Category Archives: Fort Scott Community College

High Senior Day At FSCC This Friday

Fort Scott Community College invites all high school seniors to its Fall Senior Day on Thursday, November 1. The event will begin with registration at 9:30 am and will end the early afternoon.

 

This is a great opportunity for students to visit and experience FSCC. College faculty, staff, and students will be on hand to show potential students what it’s like to be a Greyhound. The event will include a campus tour, expo showcasing academic and activity programs, activities, and drawings. Activities will include minute-to-win-it games, a rollerball challenge, and a half-court-shot challenge. Additionally, all attendees will receive a free lunch.

 

Preregistration is now open! Visit our preregistration page now to get started.

Preregistration will be closed at noon on October 31st. Preregistration is not required-however, those who do will be entered into a drawing to win prizes. This is an event you won’t want to miss! Go Greyhounds!

 

Location: Danny and Willa Ellis Fine Arts Center

2108 South Horton, Fort Scott, Kansas

Date: November 1

Registration: 9:30 am – 10 am

Event”   10:00 am – 1:00 pm

Gilligan’s Island at FSCC

Castmembers sing the opening song, “The Ballad of Gilligan’s Island” Saturday night at the Ellis Fine Arts Center at Fort Scott Community College. From left: Jasper Dunn, Katie Button, Jared Oshel, Fayelyn Kmiec, Aiden Ballinger, Karri Johnson, and Harold Hicks.

Oct. 19-21, Fort Scott Community College Theatre members presented the musical version of “Gilligan’s Island”.

“Gilligan’s Island”  was a comedy TV program from the mid-1960s.

Any musical is a challenge for a small department, director  Allen Twitchel, stated in the bulletin for the show.

“We are attempting to produce a professional-quality show with cardboard and crepe paper while juggling everyone’s busy schedules,” Twitchel said.

The group of students and college staff worked diligently to exceed all expectations, Twitchel said.

Listening to the audience chuckle and clap, the audience seemed to agree.

The setting is a deserted island in the Pacific Ocean, where seven people are stranded during a shipwreck.

They come to grips with the situation, work on schemes to get off the island and are visited by a visitor from outer-space.

Gilligan was portrayed by  FSCC student Aiden Ballinger, Skipper by former FSCC student Jared Oshel, Mr. Howell by FSCC English IntructorHarold Hicks, Mrs. Howell by FSCC Office Assistant Karri Johnson, Ginger by FSCC student Fayelyn Kmiec , Professor by FSCC student Jasper Dunn, Mary Ann by FSCC student Katie Button, and Alien by FSCC student Marcus Robinson.

Several solos were performed by  Ballinger, Button, Kmiec, Dunn, and Hicks.

Gilligan and Ginger both have an emotional meltdown when the castaways learn they are stranded on a deserted island.
The group ties itself together in preparation of a hurricane.
The outer-space alien, played by Marcus Robinson, left, aims a weapon at the Skipper and Gilligan.
The group sings “Worlds Apart” in one of the final scenes of the play.
From left: Marcus Robinson, Karri Johnson, and Harold Hicks wait in line to greet the audience following the musical play Saturday night

Smoke-Free FSCC Campus Is Coming by Brianna Blandamer

Fort Scott Community College’s Smoke-Free Campus Initiative

In October of 2017, a grant was written by a committee of current and graduated members of FSCC’s Phi Theta Kappa Honor Society including Shelby Hutchison, Jackie Neher, Ty Covey, and Dustin Erikson.

The society was notified in December 2017 that they would receive the grant. The grant was provided by Truth Initiative®.

Truth Initiative® is the nation’s largest nonprofit public health organization dedicated to making tobacco use a thing of the past.

After the grant was approved, a task force of ten members was created. The members of this task force represent all areas of Fort Scott including FSCC students, faculty and even the community.

Along with the task force, multiple committees were created to use the grant in an effective way. These committees helped bring the new EX Program along with a Smoke-Free Campus Policy to FSCC.

The Ex Program is an advanced quit-smoking program designed to help students and staff begin and end their journey to becoming a non-smoker. This program includes the popular quit-smoking planning tools and an online community from the proven-effective smoking cessation program. The FSCC smoke-free campus initiative will also host a 7-week, face-to-face, smoking cessation workshop.

A Smoke-Free Campus policy was also written by a committee of Phi Theta Kappa members to end smoking on campus.

