Daniel Zywietz and son, Noah on a recent solar installation in Chanute. submitted photo.
If you own a business in Bourbon County and selected other counties in rural Kansas, you can apply for a U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) grant and get up to 50% off the cost of solar panels.
Add the 50% federal tax credits available for renewable energy installations in Bourbon County, and a business owner could get a solar system for nearly free, according to Daniel Zywietz, founder of SEK Solar, Chanute.
SEK Solar designs and installs solar systems and also helps with the grant application, allowing business owners to drastically reduce their utility bills, he said.
Before starting SEK Solar, Zywietz founded and ran Enerwhere, the Middle East’s largest rooftop installation company and one of the world’s largest microgrid operators. The company started as a provider of temporary power services to the construction industry in 2012 and quickly expanded into the commercial rooftop solar market in Dubai, building over 45 MW of solar over 10 years, including the world’s second-largest solar rooftop system at the time, covering an area of more than 23 football fields, he said
He ended up in the Middle East as a management consultant working for Booz & Company, a spin-off of Booz Allen Hamilton, and one of the best-known management consulting companies worldwide.
With his wife (who is originally from Humboldt, KS) looking to move home after the COVID-pandemic, Zywietz started to look into the solar market in Kansas and was astonished to find that there were hardly any solar panels installed, despite the clear and sunny skies and large open spaces. With over $1 billion in grant funds for solar and energy efficiency available to agricultural and rural small business owners under the USDA’s Rural Energy for America (REAP) program, Zywietz and his wife decided to set up a solar company to service local business owners.
What made the opportunity even more exciting was that the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA), passed in 2022, not only refilled the REAP program, which had been running for 10 years with much lower funding levels, but also significantly improved the Federal tax credits available to rural Kansans, according to Zywietz.
According to the EPA website, the credits are structured in three separate buckets, according to information from Zywietz. The 30% base tax credit is available to anyone wanting to install a solar system at the business or home, anywhere in the US. A further 10% “Low-Income Community” bonus is available to projects in disadvantaged areas. (Bourbon County, together with most of South-East Kansas, qualifies). Finally, there is another 10% “Energy Community Bonus” available to areas that previously hosted coal mines or coal-fired power plants, and again, Bourbon County qualifies, according to a map provided by the Department of Energy. Added together, the tax credits can add up to 50% for a renewable energy project in Fort Scott and the surrounding area.
While the tax credits don’t require any special application process, the REAP grants do. It all starts with checking whether a business’s location is eligible based on the USDA’s Property Eligibility site, says Zywietz.
The USDA defines a rural area as an area with a population of less than 50,000 people. The second criterion is the business size. The small business size standard is based on either annual revenue or the number of employees, depending on a North American Industry Classification System (NAICS) code, which is used by federal agencies to classify businesses by industry type, according to http://kansasenergyprogram.org/assessments/REAP-OverviewFAQ
This generally means that if a business has less than $10 million in revenue or less than 100 employees and is a for-profit business, such as a restaurant, hair salon, retail business, or farm business, the owner is eligible to apply, Zywietz said.
“It’s a tedious grant application process,” he said. “The smallest grants of up to $20,000 have a nearly 100% approval rate because $200 million were set aside for these small projects and there aren’t enough applications, as most small business owners find it too time-consuming to fill in all of the forms. Larger grants, which can go up to $1 million, compete with other projects based on a scoring system, so getting the grant application right can make a big difference to the chance of approval. The next application deadline is June 30th.”
“It’s a big opportunity for rural business owners to lower their utility bills and go green. And while filling in government paperwork can be frustrating, I think it’s only fair for them to check if your business is legitimate before they hand you what is essentially free money. I’m happy to answer any questions on solar or the USDA REAP grants and the IRA tax credits as well,” Zywietz said.
There are (2) open positions for the Fort Scott Public Library beginning in May. The function of the Library Board is to review requests in reference to the library. These are (4) year terms and the board meets the second Tuesday of each month. These are voluntary positions and board are not compensated. Please send your Letter of Interest to the City Clerk at [email protected] (or City Hall, 123 S. Main Street, Fort Scott, KS 66701) by April 16th, 2024 at 4:00PM, and PLEASE be sure to include your contact information.
All submitted letters will be presented to the Library Board for consideration. The board will then make a recommendation to the City Commission for approval. All letters will be posted on www.fscity.org, as they are included in the City Commission Agenda Packet and are a matter of public record (contact information will be redacted).
