Abby Helt, 23, will be the new Fort Scott High and Middle School Choir Teacher for 2020-21.
Helt received a Bachelor’s of Music Education from Kansas State University and student taught in the Shawnee Mission School District.
Her hometown is Lenexa and her parents and family all live in the K.C. area.
Helt has been involved in her community as a member of the Kansas City Choir, Te Deum.
The following is an email interview with the new teacher:
How did you become an educator?
“I have always wanted to be an educator throughout my whole life. My sisters and I would play ‘school’ all the time growing up, and I’ve always been very musical. I want to be able to instill that passion for music in my students, whether it be just a hobby or a potential career.”
Is there someone who inspired you to teach?
“My high school choir director really inspired me to teach music because he made the choir class such a welcoming environment where everyone was able to be themselves. I want to create that in my classroom.”
What is the best part of teaching for you?
“The best part of teaching is getting to know the kids and watching them grow from the first day of school to the last day of school/when they graduate.”
What are the greatest challenges in teaching?
“As I am still fairly new to my career, I have not experienced any great challenges!”
There will be a Special Meeting of the Fort Scott City Commission held at 10:00 a.m. on Thursday, May 14th, 2020 at the City Hall Commission Room, 123 S. Main Street, Fort Scott, Kansas 66701. The City Commission will meet to consider approval to apply for the K.D.O.T. Cost Share Program, and approval for engineering services if needed.
The City Commission meeting will not be open to the public at this time due to the limited number of 10 allowed due to the COVID-19 pandemic. This meeting will be made available via the City’s Youtube channel at City of Fort Scott.
We hope you enjoy the Fort Scott Public Library newsletter. You are receiving it because you provided us with your email address for library notifications. If you don’t want to receive future editions, you can unsubscribe using the link in this newsletter, or email the library [email protected], and we will remove your address from the list.
The Library Building Will Be Closed to the Public Until Further Notice
Curbside Service
Fort Scott Public Library is offering curbside pickup of library materials. We encourage patrons to log in to their accounts and place holds. Patrons who prefer may call us at (620)223-2882 or email either [email protected] or [email protected]. We will limit holds placed by phone to 5 items. Patrons may also borrow newspapers and magazines. Email or call with the titles and dates needed.
The only items available to check out are those physically in our library. Eventually the service that moves library items from place to place will be working again, but for at least the next couple of weeks, we’re limited to what we have here. If you log in to your account at www.seknfind.org, your choices will automatically be set to items located at Fort Scott Public.
Are you unsure of what books to get for your child, or just don’t have the time to browse the catalog? Miss Val is here to help! Every week, she will compile collections of ten books on specific topics for you to check out. See the library website or Facebook page for a list of current topics available, and feel free to contact Miss Val at [email protected] to make suggestions for future topics. Collections are compiled by both topics and age ranges of birth to 1st grade or 2nd to 5th grade. When calling or emailing the library to reserve a collection, just ask for the book collection listed online, or request a list of current topics. If one you want has already been taken, we will tell you what topics remain. You may even find a few goodies from Miss Val in your bag!
Emails and texts are automatically generated when we scan holds. The items won’t be available to check out until we have scheduled a time with you. We will call patrons to schedule a time to pick up their items. We encourage everyone to log in to their accounts and verify that their contact information is correct. If you need assistance logging in, please email us at either [email protected] or [email protected]. Include your account number (library card number) in your email.
You can find instructions about how to log in to your account and place holds by looking in the “how to” section on our website: fortscott.mykansaslibrary.org.
We will have a table outside the library where we will place items to be picked up. Patrons should call the library when they arrive and give us their library card number. We will put the items on the table to be picked up. We ask that people stay away from the table while library staff are outside.
We will place your items in bags before putting them on the table. If you prefer to use your own bags, let us know when we schedule your pick up time. When you arrive, call us to let us know you’re here, place your bag on the table, and move away from the table. Library employees will put your items in your bag and return to the building.
People who need us to put the items in their vehicles should let us know when we are scheduling their pick up times. Please open your trunk and remain in your vehicle when you let us know that you’re here for your holds. Library staff will place your items in your trunk.
