Front row: Naomi Kim, Hampton Sayers. 2nd row: Amanda Emmerson, Jenny Heckman, Alaenah Michaud, Alyssa Smith, Ashley Smith Back row: Dryden Cosens, Luke Goldston, Neil Gugnani, Trent Peck, Eli Williams. Submitted photo.
The Fort Scott High School Homecoming King and Queen will be announced Friday night between the Lady Tiger Varsity and Boys Varsity games.
Saturday night is Winter Formal!
The dance will be held at the high school auxiliary gym, from 7:30 until 10:30 p.m. Saturday.
Mitch Barker will be taking pictures.
Submitted by Bert Lewis, Fort Scott High School Student Council Sponsor, Senior & Junior Class Sponsor, Key Club Sponsor, Ed Rising Sponsor, and Scholars’ Bowl Coach
Based on building COVID positive rates, the high school, middle school, and Eugene Ware will need to continue to wear masks on Monday, January 24. Winfield Scott and the preschool do not need to wear masks starting Monday, January 24. Also shown below is the student absenteeism % for this week.
Building
Student Absenteeism %
1/18/2022
Student Absenteeism %
1/19/2022
Student Absenteeism %
1/20/2022
Student Absenteeism %
1/21/2022
COVID Positive %
1/21/2022
FSHS
20%
25%
22%
23%
3.63%
FSMS
22%
24%
22%
24%
2.25%
Eugene Ware
22%
25%
24%
21%
4.26%
Winfield Scott
15%
19%
21%
20%
1.09%
Preschool
17%
14%
14%
14%
0.0%
Today, January 21, the district had a total of 4 staff out because they are COVID positive and 3 staff in quarantine.
Rhonda Allen was announced as a Kansas Music Educator Association Hall of Fame Inductee last week at West Bourbon Elementary School, Uniontown. Taken from the school’s Facebook page. Allen, left, is being introduced by former colleague Andrea Dinkel, middle, who nominated her for the award. At right is fellow USD235 Music Teacher Neva Rowland.
Uniontown Music Teacher Rhonda Allen was informed during a school assembly last week that she is being inducted into the Kansas Music Educator Association Hall of Fame.
Allen was told of her induction in a school assembly last week at West Bourbon Elementary School. Photo taken from the school’s Facebook page.
“Andrea Dinkel nominated me for the award last fall,” Rhonda Allen said. Dinkel is a former colleague of Allen’s in the USD235 School District.
“Though I was nominated, I didn’t expect to be inducted and feel very humbled by the whole thing,” Allen said. “I did not know what the assembly was about going in.”
Allen is in her 40th year teaching music, with 31 of those at Uniontown. She taught in Arma for nine years.
Rhonda Allen. Taken from the school district’s staff directory.
Currently, she teaches Pre-K through 6th-grade general music at West Bourbon Elementary School, Uniontown Junior High Choir, and accompanies on the piano for the high school.
“I am deeply honored by this award and am grateful for the wonderful colleagues and students I’ve worked with over the years,” Allen said. “I’ve learned so much from them and have enjoyed sharing the language of music with them.”
“The Uniontown administration and staff support music opportunities for our students and work to keep those options available for our students,” she said.
“I owe a lot to the Kansas Music Educator’s Association,” she added. “Our annual in-service conferences and other workshops have been a source of knowledge and inspiration.”
The official induction ceremony will take place at KMEA In-Service Workshop on Saturday, February 26.
Induction to the KMEA Hall of Fame is the highest honor bestowed by the Kansas Music Educators Association. KMEA established the Hall of Fame to honor those career members of the Kansas music education community who have made a significant contribution to the growth of music in the state. Any music educator exceptionally affecting music education may be considered. Formal induction and recognition takes place at the In-Service Workshop each February.
In addition to having their name, photo, and teaching bio placed on permanent display, inductees receive a plaque inscribed as follows:
“The Kansas Music Educators Association is proud to recognize the outstanding achievements of the above-mentioned educator for exceptional contributions to the children and youth of Kansas. This annual award honors musicianship of the highest order and recognizes exemplary musical and teaching accomplishments.”
The 1,860 Fort Scott school students will get five days off from school starting tomorrow, thanks to the pandemic.
USD 234 Superintendent Ted Hessong said because of the high student absenteeism and a high level of transmission of the virus, Fort Scott schools will be closed tomorrow Thursday, Jan. 13 and Friday, Jan. 14.