For further information or questions about the position, please contact Jennifer Gum-Fowler, Fort Scott Public Library Director at (620) 223-2882.
Tomatoes for sale at Fort Scott Farmers Market in 2018.
After several years of planning and execution, the Fort Scott Farmers Market will be under the new pavilion on North National Avenue on May 4.
Tonight is the first vendor’s meeting of the season. This meeting is for returning vendors and anyone interested in becoming a vendor in 2024, Teri Hamilton, president of Fort Scott Farmers Market said.
Teri Hamilton. Submitted photo.
The meeting is at the Healthy Bourbon County Action Team office at 104 N. National Avenue, across the street from the pavilion, from 6-8 p.m.
At tonight’s meeting, there will be introductions, information about market guidelines, applications, and fees “and a time to get to know each other a little better,” she said.
Vendors are not just farmers, “but we give preference to farmers and agriculture businesses,” Hamilton said.
“There are also baked goods and craft vendors,” she said. “We have 15 returning vendors.”
“We have space for up to 24 under the pavilion,” Hamilton said.
“The vendors will park in the parking spaces under the pavilion and the customers will go around to each vendor in the parking stall,” she said.
If more than that number of vendors want to be a part of the market, the vendor spaces will have to be reconfigured, and will be thoroughly discussed, she said.
The Farmers Market Committee comprises Hamilton, owner of Hamilton’s Artisan Bakery, as president; Ethan Holly, treasurer, of Still Waters Farm; and Leanna Cain, secretary, of Sweet County Farms.
Vendors pay $5 a week for a vendor space, and if payment is given for the whole year, it is $4 a week, she said.
The market is open on Tuesdays from 4-6 p.m. and Saturdays from 8 a.m. to noon, starting on May 4 and continuing until the end of October.
There is a Healthy Bourbon County Action Team workshop on April 15 that will focus on how to get a license to sell at a farmers market, food laws and food safety.
“We want our vendors to have access to that resource,” she said.
Hamilton said the group is so thankful for the new space.
“The pavilion is so wonderful,” she said. “We are so thankful for the project and all the fundraising that took place and they didn’t have to give us the priority,” she said.
On opening day, May 4, there will be a ribbon cutting, live music and speakers for the pavilion’s first farmers market, Hamilton said. The Bourbon County Garden Club always has a live plant sale on the first day of the market season as well.
For more information, call Hamilton at 816-491-7884.
To see the latest on the Fort Scott Farmers Market:
There are (2) open positions for the Fort Scott Public Library. The function of the Library Board is to review requests in reference to the library. These are (4) year terms and the board meets the second Tuesday of each month. These are voluntary positions and board are not compensated. Please send your Letter of Interest to the City Clerk at [email protected] (or City Hall, 123 S. Main Street, Fort Scott, KS 66701) by April 19th, 2024, and PLEASE be sure to include your contact information.
All submitted letters will be presented to the Library Board for consideration. The board will then make a recommendation to the City Commission for approval. All letters will be posted on www.fscity.org, as they are included in the City Commission Agenda Packet and are a matter of public record (contact information will be redacted).
For further information or questions about the position, please contact Jennifer Gum-Fowler, Fort Scott Public Library Director at (620) 223-2882.
The Fort Scott Area Chamber of Commerce invites members and guests to a Chamber Coffee hosted by Fort Scott Broadcasting’s KOMB 103.9 and 98.3 FM, Thursday, April 4th at 8 a.m. The event will take place at Arnold Arena on campus of Fort Scott Community College, 2108 S. Horton St. Coffee, juice, and light refreshments will be served.
The Coffee will kick off the Annual Home, Sport, Farm, and Garden Show taking place Saturday, April 6th from 9am-4pm. at Arnold Arena. Tim and Deb McKenney and team look forward to seeing everyone at both the Coffee and the Home Show.
Chamber members and guests are invited to Chamber Coffee events each Thursday at 8 a.m. to network, make announcements, hear about happenings in the community as well as learn about the host business or organization.
