Category Archives: Schools

Fort Scott, Health Care, Schools

Missy Reynolds: New FSHS Nurse

Leave a comment
Missy Reynolds. Submitted photo.

Missy Reynolds is a new school nurse at Fort Scott High School, since the end of August 2020.

She has been a district nurse substitute over the past several years and prior to that worked at Nevada Medical Clinic.

Reynolds graduated from FSHS in 1989, then graduated from Fort Scott Community College in 2008 with an associate of applied science degree in nursing.

She was born and raised in Fort Scott.

She has been married to Mike Reynolds for 26 years and has three children. Garrett, Kennede, and Kerigan. Kerigan is currently a sophomore at FSHS.

Reynold became a nurse to help people.

“I wanted to be a nurse to be able to help people,” she said. “I was busy raising my children but the opportunity came up for me to go back to college later in life so I was a non-traditional student.”

“The high school has not had a full-time nurse in the past so this has been a great addition for them. I see students for all basic medical needs, keep health records up to date and communicate with parents as needed. Every day is something new.”

Fort Scott, Schools

Talking Tigers Compete at Louisburg

Leave a comment
Fort Scott High School had one team competing at Louisburg on Saturday, November 21 and Trent Toth and Sam Deloney placed 8th in the novice division.
FSHS also had two teams at Bishop Miege, Thade Yates and Lillian Collins placed 2nd in the Open division, while Anna Laubenstein and David Jones were ranked 10th at Bishop Miege in the JV division.
Congratulations

Tigers!

Submitted by Angella Curran 

Fort Scott High School
Speech Communications
Debate/Forensics
COVID-19, Fort Scott, Schools

No Live FSHS Performance of The Monologue Show At This Time

Leave a comment
Fort Scott High School Thespians regret that due to new restrictions related to the outbreak of COVID-19 in the community, there will not be a live performance of The Monologue Show (from Hell) in front of an audience at this time.
FSHS Thespians WILL continue to have a streamed performance of The Monologue Show (from Hell) from Nov. 22-24. Tickets are available from fortscotthighschooltheatre.ludus.com.
The cast plans to have at least one live performance of the show at some time in the future when the school district is open again to the public.
Current ticket holders should e-mail Angie Bin at [email protected] to transfer tickets to a streaming on demand ticket (that can be used any time Nov. 22-24) or to receive a refund.
COVID-19, Fort Scott, Government, Schools

USD 234: No In Person Classes Starting Tomorrow

Leave a comment

MEDIA ADVISORY

 

What:

Fort Scott High School – Remote Learning – November 19 & 20

Professional Development Day – No School – November 23 & 24

 

Abstract:

 

With the recent increase of COVID-19 cases in Bourbon County and a shortage of substitutes, USD 234 has decided that the students at Fort Scott High School will be in remote learning on Thursday and Friday, November 19 and 20.  USD 234 has also decided that there will be no school for all students on Monday, November 23 and Tuesday, November 24.  These two days will be used as professional development for the USD 234 staff.

 

For high school students:

  • Food service will still be provided on Thursday and Friday.  Go to the following link to sign-up for lunches for Thursday and Friday.  Families will need to come to the high school to pick up the lunches.  https://forms.gle/soWWGAveLvXhfoQeA
  • High school students without Internet can come to the school to receive their instruction remotely.
  • High school students who need to attend on Thursday and Friday should follow entrance directions below:

o   Senior and Juniors – enter through the East entry doors

o   Sophomore and Freshman – enter through the West entry doors

 

As COVID-19 cases rise in our community, we have seen an increase in isolations and quarantines in the school district for our students and staff.  USD 234 will continue to monitor the number of COVID-19 cases in our county as well as evaluate our Remote Learning Plan.  USD 234 will release information before Thanksgiving Break about what the learning plan for the district after Thanksgiving Break will be.  To continue the opportunity for students to learn in person, USD 234 will need to see a decrease in COVID-19 cases in our communities, which will cause a decrease in our schools.

 

Wear a mask.  Wash your hands frequently.  Stay socially distant from each other.  We need everyone to do their part to keep our school doors open.

