Category Archives: Schools

Kansas, Schools

Kansas Students Build Own Wind Turbines in Challenge

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Participation in the Kansas KidWind Challenge quadruples
The science behind wind energy has captured the attention of Kansas students and boosted the number of competitors in the state’s KidWind Challenge from 17 teams in 2018 to 71 teams this year. The increased number of participants also prompted the addition of a fifth regional competition. Regional events begin on February 5 and continue through March 6 culminating in a state competition on April 4.

KidWind is an annual competition where student teams build and test their own wind turbines, then compete in a regional event for a chance to move on to state and national competitions.  The events are part of the Energy Education partnership between the Kansas Corporation Commission and K-State Engineering Extension with a grant from the U.S. Department of Energy.

“KidWind is a fantastic hands-on opportunity that allows students to tinker and experiment with wind turbine designs. They experience the thrill of scientific discovery as their designs are validated through performance testing, and they hone their public-speaking skills as they present their turbine design to a panel of judges,” explained David Carter, Director of the Kansas Energy Program at K-State Engineering Extension.

Tatum Vogel, a teacher at Dighton Elementary, said the skills her students learned from KidWind extended beyond science to include perseverance and other life skills.

“We went to the regional competition with a turbine that was heavy and barely turned. We weren’t out of the city limits that day, and these students had already redesigned the entire top. The life skills involved were priceless. They had to communicate, work together, take initiative to learn more, and apply all the science and physics along the way,” said Vogel.

Teams compete by age group, 4th – 8th grades or 9th – 12th grades, with three to five students per team (recommended). At each regional competition, the top two teams in each age group advance to the state finals. State winners move on to the national competition in Denver. The complete schedule of events appears below. All events are open to the public.

Region                                  Date                      Location______________________________________ 
Kansas City                         Feb 12                   Olathe (Olathe West High School)
Northeast                           Feb. 20                  Manhattan (Unger Complex)
Southwest                          Feb. 25                  Dodge City (Village Square Mall)
Northwest                          Feb. 27                  Oakley (NW Kansas Educational Service Center)
Southeast                           March 6                Burlington (Wolf Creek Nuclear Power Plant)
State Finals                         April 4                   Topeka (Topeka Center for Advanced Learning and Careers)
National Finals                   June 1-4               Denver

More information about KidWind is available at https://kansasenergyprogram.org/kidwindchallenge.

Bourbon County, Schools, Sports

UHS Basketball Teams Sweep Jayhawk-Linn

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by Adelay Martin, UHS Student Sports Media Reporter

The Uniontown Eagles and the Jayhawk-Linn Jayhawks played at Uniontown Tuesday, January 28. Both Varsity teams won against them, as did the JV teams.

The girls’ Varsity beat the Jayhawks 52 to 35. Danielle Howard and Karleigh Schoenberger once more lead in points, earning the team 16 and 22 points respectively. Howard also had 6 assists and 8 steals. Sammie Hampton garnered 8 points and 4 rebounds. Breleigh Harris had 3 steals. Coach Miller said, “Proud of these girls in their effort in winning all 4 quarters of this ball game. We will get back to work tomorrow and prepare for another home game this Friday against Crest.”

The boys also beat Jayhawk tonight with a score of 43 to 38. Jake Harvey scored 13 points and made 3 of his 6 three-point shots. He also had 8 rebounds, 6 assists, and 6 steals. Luke George scored 11 points and Luke Perry scored 9 points. Hunter Schaaf had 7 rebounds and 2 assists. “I thought we played well defensively against Jayhawk,” Coach Hays said. “Our defense kept us in the game the first half. We were able to come out in the second half and make a few shots which helped us build a lead. We need to continue to work hard and improve because we have some big league games coming up.” Korbin Miller, who usually plays for the JV team, commented, “They played really well on defense, and our shots started falling toward the end of the game.”

Fort Scott, Government, Schools

USD234 Special Meeting Minutes Jan. 31

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Members of the USD 234 Board of Education met on Friday, January 31, at the Board of Education office for a special noon meeting.

