All posts by Loretta George

Bourbon County, Bourbon County Sheriff's Office, Schools, Youth

Update on Uniontown Teacher Accused of Felony With A Student

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Breanna Hampton Taylor, taken from the USD235 website.

Breanna Janise Hampton Taylor was arrested on February 25, 2024, by the Bourbon County Sheriff’s Office for unlawful sexual relations of a teacher with a student 16 + years of age, according to Bourbon County District Court Documents.

This was Taylor’s first year of teaching.

The offense date was February 17 and was outside the school environment, according to a press release from the school.

Taylor, who in court documents is now using her maiden name, Hampton, was arrested on February 25, and a $10,000 bond was posted on February 29. The case is listed as pending.

Her first appearance hearing was February 29, and her next court date, a preliminary examination, is March 28.

In the State of Kansas VS Breanna Janise Hampton, the prosecuting attorney is Bourbon County Attorney Tiana McElroy and the defense attorney is Geoffrey Clark.

Mark Ward is the judicial officer.

Hampton is being charged a Level 5 Person Felony in violation of K.S.A. 21-5572 ((a)(9)) and (b)(2).

The penalty range is a minimum of 31 months to a maximum of 136 months in prison and/or fines of up to $300,000 and 24 months post-release supervision.

The presumption of innocence in a criminal case is considered a due process of the law:

To view the  USD 235 press release on February 25, about the arrest:

Uniontown Teacher Arrested for Allegation of Inappropriate Conduct Towards a Student

 

Bourbon County

Local Reservoir Is Dead In The Legislature, But A Community Discussion Meeting is March 22 in Mapleton

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The Kansas Senate Bill 497, to begin the long process of building a reservoir in northern Bourbon County, is dead.

Kansas Senator Tim Shallenberger introduced the bill to start a discussion on a new reservoir in northern Bourbon County on February 9, 2024. Shallenberger is the District 13 Republican from Baxter Springs.

Tim Shallenberger from the Kansas legislature website.https://www.kslegislature.org/li/b2023_24/members/sen_shallenburger_tim_1/

The bill was to establish the Pike Reservoir Project District Act to provide for a lake and related commercial and residential development in Bourbon County and authorize a governing board and sales and property tax increment financing for such project, according to HTTPS://www.kslegislature.org/li/b2023_24/measures/sb497/

To view the bill introduced on February 9, 2024: sb497_00_0000(3)

The bill was referred to the Committee on Agriculture and Natural Resources on February 12.

“There is a process, you introduce a bill, they have hearings, committees, then goes to the House and Senate,” Shallenberger said. “It’s a decades-long thing, the bill was just to kick it off.”

“The whole thing is dead, as best as I can tell,” Shallenberger said. “Unless someone locally wants to take it up again. The next thing that would  have to happen is a feasibility study.”

“By looking at the bill, it could give a framework for possible future plans,” he said. “Before you do anything you have to have a framework. That’s why the bill was drafted. There would have been a lot of public input in the years-long process.”

“There are no plans currently,” he said. “The bill is gone, the whole process would all have to start over again.”

“There was pushback from local people,” he said. “They were upset.”

Shallenberger said when he visited Fort Scott last year he met with local business and government representatives “People were talking about a new lake.”

Shane Walker, Bourbon County Director of Information Technology, “had a map of the proposed lake…(and) took me up through the area.”

“It was an interesting landscape, hills and valley, perfect for a lake,” Shallenberger said. “Water is needed in Kansas and there is federal money for it.”

“If someone wanted to do a feasibility study they would have the bill as a framework,” he said.

Shallenberger said “I am optimistic about Fort Scott, there is a lot of potential, even without a new lake. You are a net win on sales tax. People are coming to Fort Scott to buy things.”

 

 Community Members Facilitate Discussion On The Reservoir

 

There is a meeting this Friday,  March 22, in Mapleton, which was initiated by Joe Bisogno, property owner near the reservoir site.

 

A flyer was provided by Mike Hueston.

 

The meeting is scheduled to discuss the reservoir from 4:30 to 6 p.m. at Mapleton Community Center tomorrow,  Friday, March 22.