 

 

When:             November 18 & 19 – High School Remote Learning

November 23 & 24 – No School for All Students

 

Where:            USD 234 School District

 

Contact:          Ted Hessong

Superintendent of Schools

 

Fort Scott, Health Care, Schools

Heather Geiger: New FSMS Nurse

1 Comment
Heather Geiger, RN. Submitted photo.
Heather Geiger, RN, is a new nurse at Fort Scott Middle School.
She was born and raised in Fort Scott, graduating from FSHS in 2002.
Geiger then received an Associate’s Degree of Applied Science in Nursing from Fort Scott Community College in May 2008.
She worked at Mercy Hospital for over 10 years, until they closed in 2018.
“I have three children: Caleb, a senior at FSHS; Cody, a freshman at FSHS; and Cooper, in kindergarten. I have been married to my husband, Thaine, since 2003,” Geiger said.
Geiger began a career in nursing because she liked helping people.
“I decided to become a nurse, a couple of years after graduating high school, because the medical field was something that I found very interesting and I knew that I would always enjoy taking care of people, ” she said.
Her duties?
“As a school nurse, I will be helping all of the students with any medical needs and always be available to help them with anything that they might need,” she said.
“This year, we are blessed to have a nurse at each school: Stacy Sauerwein at Winfield Scott, Tausha Platt at Eugene Ware and Missy Reynolds at FSHS,” Geiger said.
Geiger is replacing Erin Beisley, who worked at both the middle school and high school last year.
She started at the middle school last week, but began training for the position a few weeks ago, she said.
“CHC (Community Health Center) employs the nursing staff now, and that is how we have more positions available,” she said.
COVID-19, Fort Scott, Opinion, Schools

Letter To The Editor:You Can Help Us Keep School Open

2 Comments

Dear Friends,

The topic of Covid-19 is so complex, and so controversial… that brevity becomes difficult when discussing it. However, I will keep this as brief as possible.

As an educator in our community, I have a unique perspective when it comes to the current situation with Covid-19. I visit with my colleagues and friends that are teachers and administrators, and it becomes so very clear how much EVERYONE wants to keep our kids in school all day, every day.

However, we feel like we are bailing water out of the Titanic with 5-gallon buckets, so to speak. Cases across the country but especially in rural areas are spiking, and Fort Scott is no different. And we are only beginning the most brutal part of the year in terms of illness. Any given year we have a lot of kids and staff out with illness over the winter… so common sense suggests that the worst is yet to come.

Why do I bring these things up? I am humbly asking for your help. I love our small town and the people in it. That is why Nikki and I have chosen to raise our family here. The folks in this community are honest, loyal, and generous. We all have it in us because of the way we were raised. It is time to draw upon those values.

WE NEED YOUR HELP in keeping our schools open. It is true that, thank God, children are not affected as severely by Covid-19 as are older people. That bodes well for our students, BUT NOT OUR TEACHERS.

We have to have our teachers healthy in order to keep our schools open. When teachers are ill, or in quarantine, the burden falls to substitutes, and we simply do not have enough. If schools are forced to go hybrid or remote, it will be because we cannot staff classrooms due to teacher/substitute shortages.

What does this have to do with you? The medical community is telling us that mitigating actions such as social distancing, wearing masks, and limiting the size of gatherings works when it comes to preventing the spread of Covid-19. These are the people on the front lines!

My friends, I share skepticism with many of you when it comes to what the media is telling us about this virus. I believe the commerce of fear is completely out of line and, quite frankly, evil.

Our theme for the school year at St. Mary’s Catholic School is BE NOT AFRAID. We are not scared of this virus or anything else, and we move forward exercising the virtue of FORTITUDE in the way we live our lives. But along with fortitude comes PRUDENCE.

God gave us intelligent minds to look after ourselves and others. As St. Augustine said, “Pray as though everything depended on God. Work as though everything depended on you.”

YOU CAN HELP US KEEP SCHOOLS OPEN. We desperately NEED you to help us keep schools open!

Regardless of how deadly you think this virus is, the bottom line is that if enough school staff become ill or are in quarantine, your children are going to be attending school remotely and that causes incredible challenges for modern families with both parents working, myself included.

PLEASE find it in your hearts to use prudence in your behavior and help us quell the spread of Covid-19.

Wear a mask in public (we all hate it, but it’s such a small sacrifice to make for others!). Use social distancing. Use good common sense. Lets all band together, work together, for the good of our kids, our families, and our community!

Thank you for hearing me out. May God bless our community and our families.

Peace Be With You,

Josh Regan

Fort Scott, Schools

Talking Tigers Has Two Undefeated Teams

Leave a comment
Submitted by Angella Curran
Yesterday the Talking Tigers competed remotely in the Great Bend tournament.
Out of 27 Varsity teams there were three undefeated teams, two of which were Fort Scott!
Using quality points to break the tie, Ash Nave and Jade Russell came out in 3rd place and Neil Gugnani and Shekhar Gugnani placed 2nd!
All of our other teams walked away with wins as well.
Great weekend for Tiger Debate! (pictured separately are the Gugnani’s and Ash because they participated off site). Congrats to the whole team!
Fort Scott, Schools

Eugene Ware Students Nominated For Honor Choir

1 Comment


Eight fifth-graders from Eugene Ware Elementary were nominated for the Southeast Kansas Music Educators Association Elementary Honor Choir: Emilea Barrett, Sophie Durrossette, Megan Parada, Joshua Porter, Lily Saldivar, London Turner, Jaiden Watkins, and Ainsley Wheeler.