President David Stewart opened the meeting.  The board approved a roof bid from Premier Contracting, Inc.  In addition, board members approved a Benchmark Service Agreement.

The board went into executive session to discuss personnel matters for nonelected personnel and returned to open meeting.  The board approved the following employment matters:

 

A.    Transfer of Marie Henderson, middle school paraprofessional, to high school paraprofessional for the remainder of the 2019-20 school year

B.    Employment of Matt Glades as a high school teacher aide (ISS) for the remainder of the 2019-20 school year

C.    Employment of Haley Jones as a high school paraprofessional for the remainder of the 2019-20 school year

D.    Employment of Dee Peters as a Winfield Scott paraprofessional for the remainder of the 2019-20 school year

 

The board adjourned.

Bourbon County, Schools

St. Martin’s Students Help Clear Trails at Gunn Park

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St. Martin’s Academy students help clean trails at Gunn Park. Submitted photo
St. Martin’s Academy students spent time last weekend volunteering with Frank Halsey leader of Gunn Park Trails.
They cleared debris and refined trails in Gunn Park.
The young men sported Key Industries overalls, which were given to each student as part of a collaboration between Key Industries, Inc. and the Academy.
Fort Scott, Schools, Sports

FSHS Swimmers Face Tough Competition Jan. 30

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Submitted photo.

FSHS swimmers faced their toughest competition of the year last night when they competed at Blue Valley West, last year’s 6A State Championship team.

The 200 Yard Medley Relay consisting of Oliver Witt (FS), Bobby Kemmerer (FS), Noah Ryan (Parsons HS) and Anthony Posher (Parsons HS) swam a state consideration time of 1.56.58 and placed 5th overall.

Oliver Witt took 6th in the 100-yard butterfly (1.05.08) and 7th in the 100-yard backstroke with a best time of 1.08.50.

Bobby Kemmerer finished 9th in the 50 Free (23.91) and 5th in the 100 Backstroke with a best time of 1.03.46 and two-state consideration times.

Their next meet will be on Tuesday in Coffeyville.

Bourbon County, Health Care, Schools

W.Bourbon Elementary: Kansas Health Champion

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West Bourbon Elementary School was recognized by from left: Secretary Norman, WBE PE InstructorJackie Hall, Miranda Steele, Candice McField.

2020 Kansas Health Champions Announced

WICHITA – The Kansas Department of Health and Environment (KDHE) and the Governor’s Council on Fitness (GCOF) presented the 2020 Kansas Health Champion Awards during a luncheon at the Community Health Promotion Summit today, Thursday, January 30.

The Health Champion Award was developed by the Governor’s Council on Fitness to recognize and promote exemplary contributions to fitness in Kansas. Those recognized include an individual and organization, as well as honorable mentions in each category.

  • Individual Health Champion: Andy Fry, Topeka
  • Organizational Health Champion: Redemption Plus, Lenexa
  • Individual Honorable Mention: Jim Blackwell, Hoisington
  • Organizational Honorable Mention: West Bourbon Elementary School, Uniontown

“Eligible nominees include volunteers, schools, communities, employers, media organizations and policy makers that put forth exceptional efforts to model, encourage and promote fitness in Kansas,” said Candice McField, GCOF Awards Chair. “The winners were selected from the nominations of several worthy candidates in each category.”

This is the seventh year for these awards.

“Congratulations to these individuals and organizations for being exceptional in their efforts to model, encourage and promote fitness in Kansas,” said KDHE Secretary Dr. Lee Norman.

Health Champions

Andy Fry of Topeka serves in a volunteer capacity as the President of the Topeka Community Cycle Projects.  Andy has planned events around cycling and has written and received several thousands of dollars’ worth of grants and additional monies through fundraising to support local bike and pedestrian activities. He has led different community groups and boards and is one of the most vocal advocates on the city and state level for bike and pedestrian-related issues. These are just a few of the many accomplishments over the last 10 years.

Jenny Kramer, State Bike and Pedestrian Coordinator at Kansas Department of Transportation, who nominated Fry said, “The work Andy does will continue to have ripple and long-lasting effects. Andy and his like-minded friends, and the decision-makers he has influenced, have made Topeka a place that people want to live and work.”