“It was Joe Bisogno’s idea to get something together for information for citizens,” Mike Hueston, Mapleton City Councilman said. “Everybody I talked to, didn’t have a clue about this (reservoir).”

Landowners, community members, and political representatives are welcome to come.

Joe Bisogno owns Timber Hills Ranch in the proposed area.

“I own property that would be flooded,” he said. “The meeting will be about the pros and cons and questions of a lake in the proposed area.”

“I don’t know enough about it to be ‘yes’ or ‘no’ but I know we need water,” Bisogno said. “If the landowners and the officials can work out the details, I think it’s a great project.”

 

 

Business, Fort Scott

New Service Offered at Bartelsmeyer Jewelry: Laser Engraving

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Wyatt and Krysta Hulbert in their store. Submitted photo.

Bartelsmeyer Jewelry,  22 North Main in historic, downtown Fort Scott recently purchased a new laser tool for the store.

Wyatt and Krysta Hulbert are the owners of the store since July 2023, when they purchased it from John and Cindy Bartelsmeyer.

The  xTool P2, 55 Watt, CO2 laser engraver can cut through wood, multi-colored acrylics, leather and more, Krysta said.

Submitted photo.

“We can also engrave pictures and designs on a diverse variety of materials such as paper, fabric, leather, acrylics, glass, slate coasters, phone cases, and wooden cutting boards,” she said. “With the addition of a special metal marking spray, we can create permanent etchings on the surface of several different types of metal as well.”

Submitted photo.

They purchased the new laser engraver in December of 2023 and spent a few months getting accustomed to the uses and creating displays to showcase what can be done.

Submitted photo. Earrings made with the new laser.

“So far, I have used our laser engraver to cut out and engrave acrylic and leather earrings, engrave a coated metal tumbler, engrave a wine glass, create a wooden photograph on basswood, and engrave a personalized wooden cutting board,” she said. “We have also engraved a stainless steel dog tag, and the back of a watch case using Cermark laser marking spray. As we continue working with this new equipment, I am sure we will find many more applications and uses.”

Submitted photo. A computer case engraved by Krysta Hulbert.

“The minimum charge to have an item that is laser engraved will be around $25, however, each project is different and will be quoted on a per-item basis,” she said.

Submitted photo.

About the store
The Hulberts provide other services/products to the community.

Jewelry repair, ring sizing, watch battery replacements and watch repair, stylus and laser engraving, buying and selling of gold and silver jewelry and coins, and custom jewelry design.

“We offer many products such as silver fashion jewelry, estate jewelry, diamond engagement rings, and many colored stone rings, necklaces, and bracelets,” she said. “We can special order a variety of gift items such as pen sets, jewelry chests, baby silverware, frames and piggy banks, and other specialty giftware items.”

“We have an amazing team working with us at Bartelsmeyer Jewelry,” she said. “You are sure to be met with a familiar, smiling face when you walk in our door!”

The team members include the  Hulberts, John Bartelsmeyer, Julie Kibble, Kerragan Davis, Sammie Ragan, Yvonne Holloway, and Anna Laubenstein.

Hours of operation are Tuesdays-Fridays from 10:00 am to 5:30 pm and on Saturdays from 10:00 am to 1:00 pm.

The store phone number: 620-223-2070
E-mail: [email protected]
Website: www.bartelsmeyerjewelry.com

Entertainment, Food, Fort Scott, Youth

Easter Egg Hunters Are Invited To Gunn Park This Saturday

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Egg hunters begin their search at the Fort Scott Kiwanis Easter Egg Hunt, on April 1, 2023. Submitted photo.

The Fort Scott Kiwanis Easter Egg Hunt is this Saturday, March 23 at 11 a.m. sharp at Gunn Park Shelter #2. The event is for children preschool through fifth grade, with participants bringing their own Easter baskets to gather the goodies in.

The Kiwanis-sponsored event is always the Saturday before the Easter weekend.

“We recommend people get there at 10:30 a.m.,” Kiwanis President John Crain said. There is always a crowd and it may take a while to get to the child’s age-designated area.

