Fort Scott Thespians. Submitted photo. Front row L to R: Mesa Jones, Hunter Adamson, Karina Kantilal, Mary Gladbach, Alyx Brooks 2nd row: Taillyn Harding, Sierra Long, Amber Russo, Mersadie Roof, Christina King, Alexis Williams, Jasamine Thron, Mackenzie Peoples 3rd row: Brian Stumfoll, Lexy Bailey, Brandy Stafford, Avery Dorsey, Daniel Belcuore, Zaria Byrd, Christina Ramirez, Harmony Brown, Angie Bin, Wyntter Snyder 4th row: Mark Bergmann, Levi Bin, Abi Deloera, Jacob Ham, Dominic Cannon, Jo Goodbody, Olivia Wilterding 5th row: Kathelra Murray, Jade Bailey, Carlee Studyvin, Addy Labbe, Ashanti Green, Sage Hill, Mason Moore, Wendy Monahan
The Fort Scott High School Thespian Troupe #7365 has students performing at the International Thespian Festival for the first time in history. After attending the KS State Thespian Festival in Wichita on Jan. 3-5, the troupe brought home a number of significant awards.
Senior Hunter Adamson qualified for Nationals in Monologue (where she performed both a humorous and dramatic script selection) and junior Mesa Jones qualified for Nationals in Musical Solo (performing Breathe from “Into the Heights”). Jones will also perform in the all-state musical production of “Bring It On” that qualified to be showcased on the main stage at Nationals. They compete at the International Thespian Festival at the University of Nebraska in June.
2018 State Thespian Officer Hunter Adamson and 2019 State Thespian Officer Mesa Jones
FSHS also won the Gold Honor Troupe Award (the highest troupe honor) through the presentation of the Honor Troupe Notebook by senior Karina Kantilal. Senior Alyx Brooks auditioned for colleges and received call-backs from eleven schools for her acting audition and from twenty-eight different schools for her lighting design audition.
Hunter Adamson, Mesa Jones, Karina Kantilal, Mary Gladbach, and Alyx Brooks; FSHS Thespians Officers with the Gold Honor Troupe trophy.
The FSHS Thespian President, Adamson, also served as a State Thespian Officer, planning and leading the entire Festival. Jones served as a State Board Member this year and was elected by troupe directors from all over the state to lead as one of 5 officers in charge of next year’s State Thespian Festival. She will attend training at the International Thespian Festival this summer and work throughout the next year to plan.
Also competing at the State Festival this year were juniors Mackenzie Peoples and Addy Labbe in Musical Solo, Brooks in Lighting Design, and sophomores Amber Russo and Ivy Bailey in the Monologue category.
In all, thirty-five students attended Festival from FSHS and competed in improvised acting, charades, or costuming events at night. Throughout the day, the students attended workshops, met with college representatives, and watched award-winning full-length and one-act performances.
FSHS Drama Director Angie Bin, English teacher Mark Bergmann, and Drama Student-Teacher Wynnter Snyder accompanied the students. Bin presented a workshop on Children’s Theatre as part of the Festival.
Kansas Commissioner of Education Dr. Randy Watson will be speaking to USD 234 staff starting at 8 a.m. at the Fort Scott Community College Ellis Fine Arts Center, Friday, Jan. 11.
“We have to meet at FSCC because the high school is hosting the 4A-1A State Debate Tournament,” said Ted Hessong, superintendent of USD 234. “Dr. Watson will be speaking to the staff about the Kansas State Board of Educations Vision for Kansas schools.
“When Dr. Watson is done speaking, I will take him on a tour of the district. At 10:45 we will go to the district office for Dr. Watson to speak to some of our school board members and some members of the Chamber of Commerce. Dr. Watson and I will need to be at the high school by 11:40 a.m. for the General Assembly of the State Debate Tournament.”
THANK YOU to those businesses and individuals who have already committed to volunteering or donating items.
Times Volunteers are Needed:
Friday @ Fort Scott Middle School:
11am to 1pm
1:30pm to 4:00pm
4pm to 7:30pm
Friday @ Fort Scott High School
11am to 1:30pm
1:30pm to 4pm
4pm to 7:30pm
Saturday @ Fort Scott Middle School
7am to 11am
11am to 1:30pm
Saturday @ Fort Scott High School
7am to 11am
11am to 5pm
ITEMS REQUESTED TO BE DONATED:
Dry Coffee Creamer
Coffee Stirrers
10-12 Lg. Bags of Chips
Oranges, Apples, Bananas
Cookies, Brownies, Sweets
Bottled Water
Coffee
Clorox Wipes
Please click here to email Diana with times you can work or items you can donate. Monetary donations also welcome, made payable to the Fort Scott Area Chamber of Commerce, and we can purchase items needed.
