The Design Review Board will meet on Wednesday, August 5th, 2020 at 4:00 p.m. at the City Hall Commission Meeting room at 123 S. Main Street, Fort Scott, Kansas. This meeting will be held to discuss a Certificate of Appropriateness for a sign at 19 S. National and a Certificate of Appropriateness for signage in the downtown area for the walking trail and any others matters to be brought before the Board. This meeting is open to the public.
This meeting will be made available via the City’s you tube channel at City of Fort Scott.
To ensure the health and safety of our visitors, students, and community with these uncertain times of Covid-19, the Annual Gordon Parks Celebration has been cancelled for this year.
We have rescheduled the event for October 2021.
This was a very hard decision to make as we were looking forward to this year’s celebration, but the health and safety of everyone is our top priority.
We are already making plans for next year’s celebration to be even better, so please save the dates of October 7 -9, 2021.
We would like thank all of our donors and supporters for their support and patience during these challenging times.
Please feel free to contact us with any questions, 620-223-2700 ext. 5850or email [email protected].
Members of the USD 234 Board of Education met in the Fort Scott Middle School Commons on Monday, July 27, for a special meeting.
President David Stewart opened the meeting. Gina Shelton, Business Manager, presented budget workshop information. Board members approved the 2020-21 Negotiated Agreement and the Coronavirus Relief Fund Memorandum of Understanding.
The board went into executive session to discuss personnel matters for nonelected personnel and returned to open meeting.
The board approved the following employment matters:
A. Resignation of Jessica Reichard, Winfield Scott paraprofessional, effective at the end of the 2019-20 school year
B. Employment of Hannah Dunn as a central office accounts payable/secretary for the 2020-21 school year
Superintendent Ted Hessong discussed the 2020-21 school year. Administrators from individual buildings presented learning options. The board approved September 9, 2020, as a start day for school with teachers reporting on August 14, 2020.
Downtown Historic District held at the Empress Event Center
Attendees may wear mask at their own Discretion
Let’s talk about: SPARK FUNDING
The Bourbon County Commission received $2.9M in CARES Act funds through the State of Kansas SPARK funding. This funding is designed to help the county with the health and economic emergency of the COVID-19 pandemic. For more information about the funding, visit https://www.bourboncountyks.org/spark/.
Danny Larsen is the new physical education teacher at Eugene Ware Elementary School.
Larsen earned his bachelor of science in education with a strength and conditioning emphasis; and a bachelor of arts in psychology.
He has two years of experience teaching as an At-Risk Teacher, this is his first physical education position, he said.
Larsen’s hometown is Fort Scott and is married to Jamie Larsen. They have three children: Noah who will be a senior, Malachi an 8th-grader, and Madeline a 5th- grader.
What are your hobbies/interests/community involvements?
“I love spending time with my family as much as possible. I also like to coach, work in my shop (woodworking), and play basketball.”
How did you become an educator?
“I’ve always enjoyed working with kids and being a mentor, either through coaching sports or volunteering at school or church.”
Is there someone who inspired you to teach?
“There were so many teachers who played a big role in my decision to pursue teaching as a career. These include teachers I had while I was in school and those who have taught my kids.”
What is the best part of teaching for you?
“For me, the best part of teaching is connecting with a kid who has struggled either academically, emotionally, or in some way that makes their life and school more difficult. Once you see that tension disappear from their face and it’s replaced by a smile, there’s nothing else like it!”
What are the greatest challenges?
“Right now, the great challenge is being a new teacher where kids are looking for familiarity and normalcy. Fortunately, I do well in those situations and look forward to teaching in Fort Scott.”
A prior prom photo of the class 2020 of FSHS. Submitted photo.
The 156 graduates of Fort Scott High School will have an unprecedented graduation on August 1 at the football stadium on Main Street at 8 p.m.
The changes are the result of the COVID-19 pandemic, which is currently seeing a surge in the country and in Bourbon County.
“We are approved for an outside graduation, with masks, a limited number of guests for each student, a maximum of 6,” said Amber Toth, Fort Scott High School, Principal. “The crowd will not be allowed on the field, we will dismiss our seating by section and have people leave immediately to help control crowd gatherings, and we will ensure social distancing.”
“We are not allowed to conduct graduation in the gym,” she said. ” If there is a weather issue we will reschedule time of graduation or date of graduation.”
“Teachers are allowed to attend graduation but there will not be a farewell line,” Toth said. “We plan to have students do a lap on the track for audience members where they can wave, etc.”