Ted Hessong. Submitted photo.
“These two days will count as snow days for tracking of hours on the academic calendar,” he said. “Remote Learning will not be utilized on these two days.”
The two days of school cancellation are followed by the weekend, then a pre-scheduled staff professional development day on January 17.
“This closure is needed to assist in slowing down the spread of the virus and to give students and staff who are not feeling well time to recover. We hope these five days away will help people,” he said.
“School activities will be canceled for January 13, 14 and 15,” he said.
“We will continue with the scheduled professional development day on Monday, January 17, and activities will resume on Monday,” Hessong said.
Masks will be required in all buildings on Tuesday when students return on the18th, he said.
“We will monitor numbers regarding the mask requirement next week,” Hessong said.
The Test to Stay and Learn virus testing program provided by the district and Community Health Center of Southeast Kansas will be available for students on Tuesday, he said.
Members of the USD 234 Board of Education met at the Winfield Scott Cafeteria on Monday, January 10, 2022, for their regular monthly meeting.
Vice-President Kellye Barrows 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 – December 17, 2021 – $1,463,866.84
D. Financial Report
E. Activity fund accounts
F. First Day of Second Semester Enrollment Count Report
There were no comments in the public forum section. Rob Harrington, Bourbon County Economic Development Director, presented information regarding the Neighborhood Revitalization Plan. The board approved the Interlocal Agreement with the City of Fort Scott.
Brenda Hill, Fort Scott KNEA President, gave a report to board members.
Scott Kimble, Fort Scott High School Principal, shared information on Individual Plans of Study for students. Principals from each building shared written reports. In addition, reports were given by Dalaina Smith, Director of Academics; Ted Hessong, Superintendent of Schools; and Gina Shelton, Business Manager/Board Clerk.
Board members approved the updated CDC and KDHE recommendations for the Operations Guidelines. The board also approved the following:
· KASB Board Policy updates
· Resolution 21-10 – Establish Election of School Board Officers
· Agreement of Cooperation and Partnership between USD 234 Special Education and SEK-CAP Head Start 0-5
Superintendent Hessong discussed ESSER III updates. Board members shared comments and then went into executive session for preliminary discussions relating to the acquisition of real property. The board returned to open meeting and then went into executive session to discuss personnel matters for nonelected personnel and returned to open meeting. The board approved the following employment items:
A. Early retirement of Tami Campbell, high school social studies teacher, effective August 1, 2022
B. Early retirement of Kelly Toll, middle school science teacher, effective July 1, 2022
C. Resignation of Jenna Bunn, Winfield Scott paraprofessional, effective December 29, 2021
D. Resignation of Akasha Clements, middle school paraprofessional, effective January 7, 2022
E. Resignation of Jonny Larsen, Eugene Ware/Fort Scott Preschool Center custodian, effective December 21, 2021
F. Resignation of Kourtney Harper, high school paraprofessional, effective December 16, 2021
G. Resignation of Laura Gulley, Eugene Ware paraprofessional, effective January 24, 2022
H. Employment of Zach Hart as a Winfield Scott paraprofessional for the remainder of the 2021-22 school year
I. Employment of Lena Phelan and Codee Weddle as Winfield Scott paraprofessionals for the remainder of the 2021-22 school year
J. Employment of James Harrison as a high school paraprofessional for the remainder of the 2021-22 school year
K. Employment of Bobby Reed as a four-hour bus driver for the remainder of the 2021-22 school year
L. Resignation of Alvin Metcalf as a middle school wrestling coach, effective at the end of the 2021-22 school year
M. Resignation of Kelly Toll as middle school cross country coach at the end of the 2021-22 school year
N. Employment of Lindsey Davis as a teacher mentor for the 2021-22 school year
O. Employment of Amy Harper as high school math team leader for the 2021-22 school year
P. Retirement of Mary Mauer, Eugene Ware fifth grade teacher, effective at the end of the 2021-22 school year
Q. Resignation of Judith Davis, high school paraprofessional, effective January 21, 2022
Students invited to apply for leadership opportunities and scholarship
Heartland Rural Electric Cooperative’s strong tradition of promoting youth leadership will continue with $500 scholarships and entry into an exclusive in-person leadership conference this summer.
Two current high school sophomores or juniors who live in households served by Heartland will take part in an all-expenses-paid trip to the Kansas Electric Youth (KEY) Leadership Conference and will receive $500 scholarships to further their education.