Redemption Plus a merchandising company in Lenexa, is described as a “a one-of-a-kind organization where enthusiastic, caring people can lead full lives by bridging their professional and personal worlds.” Through their Wellness Platform, employees can participate in education as well as personal, group and company-wide challenges. They offer daily healthy meals, stretching and meditation plus a variety of workout options throughout the week with special classes. They even let their vendors know they are a health and wellness-oriented company and ask that they not send unhealthy treats.

Julie Annett, Wellness Crusader (Director) of Redemption Plus, says one employee who joined them from another company has been positively impacted by the organizational efforts around health and wellness after losing 30 pounds and gaining higher levels of job satisfaction. Brittany Stucky, Culture Champion for the business, adds “it’s about serving customers to the best of my ability while also being able to be committed to myself and my family.”

Honorable Mentions

Jim Blackwell of Hoisington understands that where a person lives and works influences their health. Jim is a proponent of healthy living, is very visible in the community and always models and participates in the policies and programs that support health and fitness. Jim’s approach to improve health disparities is to find innovative ways to shrink the gaps. He supports efforts to build a safe and walkable environment. Most recently he led an initiative to fill a sidewalk gap around the high school which created another community walking loop and provides easy access to the grocery store.

“Jim’s desire for these projects comes from wanting to cultivate health and wellness not only for the hospital staff but for the entire community,” said Karla Crissman who nominated Jim. “His strong commitment to health and wellness has changed the trajectory of health in our community for generations to come.”

West Bourbon Elementary School in Uniontown is challenging students to be healthy movers for life. Faculty in the school help make physical activity become something more than just a class. Activities throughout the school include morning fitness activities, brain breaks and fitness equipment. In September, 98 parents took part in an event called Take Your Parent to PE Week, the third year of the program. Through this program, students are taught about healthy habits, including development of a personal fitness plan.

Jackie Hall, Physical Education teacher at the school, in her nomination shared, “I am very proud how our school and district are committed to helping our students, as well as the community, maintain and create healthy habits for life.”

Bourbon County, Schools, Sports, Uncategorized

Uniontown High School Basketball

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Submitted by Addie Martin, Uniontown High School

The Uniontown Eagles competed against the Marmaton Valley Wildcats and the Osawatomie Trojans in the final game of the Mid-Season Tournament on January 25. The girls fought for 3rd place in the tournament and the boys played in the championship game.

The girls Varsity won against Moran 33-25, taking 3rd place in the tournament. Danielle Howard and Karleigh Schoenberger each scored 11 points; Howard also had 8 steals and 5 assists, and Schoenberger had 5 rebounds. Gwenyth Fry had 6 rebounds and 7 points. “Tonight was a good example of a hard-fought rivalry game. We knew coming in to this one that it would be a battle. It wasn’t pretty, but it was a win.” Alie Fuhrman commented, “We didn’t play to our full potential, but we still pulled through.”

The boys lost against Osawatomie 49-51, leaving them the runners-up in the tournament. Luke George had 10 rebounds, all of them defensive, and 6 assists. Jake Harvey led in points, accumulating 16; he also had 9 rebounds. Clay Sutterby followed with 10 points and 5 rebounds. Drew Perry and Cade Goodridge each had 2 steals. “I am proud of our team,” said Coach Hays. “Not many would have picked us to be playing for the tournament Championship. It was a great game. Osawatomie has a talented team. Congrats to them on winning the tournament.”

Bourbon County, Health Care, Schools

Uniontown Wins A Health Champion Award

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Media Advisory: 2020 Kansas Health Champions to be Awarded

 

 

WICHITA – The Kansas Department of Health and Environment (KDHE) and the Governor’s Council on Fitness (GCOF) will recognize the 2020 Kansas Health Champions at a luncheon Thursday, January 30 at 11:30 a.m. in Wichita. The awards will be held at the Drury Inn and Suites, 400 W. Douglas Ave in room 132. All media are invited to attend. Award winners will be available for interviews in room 105 following the presentation’s conclusion, estimated to be at 12:45 p.m.

