From left FSCC Basketball Coach Blake Cochran, Jon Barnes, Donnie Flowers, Tyler Zinn, John Montgomery, Lucas Kelley, J. M. Gregg, Aaron Williams, Andre Nelson, Dontrell Sanders, Jayden Davis, George Brocato, and Daemar Jones introduce themselves at the beginning of the March Madness Reading Challenge assembly.
It takes practice and lots of it, to do anything well, including reading.
That in a nutshell, is what the Fort Scott Community College Basketball Team told the students at Eugene Ware Elementary during an award assembly Wednesday afternoon.
During the month of March, students have been competing with other classes in reading the most minutes.
The classroom winners of each grade level were given a poster of the FSCC Basketball Team along with a promised extra recess, during the assembly held in the school gym.
The winners were: Carrie Southwell’s 3rd grade class with 3, 220 minutes of reading, Joyce Flanner’s 4th grade with 3,002 minutes and Jill Couch’s 5th-grade class with 2,232 minutes.
During the assembly, students were randomly picked from the audience to participate in a basketball throw challenge.
The winner of that challenge was Quadar Moreland, a fourth-grade student. Because of his win, all 4th-grade students were given autographed posters of the team.
Brenda Hill, an instructional coach at Ware, and Mary Mauer, a teacher, collaborated on the idea of capitalizing on basketball’s March Madness national competition to encourage students to practice reading.
Below are photos of the afternoon assembly.
Carrie Southwell gives her 3rd-grade students “high fives” following the announcement that the class read the most minutes for the reading competition.Students lined up to take a turn at getting the ball through the basketball hoop.
Some students needed a little extra help getting the ball through the hoop and the college basketball players helped.
Quadar Moreland gets some encouragement from the FSCC basketball team following his win of the basketball contest.Students look over the poster of the FSCC Basketball Team while waiting in line to get it autographed.
What’s Happening in Fort Scott from April 9-15 provided by the Chamber of Commerce:
09
USD 234 Board of Education Meeting 5:30 pm
10
Story Time – Hosted by Fort Scott Public Library at 10:00 am. Enjoy stories, songs, crafts, and snacks related to our theme in the downstairs event room, along with a play table for before and after the stories. All story times welcome any-age children and teens. Hope you can come. Tell your friends!
10
Kiwanis Meeting- FSCC Heritage Room- 12:00 pm
10
T.O.P.S. Meetings Held at BRCC 4:00 pm – 5:00 pm
10
FSCC Hounds Men’s Baseball vs Allen County -2:00 pm
10
Cruise Night 2018 hosted by Tri-Valley Foundation 6:00 pm – 9:00 pm. Friends of Tri-Valley Foundation’s annual fundraiser. The evening includes a dinner, music, door prizes, and both live and silent auctions. All money raised from the evening goes toward our mission of providing quality and affordable homes as well as aid in the delivery of services to our neighbors with intellectual/developmental disabilities in the counties of Allen, Bourbon, Neosho, and Woodson in Southeast Kansas. Any donation would be much appreciated. Thank you for your time and consideration.
10
Historic Preservation Association of Bourbon County meeting, Old Congregational Church, Board meeting at 6:30, program at 7 pm
Ken Lyon will present a power-point presentation on the WWI Bourbon County soldiers. Come learn some history on these brave men of the early 1900’s.
We will have great fellowship, refreshments, and a door prize, hope you can attend!
11
Breakfast Bingo at Buck Run Community Center, 9:00 am – 10:00 am. Come drink some coffee and play some bingo at Buck Run. Staff will provide the bingo cards, the caller, and coffee. Prizes provided by the Fort Scott Recreation Commission.
11
Story Time – Hosted by Fort Scott Public Library at 10:00 am. Enjoy stories, songs, crafts, and snacks related to our theme in the downstairs event room, along with a play table for before and after the stories. All story times welcome any-age children and teens. Hope you can come. Tell your friends!
Adult Coloring Program Hosted by the Fort Scott Public Library 2:00 pm – 4:00 pm. The coloring isn’t just for kids! Coloring pages, pens and pencils, and snacks provided.
