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What’s Happening in Fort Scott
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All posts by Submitted Story
The Bourbon County Sheriff’s Office Daily Reports November 3
FSHS Thespians Announce Auditions for Children’s Christmas Show
The Fort Scott High School Thespians are holding auditions for ‘Twas the Night Before Christmas by Kathryn Schultz Miller.
Auditions are open to children in 1st-8th grades and take place from 6-8 p.m. on Nov. 13 OR 14 in the FSHS Auditorium. Children do not need to prepare anything in advance, but should plan to stay for the duration of the audition time on one of the nights. Parents should be present at the beginning for information and to fill out audition forms.
Rehearsals will generally occur Monday-Thursday from 6-8 p.m. Performances are Dec. 8 and 9 at 7 p.m. in the FSHS Auditorium. There is a $30 participation fee for children cast in the show.
‘Twas the Night Before Christmas is produced by FSHS Theatre Director Angie Bin with direction and design by the FSHS Thespians. Please contact Bin at [email protected] or 620-719-9622 with any questions.
Kansas Water Quantity and Quality Grants Launched
Governor Kelly Announces $85M for Two New Water-Related Grant Programs
TOPEKA – Governor Laura Kelly and the Kansas Water Office today announced that $85 million over five years will go toward water projects with the launch of the Technical Assistance Fund Grants and Water Projects Fund Grants programs. Both grant programs provide funding for up-front technical assistance and on-the-ground actions needed to address water quantity and quality issues around the state.
The grants were made possible when Governor Kelly signed Senate Substitute for HB 2302, a bipartisan bill from the 2023 legislative session that increased funding for the State Water Plan Fund and established these two grant programs.
“Current drought conditions across Kansas have reinforced that strong water infrastructure is essential to growing our economy and preserving our quality of life for future generations,” Governor Laura Kelly said. “These two grant opportunities will provide critical technical assistance and resources to improve our state’s vital water infrastructure.”
The Technical Assistance Fund Grants, totaling $5 million each year for five years, provide funding for planning, engineering, managing, and other technical assistance to develop water infrastructure projects and to process grant and loan applications for such projects. Approved grants will not exceed $1 million.
The Water Projects Fund Grants, totaling $12 million each year for five years, provide funding for construction, repair, maintenance, or replacement of water-related infrastructures and related construction costs; matching money for grant or loan applications for water-related infrastructure projects; and payment towards certain loan balances. Approved grants will not exceed $1 million.
“Access to reliable, clean water supplies is essential to all of our Kansas communities,” Connie Owen, Kansas Water Office Director, said. “These grants can help applicants to identity their water infrastructure needs, navigate application procedures, and obtain funds necessary to providing a safe, secure water supply for their communities.”
Eligible applicants include municipalities with an approved water conservation plan and special districts related to water organized under the Laws of Kansas.
Entities can apply via the Kansas Water Office website at:
More information on the application criteria and process can be found on the Kansas Water Office website at kwo.ks.gov.
Kansas October Tax Collections Report
October Total Tax Collections 4.1% Below Estimate; Individual Refunds up $50.2M
TOPEKA – The State of Kansas ends October with total tax collections at $685.4 million. That is $29.1 million, or 4.1%, below the estimate. Total tax collections are down 7.4% from October 2022.
Individual income tax collections were $298.7 million. That is $51.3 million, or 14.7% below the estimate, and down 16.5% from October 2022. Corporate income tax collections were $57.5 million. That is $27.5 million, or 91.7% higher than the estimate and up 77.2% from October 2022.
“But for the unusually high number of individual income tax refunds, the October total tax receipts would have surpassed the estimate,” said Secretary of Revenue Mark Burghart. “October refunds were $50.2 million more than in October 2022 and continue to reflect the influence of the SALT Parity Act, which presents a complicating variable in the revenue estimating process.”
Combined retail sales and compensating use tax receipts were $306.0 million, which is $4.0 million, or 1.3% below the estimate and down $15.7 million, or 4.9%, from October 2022.