This became a focus brought to their attention by FSCC President, Alysia Johnston. This policy removes all smoke stations around campus and makes everyone at FSCC responsible for respectfully encouraging others not to smoke on campus. This policy also helps to empower others to inform students and staff to take part in the cessation programs and workshops if they are interested in quitting.

Questions were raised as to why the policy addresses only smoking, as opposed to a tobacco-free campus. The reason for this is because the President, along with the members of Phi Theta Kappa, believe that, due to this being a new policy, starting small is better. Smoking is also something that can harm bystanders, where tobacco, such as snuff and chew, only harms the person in use.

Over the past three years, Truth Initiative® has partnered with 135 colleges, reaching more than 1.2 million students and 275,000 faculty and staff members across 35 states. You can learn more about their work at truthinitiative.org.

For more information on the new Smoke-Free Initiative at FSCC, please feel free to contact Susie Arvidson by email at [email protected] or by phone at (620)223-2700 ext. 3441

FSCC Quit Smoking Program

Fort Scott Community College Announces Advanced Quit-Smoking Program for Employees and Students

Fort Scott Community College, in collaboration with Truth Initiative, announced today the EX Program, an innovative quit-smoking program designed for FSCC employees and students, has started.

The EX Program is a comprehensive, digital smoking-cessation program designed for employers, health systems and health plans to offer to their employees or members who smoke.

The program includes the popular quit-smoking planning tools and online community from the proven-effective smoking cessation program.

According to Truth Initiative, statistics make clear why an innovative, advanced approach is needed:

  • 68 percent of smokers want to quit.
  • 55 percent of smokers make a quit attempt annually, yet only seven percent are successful.
  • Each year a smoker costs an employer nearly $6,000 more than an employee who has never smoked.
  • Since 95% of U.S. adults own a cellphone, and nearly 9 in 10 use the Internet, what better way to reach those in need than to offer an online cessation program,” said Phi Theta Kappa Advisor, Susie Arvidson.

Through the policy adoption and the work required to accomplish it, not only are we creating a healthier environment, but many students have experienced the procedures of policy and education. We are the heart of the institution and being involved in the policy process is important. We are, also, offering educational opportunities including health-related topics and online and face-to-face cessation workshops. We hope that through the opportunities such as the Ex Program, students, faculty, and staff will be offered the tools to better handle the transition of the policy adoption,” said Leslie Damian, Smoke-Free Campus Initiative college leader, and intern.

The Ex Program will be one cessation tool offered as part of the Fort Scott Community College’s Smoke-Free Campus Initiative.

FSCC announced in January that they were one of 18 minority-serving institutions and community colleges to receive funds and technical support from Truth Initiative®, the nation’s largest nonprofit public health organization dedicated to making tobacco use a thing of the past.

The project is being led by Phi Theta Kappa, the honor society on campus. Over the past three years, Truth Initiative has partnered with 135 colleges, reaching more than 1.2 million students and 275,000 faculties and staff across 35 states.

To learn more about our work speaking, seeking and spreading the truth about tobacco, visit truthinitiative.org.

Gilligan’s Island Comes To FSCC by Briana Blandamer

Fort Scott Community College Theatre and Music Departments are presenting Gilligan’s Island: The Musical on October 19 and 20 at 7:30 pm and then again on the 21 at 2:00 pm. All show times will be on stage in the Danny and Willa Ellis Family Fine Arts Center.

Tickets are $5 for the community. All students, staff and faculty have free admission to the show.

The show is directed by Allen Twitchell, Head of the Theatre Department and Seth Ernst, Head of the Music Department.

Twitchell chose Gilligan’s Island: The Musical because it had been at least four years or more since FSCC put on a musical. He had checked out a book from the library about the original making of the Gilligan Island series and had read that there was a musical version. He thought it was a great choice to get a musical brought back to FSCC because it has a very small cast number and it is something familiar to the community.

The cast has been working on the show for about six weeks now, with one week left till showtime.

Jared Oshel, former FSCC student from Richmond is playing Skipper. Oshel said, “My favorite part about acting, in general, is the fact that I get to get away from the stresses of life and work and get to come to the stage and become another person for a little while.”

Katelynn Coe, a student at FSCC, is the show’s stage manager. She is in charge of the set making, light and sound cues, and so much more. Katelynn says her favorite part of her job is that she gets to watch a show come to life from the very beginning and watch all the actors bring their individual characters to life in their own way.