11
TAG- Teen Advisory Group – Community Service -Fort Scott Public Library – 4:15 pm – 5:00 pm
11
Mercy Hospice Bereavement Support Group 2:00 pm – 3:00 pm at Mercy Hospital, Fort Scott
Call Melissa George, Chaplain for more information 620-223-8533
12-26
Gold Canyon Candle Sales Begin Today-Fort Scott Middle School Fundraiser. Call the Middle School PTO for more details.
12
Chamber Coffee – hosted by KOMB FM 103.9 at Arnold Arena on the campus of FSCC., 8:00 am
FSCC Hounds Men’s Baseball vs Johnson County. This is to be a doubleheader. Games will start at 1:00 pm & 4:00 pm.
12
Thursday Card Players, Buck Run Community Center, 6:00 – 9:00 pm
13-14
Livestock Sale, Fort Scott Livestock Market, 2131 Maple Rd., 10:00 am – You don’t have to be a buyer just to come watch the sale and visit the cafe!
13-14
7th Annual Home, Sport, Farm, Garden Show hosted by KOMB 103.9 at Arnold Arena on the campus of Fort Scott Community College
* Hours:
Friday, April 13th, 5-8pm
Saturday, April 14th, 9am-3pm
There will be 56 inside booths and more outside!
Come to shop the wide variety of vendors and enter to win hundreds of prizes!
Call KOMB FM at 620-223-4500 for more information.
13
Lady Hounds Softball vs Independence 2:00 pm at the FSCC Softball Field
13
Theology on Tap- 7:00 pm. “Are you worried about robots replacing you (or your grandchildren)?” 510 E. Eddy, Fort Scott
14-15
Little Britches Rodeo at the Bourbon County Fairgrounds
14
FSCC Kids Fair. 9:00 am – 12:00pm
Free Event at College
Right across from the soccer fields, outdoors. Going on the same time as the home show
14
Lady Hounds Softball vs Cowley County 1:00 pm at the FSCC Softball Field
14
The Southpaw Preachers hosted by Crooner’s & Liberty Theatre. 8:30 pm – 11:30 pm 113 S. Main Fort Scott.
This powerhouse band draws their inspiration from hard-hitting funk, soul, R&B, and rock. Southpaw blends both original music and covers into their diverse sets and is known for folding a uniquely asymmetrical sound into well-loved songs.
15
Perry’s Pork Rinds is offering free delivery to Ft Scott on Sunday, April 15th from 3:00 pm – 4:00 pm for any pre-orders placed online. www.perrysporkrinds.com
16
Fort Scott Boys Varsity 18 Hole Golf Match at Woodland Hills Golf Course
Jude Ward and Harold Kraft had a vision in 1972 of opening a company that would allow people a chance to grow financially and career-wise.
Mr. Ward and Mr. Kraft started up a printing company that would not only outperform the competition but would help create more opportunities for people who wanted a career and not just a job. Now over 45 years later, that “legacy” continues as Ward Kraft still stands at the top of the list when it comes to employers in Fort Scott, Kansas.
Ward Kraft employs 340 people.
That thirty-five percent of their current workforce has been employed at the company for ten years or more shows that Ward Kraft is a place that a person can call a career and not just a job.
What started out as a forms company in the early seventies has evolved into a company that specializes in forms, labels, plastics, and specialty products; working out of three divisions at their campus in Fort Scott.
Competitive wages (with wages ranging from $10.40 to $22.00 depending on the work area and skill level), good benefits, stability, advancement opportunities, and a good working environment are a just a few of the reasons the employees at WK have made the company their working home for so many years.
Dee Covey, who has been with the company for over 12 years says, “I have been blessed to have an awesome job. I work with great people who believe in teamwork and a boss who is very understanding and always listens to me”.
When asked about Ward Kraft and the longevity of their members, President of Manufacturing Phil Quick (a 28-year member) said, “I feel we keep good members at WK because of the work environment, and family atmosphere. Our managers and members care about doing the right thing for the customer, and the team. Attitude and effort are the main ingredients for being successful at WK.”