The Bourbon County Sheriff’s Office Daily Reports Nov. 2
FSHS Newsletter November 2023
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Click title above for the FSHS calendar on the district website. Highlights: Friday, November 3rd: NO SCHOOL FOR STUDENTS! November 7th, 9th & 11th: FALL MUSICAL! November 11th: HAPPY VETERAN’S DAY! November 13th: FIRST DAY OF WINTER SPORTS PRACTICES! November 14th: SCHOOL PHOTO DAY/RETAKES, TOO! November 20th – 24th: THANKSGIVING WEEK! NO SCHOOL! November 23rd: HAPPY THANKSGIVING! |
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STANDING DESKS IN SCHOOLSThere is a growing shift in the way we think about education, with a focus on creating more engaging and dynamic learning environments. One innovative approach gaining momentum is the use of standing desks in classrooms. These desks can positively impact students’ physical health, focus and overall learning experience. Benefits will be shared throughout this newsletter. |
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Benefits of Standing Desks
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EVENT CODE: FE253123 |
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Buy your 2024 Crimson Yearbook for $50 by November 28th before prices increase: FSHS 2024 Yearbook Purchase SENIORS ONLY: – Please fill out this form for your activities to be published next to your senior portrait in the yearbook: Senior Activities in Yearbook – Senior Portraits are due by November 26th (or email us the date you will be able to submit – we cannot guarantee portraits will be placed if not received by December). Please have your photographer email them to [email protected] Portraits must be vertical head shot with any background but with no props/objects. Email with any questions. – Senior Tributes in the yearbook can be purchased online at FSHS Yearbook Senior Salute Just click on “Get Started” at the bottom of page to order a Senior Ad. Deadline is December 8th or until available space is filled. |
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Epic Adventure and Cultural Immersion! Fourteen students from FSHS are currently set to embark on a transformative journey through the heart of Europe spring break of 2025. More than just a vacation, the trip will deepen students’ understanding of history, culture, and the world. The trip will kick off with a visit to the Berlin Wall Memorial where students will delve into the rich history of this iconic landmark. Berlin highlights include the historic Brandenburg Gate, Checkpoint Charlie, Kurfurstendamm, and the Topography of Terror Museum. Next, the enchanting cobblestone streets of Prague will lead travelers to the magnificent St.Vitus Cathedral and the Old Town Square where students may admire the astronomical clock and indulge in Czech pastries. In Krakow the group will be transported back in time as they explore the haunting Auschwitz-Birkenau Memorial and Museum, a grim reminder emphasizing the importance of understanding history to create a better future. Conversely, students will also partake in the city’s vibrant life as they explore the stunning Wawel Castle, eat traditional Polish pierogies, and marvel at the magnificent architecture of Glowny Square. Budapest is known as the “Paris of the East.” Students will take in the grandeur of the Hungarian Parliament Building, relax in the famous thermal baths, and indulge in delectable goulash. This is the 12th educational adventure abroad that has been offered for students at FSHS, a testimony to the district’s desire to invest in students’ personal growth, experiential learning, cultural appreciation, and global perspective. Trip leaders Amy Harper and Polly Mayberry are currently organizing pre-travel meetings wherein travelers will learn basic greetings in German, practice formal dining etiquette, and watch historical movies associated with points of interest. All international travel is through the travel company Education First, whose top priority is student safety. If you would like more information or to enroll your student on this unforgettable journey of a lifetime go to EF tours. POLLY MAYBERRY English Teacher/ESOL Coordinator Fort Scott High School 620-223-0600 |
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These students attended the HOSA Fall Conference in Manhattan on October 4th. HOSA, Health Occupation Students of America, is a career and technical student organization for students planning to pursue health professions. At the conference, students participated in mock clinical trials, attended seminars and talked to representatives of colleges, universities and workplaces about various opportunities available in the bioscience and healthcare fields. submitted by HOSA sponsor Julie Heatherly Fort Scott High School Science teacher 620-223-0600 |
