Makenzee Franklin, Haydon Schaaf, Nick Hathway, Clay Brillhart and FFA Sponsor Scott Sutton make up the Kansas State Champion Team 2019 in Livestock Judging.
After evaluating eight classes and presenting three sets of oral reasons, the Livestock Judging Team from the Uniontown FFA Chapter was named the State Champion team on Tuesday, May 7th in Manhattan, Kansas. The contest featured 75 schools of all classification levels from across the entire state of Kansas and 296 individual contestants. The team also ranked 1st in Cattle, 1st in Hogs, 2nd in Reasons and 2nd in Sheep and Goats.
Clay Brillhart led the team with a 2nd place individual performance and also tied for the High Individual in Reasons. Additionally, he was 1st in Cattle and 6th in Hogs.
Nick Hathaway came in 6th overall and ranked 8th in Cattle. Haydon Schaaf was 9th overall and placed 7th in Hogs. Makenzee Franklin was also on the team.
The livestock judging contest at the Kansas FFA State Career Development Events is considered the most prestigious contest among the many that take place in Manhattan, Kansas every May. Winning the contest qualifies the team to be the sole representative of Kansas at the 2019 National FFA Livestock Judging contest held in Indianapolis, Indiana in mid-October.
The team is coached by Uniontown FFA Advisor Scott Sutton.
Josh Regan, 39, is the new principal of St. Mary’s Catholic School.
A Fort Scottian, Regan comes with 11 years in education as a teacher, this will be his first administration job.
He received his BSEd from the University of Kansas, and Masters in Educational Leadership from Pittsburg State University
Regan starts July 1 in the new position.
St. Mary’s Catholic School
What will be the first priority to you as principal?
“St. Mary’s already has a great reputation as an excellent school with an awesome staff,” Regan said. “Krista Gorman has done an incredible job as principal. My first priority is to learn as much as possible from her, and she has been great about offering to teach me. I also want to learn from the staff and faculty in terms of what works and what I can do to help them. Beyond that, my priority is to form disciples of Jesus Christ. There are many levels to that mission, especially in an educational setting. I plan to model and practice my faith both in front of and with the kids, and again this is something that I know Krista has done for a long time as well. I am incredibly excited especially about that part of the job.”
How did you become an educator?
“I decided to become an educator after my father, David Regan, passed away fifteen years ago,” he said. ” In the days surrounding his accident, hospitalization, death, and funeral my brothers and I were flooded with stories from students and athletes that he had, about how he had inspired them in countless ways. I started to realize how powerful that was, and I wanted to have the same impact on young people. In all honesty, I suppose I can also admit that deep down, I wanted to make my Dad proud- as any son does. So at that point, I went back to school and started this journey in education. I am so glad that I did. There is no better job in the world.”
Is there someone who inspired you to teach?
“Besides my father- Ken Klassen and Ron Klassen, Chad McKinnis and Bob Campbell.”
What is the best part of education for you?
“Relationships that are formed with the young people that I teach and coach,” Regan said. “What we teach in the classroom as far as content is important and certainly has its place, but it’s really secondary to being a positive force in a young person’s life. That is what I live for. The greatest teachers in my life showed me how to be a man as much as they taught me chemistry or Latin. I can only pray and hope that the things I do every day push my students and athletes in a positive direction, and pray for forgiveness for those moments when I have fallen short.”
Regan is married to Nikki and has three children- Elliana (9), Myla (7), David (5).
The following is the monthly newsletter from St. Martin’s Academy, a Catholic boys boarding school in its’ initial year.
Dear Friends,
Christ is Risen!
Life is good here at St. Martin’s. The Kansas countryside, sullen and brown for the last several months, has burst forth into brilliant green, broken only by the purple-pink glory of the redbud. The air is fragrant with lilac. The woods resound with the hopeful invitations of birds in courtship. Christ again has made all things new.
Fresh off Easter break, a rejuvenated faculty and their discupili have reconvened to finish the first leg of the race. That race or curriculum (from the Latin meaning a “course to be run”) has been both arduous and delightful. The seventeen boys who joined us back in September are more and more resembling young men and we are impressed by their physical, intellectual, emotional and spiritual maturation. Our vision for an integrated education aimed at developing the whole person is working in many ways even better than we had could have hoped. All Glory be to God!
But there is a long way to go! We need your prayers and support more than ever right now. In particular, we are dealing with a complex construction situation on our campus that will require careful management and funding that is yet to be fully secured. Be assured we are up to the challenge, but it will take all the spiritual and material resources that the greater St. Martin’s community can bring to the contest. Please keep us in your prayers every day and consider donating as generously as you can to our Raise the Rafters Campaign. You can make a serious difference for us.