During the company’s annual Christmas dinner, service awards were handed out to members that were celebrating 5, 10, 15, 20, 25, 30, 35, and 40 years of service.
Five-year service awards, pictured (from left to right) Richard Racer, Ashley Farmer, JoAnn Dugan, Chris Thurston, Jay VanBuskirk, Cindy Schroeder, Brad Matkin, Daniel Gauthier, and Wayne Racy
Celebrating 5 years: JoAnn Dugan, Ashley Farmer, Daniel Gauthier, Bryan Hughes, Brad Matkin, Mike Pyle, Richard Racer, Wayne Racy, Cindy Schroeder, Scott Smith, Chris Thurston, and Jay VanBuskirk.
Ten-year service awards pictured (from left to right) Reva Dent and Roberta Anderson.
Celebrating 10 years: Roberta Anderson, Ryan Kraft, Thom McCreedy, and Reva Dent
Fifteen-year service awards: pictured (from left to right) Ben Morrell, Matt McClellan, Dana Ruhl, Bob Piotrowski, Jeanette Sisseck, Lisa Hull, Steve Williams
Celebrating 15 years: Ken Ash, Lisa Hull, Matt McClellan, Ben Morrell, Bob Piotrowski, Dana Ruhl, Jeanette Sisseck, Joshua Smith, Steve Williams, and Teresa Zimmerman.
Twenty- year service awards –pictured (from left to right) Michelle Heaton, David Budd, Twila Milburn, Sara Griffith, Carey Mooney, and Randy Thurston.
Celebrating 20 years: David Budd, Sara Griffith, Michelle Heaton, Twila Milburn, Carey Mooney, and Randy Thurston
Twenty-five-year service awards (from left to right) Bill Meech, Billy Cowan, and Steve Denton
Celebrating 25 years: Billy Cowen, Steve Denton, Billy Hill, Bill Meech, and David Zimmerman
Thirty-year service awards pictured (from left to right) Melinda Collins, Raymond Mauck, and Jesse Crum.
Celebrating 30 years: Mark Christy, Melinda Collins, Jesse Crum, Ray Mauck, and Joy Wiltse
Thirty-five-year service awards pictured from left: Dennis Harper, Danny Harper, and Gary Bosley.
Celebrating 35 years Gary Bosley, Danny Harper, Dennis Harper, and Roger Kraft
Forty-year-service award, pictured is Patty Gauthier.
Celebrating 40 years: Patty Gauthier and Jerry Parsons
2017 Retirees – (from left to right) Danny Harper and Jimmy Tucker
Celebrating the retirements of Jimmy Tucker (31 years of service), Danny Harper (35 years) and Joy Wiltse (30 years).
Ward Kraft, Inc. is part of the WK Holding Company which also includes local companies FS Munitions, KW Cattle Co., ReproLogix, 4 State Sanitation and Recycling, and Christian Learning Center.
Ward Kraft will hold a job fair on April 10th at the Empress Event Center, located at 7 North Main, from 10 am to 2 pm and will be looking for people who want to be part of their team.
Positions that are available are production members, sales personnel, and office staff to name a few. WK staff will be present to talk to prospective members about these opportunities and to answer any question you may have about the company.
Ward Kraft management believes the employees have made the last 45 plus years possible and successful and are still committed to hiring the “Person Not the Position”.
Ted Hessong was hired as the new superintendent for Fort Scott schools.
Ted Hessong, currently superintendent of USD 456, was hired Tuesday evening by the USD 234 Board of Education. He will begin June 2, 2018, and was hired on a two-year contract as the new superintendent in Fort Scott’s school system.
The following is a FortScott.Biz interview with Hessong.
What motivated you to get into education?
“My mom was a teacher at Fort Scott Middle School, which was a great example of what a teacher should be. I was also active in sports and I wanted to be a basketball coach since 7th grade.”
Education?