The complete cast includes Aiden Ballinger, a freshman from Pleasanton, as Gilligan;  Oshel,  as the Skipper; FSCC instructor Harold Hicks as the millionaire, Thurston Howell; FSCC staff member Karri Johnson as Mrs. Howell; Fayelyn Kmiec, a freshman from Farlington, as movie star Ginger; Jasper Dunn, a sophomore from Whitehall, Wis., as the Professor; Katie Button, a freshman from Fort Scott, as Mary Ann; and Marcus Robinson, a freshman from Paola, as the Alien.

Come out and watch Gilligan’s Island come to life on the stage here at FSCC!

FSCC Rodeo Team takes on the FSCC Alumni

The Fort Scott Community College Rodeo Team will host the annual Dan VandeWynkel Alumni Rodeo starting with Slack at 2 pm and then kicking off the rodeo at 7:30 pm Saturday, October 20th at Arnold Arena. During the rodeo, students will compete alongside FSCC alumni. Events will include bareback riding, barrel racing, breakaway roping, bull riding, calf roping, goat tying, saddle bronco riding, steer wrestling, and team roping. Participants can register by phone on Oct. 15th from 12 pm to 7 pm, registration is $25 per event.

Tickets are $8 for adults, $5 for FSCC students, $2 for children, and $20 for families (two adults plus children). The team will also host an athlete auction at 5:30 pm, where community members can bid on a few hours of labor from rodeo athletes. There will also be a silent auction throughout the day! All money raised will benefit rodeo student scholarships. For information, please call Chad Cross, FSCC Head Rodeo Coach, or Jaice Cross, FSCC Assistant Rodeo Coach, at 620-223-2700, ext. 7020.

Free Kids Festival Oct. 13 at FSCC by Briana Blandamer

Saturday, October 13, the FSCC Community Relations committee will be holding a FREE Fall Kid’s Festival.

Kids of all ages are welcome to join in the fun!

The festival will be held at Fort Scott Community College in the South Bailey Hall Parking lot from 9 am to 11 am.

There will be a costume contest at 10 am, so wear your best Halloween costume! There will be a prize awarded.

The activities will include a hayride, bounce house, games, prizes, face painting and treats. Bring your own pumpkin for pumpkin painting.

This will be the first of two kid’s festivals this school year, with the second this Spring. FSCC wants to involve the community in campus activities and this is one way to do so that is a lot of fun for everyone involved.

Kassie Cate says, “The FSCC Community Relations committee is looked at as one of the bridges between the college and the community. We do our best to participate in all the community activities as well as provide activities on campus for the community. The community always does a great job at holding numerous activities and events throughout the year, so we feel that we need to also be a part of that, and do our share on free or low-cost events for the people in Fort Scott and surrounding areas.”

Please contact Kassie Cate with any questions by email: [email protected] or by phone: 620.223.2700 ext. 5248

STEM at FSCC by Briana Blandamer

Franklin Torres warming a hydrogen-filled balloon.

On the morning of September 26, the STEM Club at Fort Scott Community College held demonstrations to show other students what STEM Club is all about.

STEM stands for Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics.

There is an extra bonus for joining the club.

The STEM club offers a scholarship to pay for books and tuition up to 15 credit hours to all qualifying members.

The club demonstrations Wednesday included the shooting of a potato gun, the bursting of hydrogen-filled balloons, and even some hair-raising with electricity using a Van de Graaff Generator, provided by Elie Riachi, the FSCC Physics, and Physical Science Instructor.

Trenton Allison loading the potato gun.

Students joined in, during their passing periods, to watch the demonstration and enjoy a donut or two, donated by Fort Scott’s Price Chopper.

The current STEM Club members would like to be a part of more activities and competitions, but they do not currently have enough members to do so. The FSCC STEM Club is searching for eager students to join them.

FSCC Student Megan Thomas takes part in the hair raising experiment, using the Van Der Graaff Generator.

This club creates an opportunity for students to learn more about these subject areas, while also having fun doing some interesting experiments and even some engineering.

For example, Trenton Allison, a STEM Club Member, built his own drone.

FSCC studentTrenton Allison’s drone he built.

The STEM Club is sponsored by Robert Doyle, FSCC’s Chemistry Instructor.

Consider joining the STEM Club today and become a part of something that makes learning fun.