The KEY Leadership Conference will be held in Topeka in early June and will provide leadership learning opportunities, engaging speakers, and team-building activities. Student-leaders from across the state will tour the Kansas State Capitol and other local attractions. Those selected for this experience also can apply for the Kansas seat on a national youth leadership council.
If you know of a student with strong leadership potential who is ready for new experiences, would like to network with other student leaders, and is willing to learn more about themselves and their communities, encourage them to apply for this incredible leadership opportunity.
The application form can be found at www.heartland-rec.com and must be completed and returned by Friday, Feb. 11.
For more information, contact Doug Graham at [email protected] or (620) 724-5526.
USD234 Superintendent Ted Hessong said in an email that as of Friday, January 7, the school district had 29 student active cases and nine staff cases.
He gave the statistics of the number of COVID positive students and staff/total number of students and staff in a building as of Friday:
Fort Scott High School= 1.52%
Fort Scott Middle School= 2.26%
Eugene Ware Elementary School = 1.88%
Winfield Scott Elementary School= 1.30%
USD 234 Preschool = 2.00%
“According to the district’s gaiting criteria, any building that has a positivity rate over two percent and the community spread is over 30 new cases, that building will need to wear masks until the positivity rate falls below 2%,” Hesson said. “Therefore, the middle school is required to wear masks at this time until the building positivity rate falls below 2%. The preschool is not required to wear masks at this time because they have a lower student/staff population, but we are monitoring that building’s numbers.”
The school district has provided a way to follow USD 234’s COVID Attendance Dashboard, he said, and this information is updated daily in the afternoon.
Governor Laura Kelly Announces Expanded Free, Reduced-Price School Meals in Kansas Schools
~Kansas one of eight states to participate in school meal demonstration project~
TOPEKA – Today, Governor Laura Kelly announced that Kansas has been selected as one of eight states to participate in a demonstration project utilizing Medicaid eligibility data to certify eligible students for free and reduced-price school meals.
“This project will expand free, reduced-priced meals for some of our most vulnerable students,” Governor Kelly said. “Our kids need reliable access to healthy foods to learn and grown, and this is great news for our state, students, and families.”
The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Food and Nutrition Service Mountain Plains Region made the announcement earlier this week. The Kansas State Department of Education is working in collaboration with the Kansas Department of Health and Environment (KDHE) on the project, said Cheryl Johnson, director of KSDE’s Child Nutrition and Wellness (CNW) team.
“Kansas is excited to be a part of this pilot project,” Janet Stanek, KDHE Acting Secretary, said. “This project will directly impact students on Medicaid and remove barriers to receiving healthy and nutritious meals while at school. According to the CDC, research shows that students who participate in the school meal programs consume more whole grains, milk, fruits, and vegetables during mealtimes and have better overall diet quality which ultimately has a positive effect on learning.”
The newest round of this demonstration project creates an important opportunity to further test the impact of Medicaid Direct Certification, which was first initiated through the Healthy, Hunger-Free Kids Act of 2010.
Seven other states were also selected to participate in this round of the project: Alabama, Illinois, Louisiana, Maryland, Minnesota, North Carolina and South Carolina.
The direct certification process makes it easier for children from low-income households to receive free and reduced-price school meals, according to the USDA. Historically, most students who receive free or reduced-price school meals have been certified based on information they submit in an application.
Families can also be deemed eligible because they participate in one of a few benefit programs, like the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) or Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF). Adding Medicaid to the list of benefit programs that can directly certify a student to receive free or reduced-price meals is a win-win for students, families, and school officials, according to the USDA. This means less paperwork for families and fewer school meal applications for school districts to process and verify.
Since 2012-2013, USDA has authorized demonstration projects allowing states to test direct certification with Medicaid. With the addition of eight states this week, 27 states are now participating in these projects, representing approximately 75% of students nationwide, the USDA said.
An evaluation by USDA found that these projects allowed more than one million students to be certified for free meals and nearly 260,000 students for reduced-price meals in school year 2017-2018.
“This is a win-win for Kansas students, families and school districts,” said Cheryl Johnson, director Child Nutrition and Wellness for the Kansas State Department of Education. “This means school districts have fewer school meal applications to process and verify, and families have less paperwork to complete. It also helps ensure access to nutritious meals for all students, which fuels them for overall success.”