Registered Vendor Booths:
Autumn Exteriors of Springfield, MO
Abundant Medicare Health & Life Solutions, LLC of Frontenac, KS
Advance Bourbon County
Advantage Metals of Fort Scott, KS
Blue Grass Equipment of Fort Scott, KS
Bourbon County Conservation District of Fort Scott, KS
Bourbon County Democratic Central Committee
Briggs of Fort Scott
CCC Website, Fort Scott
Covey Overhead Doors, Nevada, MO
Crown Realty, Mound City, KS
City of Fort Scott Police & EMS
Care To Share/Sharing Bucket of Fort Scott
CDL Electric, Pittsburg, KS
Cleaver Farm & Home, Chanute, KS
Continental Siding, Independence, MO
Fort Scott Community College
Fort Scott Area Chamber of Commerce
Farmers Insurance, Girard, KS
Influx Services, Fort Scott
KOMB-FM & 98.3FM, Fort Scott
Lyons Realty Group, Fort Scott
Leaf Filter Gutter Protection
Mary Kay of Fort Scott
Miller Feed & Farm, Fort Scott
Norris Heat & Air, Fort Scott
Old Fort Genealogical Society of Fort Scott
Perry’s Pork Rinds of Bronson, KS
Pioneer Harvest Fiesta, Fort Scott
Rigg’s Chiropractic of Fort Scott
R&R Equipment, Fort Scott & Greeley, KS and Nevada, MO
Sharky’s Pub & Grub, Fort Scott
Sunshine Boutique and Designer Florals by Riley, Fort Scott
John Hill speaks to the Downtown Quarterly Meet and Greet this morning.
The Fort Scott Quarterly Downtown Meet and Greet met today at City State Bank, 202 Scott Avenue, to share projects and happenings in the downtown area.
The bank has been locally owned and has operated in Fort Scott since 1920, and chose to keep a presence in the downtown area, John Hill, president said as he welcomed the group to the facility for this meeting.
Some of the announcements from the meeting:
The Fort Scott National Historic Site has a Solar Eclipse Program planned on April 8. Also, this month is its annual Civil War Encampment Weekend on April 20-21. In addition, there will be a Civil War Dance at Memorial Hall on April 20.
Special retailers events coming up: July 13-Christmas In July, August 2-4 is the sales tax holiday, September 12-Fall Fest from 5-8 p.m., October 26 is the Downtown Halloween Parade, November 7-9 is the Holiday Open House with the main kickoff on Thursday from 5-8 p.m. and December 6-7- the stores stay open for Christmas On The Bricks event.
The Fort Scott Downtown Cleanup is April 22 from 4-6 p.m. with a light dinner provided to volunteers by local downtown restaurants at the Pavilion on North National Avenue. Contact Bailey Lyons, Lyon’s Realty Group to volunteer, this with planning the projects and supplies. Any skill-level worker is invited to help. If business owners provide the plants, there will be help planting them that day. A group of artists is organized to paint a mural that day.
Veterans Banners to be placed on downtown light poles will be for sale (for $300 each) as a fundraiser for new seasonal banners. The veteran’s banners feature the name and face of a local veteran. The banners will be placed for a week on the poles during the Memorial Day, Independence Day, and Veterans Day holidays. Contact the Fort Scott Area Chamber of Commerce for more information.
The new Welcome to Fort Scott Banner is nearing completion with electricity added and lights that will be placed on the columns. There will be a ribbon cutting sometime soon for the new downtown feature.
The Home, Sport, Farm, and Garden Show is this Saturday at Fort Scott Community College’s Arnold Arena from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.
The annual Chamber dinner is on April 18 with the theme of Boots and Bling. There is a contest for decorated seating tables and a live and silent auction, and the community is invited to attend. The Chamber is still taking award nominations online under [email protected] or printed forms.
The annual Town-wide Garage Sale is May 3-4.
Opening day of the Fort Scott Farmers Market is May 4 from 8 a.m. to noon under the new Pavilion on North National Avenue.
Good Ol’ Days this year is May 31 and June 1. The parade theme is “Where Our History Comes To Life.” Retailers wanting to register for a booth at fortscottgoodoldays.com
Grants are available through E-Community for 6% for 10 years, $5,000 maximum, and Grow KS for 4% for five years, 6% for 10 years, and $100,000 max. Contact the Chamber for more details.
Diane Striler presented a petition to sign for a skating rink proposal for next winter, including the Christmas On The Bricks event. She is going to the Fort Scott City Commission this evening at 6 p.m. to ask for permission to use the Pavilion for the skating rink since it is covered, will have a bathroom available, and is handicapped accessible. The proposal is for the rink to be offered from Thanksgiving to February – March. The $36,000 rink has had an offer that will pay for one-half the costs and with grants and donations, the rink should be paid for, she said. It comes with 60 pairs of skates and the cost to skate will be $5.