The following is from the FSHS Facebook page:
“We have worked very hard to ensure we can have this ceremony and create a gathering that was approved by the health department. That means your cooperation and support will be needed moving forward. We need families to be flexible. We cannot have graduation in the gym with our current level of spread. Therefore, we may need to adjust the time etc if weather prevents us from having it at the stadium. GRADUATION WILL NOT BE OPEN TO THE GENERAL PUBLIC AND STUDENTS WILL BE GIVEN 6 TICKETS FOR GUESTS. Graduation will be live streamed for the public. We will have graduation practice on July 31st at 10:00 am. Students are required to attend so they can pick up their tickets for families and their mask at graduation practice. We will provide further details concerning entering the stadium before graduation.
Procedures:
1. We will expect the 6 guests from families to set together. We have provided seating for each student’s guests allowing for 6 foot distancing between families. We will expect you to follow and respect these guidelines.
2. We ask that each student’s guests enter the stadium together to help with seating.
3. You must have a ticket to enter the stadium.
4. All guests, graduates, and staff will be required to wear a mask throughout the ceremony. If you are not wearing a mask, you will not be allowed to enter the stadium but will be able to watch through the livestream from your home or car.
4. At the conclusion of graduation, no one will be allowed to enter the football field. We will do a recessional for the graduations and lead them off of the field.
5. Families will be dismissed from the bleachers one section at a time. This was an important step for getting our plan approved. We ask that you immediately leave the field when your section is dismissed so we can move to the next section.
6. You will need to meet your graduate at home or in your car after the ceremony.
7. Graduation masks will be provided for graduates and faculty.
8. If you have been mandated to quarantine while awaiting testing or have been quarantined due to a positive test or exposure, you will not be able to attend graduation. The health and safety of our community is our number one priority.”
The Fort Scott City Commission will meet on Tuesday, July 28th, 2020 at 5:00 p.m. in the City Hall Commission Meeting Room at 123 S. Main Street, Fort Scott, Kansas to hold a work session to discuss the City’s 2021 budget.
The work session will also be available on the City’s YouTube channel.
Missy Miller, 49, is the new USD 234 Instructional Coach for kindergarten through fifth-grade.
She received her bachelor of science degree at Emporia State University and her masters in leadership from Baker University.
Miller has 18 years of teaching experience.
Her hometown is Tonganoxie, KS and she just moved to Louisburg, KS.
Miller and her husband, Keith, have a daughter Courtney, 20, and son, Jake,19.
Her hobbies and interests include: being a Pampered Chef Consultant, reading historical Christian fiction, especially Francine Rivers and swimming.
How did you become an educator?
“I knew early that I was called to be an educator. I would set all my dolls and stuffed animals up and teach them when I was little.”
Is there someone who inspired you to teach?
“Tim Brady, my 8th-grade history teacher was my inspiration. He believed in me, pushed me to be more than I believed I could be, and encouraged me in all I did!”
What is the best part of teaching for you?
“The best part about teaching is the kids, helping them succeed, providing safety, and loving each of them for who they are no matter their circumstances.”
What are the greatest challenges?
“Balancing the newness of teaching in a pandemic, how do we best reach those who need us most, how do we navigate providing for the whole child while not getting to see them face to face on a consistent basis.”
The Fort Scott High School Dance team is doing a Tiger Strong Fundraiser and have an online store for purchasing merchandise.
On September 4th, the first FSHS Football game that was scheduled, they are asking that the town wears a Tiger Strong shirt or mask to show support to the Tiger Athletes.
The store will be located in the strip mall on Main Street, which is also 69 Hwy on the south end of town.
“We are very excited to open in Fort Scott,” said Demi Bouwens, director of operations for the franchise in Pittsburg and Fort Scott.
“The store will be located in the parking lot near the Hibbett’s Sports Store,” Bouwens said. “We are aiming for a November 2020 opening.”
“As we were building our location in Pittsburg last year we began to notice the community in Fort Scott,” she said. “We loved the warm, friendly environment as we spent time in the community. Because of this, we knew this community would be a great fit for Scooter’s brand.”
Not just coffee will be offered but other snack items will be sold at the drive-through only coffee store.
“We offer a variety of options from coffee, smoothies, teas, lattes, blenders, muffins, breakfast options, to cookies and our famous cinnamon roll,” she said. “This is a drive-through only model where you can count on amazing drinks served to you amazingly fast!”
What is the history of Scooters?
“In 1998, Scooter’s Coffee was born,” Bouwens said. “Co-founders Don and Linda Eckles began an amazing journey when they opened their first drive-thru coffeehouse in Bellevue, Nebraska. Their keys to success: find a great location and stay committed to high-quality drinks, speed of service, and a BIG smile. Scooter’s Coffee is fortunate to have over two decades of success due to its commitment to the original business principles and company core values. Amazing People, Amazing Drinks…Amazingly Fast!”
