The Fort Scott Community College Agriculture Department will host the 42nd annual Aggie Day on Friday, April 6. Approximately 1,400 students representing more than 100 schools will compete in the contest.
“We look forward to hosting Aggie Day each year,” said Ryan Edgecomb, FSCC Agriculture Instructor. “We are anticipating another large event, which will draw schools and 4-H clubs from across the Four States.”
Students will compete in a variety of areas, including agronomy, entomology, farm management, floriculture, food science, livestock, meat evaluation, milk quality and products, nursery/landscape, poultry, speech, and veterinary science.
Sponsored by Purina and Purina Mills Honor Show Chow, this event is the longest running interscholastic competition in the region. “We are honored to have Purina and Honor Show Chow back as our sponsors for a third straight year, and we’re grateful for their support,” said Edgecomb.
Teams should pre-register online at http://www.fortscott.edu/aggieday/registration before Friday, March 30. Registration for the event will begin at 7:00 am on April 6 at Arnold Arena, 2108 S. Horton St. Fort Scott, Kan. For more information, please call Ryan Edgecomb at 620-223-2700, ext. 3280.
Fort Scott Middle School Technology Teacher Adam Feagins explains the three-dimensional printer to an attendee of the Fort Scott Chamber of Commerce weekly coffee Thursday.
Learning is hands-on in Mr. Feagins technology classes.
Attendees of the weekly coffee coordinated by the Fort Scott Chamber of Commerce took a tour of the career technology education class Thursday.
Adam Feagins is the instructor of the classes: Intro to technology,
Pre-Engineering, 6th Grade Technology, 7th Grade technology, and
8th Grade Technology.
USD 234 Curriculum Director Nicki Traul told the Chamber attendees that Feagins classes are popular among students.
“The goal is to teach the students basic technology concepts,” Feagins said in a later interview. “Once they learn the concepts they have to use the knowledge in some type of project.”
The following photos are some of the students working on projects in the classroom.
Eighth-grade students Ashlynn Bagnall and Shawn Barrager press a vinyl pattern piece on a t-shirt in Feagins technology class Thursday.Eighth-grade students Grant Feagins, left, and Bobby Kemmerer, right explain their rolling robot project to Fort Scott Chamber Member John Hill during the tour of the classroom Thursday morning. They are timing how fast the robot can go.Eighth-grade students Amanda Emmerson and Kerragan Davis paint a background as part of their Rube Goldberg Project. A marble will start at one point and set in motion a domino effect with the end result watering of a live plant.Teachers in USD 234 School have a poster of their education process posted near their classroom door. This is Adam Feagins.
Fort Scott Middle School Principal Brian Weilert welcomes guests of the Fort Scott Chamber of Commerce weekly coffee to the school Thursday morning.
Fort Scott Middle School Principal Brian Weilert spoke to the Fort Scott Chamber of Commerce Weekly Coffee social Thursday at the school.
An important purpose of the building is safety during tornados.
“We can fit 650 people in this space,” Weilert said. “We can get the student body in here in four minutes.”
The building was constructed of concrete with minimal windows for student safety.
But the school uses what is referred to as “flex space”, for other purposes, Weilert said. “There is a community space, an art gallery, and breakout rooms.”
The brightly painted and colorfully decorated large building can be divided easily for different purposes. It is located on the south side of the school
“This space encourages creativity and it’s good to get out of class once in a while, to change environments,” Weilert said.
The newly constructed space was added to the school in 2017 as part of a district-wide building improvement project.
USD 234 Business Manager Gina Shelton shows the community room that is available for organizations in the community to use. The room is located in the high wind building, completed in 2017 and has innovative technology.
Pictured below are members of the community who congregated in small groups before the announcement segment of the Fort Scott Chamber of Commerce Weekly Coffee.
During the coffee event, members can tell about upcoming community events or organizations for a $1 donation, which goes to fund the town trolley car.
At the conclusion of the weekly coffee, the host organization/business/school/church gets a platform to tell about the events or projects that are currently happening.
This is the dedication plaque that was placed in the community room of the new high wind building, completed in 2017.
Fort Scott Community College offers the Ed2Go Program.
“This program allows anyone to take classes (non-credit, but can receive a certificate) from the comfort of their home,” DeAnn Welch, Student Success Center Director Tutoring and Testing Administrator at FSCC, said. “They are eight weeks, with two assignments per week.”
According to the FSCC website:
Self-Paced Tutorials are used, with these features:
Build skills or earn continuing education credits
Start Anytime
Most tutorials completed in a few hours
Quick self-study on demand
Supported independent study
Certificate of completion awarded with passing score
DeAnn Welch started the Adopt-A-Greyhound program eight years ago at Fort Scott Coummunity College because of a need she perceived.
In her job as FSCC Student Success Center Director and Tutoring and Testing Administrator see saw students coming to college from other distant states.
“They come here not knowing anyone,” Welch said. ” Some even come here on a one way bus ticket in hopes of playing football and getting away from a life that they could have ended up dead. It is a sad situation.”
She had an idea.