There is still a need for a trolley driver for the Chamber, that has to have a CDL with passenger endorsement.
Some of the attendees of the Downtown Meet and Greet this morning.
Quarterly Downtown Meet & Greet scheduled for, TOMORROW, April 2nd!
The Fort Scott Area Chamber of Commerce announces a Downtown Meet & Greet will be held Tuesday, April 2nd from 8:00-9:00 a.m. at City State Bank,
202 Scott Avenue.
These informal, quarterly meetings are hosted by the Chamber for downtown business owners, representatives, and community members to network and share ideas on events, promotion and anything related to downtown.
Coffee, juice, and light refreshments will be served.
Thank you to our Chamber Champion members below!
Fort Scott Area Chamber of Commerce | 231 E. Wall Street, Fort Scott, KS 66701
KRI President of Operations Joe Tinervin, MSW, stands in the intake room’s doorway near the former hospital’s west entrance.
The western part and administration portion of the former Fort Scott Mercy Hospital is in the process of renovation.
Kansas Renewal Institute, located at 401 Woodland Hills Blvd. is a behavioral healthcare center specializing in treating adults and adolescents. The building has approximately 120,000 square feet.
JG Healthcare Solutions is the parent company that owns K.R.I.
The institute administrators e are Jonathan Gross, Chief Executive Officer; T.J. Denning, Chief Operating Officer, Erik Engebretson, Chief Financial Officer, Joe Tinervin, President of Operations and and Mike Sharpmack, Executive Director.
Kansas Renewal Institute President of Operations Joe Tinervin stands in the southern hall of the former Mercy Hospital.
This group of men has worked together at Universal Health Services, Acadia Healthcare, and most recently Discovery Behavioral Health.
“We worked for years together, but towards the end of our time at Discovery, we said we could do this ourselves, help a lot of people and have fun along the way,” Tinervin said.
“The whole idea is to provide safe, effective care that promotes successful outcomes,” he said. “We hope to have a staff environment where people love to come to work.”
K.R.I. will open with 82 licensed beds across four units. The State of Kansas has told Tinervin that the licensure process will be finished by April 15.
Joe Tinervin shows a patient room that is being made ready for patients.
There is a 50-bed adolescent psychiatric residential treatment facility, with two units, one for males, and one for females.
K.R. I. President of Operations Joe TInervin gives a tour on March 26, 2024, of the new facility. This is a portion of the adolescent unit.
These units are located in the former maternity unit and adjacent hall on the north wing of the building.
The former maternity unit will be used for adolescent residential services at K.R.I. Joe Tinervin stands at the door between that unit and the hall. To the left is one of the many contractors working inside the building in anticipation of the April opening of the facility.
In addition, there are 32 beds in two units for adults: one for adult residential services and one for detoxification services.
This is a wing of the adult residential services unit at K.R.I., down the hall to the left is the detox unit. Work is still being done to prepare for the opening of the institute in April 2024.
The detox unit is located in the former intensive care area of the hospital with the adult residential services in the hall just adjacent.
The former Intensive care unit of Mercy Hospital is now the detox unit of Kansas Recovery Institute.A view of the two corridors in the former waiting room of the emergency department at 401 Woodland Hills Blvd. in March 2024. The steps in the middle lead down to the cafeteria which will be for residents only, and won’t be open to the community.
“We have thrown a significant amount into the renovation so far,” Tinervin said. “Flooring, paint, equipment, and furniture,” he said.
“It’s all happening right now as we get the units ready to go,” he said.
“The State of Kansas has a significant waitlist,” he said. “We will be servicing residents from all over Kansas, not just southeast Kansas.”
“The state was here last week, and licensure might take until April 15,” he said.
“Our job is to reintegrate people back into their home communities,” he said. “If someone is from another place, they will return.”
“We are not opening with an outpatient level of care…only residential,” Tinervin said. “When and if we build an outpatient level of care, patients from the Fort Scott area will be able to commute for services while those who live outside of the Fort Scott area will be transitioning home and will have the opportunity to participate in KRI Outpatient services remotely through a virtual telehealth platform.”
In the administrative portion of the K.R. I. is this multi-purpose room which is currently being used for training employees and will be used for classrooms for residential adolescents in the future. Pictured is a training session.
K.R.I. will be collaborating with USD 234.