This honor choir typically takes place in January and is made up of singers in 5th and 6th grade throughout Southeast Kansas.

Due to the pandemic, students will not have the opportunity to sing together face to face. These students continue to keep choral music alive by singing at home and through Eugene Ware Youth Choir: Virtual Edition.

Contact: MJ Harper, 620-719-6633, [email protected]

Bourbon County, Schools

Uniontown School District Honors Veterans With A Parade

Leave a comment

USD 235 students, staff and surrounding community honored U.S. Veteran’s this afternoon with a parade in Uniontown.

Flags, horses, trailers full of FFA members and the high school band along with the Bourbon County Sheriff’s Office, the Bourbon County Fire Department, had a mild November afternoon to celebrate Veteran’s Day.

An event honoring vets is usually held in the high school gym, but because of COVID 19 pandemic restrictions, staff decided to host a parade.

Below are some of the participants.

Students lined the schools walking path and waved to the vets, with community members intermixed.

COVID-19, Fort Scott, Government, Schools

USD 234 News Release For BOE Meeting Nov. 9

Leave a comment

NEWS RELEASE

 

Monday, November 9, 2020

 

Members of the USD 234 Board of Education met at the Fort Scott Middle School Commons on Monday, November 9, 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 – October 20,  2020 – $1,414,951.80

D.    Financial Report

E.     Activity Fund Accounts

F.     Parent/Teacher Conference Attendance

G.    Fundraisers

 

One patron spoke during the public forum.  Ella Beth presented a report on the

Fort Scott High School Courtyard project.

Board members heard reports from the following:

·       Brenda Hill, KNEA President

·       Michelle Stevenson, Early Childhood Program

·       All building principals

·       Dalaina Smith, Director of Academics

·       Ted Hessong, Superintendent

·       Gina Shelton, Business Manager/Board Clerk

 

The board went into executive session to discuss employer-employee negotiations.  The board returned to open session.

Superintendent Hessong gave a Return-to-School update.  Board members approved the following changes to the Return-to-School Plan:

·       Classroom contact of an individual with lab-confirmed COVID-19 is not considered a close contact requiring quarantine if mitigation strategies are in place.

o   High-risk contacts are defined as those individuals with unmitigated exposure such as unmasked lunch exposure, social exposure, extracurricular activities including sports, home exposure, or other exposure outside of school setting, and as determined by a health officer or designated official.

o   Low-risk exposure is defined as mitigated classroom exposure (mask-in-place, appropriate hand washing/sanitation) and casual contact, as determined by the health officer or designated official, with mitigation standards in place.

·       Remote learners are eligible for extracurricular activities with mitigation strategies in place.

 

The board approved Blue Cross/Blue Shield for the district health insurance for 2021.

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 matters:

 

A.    Resignation of Heather Geiger, high school paraprofessional

B.    Resignation of Brenda Hathaway, high school cook

C.    Employment of Whitley Chesney as middle school/high school choir teacher for the 2020-21 spring semester

D.    Employment of Elizabeth Rose as a middle school paraprofessional for the 2020-21 school year

E.     Resignation of Sarah Bahr, high school assistant debate and forensics coach

F.     Resignation of Angie Kemmerer as middle school head volleyball coach, effective at the end of the 2020 season

G.    Transfer of Joie Moore, high school 6.5-hour cook, to a high school 6.5-hour ticket clerk for the 2020-21 school year

H.    Employment of Glenda Cooper as a high school 6.5-hour cook for the 2020-21 school year

I.      Resignation of Jacy Walker as high school head volleyball coach

J.      Employment of Mark Bergmann as high school assistant debate and forensics coach for the 2020-21 school year

The board adjourned.

Bourbon County, COVID-19, Schools

St. Mary’s Catholic School Receives SPARK Grant

Leave a comment
St. Mary’s Catholic School
St. Mary’s Catholic School has received SPARK funds to provide laptops for students and increased technological capabilities. along with a small transportation bus.
The Strengthening People and Revitalizing Kansas (SPARK) Taskforce is leading Kansas forward in recovery from the far-reaching effects of COVID-19, distributing funds provided from the U.S. Coronavirus Relief Fund, according to its’ website https://covid.ks.gov/spark-recovery-office/
St. Mary’s students enjoy lunch outside as an aid to social distancing at the school..Submitted photos.