In the event of inclement weather, items to pick up will be placed on the counter inside the Second Street entrance. Please wait until staff have re-entered the main building before entering to pick up your items.
We will have an area outside the building in which we are offering free books. Please limit browsing to one person at a time. We will refill the selection of free books as needed. Please remain an appropriate distance away from library employees refilling the free books boxes.
We are quarantining all returned items for several days.
Please maintain appropriate social distancing while library employees are outside the building.
Please stay home if you are sick.
We are not accepting donations of any materials at this time.
A note to our wi-fi users: In order for us to keep the wi-fi available while we are offering curbside circulation, we ask that you please not occupy the parking or sidewalk area on the north (Second Street) side of the library.
Book Bags for Children
Bagged collections of books for children available for curbside check out
Are you unsure of what books to get for your child, or just don’t have the time to browse the catalog? Miss Val is here to help! She has compiled collections of ten books on specific topics for you to check out. See the library website or Facebook page for a list of current topics available, and feel free to contact Miss Val at [email protected] to make suggestions for future topics. Collections are compiled by both topics and age ranges of birth to 1st grade or 2nd to 5th grade. When calling or emailing the library to reserve a collection, just ask for the book collection listed online, or request a list of current topics. If one you want has already been taken, we will tell you what topics remain. You may even find a few goodies from Miss Val in your bag!
Here are the topics currently available: Boys’ General Interest, Classics, Community Helpers, Dinosaurs, Disney Stories, Fantasy, Farm, Girls’ General Interest, LEGO, Silly Stories, Sports, Spring, Superheroes, Star Wars, Vehicles, and Zoo Animals. For most topics, we have books in both the Birth – 1st Grade and 2nd – 5th Grades age ranges, but always choose what you think your child is more ready for.
Digital Resources
Digital Library Accounts
If you don’t have an account with us, and you live in Bourbon County, we can create an account that gives you access to digital resources. Create an account at www.seknfind.org and we will email you information about using it to access hoopla and Sunflower eLibrary.
At present, we are not able to create new accounts for checking out physical items.
Download ebooks, audiobooks, comics, TV episodes, movies, music, and more. All you need is your library card login and a valid email address. Ask us if you need assistance.
Download ebooks and audiobooks from the State Library of Kansas. All you need is a Kansas Library eCard. Ask us if you need assistance.
For Kids
Virtual Storytime Tuesdays 10 am Zoom
11 am Facebook Live
Stayed Tuned for Announcements about this year’s Summer Reading Program!
Join Miss Val online for stories, songs, & crafts Upcoming Themes: Flight & Alphabet.
Click this link on Tuesdays at 10 am to join the Zoom storytime. To receive the Zoom password, email Miss Val at [email protected] or message the library’s Facebook page. Suggest your child’s favorites here.
1,000 Books Before Kindergarten
Join our free early literacy program and steer your baby or preschooler toward academic success! Studies show that children who are read to from an early age develop better vocabulary, make more connections in their brains, and form the needed skills to read by themselves much quicker than their average peers who are not read to. Sign up by sending your name, child’s name and age, and contact information to Miss Val at [email protected]. Track your child’s reading online or on paper by recording every time you read a story to your child. Once you reach 100, send Miss Val a message at the email above. Take a photo of your child (you may print a milestone paper for the photo from this website. When the library reopens to the public, Miss Val will give your child a sticker and book for each milestone achieved while we were closed. Take a look at our awesome readers here.
FIGHTERS for Teens & Tweens
Sjoin
Stay tuned for announcements about this year’s teen summer reading program!
Middle & High School Students, join Miss Val on Zoom Wednesdays at 4 p.m. for a free program just for you!
FIGHTERS stands for Familiar Inviting Group Helping Those Entities Recover from School. The name was chosen and voted on by our members.
Online meetings occur each week, and specific details will be posted on the library’s Facebook page. You will need to use this link to join the Zoom meeting. You will also need to contact Miss Val at [email protected] or through the library’s Facebook page in order to receive the password required to join the meeting.
USD 234 Superintendent Ted Hessong nominated Fort Scott High School Senior Elizabeth Ngatia to serve on the Kansas Learning Plan Commission, started by the Kansas State Department of Education.
