesFS

Fort Scott, Schools

New WS Kindergarten Teacher: Jennifer Tourtillott

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Jennifer Tourtillott. Submitted photo.
Jennifer Tourtillott, 39, will teach kindergarten at Winfield Scott Elementary School this year.

This is her sixth year teaching kindergarten, after receiving her bachelor of science degree in elementary education from Pittsburg State University.

 

“I taught at a school called St. Andrews, in my hometown of Roswell NM,” she said.

Her family includes two brothers, two sisters and her parents, who are retired educators,  living in Texas.
She is married to Jason and they have two children.
“Jason is a teacher in Uniontown, for 14 years,” she said. ” Our son is Mason and he is going into 3rd grade. Our daughter is Madison and she’s going into kindergarten.”
In her spare time, she creates custom wood furniture with her husband, called Tourtillott Creations
The best part of teaching for her is:
“Giving the children a fun and loving atmosphere.  (Where)They feel safe and enjoy learning,” she said.
Ascension Via Christi, Bourbon County, Community Health Center of Southeast Kansas, Fort Scott, Health Care, Mercy Hospital

NPR Continues Story on Mercy Hosptal Closing

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The following is part of a series from National Public Radio and Sarah Jane Tribble for Kaiser Health News on the closing of Mercy Hospital in Fort Scott, December 2018, taken from Facebook.

Nationwide, more than 100 rural hospitals have closed since 2010. The loss of these hospitals has forced a change in the way emergency care is provided, including a greater reliance on air ambulances.

Bourbon County, Fort Scott, Jobs

Next Steps: Men Supporting Their Family

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Next Steps co-coordinators Sue Emmons and David Goodyear will start weekly gatherings next week.

A local initiative to move fathers out of dependence to become self-supporting is restarting August 19.

Next Steps is a local program of Connections to Success that the Kansas government provides to work with men in transition from dependence.

New co-coordinators David Goodyear and Sue Emmons are starting a new term with the program, replacing Jean Tucker, who had to step down for health reasons.

“It’s a 14-week structured curriculum,” Goodyear said. “It has a three-day intensive ‘get to know you’, team building and skills assessment.”

“We are targeting men, but we are not exclusive,” Goodyear said. They work with women wanting to become self-sustaining as well.

Next Steps meets Mondays from 5-7 p.m. at the First United Methodist Church in Fort Scott.

First United Methodist Church at 2nd Street and National Avenue, is the venue for Next Steps.

“The program is a collaboration of churches,” Goodyear said.

It is comprised of facilitators, who lead the discussion on a chosen topic, such as budgeting tools, conflict resolution, how to present yourself to an employer, how to do a resume, etc.

“We focus on personal, developmental, relational, vocational and spiritual,” Goodyear said.

Other people in the program are dedicated to helping with transporting participants to the meetings, and childcare during the meetings.

Then there are mentors-people who walk beside another person.

As a mentor, he has worked to develop relationships to help participants with decision making on such subjects as managing money or family conflicts, he said.

Many are battling isolation, lack of value and lacking a sense of belonging, Goodyear said.

“There is dignity in providing for themselves…We’ve had pretty good success,” he said.

Participants must learn such attributes as the mutual respect of showing up on time and not disrupting in group settings, Goodyear said.

Ages of participants in the past have varied from people in their 20s to those in their 60s.

For Emmons, she had been aware of the program and had referred people in prior jobs and was asked to join Next Steps as a facilitator/mentor about six months ago.

For Goodyear, the most practical way to show someone the Gospel of Jesus Christ is building relationships. He has been in the role of both facilitator and mentor as well for about five years.

To him, 1 John 3:18, is the inspiration: “Let us not love with words or tongue but with actions and in truth.”

For more information: contact Goodyear through Fort Scott Church of the Nazarene at 620-223-0131 or Emmons at 620-224-8096.

Bourbon County, Fort Scott, Health Care

Immunizations: No Appointment/No Local Provider Necessary at CHC/SEK

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Krista Postai

Krista Postai, President and CEO of Community Health Center of Southeast Kansas,  asked fortscott.biz to dispell some confusion.

 

“There has been some confusion in Ft. Scott about immunizations (at CHC/SEK),” she said. “In the past, we understood that Mercy (Hospital) usually required a well-child visit or a physical (exam) before administering immunizations.”

 

” While it’s a great idea to get your child’s immunizations as part of their regular check-up, that’s not always possible so it’s CHC/SEK’s policy  to provide shots on a walk-in basis at all of our clinics anytime we are open.”

 

No appointment is necessary for the immunizations.

 

Shots can be administered at the center no matter if the primary care physician is affiliated with CHC/SEK.

 

“We also do immunizations for anyone regardless of who their primary care provider is, so you don’t have to be one of our patients to get you or your child vaccinated,” she said. ” We do ask that you bring your child’s immunization record.”

 

The facility is located at 403 Woodland Hills Blvd., at the site of the former Mercy Hospital.

 

Bourbon County, Fort Scott, Government

Bourbon County Unification Committee Forms

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Fort Scott City Hall.

In an effort to help make government more efficient in the county, a new Bourbon County Unified Services Committee was formed August 7, 2019.

“I have heard about it (unifying government) for three years,” Greg Motley, who was selected to be the vice-chairman of the group, said. “We have to look for ways to be more efficient.”

“We had one meeting to organize ourselves,” he said. “The purpose is ‘how can we make government more efficient: city, county, school districts, community college’.”

Fort Scott Community College

The unifying committee was launched by Bourbon County Economic Development Corporation, BEDCO.

They are in the first stage, which is researching the possibilities, Motley said.

“That will take a while,” he said.

“We have to plan for a reduced population,” Motley said. “The cost of government is going to increase. We have to think about ways…to do it (government) more effectively.”

Motley said Wyandotte County has unified in northeast Kansas and other sparsely populated counties are considering combining to unify resources.

So the group will study the issue to see if it can be done, and done well, he said.

Motley knows that if the public is not for the unification of government, it will not happen.

“People could say ‘even if it saves money on taxes, we don’t want it’ and that’s ok,” Motley said.

 

USD 234 Board of Education Building.
Uniontown High School.
The  Bourbon County Courthouse

 

Bourbon County Unified Services Committee is comprised of Mark McCoy, chairman; Motley, vice chairman; Nancy Maze, secretary/treasurer; Greg Fess, Clayton Whitson, Larry Shead, David Foster, Larry Martin and Larry Jurgensen.

Greg Motley

 

Motley can be reached at 620-768-2329 or cell 620-215-6411 or [email protected]