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Tiger Scholars Bring Home Hardware!On Monday, these four members of the FSHS Scholars’ Bowl team traveled to host high school Girard to compete in the season’s first Varsity tournament. Only one of these four students, Stewart Davenport, had competed previously. Congratulations to, from left, Grace Walker, sophomore; Mahayla Kilpatrick, freshman; Izabella Lisica, freshman and team captain, Stewart Davenport, sophomore for finishing in third place. Go Tigers! |
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Aiden Sigafoos and Mena Hicks step out of a Harry Potter novel to celebrate Halloween! |
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FSHS Angel TreeThe Fort Scott High School Angel Tree is a giving tree established by FSHS staff to assist our students, their siblings and any district school students that may have needs this holiday season. Please stop by the high school during school hours for more information. |
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Wash Wednesdays at the Washateria
Bo Co Coalition Meeting Minutes of November 1
Bourbon County Inter-Agency Coalition
General Membership Meeting Minutes
November 1, 2023
- Welcome: Seventeen members representing fourteen agencies attended. Billie Jo reminded members that the board will meet next Tuesday; Nick Johnson will begin his tenure on the board as a representative of USD 234 to fill the vacancy left from the resignation of Doug Altic.
- Member Introductions and Announcements:
- Lindsey McNeil, COPE: The COPE contingency was unable to attend today’s meeting as they were at the Washateria for the first “Wash Wednesday” event. Billie Jo will forward informational flyers to the membership about this event.
- Michelle Stevenson, USD 234: Michelle sent word that everything is going well with the Fort Scott Early Childhood Program!
- Allen Schellack: Fort Scott Compassionate Ministries, Salvation Army, etal: In October they were able to help several people obtain identifications and birth certificates in order to get jobs. In three weeks, the Red Bucket campaign will begin; Allen needs volunteers. Craig Campbell will be helping Allen obtain adequate volunteers. The Fire Department and Police Department will be manning the buckets during the “Christmas on the Bricks” celebration.
- Dave Gillen, The Beacon: The annual Adopt a Child, Elks Christmas baskets, and Beacon sign-ups will continue until November 3. The Beacon has served 129 new families, 329 total families, and 824 people so far in 2023.
- Lea Kay Karleskint, K-State Research: A “Walk with Ease” class will be starting on January 8 at Buck Run; Lea Kay also reviewed all classes available; more information can be found on the website. Her greatest need is a partner with space; she brings everything else for the classes.
- Nick Johnson, USD 234 Pre-School: The “Trunk or Treat” event was held last week with over 400 attending. The pre-school continues to do monthly screenings.
- Stephanie Herring, Family Resource Center: She works with families to ensure children are safe in their homes without DCF intervention.
- Dee Dee LeFever, Greenbush: Resource for any early learning services.
- Larry Jump, SEKCAP Community liaison: He covers twelve counties as a resource for early learning services. Currently SEKCAP is hiring for all positions; check the openings on the website.
- Brittany Trishman, SEK Multi-County Health Department: She is the breast feeding supervisor. The Health Department is now offering flu, Covid, and RSV vaccines. She recently received a grant to help with education; she welcomes partners to apply for additional grants.
- Star Culp, Parents as Teachers: Star’s program is full in the USD 234 district; however, she has two openings in the USD 235 district.
- Tammy Alcantar, Crawford County Health Department: Tammy reviewed the programs she works with in Bourbon County and expressed gratitude for being able to partner in Bourbon County.
- Sandy Haggard, RSVP: The next Red Cross blood drive is December 21 and 22 at Buck Run. Appointments need to be made online to ensure donation status.
- Rene’ Hibdon, CHC: Assesses family needs and connects them to the proper services. She deals primarily with home-based cases.
- Megan Smith, CHC: Completes in office assessments for families; her major emphasis is families dealing with pregnancies.
- Heather Shepherd CHC Community Health worker: By working in the USD 234 school system, she is able to connect families with resources. Her goal is to keep children out of DCF custody.