The KSDE asked all school districts to nominate one senior from the graduating class of 2020 to be on the task force to assist other seniors across the State of Kansas in dealing with the pandemic of COVID-19.
“I felt so honored, thankful to have a superintendent who believed in me so much,” she said. “The nomination was to represent the USD 234 school district and our seniors.”
Hessong was impressed with Ngatia as a student at FSHS, he said. “After hearing some of her speeches, I was moved by the passion she had for topics she was conveying to the listener. I was not aware of Elizabeth’s personal story at the time of the nomination, but when she shared her story with me I knew she was the right choice to nominate for her to represent USD 234.”
Once nominated, Ngatia wtote a bibliography about herself and waited to see if she was selected to be a part of the 50 students selected.
“After the meeting with the 50 students, a few weeks passed and KSDE contacted me about being a part of an even smaller group to help have a more focused conversation that can benefit students,” she said.
The group met online for discussion beginning May 1.
The following is an email interview with Ngatia.
What do you do on the commission?
“I discuss my thoughts, ideas, and concerns about my struggles as well as other seniors and their struggles through this trying time with fellow seniors in Kansas, and the staff of the KSDE.”
How do you meet?
“We meet every few weeks on Zoom calls as a group.”
Elizabeth Ngatia, top middle , in a Zoom meeting with others on the Kansas Learning Plan Commission. Submitted photos.
What is the commission all about?
“The commission is all about… the leaders of the Kansas education system, getting to hear from students about how we are coping with everything. They are able to have an insight on what ways they may be able to help with such a drastic change. However, the commission goes beyond Covid-19 and the burden it has been. We discuss how and what educators can do to help address some of the barriers seniors face. What they can do to create, and improve, some of the high school learning experiences for future graduates.”
Has anything good come out of the experience of the pandemic that shut down the country, for you?
“I think for me I took the time to grieve and be heartbroken about the situation. I took the time to remember all the things that would no longer be accessible to me, once I got past that grieving stage, I reminded myself that this is the way that it has to be, that although it has affected many important areas of my life, I must look at the positives. I quickly recognized how lucky and blessed I am to have a home life where I feel safe, cared for, and can easily focus on my online studies well. At the end of the day, you must take the bad situations and make them good, I am happy to have gotten this extra time with my family, this extra to also re-evaluate and discover more about myself before moving on to a new chapter of my life.”
What challenges have there been?
“For me, asides from the common missing being with friends and extended family, it was navigating post-secondary education plans without the help of teachers and especially the counselors.”
What are you looking forward to in your education?
“I am really looking forward to being in the leadership community at Washburn University and being around such a family-like atmosphere. I am also really looking forward to studying pre-law (political science) in the capital city where I will hopefully get to work with some of our state lawmakers and see everything in action, hopefully, pick up a few skills!”
“Elizabeth has a bright future in front of her and I know by her participating in this task force, others will be able to learn and relate to her story and she will help her fellow seniors across the State of Kansas in dealing with COVID-19 in a positive manner,” Hessong said.
Ngatia shared a little of her life journey with fortscott.biz:
She was born and raised in Mombasa, Kenya, and her parents worked hard to support the family.
“At the age of seven, my family immigrated to America,” Ngatia said. “My parents picked up jobs at local fast-food restaurants to support us.”
The culture in Kenya and the U.S. were immensely different, she said and she felt like she was out of place due to her strong accent, financial issues and other cultural differences.
Her family became her source of motivation.
Her parents told her the American Dream was meant for her and her sister.
“They pushed us to be successful because this is an opportunity not many have in Kenya,” she said.
The faith and support of her parents helped her realize the opportunities she has before her, and she looked for ways to change the status quo, by getting involved in many school activities to fulfill the goals she had, she said.
There will be a Special Meeting of the Fort Scott City Commission held at 10:30 a.m. on Wednesday, May 13th, 2020 at the City Hall Commission Room, 123 S. Main Street, Fort Scott, Kansas 66701. The City Commission will meet to consider approval to apply for the K.D.O.T. Cost Share Program, and approval for engineering services if needed.
The City Commission meeting will not be open to the public at this time due to the limited number of 10 allowed due to the COVID-19 pandemic. This meeting will be made available via the City’s Youtube channel at City of Fort Scott.