“It’s over at 11:07,” said event coordinator Bob Eckles with a chuckle.

The Easter bunny in the 2009 egg hunt.

The Easter Bunny will be there, so parents can get a snapshot of their children with him.

“Kiwanis packs the goodies on Thursday at 6 p.m. before the event,” Eckles said. “We get help from the Key Club at the high school.”

They usually spend several hundred dollars on candy, but this year “Candy is more expensive, especially chocolate,” Eckles said.

In some of the eggs are coupons from local businesses: Hedgehog Book Store, Dairy Queen Restaurant, McDonalds Restaurant, NuGrille and Flowers By Leanna.

Cash donations for the event are from: R and R Equipment; Diehl, Fletcher and Banwart CPA;Don’s Spirits and Wines; Merle Humphrey Insurance and Photography; Iron Star Antiques; Big Sugar Lumber; Bids and Dibs Consignment and Walmart.

 

Bourbon County, Church news

Catholic Convent Coming to Rural Bourbon County In April

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The interior of the Chapel of the Immaculate Conception.
After Easter, in April 2024, a group of 17 Catholic Sisters will be moving to a rural Bourbon County property to make their home.
“We Sisters were invited to make our home on a piece of property near St. Martin’s Academy, by Dan Kerr and by the organization Ave Philomena,” said Mother Maria Regina, a spokeswoman for the Sisters “We have obtained the property we will live on to serve as a place to support the spiritual life of the students, faculty, and families at St. Martin’s Academy. If all goes well, we hope to come very soon after Easter.”
Submitted photo.
“Our present convent home is in Minneapolis, Minnesota,” she said.  “While we have been grateful to live in Minnesota, we needed a larger place, as we had outgrown our home there.  Also, we have longed to live in a more rural area, which is more conducive to our lifestyle.”
The name of the new Catholic establishment is St. Joseph Convent on Hackberry Road, southwest of Fort Scott.
Submitted photo. This photo is the housing for the Sisters, located at St. Joseph Convent, rural  Bourbon County. Each cottage is 16 ‘ by 20 ‘ with two sleeping quarters and a shared bathroom in between.
The name of this group of Sisters is Filiae Laboris Mariae, which means “Daughters of the Work of Mary.”
“We are a group of Catholic religious Sisters, who dedicate our lives to prayer and to service,” she said.  “We are a rather new community.  We were founded in 2017, and most of our Sisters are still rather young–the large majority in their 20s and 30s.”
The 5,300 square-foot chapel is flanked by the Sisters’s cottages on the left in this photo.
“Our primary purpose is to dedicate our lives to prayer and that is the reason that the largest building for our new convent is the chapel,” she said.  “We Sisters give our lives entirely to God and live in community: praying together, working together, recreating together each day.  In addition to our life of prayer, we also intend to serve the community by organizing events that will foster the spiritual life for various groups of persons.  We have heard that there are nursing homes in Fort Scott and would very much like to make regular visits to the residents of the nursing homes.”
Submitted photo of the Sisters.
They are a community of 17 Sisters.
  “Nuns is the term for those Sisters who serve the world exclusively by their prayer and sacrifice.  Since we also have some external service to others, we are called Sisters,” she said.
“For those who become Sisters, there are stages of formation,” she said.  “The first stage is called the postulant and we have one postulant.  The next stage is that of the novice (you can tell a novice because she wears a white veil), and we have eight novices.  The last stage is that of a Sister who has professed the vows of poverty, chastity, obedience, and total consecration to the Blessed Virgin Mary.  The professed Sisters wear a blue veil, and there are eight professed Sisters. “
Submitted photo. The  Novice wears a white veil.
Submitted photo. A blue veil is worn by a Sister.
About the build
Steve McTavish, Olathe, is the project manager for Ave Philomena, the owner of the project. The 160-acreage was purchased from Delbert and Darla Crays.
“We started last August,” he said. “April 2 is the scheduled move-in.”
The current phase of the build is the 5,300 sq. ft. chapel,  16′ by 20 ‘ residence cottages, a 2,000 sq. ft. community center, a 4,000 sq. ft. dining, kitchen, sewing laundry center,  and a small cottage for meetings.
The future phase is for three other buildings for community and additional lodging, and a replica of the House of Loreto with courtyards,  McTavish said.
Almost all of the work on the St. Joseph Convent project has been done by local tradesmen.
The people who have helped with the build are Advantage Building and Remodeling-Fort Scott; R2 Construction-Fort Scott; Geiger Plumbing-Fort Scott, H2 Painting-Fort Scott; Wes Davis Drywall, Kelly Electric-Uniontown,  5M Restoration, LLC-Prescot; George Collinge (road and land clearing work); Bar/Rose Custom Wood Designs-Fort Scott; C.D. L. (HVAC); Aegis (fire protection); Rural Water District #2; Heartland Electric Coop; Harris Propane, Invictus Roofing, Mike the Carpet Man (flooring) and Winvent/Extrusions (windows).