We remain joyfully yours in the race.
Duc in Altum,
Daniel Kerr, President
Patrick Whalen, Headmaster
Raising the Rafters at Saint Martin’s
In mid-January we launched our Raise the Rafters capital campaign to raise $2 million over the next 5 years. We’re pleased to report that April has been our best month to date with several very generous gifts coming in.
Please help us keep that momentum going! This is a critical time for us. Interest in a Saint Martin’s education has gone from steady to downright overwhelming in the last 6 months with new prospective families contacting us daily. Deo gratias!
Our challenge will not be enrollment. What is now a student body of 17 will expand to 30 next year with a waiting list all but certain for each class. Our challenge rather will be to build our campus, specifically the completion of Theotokos Hall followed almost immediately by additional student housing, to keep up with the demand. This means construction of several bunkhouses to accommodate our growth from 30 to 60 students within the next 3 years. Will you help us build our campus?
There is no gift too small (nor too large!) so please take action now and help us build a permanent home for our young men who are poised to become the strong leaders the Church so dearly needs.
Below-left: our future campus. Below-right: winter sunset on Theotokos Hall, our first building and next year’s hearth and home to 30 students.
Saint Joseph, pray for us
Tomorrow, May 1st, is the Feast of Saint Joseph the Worker. Please join St. Martin’s faculty and students in asking the holy carpenter’s intercession as we move forward in completing construction of Theotokos Hall in preparation for next year. Please pray in particular for the safety and swift success of the work crews, for financial provision, and especially for prudence in key decisions. We will begin the Novena below on May 1st. O Saint Joseph, whose protection is so great, so strong, so prompt before the throne of God, I place in you all my interests and desires.
O Saint Joseph, assist me by your powerful intercession and obtain for me from your Divine Son all spiritual blessings through Jesus Christ, Our Lord; so that having engaged here below your heavenly power, I may offer my thanksgiving and homage to the most loving of Fathers.
O Saint Joseph, I never weary contemplating you and Jesus asleep in your arms; I dare not approach while He reposes near your heart. Press Him in my name and kiss His fine head for me, and ask Him to return the Kiss when I draw my dying breath. Amen
O Saint Joseph, hear my prayers and obtain my petitions. O Saint Joseph, pray for me. (Mention your intention)
2019 FORT Camp in Review
Late March found the woods surrounding Base Camp at St. Martin’s full of students and campers being put through their paces. This year’s camp was a bit different in that we had the opportunity to place several of our students in leadership positions and test them just as we tested the campers. Team leaders were responsible for team accountability, cohesion, and performance. First up in the morning and last to bed each evening they mentored the younger campers through a week of training that was as demanding as it was rewarding.
Just one example: one morning, after a day of sunny skies and sixty-five degrees the boys awoke to 30 degrees and a mix of snow and sleet. In that kind of weather every fiber in your body wants to stay curled up in your sleeping bag.
It is then, as the boys learned, that the call to fortitude is at its starkest.
Kingfisher Rugby
The St. Martin’s rugby season concludes this Saturday, May 4th with our first ever home game in Fort Scott. The Kingfishers will take on Olathe at 12pm.
Come cheer on the boys in their final match!
Above: The Kingfishers (left) lock horns in a scrum with the boys from Thomas Aquinas High School in Overland Park. Thomas Aquinas is one of the elite rugby programs in the United States and gives us a great example to look towards as we build our program.
Spring Foraging
April is one of the very best months to forage for wild edibles in the Midwest. Wild asparagus, onion and garlic along with dandelion and nettle are some of the favorite targets.
But for most foragers in Kansas, April is associated with one prized find in particular: the morel mushroom. Morels are shy and mysterious creatures. They are so delicate it is nearly impossible to cultivate them and they are really only found in the wild during a small and hard-to-predict window in April. The picture above is taken from a quick morel hunting excursion during Mr. Kerr’s Natural History class. In about 20 minutes, the boys found 120 morels, an impressive haul! Most are small “greys” which are particularly difficult to locate and require a slow and patient approach on hands and knees, in this case through a dense cedar grove. Why all the fuss? They taste good. Really good.
Freshman Nate Jones: “Never mind this being the best mushroom I’ve ever had, this is one of the best things I’ve ever tasted!” Morel fever is contagious.
Canoeing the Jack’s Fork
Prior to Easter Break, our Residential Dean Travis Dziad organized a terrific two-day canoe trip along the Jack’s Fork river in southern Missouri. The Jack’s Fork is fed primarily by springs and the water is some of the cleanest and clearest in the U.S..