“I thought, why not place these kids with local families who can give them that home away from home,” she said.
“The families can have this student over for dinner, go to their games if they are athletes, and simply be a support system.”
The program has had many success stories, she said.
“Some families still keep in touch with their student and even travel to see their games when they advance to the next level. It truly has developed many lifelong friendships,” Welch said.
For more information, contact Welch at 620-223-2700, ext. 4300 or deannw@fortscott.edu
Fort Scott Middle School teacher Michelle Brittain and Susan Wood, RN at Mercy, post sentimental messages on the wall at Mercy Cancer Care Unit of Hope.
With the staggering prevalence of cancer in the United States, it’s likely every person personally knows of someone who has been diagnosed with the disease. According to the National Cancer Institute, an estimated 1,685,210 new cases of cancer were diagnosed in the U.S. in 2016.
More importantly, each case represents a life: a mother, father, sister, brother, friend or neighbor.
That’s where eighth-grade students from Mrs. Michelle Brittain‘s English class at Fort Scott Middle School decided to step in and take on a project which spreads a message of hope to patients at the Mercy Cancer Care Unit of Hope.
The students created sentimental hand-crafted notes on either cards, posters, or even in one case inside origami figures. The messages are displayed in the treatment area for patients, family members and caregiver to read.
“It is humbling to be included in this student-driven project that focuses on encouraging our cancer patients,” said Susan Wood, RN, Mercy Cancer Care Unit of Hope. “When I saw what the kids had created, it gave me goosebumps and brought a tear to my eye.”
The idea for the class project came after the class read a short story by Terry Brooks titled “Imaginary Friends” about a young man who was fighting leukemia. Additionally, all eighth graders recently traveled to the Coterie Theater for Project Art.
“On behalf of our patients, I want to extend a huge thank you to Mrs. Brittan and her students for this extremely kind gesture,” Wood added.
Mercy Hospital Fort Scott is an acute care hospital with 46 licensed beds, offering comprehensive medical, surgical, OB/GYN, pediatric, home care and hospice services. Inpatient care is provided with 24/7 physician coverage. In 2017, Mercy Hospital Fort Scott received The Leapfrog Group’s prestigious A rating. Mercy Clinic Fort Scott is located on hospital grounds as well as Mercy rural health clinics in Arma and Pleasanton.
Mercy, named one of the top five large U.S. health systems in 2017 and 2016 by Truven, an IBM Watson Health company, serves millions annually. Mercy includes more than 40 acute care and specialty (heart, children’s, orthopedic and rehab) hospitals, 800 physician practices and outpatient facilities, 44,000 co-workers and 2,100 Mercy Clinic physicians in Arkansas, Kansas, Missouri, and Oklahoma. Mercy also has clinics, outpatient services and outreach ministries in Arkansas, Louisiana, Mississippi and Texas. In addition, Mercy’s IT division, Mercy Technology Services, supply chain organization, ROI, and Mercy Virtual commercially serve providers and patients in more than 20 states coast to coast.
Fort Scott Community College hosts the 37th Annual Spring Rodeo on March 9-11.
This action-packed rodeo will take place in the indoor Arnold Arena. The rodeo will feature 25 Kansas and Oklahoma 2-year and 4-year colleges competing for a variety of titles.
These athletes work hard, not only in the classroom but in the arena!
So get on out to Fort Scott Community College and watch them at work.
Friday, March 9 will kick off at 7:30 p.m., followed by Saturday, March 10 at 1 pm and 7:30 pm, and then finishing on Sunday, March 11 at 1 pm.
Admission is $8 for adults, $5 for FSCC students (with I.D.) $3 for children 6 to 12 and children 5 and under are free.
For more information, please contact Jaice Cross or Chad Cross at 620.223.2700 ext. 7030.
Fort Scott Community College announced its plan to join a national movement to address smoking and tobacco use on college campuses throughout the U.S.
Fort Scott Community College will ask students, faculty, and administration to support the adoption of a 100 percent smoke-free policy.
“We are truly excited to make Fort Scott Community College a safe, healthy and productive environment,” said Alysia Johnston, Fort Scott Community College President. “The health benefits of reducing secondhand smoke exposure are invaluable and could also help students prepare for the workforce where smoke-free policies are already the norm.”
Fort Scott Community College President Alysia Johnston.
Over the next 17 months, Fort Scott Community College will engage the campus community to address tobacco use. A task force will be formed to oversee the project, assess tobacco use behavior and attitudes, identify a treatment plan for current smokers and develop a policy. Two students will develop and lead educational efforts to build a movement to become a tobacco-free campus. The policy must be approved by Fort Scott Community College Board of Trustees.
Fort Scott Community College’s efforts are part of a growing trend to clean the air on campuses. Currently, more than 2,100 higher education institutions in the United States have gone smoke- or tobacco-free.
FSCC was one of 18 minority-serving institutions and community colleges that will receive funds and technical support from Truth Initiative®, the nation’s largest nonprofit public health organization dedicated to making tobacco use a thing of the past. The project will be led by Phi Theta Kappa, the honor society on campus. Over the past three years, Truth Initiative has partnered with 135 colleges, reaching more than 1.2 million students and 275,000 faculty and staff across 35 states.