 

Bourbon County, Exercise, Schools

Improved Walking Trail In The Making For Uniontown Community

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Old asphalt is coming off the Uniontown Walking Trail this week. This view is in the back of the high school. Two residents, Brian Stewart and Jason Koch are donating their time and resources to demolish the current asphalt trail.
An improved walking trail around the USD 235 Campus is in the making. The trail is an oval around the two school buildings in Uniontown and is used by many in the community.
 Work began on March 11 to dig up the old asphalt.
“Everything that was asphalt will be replaced with concrete,” said Uniontown Schools Superintendent Vance Eden.  “The new path will be 5 feet wide and ADA compliant.”
Vance Eden, superintendent for USD 235. Photo from the school district’s website.

“Excavation/demolition is being donated by Brian Stewart and Jason Koch.” Vance said.  “The  (concrete) replacement is being done by Tri-state  Building of Pittsburg.  The project was bid by several contractors and they had the winning bid.”

The major part of the community improvement project is through the Recreational Trails Program by the Kansas Department of Wildlife and Parks, he said.

“The district will cover its portion through in-kind donations and also our Capital Outlay Fund,” Eden said.  “Donations of the excavation by Brian Stewart and Jason Koch, a gravel donation of 800 tons by Mary and Don Pemberton of Bandera Stone, and a donation of the rock hauling by Bourbon County (Public Works Department) all help us minimize the district’s cash portion.
The old asphalt is coming off in preparation of the improved walking rail in Uniontown. This view is on Clay Street looking east to the West Bourbon Elementary School playground.
The project should be completed by late April or early May.
“Spring weather could be a factor but we are planning on it taking around 6 to 8 weeks,” he said.
The Uniontown Walking Trail looking south on 75th Street in January 2024.
The Uniontown Hiking Trail looking north on 75th Street on January 2024.
Fort Scott, Housing

New Apartments Are Coming To Fort Scott

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The inside of a property that will be similar to the Fort Scott property. Submitted photo.

The former Fort Scott Manor Nursing Home, 736 Heylman Street, will soon be 24 standard market apartments.

Shane Lamb, president of Rural Asset Management and  Rural Redevelopment Group, De Soto, KS. decided to take on the development project, even after not receiving grants to help.

“We didn’t receive any state or federal grants or funds,” he said. “We did apply for them but did not receive any. I am doing this on our own.”

“The rental complex hasn’t been named yet,” he said. “We will in the coming weeks.”

The building is approximately 20,000 square feet. “It’s been completely gutted and new everything,” Lamb said.

Lamb purchased the Fort Scott Manor property in January of 2022, he said. “It was closed down by the state several years ago, then went through bankruptcy proceedings. I believe it had been closed for three years.”

A look at a rental unit that Lamb’s business is working on in Iola. Submitted photo.

The Fort Scott property will not be low-income apartment rentals but instead will be for the standard market.

“We focus on rural towns and rural housing,” he said. “Typically, we purchase nursing homes, schools, hospitals…single-use vacant properties we convert to housing.”

“We should have the majority of the repairs done in the next six months and plan to have it 100 percent completed and occupied by winter,” Lamb said.