Physical items or monetary donations may be dropped off at the Chamber through 5pm Thursday.
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Contact Lindsay Madison at the Chamber with any questions, 620-223-3566, or [email protected].
Andrew Ables stands in front of his biology room Tuesday afternoon. He was recently hired as a new science teacher at Uniontown High School.
Andrew Ables, 30, was hired at a December USD 235 Board of Education meeting as the new Uniontown High School science teacher. He will teach biology, 7th-grade science, and advanced biology.
“We were unable to find a licensed teacher first semester,” said Brett Howard, USD 235 superintendent. This, following former science teacher Sarah Sutton’s departure to teach at Fort Scott Community College starting last summer.
The science position was left open.
There is a shortage of teachers in Kansas, Howard said.
The district turned to Southeast Kansas Education Education Service Center, also known as Greenbush, to fill in the gap.
Through Greenbush Blended Learning, school districts can provide subjects such as foreign languages, advanced mathematics, and sciences they would otherwise be unable to provide, according to its’ website https://www.greenbush.org
Ables hales from Norton, KS with a Bachelor of Science degree in secondary education from Fort Hays State University.
“I (taught) my first five years in Stockton, Kansas,” Ables said.
“My family situation changed,” Ables said. “I married a Fort Scott native. We couldn’t find a house in northwest Kansas. She already had a house here. There happened to be a job opening.”
He is married to Ashlee (Phillips) Ables and has two daughters: Caroline-four years old and Harper- six weeks.
Asked what motivated him to become an educator, he replied “Having an immediate impact on lives at one of their most important stages.”
His top priority for the classes he will teach is to prepare his students for college, he said.
Teacher in-service in USD 235 starts today, Jan. 2, and classes start on Jan. 3.
The American Legion High School Oratorical Scholarship Program is “A Constitutional Speech Contest” is to develop a deeper knowledge and appreciation of the Constitution of the United States among high school students.
Your Fort Scott American Legion Post 25 is seeking local oratorical candidates for the upcoming American Legion Oratorical competition.
American Legion Post 25 Oratorical candidates must be a Bourbon County student in grades 9 – 12. All public, private and home school students are eligible to compete in the Oratorical competition.
The American Legion Oratorical competition begins at the Post level, with the local winner competing in a district competition against other district winners. The district winner then competes against other district winners at a state competition. The state winner then competes against other state winners at the National American Legion Oratorical competition. The National 1st Place Winner receives $18,000 with lesser cash prizes for other finalists.
An American Legion oratorical competitor must present a Prepared oration of 8 – 10 minutes in duration and a Assigned topic oration of 3 – 5 minutes in duration. All topics are based upon the Constitution of the United States and are selected by the National American Legion organization. All oratorical competitors throughout the United States will use the same topics through all levels of the competition.
It is expected that the local competition will be in early February 2019 with District and State competitions following shortly thereafter. The National American Legion Oratorical competition is scheduled for April 5-7, 2019 in Indianapolis.
Interested local students should contact American Legion Post 25 Commander Carl Jowers at [email protected]. Commander Jowers will provide you with more information about the Oratorical Competition.
Fifth- graders Kathryn Williams, Ali Simhiser, and Payton Bowling caroling downtown during Mistletoe on Main December 13.Back Row: Aubrey Yarick & Lanie Jackson Front Row: Madi Davis, Karlee Hereford, and Keri Crisler serenading at the Fort Scott National Historic Site Visitor’s Center during Mistletoe on Main December 13. Ali Simhiser, Grace Anderson, Delci Tucker, Delaney Tucker, Keith Tucker, and Dana Tucker singing downtown carols during Mistletoe on Main December 13.
FSHS Select Ensemble Director Meredith Reid welcomes the attendees to the Christmas performance.
In its’ first performance of the Christmas season, the Fort Scott High School Select Ensemble entertained the attendees of Community Christian Church’s open house Monday at lunch.
The ensemble is the direction of Meredith Reid and was accompanied by Pat Harry.
This Thursday, Dec. 13, the FSHS choir, band, and orchestra will perform a Christmas concert at the high school gym, 1005 S. Main, at 7:30 p.m.
On Sunday, Dec. 16 at 3 p.m. the FSHS Select Ensemble will perform during a fundraiser that provides for attire, music, travel expense and guest conductors for the music group.
The concert entitled “Classic Christmas” is $10 for adults, $5 for children and includes homemade cookies and coffee following.
Also featured in the concert is Dan Duling and the Stone Country Band, a group of local musicians.