Above: exploring one of the many large caves along the Jack’s Fork Below-left: lunch-break on a rock. Below-right: morel mushrooms hitting the skillet as part of a shore dinner along the river.
Lynette Jackson, a second-grade teacher at Winfield Scott Elementary School, is retiring after 31 years in education.
“I taught first grade for one year in Shawnee, Oklahoma and thirty years have been with USD 234 as a K-3 teacher and instructional coach,” Jackson said.
Born and raised in Fort Scott, she earned her Bachelor of Science in Education and Masters Degree in Elementary Education from Pittsburg State University.
Several factors influenced her to become a teacher.
“One was the relationships I had with my former teachers,” she said. “I have great memories of school because my teachers made school fun and exciting. They also made me feel very secure and important. Although I’ve enjoyed school throughout my lifetime, my elementary years are the most memorable to me. Therefore, I became an elementary teacher.
“In thinking about all the teachers I’ve had from elementary school through college, I must say that the great majority of them had some influence on me, one way or another. I’m reminded of how important it was to be assured at school that I had potential and skills, that I could use in life to be successful. It was very important and with gratitude, I will never forget what they did for me as I was growing up. All my educators impacted my desire to teach and I hope I have repaid the debt to my past teachers that invested in me.”
Jackson believes a teacher has a mission.
“Being a teacher means being a nurse, counselor, substitute mom or dad, cheerleader, and disciplinarian,” she said. “It is my hope that I have been all these roles for my students over the years. I am flattered when a child says to me, ‘I want to be a teacher just like you.’ Have I given that youngster the best example I could to pattern his or her life and career?”
Jackson has had the privilege to work with colleagues that were past students.
“There is no better honor than working with someone that you once taught,” she said. “To see these students, grow up and have a career in education, is overwhelming. It is my hope they enjoy their careers and have many years in education as much as I have.”
As with all professions, there have been challenges.
“Several challenges I have faced over the years have been balancing the different learning styles of students, technology in the classroom, budget constraints, office politics, and lack of time to collaborate or implement new resources,” she said. “I would urge the community to get behind our schools and become knowledgeable about the educational trends we use at USD234 and become involved with our local school board and legislation.”
Jackson said she is hoping to spend time with her family and “enjoy attending my son’s school events.”
The South Kansas District completed their last National Qualifier of the season at Pittburg High School on Saturday April, 13, and Fort Scott HS qualified four more members to Nationals.
Congratulations to the 2019 National Qualifiers who will be competing in Dallas, Texas, June 17-21.
If you see these students please congratulate them!
Dalton Womeldorff- World Schools
Ashton Nave – World Schools
Jorden Willard – World Schools
Madison Toth – Program of Oral Interpretation and Congress Senate
Rebekah Sweyko – Domestic Extemporaneous Speaking and Congress House
Jonie Antonio – Congress House
Brooklyn Lyons – Humorous Interpretation and Dramatic Interpretation
Zoe Self and Hunter Adamson – DUO Interpretation
Zoe Self – International Extemporaneous Speaking
Shekhar Gugnani and Neil Gugnani – Public Forum Debate
Elizabeth Ngatia – Program Oral Interpretation and Original Oratory
Mark Adams – Domestic Extemporaneous Speaking and Lincoln-Douglas Debate
Pictured L-R: Top: Shekhar Gugnani, Ashton Nave, Neil Gugnani, Mark Adam, Dalton Womeldorff
David Brown, 55, was recently hired by USD 234 to be the Fort Scott Middle School Principal.
” My wife and I will be moving back to Fort Scott in June into my childhood home,” Brown said. “I look forward to the opportunity to once again serve my community. Once a Tiger, Always a Tiger.”
Brown is a Fort Scott native.
He is a 1981 Graduate Fort Scott High School, 1982 Graduate Fort Scott Community College, 1985 Graduate Baker University Bachelor of Science in Physical Education and History, and in 2015 he graduated from Pittsburg State University with a Master of Science in Educational Leadership.
“I started my teaching career at Raymore-Peculiar High School and after a year I was fortunate to return to Fort Scott and assume a teaching position at Fort Scott Middle School where I taught Math, Civics, and History for 13 years,” Brown said. “I then transferred to the high school teaching history and PE. I coached football, basketball, wrestling, and track at the middle school during my time there and coached football, wrestling, track, and softball at the high school. I was head wrestling coach from 1995 until 2016. In 2016, I became assistant principal at Chanute High School and have been in that position until now.”
Brown’s first love was coaching and to coach is to teach, he said.
“I had siblings who had entered the field of education,” Brown said. “I could see how their influence on students inspired learning. I saw the joy that came over both student and teacher when that spark of learning and success took place. I knew I wanted to have that impact and that experience.”