Submitted photo of a property rental that is being constructed in Iola that will be similar to the Fort Scott rentals.  Submitted photo.

Lamb said he always tries to use qualified local contractors and buy materials locally.

“I always try to keep the money local,” he said. “It doesn’t work 100 percent of the time. Sometimes you can’t find local partners to meet those deadlines…because they are so busy.”

Work trucks line the driveway of the former Fort Scott Manor. Submitted photo.

Lamb said there was a glitch in the Iola project that paused it for several years.

“W had a neighbor that was on a city council that blocked rezoning for almost 4 years,” Lamb said in a later interview.  “The project has since started and is being remodeled as we speak. The project is slated to be done within a year.”

Entertainment, Fort Scott, Sports

Par Tee Girls Start Their Third Golf Season

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Some of the Par Tee Girls. Submitted photo.
The Par Tee Girls Golf League is a group of women who look forward to getting together regularly, enjoying companionship, and playing a little golf while they are at it, said organizer Diane Striler.
Diane Striler. Submitted photo.
“This will be the third year for the Par Tee Girl league at Woodland Hills,” Striler said. “Last year we had roughly 55 women sign up for the league from Fort Scott, Nevada, and the Mound City area.”
“We are a very casual league encompassing women of all skill levels,” she said.  “I encourage women to come out and play, even if they have never played before. A lot of our members are beginners. I always tell women if they want to learn to play, this is a great way to start.  If you don’t set the time aside to play regularly, it’s hard to improve.”
Submitted graphic.
Striler has golf lessons scheduled for April, before the league starting.
“So women can get a little more comfortable before hitting the course,”  she said.  “The lessons are only $20 each and are perfect for beginners and a great refresher for avid players.”
Their season goes from May 1 to July 31.
“Each week we have a different game that we participate in, whether it’s for the longest drive, straightest drive or longest putt, etc. Women can keep track of their scores if they want, but that is not required. I ask members to keep track of their putts though.”
“At the end of the night, we tally our putts and pay ten cents for each,” she said. “The winner of the game that night receives half of the putt money, and I save the rest for our banquet tournament on July 31.”
On July 31 there is a four-person best ball scramble.
“Afterward, we have a catered dinner and give out prizes for the top three teams, for games on each hole and we each receive a league gift.”
Submitted graphic.
“This year our league will also host three different dates when a restaurant or food truck will serve dinner at Woodland Hills,” she said. “Along with our league, the community will be invited to join us at the course for a night of good company, food, and some music.”
The dates scheduled are:  May 8th – Brickstreet BBQ,  June 5th – Taco Azul,  and July 10th- Aunt Toadies.
Striler will post more information as the dates get closer.
Some of the Par-Tee Girls. Submitted photo.
Fort Scott, Schools, Youth

FSHS Floriculture Students Start New Venture Selling Products They Make

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Fort Scott High School Floriculture Teacher Sydney Cullison’s students plan to create and sell some of the products they have learned to make.

“Students in floriculture are looking to create Easter-themed centerpiece arrangements,” she said. “This is a learning experience for students and each arrangement may vary slightly.”

This is a sample of a floral arrangement the students made. Submitted photo.

This is the first year for floriculture in FSHS.

“Our source of flowers is Flowers By Leanna,” she said. “She sells them wholesale to us. We have done a workshop there with her.”

“It’s the first time we’ve ever sold arrangements,” Cullison said. “We are testing the waters.”

“We plan to make corsages and boutonnieres,” she said.

“We are lucky to have several floral shops in town, some rural towns don’t, but we want to give the kids the experiences at the same time,” she said.

“The proceeds will be used for future floriculture things,” she said.

Orders for the Easter arrangements are due by March 17.

Each arrangement is $30. Flowers to be possibly included are: white easter lilies, tulips, stock, carnations, static, and leather leaf in a 5.5″ tall tin bucket with ribbon.

Cash or Check to Fort Scott FFA. Venmo @Sydney-Cullison

Delivery inside city limits is available for $5.