“We are excited about the partnership we are developing with Unified School District 234,” Tinervin said. “As part of this partnership, Unified School District 234 is committed to providing general and special education services to KRI residents within school age. These services will be provided on-site at Kansas Renewal Institute and the programming provided will be individualized according to the educational needs and levels of each student served at the KRI.”
This is the reception desk of the Kansas Recovery Institute at 401 Woodland Hills.
Once licensure arrives, people can make appointments at 620-644-1195 and they will also take walk-ins, Tinervin said.
The KRI Team photo, taken last Thursday at the end of orientation. Back Row from left to right: Joe Tinervin, President of Operations; Christopher Edwards, BHT; Lori Storm, Lead Case Manager; Dylan Pike, Nurse; Mark Steward, BHT Supervisor; Mike Sharpmack, Executive Director; Jay Abbott, Director of Quality Improvement and Risk Management; Jaymie Murphy, Nurse Front Row from left to right: Sheila Guinn-Peters, Admissions; Sheila Nami, Admissions; Pamela Johnson, Nurse; Mary Wilson, CMA; Candice Wyatt, BHT; Jessica Whitley, BHT; Tracy Serna, BHT Lead; JoDanna Simon, DON; Makenzie Brown, BHT; Stefani Brown, Nurse; and Jessica Allison, Clinical Director *acronym key: BHT: Behavioral Health Technician; DON: Director of Nursing; CMT: Certified Medical Technician. Submitted photo.
Also housed at 401-405 Woodland Hills Blvd.: Southeast Kansas Mental Health Center, Ashley (Medical) Clinic, Care to Share (cancer family support group), I Am Rehab( physical therapy/fitness center), Regional Economic Development Inc., and Diamonds In The Marketplace ( a beauty salon).
The dog park in Gunn Park in Fort Scott, Kansas is very popular with local dog owners. Many canine pet owners meet there regularly to let their four-legged friends get exercise and socialize with other dogs in a safe, enclosed area made especially for them to play and burn energy.
While a dog park meets the needs of many pet owners, local ophidian owners haven’t had a good place to recreate their pets. John Snalt, a senior at Fort Scott High School, is a local pet owner who has personally felt the lack of options. “There just aren’t a lot of places I can take Fred to get exercise,” he said. Fred is John’s 4.5-foot copper-headed water cobra that he got when he was 12. That’s about to change for John, Fred, and other snake owners in the area.
John Snalt with his pet copper-headed water cobra named Fred.
Thanks to a grant from the International Order of Friendly Reptile Keepers (IOFRK), Gunn park will be getting two snake pit exercise areas this coming year.
Located just North of the dog park will be the non-venomous snake pit, and just North of that will be the venomous snake pit. Sue Stalkholm from the IOFRK stressed the importance of having two separate areas for the different types of snakes. “I need to stress the importance of having separate areas for different types of snakes,” she said in her comments to FortScott.biz. “This isn’t just a simple hole in the ground. We’ve designed everything to maximize safety and fun for everyone using the snake pit park,” she said.
Plans call for an emergency telephone and a snake bite kit located between the two pits as well as educational signs to make sure everyone knows that they should always check with the snake’s owner before attempting to pet a snake or play a flute for it. Sue said, “Many people who haven’t been around snakes don’t understand proper snake-handling etiquette so we want to make sure everyone has all the knowledge they need to be comfortable in the snake pit park.”
The grant will cover the construction of the two snake pits as well as ongoing maintenance for the first five years. Ms. Stalkholm said that in most communities, snake pits have become very popular, and local donations can usually fund maintenance after a few years. She stressed the economic value of having snake pit park options for the community and suggested that it might open up opportunities for reptilian pet stores that wouldn’t have been able to stay in business without a local snake pit park.
Several local community members expressed concern about the project. “Is this a good thing to put in Fort Scott before we have an emergency room?” asked John Shnoodle. Mr. Shnoodle doesn’t want anyone to think he is against snakes as pets, but just wasn’t sure if emergency response time should be considered.
Jane Pfeffle also weighed in with strong opinions on the subject. “We shouldn’t build a snake pit until we have a hospital,” she stated emphatically. When told that the funding for this was coming from an outside source and wouldn’t be available to fund a hospital anyway, she responded with, “That doesn’t matter. We need to shut everything down until a hospital opens in Fort Scott again. That includes all of our roads, schools, electricity, water, etc. If it has a budget, power switch, or valve, it all needs to shut down until a hospital reopens.”