Members of the USD 234 Board of Education met virtually on Monday, May 11, for their regular monthly meeting.
President David Stewart opened the meeting. The board approved the official agenda. The board also approved the consent agenda as follows:
A. Minutes
B. Bills and Claims
C. Payroll – April 17, 2020 – $1,375,747.90
D. Financial Report
E. Bond Proceeds Reconciliation
F. Activity Fund Accounts
Stephanie George, KNEA President, presented a report. Administrators from each building shared information with board members.
Superintendent Ted Hessong expressed thanks to administrators and directors for their leadership throughout the pandemic. He also discussed competency-based learning, CARES federal money, a return-to-work plan, and the Return-to-School Committee.
Gina Shelton, Business Manager, discussed closing down the financials, CARES federal money, a food service/food distribution update, and insurance renewal.
Board members approved the following items:
· Roof change order
· Roof payment
· 2020-21 Calendar
· 2020-21 Fees
· Greenbush Energy Group Participation Agreement and Hedging Authorization for 2020-21
· LEA Assurances
The board also reviewed summer projects.
Board members shared comments and then went into executive session to discuss personnel matters for nonelected personnel and returned to open meeting. The board then went into executive session to discuss matters relating to employer-employee negotiations and returned to open meeting.
The board approved the following employment matters:
A. Transfer of Rachelle Thomas, Eugene Ware fourth grade teacher, to a fifth grade position for the 2020-21 school year
B. Transfer of Rhonda Dawson, high school secretary, to high school activities/athletic secretary for the 2020-21 school year
C. Transfer of Pam Hutchison, high school teacher aide, to high school secretary for the 2020-21 school year
D. Contract extension for Angella Curran, high school debate/forensics sponsor
E. Employment of Dalaina Smith as Director of Academics for the 2020-21 school year
F. Employment of Paulette Howard as a K-12 gifted teacher for the 2020-21 school year
G. Employment of Courtenay Slinkard as a high school English/Language Arts teacher for the 2020-21 school year
H. Employment of Reyna Valenzuela as a high school English/Language Arts teacher for the 2020-21 school year
I. Employment of Larry Amer as a high school art teacher for the 2020-21 school year
J. Employment of Abigail Helt as high school/middle school choral teacher for the 2020-21 school year
K. Employment of Danny Larsen as Eugene Ware physical education teacher for the 2020-21 school year
L. Resignation of Curtis Horton as a high school assistant football coach, assistant basketball coach, and freshman boys’ head basketball coach at the end of the 2019-20 school year
M. Resignation of Erica Clark as a high school assistant cheer sponsor at the end of the 2019-20 school year
N. Resignation of Brendon Blackburn as a middle school football coach at the end of the 2019-20 school year
O. Resignation of Jayci Cosens as a middle school second session intramural coach, 8th grade boys’ basketball coach, and intramural track coach at the end of the 2019-20 school year
P. Resignation of Steve Williams, middle school boys’ assistant basketball coach, at the end of the 2019-20 school year
Q. Employment of Kaitlin Arnold as a Winfield Scott first grade teacher for the 2020-21 school year
There will be a Special Meeting of the Fort Scott City Commission held at 10:00 a.m. on Tuesday, May 12th, 2020 at the City Hall Commission Room, 123 S. Main Street, Fort Scott, Kansas 66701. The City Commission will meet to consider a Resolution of Support to apply for CDBG funding, approval to apply for K.D.O.T. Cost Share Program, and approval for engineering services if needed.
The City Commission meeting will not be open to the public at this time due to the limited number of 10 allowed due to the COVID-19 pandemic. This meeting will be made available by calling 620-724-9910, enter access code 515698#, and when prompted state your full name followed by the # tag.
The Lake Fort Scott Advisory Board will meet on Saturday, May 16th, 2020 at 9:00 a.m. at the City Hall Commission Meeting Room at 123 S. Main Street, Fort Scott, Kansas.
The Lake Advisory Board meeting will not be open to the public at this time due to the limited number of 10 allowed due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
This can be viewed on the City’s YouTube Channel at City of Fort Scott.