Pick up at FSHS Ag Shop.

Delivery and pick up on March 27 by 4 p.m.

Order Link: https://forms.gle/FjGKkCZYwtoD5P4K8

Left to right: Dakota Hazelbaker, Jaidyn Crumby, Blaiton Terry, Bradley Hicks. Submitted photo.

Sydney Cullison has taught agriculture at FSHS for three years and is also the FFA Advisor. She graduated from FSHS in 2015.

Sydney Cullison. Submitted photo.
Bourbon County, Schools, Sports, Youth

St.Martin’s Academy Rugby Players: David VS Goliath Story

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The St. Martin’s Academy Rugby Team.Top, from left to right: Finn Burch, Prosper Owen, Will Van De Ryt, Robbie Ritson, Joseph Moleski (Captain), Benedict Sullivan (Co-Captain), Berkely Nordhus, Ben Walsh, Colin Egger.
Bottom, from left to right: Sam Egger, Ben Skinner, Patrick Mulholland, Peter McDonald, Ethan Blakie, Liam Pluta. Submitted photo.

Saint Martin’s Academy is a Catholic boarding school for boys that combines classical academics with a practical work program on a sustainable farm. and is located southwest of Fort Scott.

It seems they have some athletes as well.

“We are the reigning Kansas State Rugby Champions, ” said school headmaster Daniel Kerr. ” Currently, we are ranked #9 in the country for all schools of any size according to the Goff Rugby Report.”

Saint Martin’s Academy rugby players, the Kingfishers, beat the Thomas Aquinas Saints, Overland Park, who had won state the previous 14 years in a row in May 2023.
“We are currently 9-1, having already defeated three reigning state champions: Missouri Champion SLUH (St. Louis University High School) by a score of 34-17; Pennsylvania Champs Gregory the Great by a score of 47-3; Tennessee Champs Germantown by a score of 44-7,” Kerr said.  “We will play reigning Oklahoma State Champs Bixby on March 16th on our home field.  Our one loss was to the #3 ranked Club Team, Woodlands by a score of 8-15.”
“We received … an invitation this year, a couple of weeks ago, from the governing body of USA Rugby and will be headed to Elkhart, Indiana to compete against the best teams in the country from May 23rd-25th,” Kerr said.  “Nearly all the teams there will be from schools with several thousand students.  For us to be in that league having only 68  students total is an extraordinary accomplishment.  Most of the teams will have more boys in their rugby program than we have in our entire school body.  It’s a true Hoosiers story – David vs. Goliath.”
The athletes ages are from 14-18, and are all students at St. Martin’s.

“To be a rugby player at St. Martin’s Academy is to be part of something larger than yourself,” said Coach John Prezzia.  “It’s to be a band of brothers; a small group of young men united in the forge of intense battle amongst each other, where they are truly, ‘ironing sharpening iron’. This creates a bond amongst them that is so tight, that every one of them is completely willing to sacrifice all of himself for the sake of each brother next to him, and the team as a whole”

“This unity of purpose and toughness is how we continually punch above our weight, and with only 68 boys total enrolled at the school, we can compete with the very best teams in the country,” he said. “We have just been invited to the National Tournament…and are currently in the planning and fundraising phase. The boys have worked unbelievably hard to get to this level, and are incredibly excited to compete with the best.”

We got the invite last Tuesday, and when I announced it to the boys, they just about brought the house down with their hooting and hollering,” Prezzia said. “It was a pretty special way to kick off this journey to try and bring a Rugby National Title back to Fort Scott.”