 

The Health Champion Award was developed by the Governor’s Council on Fitness to recognize and promote exemplary contributions to fitness in Kansas. This is the seventh year for these awards. Those recognized include an individual and organization, as well as honorable mentions in each category.

 

2020 winners include:

 

  • Individual Health Champion: Andy Fry, Topeka
  • Organizational Health Champion: Redemption Plus, Lenexa
  • Individual Honorable Mention: Jim Blackwell, Hoisington
  • Organizational Honorable Mention: West Bourbon Elementary School, Uniontown

Award winners will make brief remarks.

 

Presenters scheduled include Dr. Lee Norman, KDHE Secretary, GCOF Chair Miranda Steele and GCOF Awards Chair Candice McField.

 

Fort Scott, Schools

Local 5th-Grade Students Perform with Award-Winning Educator

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From left: Lanie Jackson, Icysis Reeder, Michaela Morrell, Karlee Hereford, Jackson Montgomery, Lillian Jackson, Madi Davis, and Javon Steadman.Submitted photo.

Frontenac hosted the Southeast Kansas Music Educator’s Association Elementary Honor Choir on Saturday,
January 18, 2020.

Jason Sickel, 2017 Kansas Teacher of the Year, was the clinician for the 141-person choir.

Fifth-graders Lanie Jackson, Lillian Jackson, Jackson Montgomery, Icysis Reeder, Madi Davis, Karlee Hereford, Michaela Morrell, and Javon Steadman were nominated by Eugene Ware Elementary Music Educator MJ Harper to perform.

Students worked outside of class during the fall semester to prepare and memorize four pieces of music.

 

During the afternoon concert, Mary Jo Harper was awarded Outstanding Elementary Music Educator for Southeast Kansas Music Educators Association.

Mary Jo Harper. Submitted photo.

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

Fort Scott, Schools, Sports

FS Tigers Back In the Pool

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Bobbie Kemmerer, left and Oliver Witt. Submitted photo.
Fort Scott Tigers were back in the pool competing in Winfield last Thursday, January 16 and in Osawatomie last night, January 22.
Oliver Witt and Bobby Kemmerer continue to put up competitive times and race against the clock for a state-qualifying time.
In Osawatomie their 200 Free Relay made their laps count and earned a state-qualifying time of 1.38.61.  However, since not all four members of the relay attend the same high school the time will not qualify them for state.  At the state swim meet relays can only contain four members from the same high school.  Since many high school teams co-op for boys swimming, it is not unusual for a relay to swim a qualifying time and not be able to compete in the state meet.
This relay consisted of  Kemmerer and  Witt from Fort Scott High School, Josh Slansky from Chanute High School and Anthony Pousher from Parsons High School.
  The next meet will be at Blue Valley West next Thursday, January 30 at 4:00 p.m.
Results for Winfield Meet
Oliver Witt:  3rd in the 200 medley relay, 4th in the 200 free relay,  Individual Medley 2nd in heat 8th overall, 6th in the 100 freestyle
Bobby Kemmerer:  3rd in the 200 medley relay, 4th in the 200 free relay, Individual Medley 1st in heat 6th overall (state consideration time), 5th 50 freestyle
Results Osawatomie Meet
Bobby Kemmerer & Oliver Witt:  200 Medley Relay 1st (state consideration time), 200 free relay (State Qualifying Time)
Bobby Kemmerer:  1st in the 50 Free (state consideration time), 2nd in the 100 Backstroke
Oliver Witt:  3rd in the 50 Free, 2nd in the 100 Butterfly (both races swam a best time)
Submitted by Angie Kemmerer
Bourbon County, Business, Fort Scott, Fort Scott Chamber of Commerce, Jobs, Schools

Fort Scott Chamber: Encouraging Businesses

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Lindsay Madison is the Fort Scott Chamber of Commerce Executive Director.

The Fort Scott Area Chamber of Commerce has been working to encourage entrepreneurship and matching skills to local employers’ needs in 2019, according to information provided during the Jan. 9 Chamber coffee.