” I graduated from Fort Scott High School and earned an Associates Degree from Fort Scott Community College. I got my Bachelor’s Degree in Science Education from Pittsburg State University. I also received my Master’s in Building Leadership and District Certification from PSU.”
Experience?
” My first two years in education I was a science teacher and coach at Pleasanton Junior/Senior High School in Pleasanton, Kansas. I then accepted a position at Frontenac Junior High and High School teaching science and coaching, where I did my student teaching. I spent 17 years at Frontenac School district, where I went from a teacher to assistant principal for the 6th-12th-grade building. I then became the first junior high principal at Frontenac because we separated the junior high from the high school. The last five years at Frontenac I was the high school principal following the retirement of one of my mentors, Joe Martin. The past two school years I have been the superintendent at Marais des Cygnes Valley School District, which is composed of the communities of Melvern, Quenemo, and Olivet in Kansas.”
Family?
“I have three children.”
What interested you in the position in Fort Scott?
“Fort Scott has tremendous respect throughout the state of Kansas as a top-notch district. I thought it would be a good opportunity for me to return to my hometown to lead the district that really gave me my start in education.”
What do you feel you bring to the district?
“I feel my leadership experiences have prepared me to lead Fort Scott in a variety of areas to provide the best opportunities for the students of Fort Scott to experience success.”
What assets do you see in USD 234?
” The biggest asset Fort Scott has to offer is the teachers, staff, and students at Fort Scott. All these groups are what make Fort Scott an excellent school district.”
Any concerns?
“No concerns at this time.”
Any interests besides education, hobbies?
“My biggest interest is spending time with my family and friends. I also enjoy sports, playing golf and mowing.”
The Design Review Board will meet on Thursday, April 12th, 2018 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 alterations to the building at 202 State Street and any other matters that may come before the Board. This meeting is open to the public.
The City of Fort Scott will be updating some water distribution piping at the College Booster Pump Station on April 7th, 2018 – Saturday morning from 12 a.m. to 8 a.m.
Customers that live south of 21st Street may experience low water pressure during this time. For questions or concerns, please contact Michael Mix, Public Utility Director at 620-215-6319.
We apologize for any inconvenience this may cause.
The Fort Scott Police Department daily report can best be viewed on a computer.
The FSPD is located at 1604 S. National, Fort Scott, KS 66701, phone 620-223-1700.
Don’t want to wait in line for your custom coffee?
At the Downtown Quarterly Meet and Greet at Common Ground Coffee Co. Tuesday morning, MacKenna Robinson said the coffee shop is beginning to offer online ordering.
“Online ordering is now at Common Grounds and in April, we are giving five-percent off (each order),” Robinson, assistant manager of the shop said.
Mackenna Robinson, assistant manager of Common Ground Coffee Co., 116 S. Main, speaks to the Downtown Quarterly Meet and Greet April 3.
Robinson also told the group that the coffee shop has been approved for a Blue Cross Blue Shield of Kansas Pathways to a Healthy Kansas grant, through the Healthy Bourbon County Action Team.
Common Grounds Manager Vicki Waldron and Mackenna Robinson, assistant manager and also Waldron’s grand-daughter.
The grant will allow the coffee shop to purchase more equipment to serve fresh salads, Vicki Waldron, the manager said in a later interview.
Robinson said the coffee shop will also be a part of a meeting to make a directory of food producers and local restaurants. The meeting’s purpose is to form collaborations to get fresh locally produced foods to restaurant tables. The Buy and Eat, Meet and Greet event will start at 5:30 p.m. May 3 at Memorial Hall.
To learn more about the May 3 event see the Healthy Bourbon County Action Team Facebook page.
To learn more about the grantor, BCBSKS, click here:
Other upcoming local events announced at the meeting:
The 2nd Story Festival of Arts and Ideas is scheduled for April 27-29 around venues in Fort Scott. It includes workshops, improv comedy performances and a festival finale event and fundraiser Saturday evening. For more information: https://www.2ndstoryartfestival.com Fort Scott Chamber of Commerce Executive Director Lindsay Madison asked the group to attend the 2- 3:30 p.m. Saturday event titled “Creative Placemaking: Building the Artist Community in Fort Scott” by Marc Wilson at the Empress Event Center, 7 N. Main in downtown Fort Scott.