- Program: Travis Wilcoxsen and Kathy Romero, Angel Care Home Health.
Angel Care Home Health is located in most all southeast counties of Kansas; they provide home health care for Medicare-aged individuals. Travis explained the services they offer and the specialty programs they can provide, including psychiatric care based on a medical prescription. The ultimate goal for Angel Care Home Health is to make the patient better and keep him/her at home as long as it is safe to do so. Once accepted into the program, care is 100 percent paid by insurance. At present they have 190 patients and would like to find an additional nurse for Bourbon County.
- Open Forum: The December 6 program will be an update on CHC’s tobacco cessation program; in January, we will hear from Tess Watson about her bed project.
- Adjournment: The next General Membership meeting will be December 6.
FS City Commission Agenda for November 7
NOTICE OF AND AGENDA FOR REGULAR
MEETING OF FORT SCOTT CITY COMMISSION
CITY HALL COMMISSION ROOM – 123 SOUTH MAIN ST.
November 7, 2023 – 6:00 P.M.
- Roll Call:
- VanHoecke K. Harrington E. Woellhof M. Guns M. Wells
- Pledge of Allegiance & Invocation: M. Wells
III. Approval of Agenda:
- Consent Agenda:
- Approval of Minutes of the Regular Meeting of October 17, 2023
- Approval of Appropriation Ordinance 1347-A – $736,392.66
- Request to Pay – Sprouls Construction – 22-031B – Fort Scott Pavilion Project – Change Order No. 1 – Increased cost of foundation piers – $16,600.00
- Request to Pay – Sprouls Construction, Inc. – 22-031B – Fort Scott Pavilion Project – Payment Application No. 2 – $48,978.00
- Request to Pay – Bennet, Inc. – 23-005B – Infantry Substation Sanitary Sewer Relation Project – Change Order No. 1 – Soil management support from PPB Enviro-Solutions ($22,000.00) and additional requested work for Splash Pad future restroom infrastructure ($40,000.00) – $62,000.00
- Request to Pay – Bennett, Inc. – 22-306 – CDBG Sanitary Sewer Project – Pay Application No. 5 – $105,259.50
- Public Comment: Sign up required. Comments on any topic not on agenda
and limited to five (5) minutes per person, at the Commission’s discretion.
- Old Business:
- Consideration of Demolition Bids (Bid No. 2-2023) – 4 S. National and 10 S. National – J. Dickman
- Consideration of Housing Development – Patrick Wood
VII. Appearances:
- Kylie Paulsen and Lindsey McNeil – LHEAT – Homeless Presentation
- Rachel French and Bailey Lyons – McDonald Hall (10 and 12 S. Main – The Kitchen Collective and Collaborative
- Splash Pad Committee – Restroom Project
- Kendall Schoenrock – Certificate of Appropriateness – DCF building plans – to come if recommended by DRB on 11/6/2023
- Rachel French and Bailey Lyons – Certificate of Appropriateness – 6 S. Main and 8 S. Main storefronts – to come if recommended by DRB on 11/6/2023
VIII. Public Hearing: None
- New Business:
- Consideration of Interview Room recording system and case management software – J. Pickert – $11,467.00
- Consideration of reappointment of Frank Halsey to Parks Advisory Board – recommended by Park Advisory Board – B. Matkin
- Consideration of Gunn Park shower house contract with Hofer & Hofer – Recommended by Parks Advisory Board
- Consideration of Lake Fort Scott Boat Ramp bids – B. Matkin
- Consideration of City Employee Holiday Bonus – B. Matkin
- Consideration of 2024 City Holiday Schedule – B. Matkin
- Consideration of Reinvestment Housing Incentive District (RHID) proposal with Gilmore & Bell – M. Wells
- Consideration of South Industrial Park Waterline Inspection Proposal – Earles Engineering – $76,383.00 – J. Dickman
- Consideration to accept resignation of Brad Matkin, City Manager
- Tourism Rubric – B. Matkin
- Reports and Comments:
- City Manager Comments:
- Engineering Comments:
- Commissioners Comments:
- VanHoecke –
- Harrington –
- Woellhof –
- Guns –
- Wells –
- City Attorney Comments:
- Executive Session:
XII. Adjournment:
Next regular meeting scheduled: Tuesday, November 21, 2023, at 6:00PM
Award-Winning Teacher and Students Visit the Lowell Milken Center
Paige Franzen, Kadence Huck, and Callahan Levi, winners of the $2,500 First Prize in the Lowell Milken Center’s 2023 International Discovery Award competition, will be guests at the LMC on Thursday, November 2nd.