“I believe every worthy educator has been inspired to teach but seldom is the inspiration singular. We educators are inspired by our own teachers, our family, and our friends. ”
“The joy of being in education is knowing you have a tremendous impact on the future. What we do every day in classrooms directly affects the lives of the children, families, and the community we serve. ”
He believes education is facing a challenging future.
“The children we are teaching today are experiencing access to information at a rate unseen in history,” Brown said. “The skills we provide them with are preparing them for careers and jobs that have yet to be invented. The ten most in-demand jobs today were not even in existence ten years ago. Our challenge is to equip our kids with the tools to achieve their dreams whatever that may be.”
Brown is married to Stacy and has four daughters: Cori, Morgan, Addi, and Riley.
Teachers at Fort Scott Christian Heights School. From left: Terry Chance, prinicpal; Jeremy Budy, history teacher; Larissa Hunter, pre-school and kindergarten teacher; Karen Schellack, 7-8 grade; Julie Going, 1-2 grade; Sarah Pridey, English; Esther Arnold, 3-4 grade; Amanda Bachand, 5-6 grade; Larry Davolt, science; and Jan Beltram, secretary.
Terry Chance, principal of Fort Scott Christian Heights School, told the Fort Scott Chamber of Commerce weekly coffee attendees that the school was started in 1947.
The school educates children pre-school through grade 12.
“We are not funded by the state,” Chance said. “We are funded by tuition, donations and interest income.”
Country Store
To help support the school, each year a Country Store event happens at the school, located at 1101 S. Barbee.
This year it is May 4.
The Country Store includes a rummage sale from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m., a supper from 4-6 p.m. and an auction at 6 p.m.
Chance thanked the businesses in town who contribute prizes, including silent auction items that help make the fundraising event successful.
Terry Chance speaks at the Fort Scott Chamber of Commerce weekly coffee on April 11. In back ground is the Chamber Announcer Robert Uhler.
5K Race
Prior to the Country Store event, the school offers a Crusader Charge, which is a 5K race and two-mile fun walk for persons 12 through 31-plus years old. The race will be conducted on Margrave Street.
The entry fee is $15, with t-shirts free for the first 60 paid entrants.
For more information contact Larry Davolt at 620-223-4330.
Fun Run
The Kids Fun Run and Obstacle Course is for children 6th grade and younger, and includes water balloon carry, gunny sacks, jump ropes and more.
Participants who pre-register by April 29, will receive a t-shirt and concession stand voucher.
The entry fee for this is $15. For more information contact Lacey Avery at 913-375-7608.
The kids event starts at 10 a.m. at the south entrance to the school.
Applications can be picked up at the school.
School Play This Weekend
This weekend it the FSCH Junior/Senior school play “Cheaper By The Dozen.”
Play time is 7 p.m. on Friday, April 12 and Saturday, April 13.
Chamber members converse before the announcement segment of the weekly coffee at Fort Scott Christian Heights School on April 11.
On April, 10 Fort Scott High School Seniors Jenna Grado, Braden Shelton, Tyler Martin, and Shaylee Terry competed in the Kansas Council for Economic Educations “Personal Finance Challenge.”
These students were among 18 other teams competing for the opportunity to represent Kansas at the National Completion in Lincoln Nebraska.
Students had to first complete a preliminary test. The top 20 teams in Kansas were then invited to Wichita State University to compete in the state championships. Once at the tournament, students competed in three individual and one team test.
While not qualifying for Nationals, the FSHS team was in the top five teams across the state.
This activity was part of the Personal Finance class taught by Bert Lewis at the High School.
Fort Scott High School Homecoming 2019 candidates are front: Kelcie Bailey, Rebekah Sweyko, Shaylee Terry, Karli Wright; back row: Johnathan Gauthier, Nicholas Krebs, Gage Lamb, and Alan Santana.
Fort Scott High School Prom 2019 is this Saturday, April 13 at the River Room, 3 West Oak Street where it intersects with North National Avenue.
The public may view the prom site indoors from 4:30 to 5:30 p.m.
“Great Gatsby is the theme,” Bert Lewis, FSHS teacher and sponsor said. “Cars and vehicles will drive north on Judson and drop off at the corner of Oak and Judson. Valet parking is available. Oak Street will be blocked off at 2 p.m. Saturday through 12 a.m. Sunday morning to accommodate the walk-in.”
“Parent parking will be allowed in the public lots behind the old Downtowner (Currently the Boiler Room Brewhaus),” Lewis said. “Please refrain from parking behind or east of Sharky’s and Nu Grill to respect these businesses.”
“Parents will be able to set up chairs, or watch from sides of the street,” she said.
