Amber Toth was hired Tuesday at the USD 234 Board of Education meeting to be Fort Scott High School Assistant Principal  starting in July.

The following is an interview fortscott.biz had with Toth.

What do you see as the strengths and challenges of the school you will be helping lead?

“The high school has many strengths. We have an amazing staff who is always striving to get better. We are focused on rigor and excellence. We are also working really hard to get curriculum aligned across the district, not just in the building. We have leaders in place who have the best interest of kids in mind, even when those decisions are hard. We have amazing programs within the school that provide every student the opportunity to find their niche. But just like any school, there is always room for improvement. I think one of the challenges we face is ensuring our instruction is relevant in making students college and career ready. It is my goal to provide as many opportunities to ensure our graduates have bright futures and are employable. I want to see those students bring innovation and vision to Fort Scott. We are also in transition with a new accreditation process. Pieces of this will require us to alter what we do in some areas.   I am looking forward to helping a wonderful team become the best school that we can be.”

Why did you choose education?

“I had amazing teachers. There are some special ones that come to mind. Mr. Warnock was my 3rd grade teacher and taught me to love exploring. Mrs. Beardmore was my 5th grade teacher and taught me to love people, even when it was hard. Ms. Zimmerman was my high school English teacher and she taught me a love of literature. Kathy Faulkenberry was my debate and forensics coach and she taught me my passion. I knew from a young age that I wanted to make a difference in the world. I love making a difference in the lives of kids. I couldn’t imagine myself in another field. The teachers I had, inspired me to change lives the way they changed mine.”

Where did you receive your education?

“I have a Bachelors in English Education from Pittsburg State University that I earned in 2000. I also have a Masters in Educational Leadership that I earned in 2011 from Grand Canyon University.”

What is your past experience?

“Before coming to Fort Scott, I was an Advanced Placement English teacher and the Advanced Placement Coordinator. I also taught debate and forensics, as well as speech. In those roles in Caney, I wrote $25,000 worth of grants to expand our AP program. I also began my journey on the National Speech and Debate Association District Committee for the South Kansas District and directed the school play.”

“Since coming to Fort Scott, I have taught Dual Credit Speech, Debate and Forensics. I also started the school pantry. I am also certified in Youth Mental Health First Aid. I have had the privilege of presenting several in-service sessions to the staff on subjects ranging from instruction, project based learning, and suicide prevention.”

Toth hales from Caney, Ks. graduating from high school there in 1995, then taught there for eight years.

Tell about your family.

” I have been married to my husband, Travis Toth for 17 years. He teaches Social Studies and is the assistant coach for debate and forensics at Fort Scott High School. Before teaching, he was a law enforcement officer.

We have four children. Darby will be graduating this year and attending Washburn University in the fall. She plans to study Psychology. Madison is a Sophomore this year. She is active in debate, forensics, drama, choir and was chosen to attend the Hugh O’Brian Youth Leadership (HOBY) conference this summer. Trent is in 6th grade. He is a hard working young man who enjoys competing in robotics, middle school forensics, plays, sports and was recently chosen to be a page next month at the state capital. Kennedy is in 2nd grade. She is competitive, tenacious, and loves to participate in Tiger Cheer.

My parents are Michael and Penny Coy and they still reside in Caney

My sister, Sarah Bahr and her children also moved to Fort Scott. Sarah is a drug and alcohol counselor for Crawford County Mental Health and an assistant coach for debate and forensics. She has two children that attend school within our district., Ashton Nave,freshman, and Graci Nave, 8th grader ”

Walking the halls of Fort Scott High School, visitors notice the glassed-in area with art displays near the entrance to the school.

In the recent building renovation, the planners designated a gallery space for student artwork, FSHS Art Instructor Ellen Kendrick said.

Kendrick said all the components for displaying student artwork came together just before Christmas.

“To have this space is amazing,” Kendrick said.

The January exhibit was photography and ceramic art by students.

Seniors who have their photos displayed in the gallery currently: Ethan Burrel, Grace Keating, Kaley Reyes, and Berkley Chavis.

Art students who have pottery in the gallery are Emily Hill, Berkley Chavis, Kharsyn Dwyer, Blaice Hopkins, Denton Fritter, Madison Cook, Kelsie Nelson, Andy Bryant, Kaidon Shelton, and Ashton Nolan.

Kendrick said the gallery display will change each month.

The February exhibit will be more ceramics and drawings, instead of photographs.

She said her family helped with the gallery lighting and display furniture.

“Jack and I set the lights in place,” she said. “Jack and Sam made the pedestals.”

Jack and Sam are her sons.

“John (her husband) helped with the lighting system as well. I couldn’t have done it without them,” she said.

Fort Scott High School Choral Director Meredith Reid began a fundraising project to restore the school’s 1925 Model L Heirloom  Steinway piano last summer.

The cost of the restoration is $30,000, and Reid’s fundraising has secured $15,000 so far.

“We could get rid of this and get another piano of lesser value,” Reid said. “But this is such a gem.”

The piano is not stuck away in a corner somewhere.

“We use it every day,” Reid said. “We have over 100 high school kids in the choir and we have choir every day. These students are who it is impacting.”

“Pat Harry is our accompanist, she is the best of the best,” Reid said. “Really she is more than that. She is a collaborator both musically and educationally. It’s appropriate to give her the best.”

The high school orchestra class also uses the piano and students use it for practice after school, especially at this time of the year, music contest season.

“It’s a testament to our community and our program to have a Steinway,” Reid said.

The Steinway piano has been in the school district for over 40 years.

There is a mystery surrounding the origins of the piano because no one knows who donated it to the school.

“I talked to Allan Drake (the school’s former business manager) to see if he had any file on it,” Reid said. “I then asked the school board office, they couldn’t find any documentation since there is no purchase history.”

“We talked to former music teachers Charlotte and Larry Swaim,” she said. “Larry knew it had been donated when he first started teaching in the 1970s.”

Whatever the origins may be, the importance to the school’s music program is invaluable.

“It’s an acoustic piano, which means it hits the strings inside the instrument which creates the sound,” Reid said.

It’s a “far superior sound” than a digital sound on an electric keyboard, she said. “The (piano)soundboard is solid spruce. You can’t recreate that in something that’s digitalized.”

“There is a lot more nuance for the accompanist,” Reid said.

The school Steinway is American made, with each part being handmade, she said.

“Each (piano) has a serial number,” she said. “They can tell you all the details. Steinway still keeps records of it.”

A piano technician visited the school Friday.

“He said the Steinway brand is created in such a way as to be rebuilt,” she said. “Not all pianos were made that way. The lesser pianos don’t last that long.”

“It seems like we are putting a lot of money into it, but if we buy a lesser brand, we’ll have to replace it because I won’t last as long,” she said.

“We have received grants from the Bourbon County Arts Council, Fort Scott Area Community Foundation, and the City of Fort Scott, she noted. “Currently, we are looking for more support from organizations, businesses or individuals to donate in any amount to the project.  The full project will cost $30,000. We now have $15,000 raised and need $15,000 more.”

Reid’s goal is to raise the funds to send the piano to be restored at the end of the school year in May, and “potentially get it back by next Christmas,” she said.

The fine arts are at the heart of our community in Fort Scott,  and restoring the Steinway grand piano will continue this legacy for decades to come in both the community and the school, she noted.

A brand new Steinway of this size would cost $78,400, she said.

“We need $30,000 to completely restore our Steinway. It will be playable for another 50 years at least.”

Reid’s phone number is 620.238.0673 or email her at [email protected].