Chamber of Commerce and Visitors Center, 321 E. Wall

Two new programs were added to the community this year: Bourbon County E-Community and Work Ready Community. The focus of the two is enhancing local economic development through entrepreneurship and workforce development.

Loans for Businesses Through Entrepreneur Community

Bourbon County E-Community provides access to funds, which are locally administered through the Chamber. These loans included start-up businesses as well as existing business purchases or expenses. The funds are accessed through NetWork Kansas, whose mission statement is to promote an entrepreneurial environment throughout the state that connects entrepreneurs and small business owners with expertise, education, and economic resources.

Those who have received these loans in Fort Scott from July 1 to Dec. 31:

Smallville Crossfit, an E-Community Loan of $40,000.

Luther’s BBQ, an E-Community Loan of $45,000.

Smallville Crossfit, a start-up loan of $25,000.

Lulther’s BBQ, a start-up loan of $30,000.

Margo’s LLC (a salon and spa), an E-Community Load of $39,000.

Other events in support of E-Community: a luncheon to educate on the loan program, an entrepreneur appreciation luncheon, a semi-monthly local newspaper ad promoting the loans, and planning for a Youth Entrepreneurship Challenge, in partnership with Fort Scott High School (judging for the challenge will be March 11, 2020.)

 

Work Ready Community

Work Ready Community is a nation-wide program to aid matching people to a job that needs their skills and preparing people to have the skills that employers need.

Work Ready Communities is working at the grassroots level to make the country more competitive and closing the skills gap that threatens to paralyze the U.S. economy, according to its website. They do this by providing a community-based framework.

To learn more: /https://www.workreadycommunities.org/

Bourbon County became a Work Ready Community in Sept. 2019.

A group of 10 people from Bourbon County, USD 234, USD235, Fort Scott Community College, the City of Uniontown and local employers attended a Work Ready Community Workshop in August 2019.

Kansas initiated an initiative for high school juniors to take the Work Keys test and earn certification. The certification is to improve hiring and employee retention, help provide employees who have the skills needed and help students attain success in landing a career.

 

To view the Chamber leadership this year,click below:

http://fortscott.com/board-of-directors

To see the Chamber sponsored events, view the flyer below:

https://chambermaster.blob.core.windows.net/userfiles/UserFiles/chambers/2874/CMS/2019-Year-in-Review—Chamber.pdf

 

To join the Chamber, click here:

http://fortscott.com/join-the-chamber

 

 

 

 

 

Fort Scott, Schools

Minutes of U234 Board of Education for Jan. 13

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Members of the USD 234 Board of Education met on Monday, January 13, at the Board of Education office 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:

  1. Minutes
  2. Bills and Claims
  3. Payroll – December 19, 2019 – $1,400,799.51
  4. Financial Report
  5. Bond Proceeds Reconciliation
  6. Activity Fund Accounts

Gary Elliott, with Benchmark, Inc., gave a roof projects update to the board. Stephanie

George, KNEA President, presented a report.

Superintendent Ted Hessong welcomed the new board members and shared the following information:

  • January 6 professional development day activities
  • State Debate Tournament at Fort Scott High School and Fort Scott Middle School on January 17
  • Accreditation information
  • Advocacy in Action, Greenbush Superintendent Forum, BOLD training, Council of Superintendents meetings
  • Legislative information

Gina Shelton, Business Manager, discussed roof bids.

Board members approved the following items:

  • Roof payment
  • Election of officers and meeting dates to take place at the July 2020 organizational board meeting
  • Employee Physical Activity policy

Board members shared comments and then went into executive session to discuss personnel matters for nonelected personnel and returned to open meeting. The board then went into executive session to discuss matters relating to employer-employee negotiations. The board returned to open meeting and approved the following employment items:

  1. Retirement of Marge Madison, high school treasurer/secretary, effective June 30, 2020
  2. Retirement of Vicki Kruger, middle school paraprofessional, effective January 7, 2020
  3. Leave of absence request from Angela Christy, Winfield Scott paraprofessional
  4. Employment of Tyler Bell as high school assistant wrestling coach for the 2019-20 school

The board adjourned.