For more information, contact Mr. Doyle via email at [email protected].

Student Jon Barnes, enjoying the hair-raising experiment with Kassie Fugate-Cate,

 

Zumba at Fort Scott Community College

Feugate-Cate leads the first class of Zumba Tuesday evening at FSCC.

Kassie Fugate-Cate, Director of Strategic Communication, has officially brought the Zumba exercise program to Fort Scott Community College.

Zumba is a fitness program that combines Latin and international music with dance moves. Although this is where Zumba started, Fugate-Cate has added a more modern twist to the classes as well, using today’s popular music and dance steps.

Fugate-Cate fell in love with the Zumba program when she had the opportunity to be a teacher’s assistant for the class that was offered when she went to Pittsburg State University, she said.

Fugate-Cate thought that getting certified to teach a Zumba class would be a great way to get back into Zumba and also show other students and community members what a great program it is.

The class is offered every Tuesday and Thursday from 5:30-6: 30 pm.

Tuesday, September 11, was the first class.

Until further notice, the classes will be held in the auditorium at the college’s Ellis Fine Arts Center.

Student, Marcus Robinson and community member, Sara Lancaster, have a smile on their face during the Zumba class Tuesday.

Each class has a $3.00 fee and welcomes men and women of all ages.

Cate says, “No one is too old for this class!”

To sign up for a session or request more information, please contact Cate via text/call at (918) 801-5060 or by email at [email protected]

Students Move In Greyhound Lodge by Briana Blandamer

Students have moved in FSCC’s Greyhound Lodge, with the renovation of the former Red Ram Motel ongoing.

Greyhound Lodge, formerly known as Red Ram Motel, is in the final stages of renovation.

Fort Scott Community College began the renovations on the old motel at the beginning of the summer to create more off-campus housing for students.

As the final touches are being made, students were able to begin moving into the lodge on Tuesday afternoon, September 4.

The students moving into the Lodge are primarily rodeo team members, with the exception of a few track athletes and the John Deere program students.

Pictured is Tanner Phillips in his room. He is a Bareback Rider on the FSCC Rodeo Team.

Cory Brown, one of the FSCC Rodeo coaches, was hired to be a Residential Assistant at Greyhound Lodge.

Cory Brown shows the Greyhound Lodge Commons Area, which is yet to be furnished.

Brown said the college has plans to add TVs, couches, and a pool table in the common room to create an area for the students to meet. There will also be a computer room for students to do studying and homework.

The student laundry area.
The common kitchen area.
An empty room at the Greyhound Lodge. The beds are stackable if desired.
A bathroom is in each two-person room.
A microwave and small fridge are in each two-person room.

In addition to the computer and common rooms, there is a laundry space and kitchen area.

The lodge is comprised of bedrooms with attached bathrooms.

 

Board of Nursing Public Forum Will Be at FSCC Sept. 25-27

The Kansas State Board of Nursing (KSBN) will be visiting Fort Scott Community College (FSCC) on September 25th through the 27th to evaluate the FSCC Nursing program.

On September 26th, there will be a public forum open to the community from 1:00 pm to 2:00 pm at the Burke Street Campus, Room 101. All are welcome to attend for questions and comments.

For more information about the forum, please contact Jordan Howard at 620.768.2908 or email at [email protected].

Greyhound Campus Cookout Aug. 29, 11:30 a.m. by Briana Blandamer

Classes are in full swing, athletics have officially begun and the activities here at Fort Scott Community College continue, giving students opportunities to leave their dorm room, meet new people and enjoy the year together!

 

On Saturday, FSCC football opened their season with a hard fight against the Highland Scotties. The Greyhounds lost 29-28.

 

The Greyhound football team will have a chance to turn their season around with their first home game of the season. Come out to see the battle against Coffeyville Community College at 7:00 pm on Saturday, September 1.

 

The FSCC Volleyball team will face the Cowley College Tigers here in Fort Scott at 6:30 pm on Wednesday. Come help support the lady Greyhounds!

 

This Wednesday, August 29, there will be a Greyhound Cookout outside of the Bailey Hall commons area from 11:30 am to 12:30 pm. There will be free food, drinks and chance to win a $50.00 Walmart Shopping Spree! The winner of this giveaway will be announced at the volleyball game that evening. You must be present to win.

 

Enjoy another week, Greyhounds!