According to IOFRK the snake pit park is expected to be completed in exactly 1 year. “We like to see a grand opening that the entire community can participate in.” said Sue. “In other communities, we’ve brought in some snake charmers for the opening day, and that has been a really big hit with local residents,” Sue said. The snake pit park plans to celebrate the opening day on April 1st of 2025. “Plans like this really best when everything related to them happens on April 1st. It really doesn’t work well to have discussions about it on any other day of the year,” said Sue.
FortScott.biz reached out to Fort Scott Mayor Sam Sneedle (who isn’t the normal mayor but is briefly filling the role for the purposes of April 1st) for comment, but he said that current litigation prevented him from making in comment. He went on to say, “They are going to build what in Gunn Park?!”
Tuesday, April 2nd: Driver’s Ed, classroom section, begins
Wednesday, April 3rd: SkillsUSA Career Fair @ FSHS
Wednesday, April 17th: FSHS Mental Health Fair
Thursday, April 18th: FSHS Honors Reception
Come Check It Out!
The Career Fair, sponsored by the FSHS SkillsUSA chapter, is to acquaint students with the career opportunities in our region. Students will have the opportunity to visit with 100+ business partners and research employment opportunities that are available locally and regionally. This is also an opportunity for students to discover the educational requirements to be prepared for these employment opportunities. The details of the Career Fair are as follows:
DATE: Wednesday, April 3rd, 2024
TIME: 8 a.m. until Noon
LOCATION: Fort Scott High School, both main and aux gyms
STUDENTS: Fort Scott & Pleasanton High School students ~600 total
Uniontown is unable to attend this year.
While there is no charge for the public to attend, monetary donations to the FSHS SkillsUSA Chapter are welcomed. These donations will help cover the costs of attending State and National Competitions. Thank you for your generosity!
–photo: Kaleb Bailey with Bailey Drone Services, LLC
This newly released NPS youth conservation corps recruitment video features FSHS Tiger students Stewart Davenport, Elsie Hurd, Bryson Morrell, Adelynn Nolan, Aiden Sigafoos and Kiara Thompson.
Join the Youth Conservation Corps (YCC)
Ever wondered what the Youth Conservation Corps Program (YCC) is all about? Check out this short video to hear from the youth and staff themselves on their YCC experience. From historic preservation to trail maintenance, the arts to living history, and more, see what you could do as a YCC member and beyond!
March 18th: Each year at the State Basketball tournaments, KSHSAA appoints a special committee to evaluate and rate each school based on the team, its coaches, cheerleaders, school cheering section and fans, both adult and non-high school followers. A rating system is used and a certain score must be reached to receive an award.
Teams that make it to the semifinal rounds are eligible to receive a plaque. Teams that do not advance past the first round are eligible to receive a certificate.
KSHSAA announced the winners last week and Fort Scott High School received both a plaque for the Girls Basketball team and a certificate for the Boys Basketball team! This is a tremendous accomplishment and a great reflection of our school and community!
KSHSAA sent us a copy of the rating sheets and they were filled with positive comments about all involved at State: cheerleaders, student section, the players on the floor, coaching staffs, adult fans and also mentioned were our Band that performed Wednesday and Thursday and our Orchestra that performed Thursday.
Thank you to all involved in making the week in Salina a special time and for representing our school and community in such a positive manner. So much to be proud of! Tiger Pride was on full display in Salina!
–Jeff DeLaTorre, FSHS Athletic/Activities Director
The Youth Entrepreneurship Challenge at FSHS on March 5th required students to conceptualize a business, including a plan for that business and a tradeshow-style presentation. These students then presented their business to local business leaders who served as judges for the challenge.Here are the prize-winning owners/businesses:
1st ($1,000) – Jasper Anderson – Fresh Start
2nd ($750) – Kaylie Dinneen – EmpowHer
3rd ($500) – Ivy Lee – Little Town Decor
Judges Choice Tradeshow ($250) – Ivy Lee – Little Town Decor
Additionally, the tradeshow was open to the public to attend and vote:
Community Choice Tradeshow ($250) – Ella Regan & Camrie Hunziker
Thank you all who attended!