There will be free outdoor movies offered at a location to be announced by Larry Gazaway, the city’s tourism manager. The movies are The Incredibles, May 25; Cars 3, June 22; Star Wars Night, July 20 and The Princess Bride, August 17.
Art walks by the Bourbon County Arts Council will be from 5-8 p.m. at the Liberty Theater patio, on May 18, June 15, July 27 and Sept. 14.
Fort Scott Chamber of Commerce Executive Director Lindsay Madison speaks to attendees at Tuesday morning’s Downtown Quarterly Meet And Greet, hosted by Common Grounds Coffee Co.
Smallville Crossfit is having a “Murph Challenge” on MemorialDay and Fort Games on June 23. See their Facebook page for more information.
The Good Ol Days Festival is May 31 – June 2 this year. The theme is “The Great Outdoors.” The parade is at 6 p.m. June 1 and there will be Friday night shopping again this year downtown.
There is a new website for tourism: www.visitfortscott.com/
Biking Across Kansas, a 559-mile ride will end in Fort Scott on June 16. Expected are about 850 cyclists.
There will be a Veteran’s Weekend Nov. 9-11 in honor of veterans. An 11 am. service at National Cemetery and a parade at 3 p.m. on Nov. 11 are some planned events.
Craw-Kan Telephone Cooperative’s Fiber Optic Internet is progressing to the downtown area this summer and project construction will ramp up in 2019, according to Zach Adams. He said the response was more than expected in the community.
Free tourism trolley tickets are available, businesses are encouraged to add coupons to the ticket envelope to advertise. Contact Gazaway at the tourism office, 231 E. Wall.
The Presbyterian Church will have a Sunday Serve Clean Up/Projects Day April 29 at 8:45 a.m.
The Fort Scott National Historic Site Civil War Encampment is April 21-22.
KOMB is hosting the 7th Annual Home, Sport, Farm, Garden Show at Arnold Arena at Fort Scott Community College April 13-14. There will be 56 inside booths and more outside. Call 620-223-4500 for more information. Children’s activities will also be available.
Attendees listen as each tells their name and the business/organization they represent.
The Lowell Milken Center for Unsung Heroes is collaborating with Fort Scott National Historic Site to bring “Mother” Mary Bickerdyke to area fifth-grade students.
There will be a woman’s luncheon April 25 at the Ellis Fine Arts Center at Fort Scott Community College. Vendor booth rental is $6. For more information contact Juley McDaniel at 620-223-2700 Ext. 5201.
An interactive story time at the library will start soon, contact K-State Extension Agent Joy Miller for more information.
Gary Palmer said he will be starting a retail printing business within the next 30 days. He will offer a discount to not-for-profit groups.
The townwide yard sale will be May 11-12.
In a recent conversation with Kansas Governor Jeff Colyer, City Manager Dave Martin said Colyer indicated the completion of the Hwy. 69 is a priority project. Martin also mentioned the positive movements in town: the Boiler Room Brewhaus expansion, the Liberty Theater building rehabilitation, the Hole in the Wall Liquor Store project, the Fort Scott Family Dental move to downtown, Bartelsmeyer’s renovating a downtown loft, progress on the old La Hacienda building, Arby’s Restaurant coming to the old Kentucky Fried Chicken facility, and the Fisher Park Project. Martin gave his cell phone number if anyone has questions: 620-644-2498.
The Third Saturday Marketplace in collaboration with Fort Scott Farmer’s Market needs volunteers to oversee the event once a month, said Lindsay Madison.
There will be a meeting at 4 p.m. Thursday, May 3 at the Empress Event Center, downtown, for senior citizens interested in senior housing options. Pat Wood will host the event, which includes drinks and hors d’oeuvres.
The meet and greet is hosted by the Fort Scott Chamber of Commerce the first Tuesday in January, April, July, and October each year.