These 11th-grade students from Nashua-Plainfield High School in Nashua, Iowa, along with their award-winning social studies teacher, Suzy Turner, a 2022 LMC Fellow, are in Fort Scott to collaborate with the LMC staff on the production of a new exhibit panel for the Center’s Hall of Heroes.
The new exhibit will feature Unsung Hero Christine Grant, the subject of the students’ award-winning project. Their documentary, Why Not Us? Dr. Christine Grant’s Pursuit of Gender Equality, shares the story of Dr. Grant’s significant contributions to furthering gender equality in collegiate sports. As the decades-long athletic director at the University of Iowa, Grant embraced the historic passing of Title IX, building a highly recognized and unprecedented women’s athletic program.
Through their interviews with Grant’s previous students, mentees, and colleagues, the Nashua students were able to provide firsthand insight into the legacy she left behind. This information will be a valuable resource as the Lowell Milken Center staff works with Suzy Turner and her students to create a powerful new exhibit.
About the Lowell Milken Center: The Lowell Milken Center is a non-profit 501 © (3) that works with students and educators within diverse academic disciplines to develop projects focused on unsung heroes. Once their projects are finished, we advocate for the student’s unsung heroes by sharing them in our Hall of Unsung Heroes or our website so people all over the world discover their individual influence and obligation to take actions that improve the lives of others. The Hall of Unsung Heroes is proudly located in Southeast Kansas and showcases some of the top projects developed in collaboration with the Center.
Fort Scott High School Performs Guys and Dolls on Nov. 7,9, 11
The Fort Scott High School Performing Arts Department presents the musical Guys and Dolls at 7 p.m. on Nov. 7 and 9 and at 2 and 7 p.m. on Nov. 11 at the FSHS Auditorium.
Guys and Dolls is a musical fable of Broadway based on a story and characters of Damon Runyon with music and lyrics by Frank Loesser and book by Jo Swerling and Abe Burrows. It is considered by many to be the perfect musical comedy.
The musical follows the tale of gambler Nathan Detroit as he attempts to find a spot for his underground craps game and his girlfriend Adelaide as she laments about their very long engagement. We also watch as the smooth high roller Sky Masterson courts Missionary Sarah Brown as the result of a bet. According to Music Theatre International, “Guys and Dolls takes us from the heart of Times Square to the cafes of Havana, Cuba, and even into the sewers of New York City, but eventually everyone ends up right where they belong.”
Detroit is played by senior Jericho Jones, Adelaide is portrayed by junior Emma Guns, sophomore Levi Fairchild plays Masterson, and sophomore Junie Fisher stars as Brown. Over twenty other FSHS students serve as craps shooters, Hot Box dancers, and missionaries.
Audiences will also enjoy a live orchestra made up of 16 professional musicians from the surrounding communities for this year’s show.
The musical is led by Theatre Director Angie Bin, Music Director Whitley Chesney, Technical Director Christina King, and Choreographer Mesa Jones.
Tickets are $8 for adults and $6 for students and children. All tickets are reserved seating at fortscotthighschool.ludus.com or at the door. Advance purchase is encouraged as seating is limited. Doors open 30 minutes prior to showtime.
Guys and Dolls is presented through special arrangement with Music Theatre International (MTI). All authorized performance materials are also supplied by MTI, www.mtishows.com.
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