from left: Lindsay Madison, judge; Josh Jones, judge; Jasper Anderson, creator of Fresh Start cleaning and grand prize winner; Deb McKenney, judge; Carissa Bowman, judge; Katie Casper, judge
FUTURE OFFICERS
The FSHS Chapter announces the 2024-25 FFA Officer Team:
President: Dakota Hazelbaker
Vice-President: Blaiton Terry
Secretary: Gracin Pitts
Treasurer: Jaidyn Crumby
Reporter: Raylee Cowan
Sentinel: Teegan Stiles
Parliamentarian: Kaden Cannon
Historian: Treyton Valentine
front row, from left: Landon McDaniel; Elsa Bishop; Adelynn Nolan; Caroline Barnes; Nick Davis; Savanna Cunningham; Jayden Newman
back row, from left: Molly Claypool (behind Elsa); Zaida Summers; Raj Gugnani; Cody Geiger; Rylan Miller; Sypher Cannon; Daetyn Fowler; Ben Phillips ; Aden Koppa
not pictured: Joy Self
Several of our FSHS students participated in the Allen Community College Math Competition on Tuesday, March 19th. This year, ACC decided to recognize the top two students from the sophomore, junior and senior levels and FSHS had TWO students ranked!
Nick Davis was in the top two seniors and Joy Self was in the top two juniors.
The ACC math competition included around 220 students from 11 schools. This is a great honor for both Nick and Joy. They are each being awarded with a free 3-5 credit course from ACC for the next academic year!
front row, from left: Jasmine James; Eden Haught; Hattie Jackson; Kathryn Williams
back row, from left: Delani Weddle; Cadence Hunziker; Luci Dunkeson; Caitlynn Tate; Tiffany Salazar
As members of the newly-formed FSHS Chapter of HOSA (Health Occupations Students of America), these students attended the “Inspiring Women in Healthcare” conference in Pittsburg on March 20th.
Area professionals provided information and answered questions about their respective fields, encouraging those interested to consider a career in healthcare.
–submitted by HOSA sponsor and FSHS Health Sciences teacher Julie Heatherly
A FOUR-PEAT QUALIFIER AND A FIRST AT STATE!
A round of applause and tip of the hat for Lady Tiger Wrestlers Gabby Rusk and Kenna Miles! In her fourth and final season, Gabby celebrated 100 career wins and is the first girls’ wrestler to qualify for state all four seasons! Kenna, a sophomore, captured the first girls state wrestling championship in school history!
In last month’s Tiger Newsletter, we shared that senior Jasper Allison celebrated 150 career wins in his four years as a standout Tiger wrestler. Jasper finished as runner-up at the Class 4A State Wrestling Championships in Salina. Congratulations, Jasper!
2024-2025 FSHS SPIRIT SQUAD MEMBERS CHOSEN
Tryouts for Tiger Dance & Cheer teams were held the week of March 18th.2024-25 Tiger Dance Team
Freshmen: Laurali Clark; Gianna Gorman; Ahlonna Johnson
2024-25 Tiger Cheer Team
Seniors: Maddi Cook; Jaidyn Crumby; Jocelyn Fess; Cadence Hunziker;
Emersyn Logue; Emilly Moore
Juniors: Sadie Claypool; Kinley Dillow; Anna Farrington; Katlyn Parker
Sophomores: Molly Claypool; Camrie Hunziker; Gabby Majors; Jerri Smith
March 25th: Tigers had a great showing at this NSDA National Qualifier. Only two can qualify per event and both Lincoln-Douglas debate qualifiers are from FSHS: Annelise Hall, senior, and Grace Walker, sophomore! The team’s other LD debater, freshman Joseph Moberg, is second alternate. Also, due to shifts in entries, Regen Wells will represent Fort Scott at Nationals in Senate Debate. The Tigers are Nationals-bound with one more qualifier to go!
–Tyler Slinkard, FSHS Debate/Forensics
pictured: Grace Walker, left; Annelise Hall, right
BASKETBALL!
Congratulations to these Tiger/Lady Tiger Basketball players who earned All-SEK League honors!
First Team: Keegan Yarick (unanimous); Rocco Loffredo
Second Team: Allie Brown; Kylee Comstock; Dierks Kegler
Honorable Mention: Abbie Gorman; Dub Chipman
WRESTLING!
Congratulations to these Tiger/Lady Tiger Wrestlers who earned All-SEK League honors!First Team: Jasper Allison; Jaden Garcia; Brody Gomez; Trace Metcalf; Kenna Miles; Ryder Newton; Ali Simhiser; Jerri Smith; Caellen Wescoat
” FOR LINKED INFORMATION.