 

The St. Martin’s Academy Rugby Team prays before playing. Submitted.
John Prezzia has been the head coach of the Kingfishers, since 2022.
He was the assistant rugby coach at Gregory the Great Academy in Elmhurst, PA before taking the helm as head coach for the Kingfishers in 2022, Kerr said.
Prezzia is a native of Pittsburg, PA, where he wrestled collegiately for Wisconsin.  He and his wife Michaela were married last summer and are expecting their first child in April.
About Rugby:
“Rugby, a “barbarian’s sport played by gentlemen”, was invented in Rugby, England in 1823 when William Webb Ellis picked up a soccer ball and ran with it,” Kerr said.  “It is the progenitor of American football.  For example, the name ‘touchdown’ comes from the rule in rugby where you have to physically touch the ball down in the endzone for the score to count.  Rugby combines the fluidity and continuous play of soccer with the physicality and roughness of American football.  There are 15 players on the field and like soccer, they play both offense and defense as the ball changes possession.  Like American football, the aim is to carry the ball across the opponents goal line and touch the ball down in the opponents end-zone or ‘try zone’.  A ‘touchdown’ is called a ‘try’ in Rugby.  A try is worth 5 points and the subsequent conversion kick is worth 2 points.”
Fort Scott, Schools, Youth

Four Christian Learning Center Students Win $1,000 Scholarships Each In Solar Competition

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A Heartland Rural Electric Cooperative sponsored team from Christian Learning Center in Fort Scott was named Grand Champion at the first-ever SunPowered Student Challenge held Feb. 5 in Topeka. Eleven teams from across the state competed at the event. Pictured from left to right: Science teacher (and Heartland member) Scott Cain, Ethan Hill, Ryan Koch, James Kobernat, and Sam Love. Submitted photo.

Scott Cain is a Science and Math teacher at Christian Learning Center, Fort Scott.

Recently, a team of boys that he taught won the top prize at the first-ever SunPowered Student Challenge, a statewide solar energy competition founded by the Kansas Electric Cooperatives, Heartland Rural Electric Cooperative, Ten80 Education, and Pitsco Education.

Sam Love (16), Ethan Hill (17), James Kobernat (17), and Ryan Koch (18) were the students who were a part of the CLC team, each winning a $1,000 scholarship.

Sam’s parents are Kelly and Jason Love, Fort Scott; Ethan’s parents are Garrett and Kaleigh Hill, Nevada, MO; Jame’s parents are Dan and Amy Kobernat, Fort Scott; and Ryan’s parents are Jason and Holly Koch, Uniontown.

 

From left, Christian Learning Center students Ryan Koch, Sam Love, Ethan Hill, and James Kobernat work on their strategy for optimizing solar production during the first-ever SunPowered Student Challenge, held Feb. 5 in Topeka. The CLC team was named the Overall Champion at the event.

Heartland Rural Electric Cooperative sponsored the team.

The boys were taught in a curriculum before the competition: how to wire circuits in series and in parallel, how types of circuits affect amps and volts, how to evaluate a site for optimal placement of solar panels, how to use latitude, time of year, and nearby obstacles, such as trees to angle solar panels for maximum output, how to consider the day-time usage of a household to calculate number of panels, where they should be located, and cost of installation.

“The competition involved several categories of scoring, said teacher Scott Cain.  “The highest total point scored was the winner.”

What the students were judged on:

  1. Skills challenges: a problem to solve and calculate.
  2. A slideshow presentation to a panel talking about what they had learned through the process of the semester and the curriculum
  3. Branding and Curb Appeal (how the teams constructed house looked, the matching t-shirts, etc.)
  4. A cooperative challenge solving a problem with other teams
  5. Keeping a logbook of the curriculum
  6.  Given daytime household usage and criteria of a house’s location, etc.,  the team designed a mount of the proper type of solar cells to reach a desired output, while maintaining a given range of volts.
Christian Learning Center.

About the private school, taken from its website:

The Christian Learning Center (CLC) was founded in 2000, by Mr. Harold Kraft. 

MISSION STATEMENT
“To educate and encourage students to live a Christ-centered life; to impart necessary skills to meet the demands of an ever-changing world; and to develop mental, spiritual, emotional, and physical strengths so that each child may live up to his or her God-given talents in the surroundings of a stable, Christian school environment.”

We fulfill this mission by assisting Christian parents in performing their Biblical responsibility to “train up a child in the way he should go” and “bring them up in the nurture and admonition of the Lord” (Proverbs 22:6, Ephesians 6:4).  All subjects are taught from a Biblical worldview.  “The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge” (Proverbs 1:7).