“Direct certification works to ensure children in need aren’t mistakenly left behind, and can decrease errors in school meal program administration,” said Cheryl Kennedy, USDA, Food and Nutrition Service, Mountain Plains Region administrator. “By eliminating applications, direct certification reduces the burden on families and schools and connects more children to the nutrition they need to succeed in school.”
The Kansas State Department of Education (www.ksde.org) provides leadership, resources, support and accountability to the state’s K-12 education system. KSDE administers the state’s governance of education, standards and assessments, special education services, child nutrition and wellness, title programs and services, career and technical education, and financial aid. It is the goal of the agency to provide all Kansas children with equal access to a quality, high-level education that promotes student achievement and prepares all students for global success.
The Eugene Ware Elementary School Choir Trio L-R: Izzy Martin, Madi Ross, Braley Harrington. Submitted photo.
Fifth graders Braley Harrington, Izzy Martin, and Madi Ross were nominated to perform with the Southeast Kansas Music Educator’s Association Elementary Honor Choir for the 2021-2022 school year.
Students have eight rehearsals outside of the school day to prepare and memorize five pieces of music. They will perform with
the best 5th and 6th-grade singers from Southeast Kansas in Chanute on January 15th.
Eugene Ware Elementary School Quartet L-R: Madi Ross, Izzy Martin, Braley Harrington, MJ Harper. Submitted photo.
Members of the USD 234 Board of Education met at the Fort Scott Middle School Commons on Monday, December 13, 2021, for their regular monthly meeting.
President James Wood 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 – November 19, 2021 – $1,470,719.34
D. Financial Report
E. Activity fund accounts
F. Donation of wrestling mats
G. High School Swim Team fundraising applications
H. Increase in adult meal prices for breakfast and lunch
Jamie Armstrong, outgoing board member, was recognized for her years of service. There were no comments in the public forum section. Brenda Hill, Fort Scott KNEA President, shared information with the board. Principals from each building shared written reports. Ted Hessong, Superintendent, gave a report. In addition, Superintendent Hessong gave an ESSER III update.
Andrea Scott, Fort Scott Preschool Center Principal, gave a presentation on the Fort Scott Preschool Center. Board members shared comments and then went into executive session to discuss personnel matters for nonelected personnel and returned to open meeting. The board approved the following employment items:
A. Resignation of Kaytelynd Keller, Winfield Scott paraprofessional, effective November 16, 2021
B. Retirement of Alvin Metcalf, Sr., middle school teacher aide and middle school coach, effective at the end of the 2021-22 school year
C. Resignation of Lacey Graham, bus driver, effective November 3, 2021
D. Retirement of Pamela Milton, Eugene Ware paraprofessional, effective at the end of the 2021-22 school year
E. Resignation of Alexandra VanSickle, Winfield Scott first grade teacher, effective December 16, 2021
F. Resignation of Maggie Johnston, high school paraprofessional, effective November 23, 2021
G. Resignation of Annyssa Davenport, high school paraprofessional, effective December 16, 2021
H. Resignation of Gregg Sweet, Eugene Ware paraprofessional, effective December 10, 2021
I. Leave of absence request from Caitlin Shrewsbury, Eugene Ware third grade teacher
J. Change in work agreement for Wendy Budd, Winfield Scott paraprofessional, from a 7.5-hour day to an 8-hour day for the remainder of the 2021-22 school year
K. Employment of Judith Davis as a high school paraprofessional for the remainder of the 2021-22 school year
L. Employment of Adrianne Wisdom as a high school paraprofessional for the remainder of the 2021-22 school year
M. Employment of Charlie Hensley as a high school auto tech teacher aide for the remainder of the 2021-22 school year
N. Employment of Jennifer Herring as a Winfield Scott 6.5-hour cook for the remainder of the 2021-22 school year; Employment of Jennifer Herring as a 2-hour bus driver for the remainder of the 2021-22 school year
O. Employment of Shaunn Pytlowany as a four-hour bus driver for the remainder of the 2021-22 school year
P. Resignation of Tyler Bell, high school assistant wrestling coach, for the 2021-22 school year; resignation of Abigail Duffy, high school JV volleyball coach, effective November 8, 2021; resignation of Kelli Davis, high school freshman volleyball coach, effective November 8, 2021
Q. Employment of Brendon Blackburn as a high school assistant wrestling coach for the 2021-22 school year
R. Employment of Tyler Ericson as a Winfield Scott first grade teacher for the remainder of the 2021-22 school year