 

Technology
“We will use the money to buy laptops for our students to use at school and also to be used at home if we were to be shut down again by the state,” Principal Josh Regan said.  “We will also be purchasing new laptops for our computers with software upgrades that are capable of bringing remote learners, who have been required to isolate or quarantine, into our classroom via Zoom.”
Josh Regan. Submitted photo.
Cameras and WIFI access
 ” We have purchased Swivl cameras to make that experience more seamless and interactive for remote learners with SPARK FUNDS as well,” he said. ” We are also updating our WiFi access points throughout our school to accommodate more devices on the system.”
Purchase of small bus
“We were given funds to assist in the purchase of a small bus for the school, based on transportation needs and difficulties especially due to COVID,” Regan said.
Bourbon County, Schools, Sports

UNIONTOWN HS FOOTBALL RESULTS WEEKS 9 AND 10

Leave a comment
Adelay Martin. Submitted photo.

The playoff post-season has gone well for the UHS football team! Here’s the results of the two playoff games:

On October 30, 2020, the Uniontown Eagles played Troy and defeated them with a score of 51-14, setting a new record for points scored in a playoff game for UHS. The team had 453 total yards of offense and 7 touchdowns. Drew Perry had 31 carries for 234 yards with 4 touchdowns and completed 4/7 passes for 41 yards. Treden Buckman had 24 carries for 181 yards and 3 touchdowns. Luke Perry had 2 receptions for 26 yards, and Jake Harvey had 1 reception for 19 yards.

On the defensive side, we held Troy to 174 total yards and forced 2 turnovers. Jake Harvey had 10 tackles, 3 tackles for loss, 1 sack, and 1 pass breakup. Drew Perry had 5 tackles and 2 pass breakups, Hunter Schaaf also had 5 tackles, and Joey Marlow had 3 tackles, 1 fumble recovery, and 1 interception. Tyler Harvey scored 6/7 extra points, and 1 field goal for 33 yards.

Coach Stark was incredibly proud of the team. “Some media outlets had predicted that Troy would upset us in the first round. Troy has a really good tradition and a really good program history. They won the state title in 2016. We were able to take control of the game pretty early on. We knew Troy had a really talented quarterback, so our plan was to run the clock, run the ball on offense, and limit big plays on defense. We were able to force a couple of turnovers, we were able to run the ball and establish the ground game early. We ran for over 400 7 we didn’t have a single turnover. Our lineman really set the tone. The 51 points we scored were the most ever by the team in a playoff game. The previous record was 50, set in 2015.”

On Friday, November 6, the Eagles defeated Northeast Arma 45-0. This game won Uniontown its first regional title since 1998, and posted the school’s first shutout in the post-season since 1982. Offensively, the team ran 326 total yards and had 5 touchdowns. Drew Perry had 10 carries for 100 yards with 3 touchdowns and 2/3 on passing for 15 yards. Treden Buckman had 15 carries for 146 yards with 1 touchdown. Jake Harvey had 4 carries for 27 yards, scored 1 touchdown, and had 1 reception for 19 yards. Hunter Schaaf had 6 carries for 46 yards, and Cade Goodridge had 2 receptions for 15 yards.

The team defensively held the Vikings to 39 total yards and forced 2 turnovers. Zach Franklin had 11 tackles, 4 tackles for loss, and 2.5 sacks. Korbin Miller had 7 tackles, 4.5 tackles for loss, and 0.5 sack. Ian McClure had 5 tackles, 4 tackles for loss, and 1 sack. Jake Harvey had 10 tackles and 1 tackle for loss. Drew Perry had 2 tackles and 1 interception, and Hunter Schaaf had 8 tackles, 1 tackle for loss, and 1 interception. Tyler Harvey scored 5/5 extra points and 1 field goal for 30 yards. Byron Fry had 3 tackles and 1 blocked punt, and Riley Warner had 3 tackles and 1 blocked punt, which was recovered for a touchdown.

Coach Stark said of the game, “Not only did we win a regional title on Friday night, but we finished the season undefeated in our league. Our defense had their best game of the year, only giving up 39 yards, and we forced 2 turnovers. Because of the effort of our linemen up front, I feel like our game against Arma was the best game of the year. Our guys play with great effort, technique, and determination, and it really shows.

“While we are excited about our wins these past two weeks, we are even more excited about the opportunity to play Olpe in the sectional round of the payoffs. Olpe is ranked number one in the state, and they beat us earlier this season 48-2. That was a really close game until halftime; I believe, this time, that we’ll play them tight for a full four quarters and that it’ll be a close game.”

The Sub-State game is at Olpe on Friday, November 13, so making the drive could be difficult, but any support for our Eagles will be appreciated!