“With 99 percent of smokers starting before age 26, college campuses are critical platforms for preventing young adults from starting tobacco use, aiding those current tobacco users in quitting and reducing exposure to secondhand smoke for all,” said Robin Koval, CEO, and president of Truth Initiative. “We are looking forward to supporting Fort Scott Community College’s efforts to make smoking and tobacco use a thing of the past.”
Today, 38 million Americans ages 18 and above still smoke — including 17.7 percent in Kansas— and tobacco use remains the number one cause of preventable death in this country. Research also shows that there are dire health consequences for non-smokers too. Secondhand smoke exposure causes cancer and cardiovascular disease among other secondhand smoke diseases, which are responsible for more than 41,000 deaths among nonsmoking adults in the U.S.
Minority-serving institutions and community colleges tend to serve students who are at greater risk for tobacco use, including low-income, racial and ethnic minority and first-generation students.
“The grant from Truth Initiative has set us up for success and I’m positive we can achieve our goals,” said Johnston. “We are going to hit the ground running with our plan so that we can finally take a breath of fresh air on campus.”
At least that’s what Harvey Doe and his wife, Edna, tell a group of extraterrestrial educators in defense of the human race in Rich Orloff’s “The Whole Shebang,” the featured play in a night of one-acts, dubbed “Minimum Rage,” at 7:30 p.m. Thursday and Friday at Fort Scott Community College.
The program consists of five short plays to be performed in workshop style by the students in the FSCC theater department. There is no charge for admission, and some of the plays contain strong adult language.
“This is an actors’ showcase,” said Allen Twitchell, FSCC theater instructor. “By design, the sets and costumes are minimal in nature. I just wanted to provide the students an opportunity to perform on stage this semester before our big show in the spring.”
“Minimum Rage” also features guest director Tony Wagner and student directors Jackie Neher and Jared Oshel.
The plays are:
“Roommate Roulette,” by Twitchell, directed by Twitchell, with a cast of Erin Deatsch, Payton Boswell, Katelynn Coe, Ashley Lockwood and Ka’Si Gates.
“In the Meantime,” by Sharon Cooper, directed by Neher, with a cast of Sammy Jamison and Paulette Hays.
“Selling Johnny Depp,” by Alex Broun, directed by Twitchell, with a cast of Savannah Kratzberg, Connor Masters and Jared Oshel.
“Gas Mart Amendment,” by Nick Zagone, directed by Oshel, with a cast of Royce White and Baylee Whitmore.
And, “The Whole Shebang,” directed by Wagner, with a cast of Jesse Cooke, Connor Masters, Ashley Lockwood, Kartis Leal, Sammy Jamison and Jackie Neher.
Alice and the Caterpillars are: Madi Toth with Noah Martin and Alex Gorman.
The Fort Scott High School Thespians present “Alice vs. Wonderland” adapted by Brendan Shea on Feb. 22 at 7 p.m. and Feb. 24 at 2 and 7 p.m. at the FSHS Auditorium.
“Lewis Carroll meets Lady Gaga in this psychedelic update of Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland. Angst-ridden adolescent Alice unwittingly trades places with Mary Ann, the Wonderland version of herself. Now Alice must travel through a fantastical teenage dreamscape, challenged by Carroll’s canonical characters every step of the way. Transforming every time she eats or drinks, Alice is played by six different actresses, each evoking a different aspect of adolescence. Together, they paint an entrancingly surreal portrait of a teenage identity crisis,” according to publishing company Playscripts.
The show involves an ensemble cast of 16 with most students playing multiple characters. Actresses playing the Alice characters analyzed the playwright’s work to pinpoint the aspects of Alice’s personality that each represents.
“My director pushed me to really analyze the script and delve into the right way to inflect the words to reflect my character,” said junior Daniela Belcuore who plays Alice #3, the Alice who embodies the “childlike” portion of her personality.
Alice and White Knight played by Daniela Belcuore and Jakob Slinkard.
Audiences will enjoy a “mix-up” of pop-culture references and songs with the traditional Wonderland characters we all know. The show includes music and dance numbers including a duet between junior Mary Gladbach (Alice #2) and sophomore Carlee Studyvin (Mary Ann), a solo by sophomore Addy Labbe (Queen of Hearts), and a jazz routine choreographed by Labbe and sophomore Mesa Jones.
Stand out performances include ihigh school senior Alex Gorman as the Mad Hatter, Gladbach also as the March Hare, and high school junior Hunter Adamson as the White Rabbit. Also noteworthy is the creative lighting design my junior Alyx Brooks.
The production is directed by FSHS Drama and Thespian Director Angie Bin with choreography assistance from FSHS alum Kevin Miller, Jr.
Tickets are $5 and are on sale now at the FSHS office, 1005 S. Main and at Common Ground, 116 S. Main in Fort Scott.
Proceeds will assist students attending the International Thespian Festival at the University of Nebraska in June. Seating is limited, so audience members are encouraged to buy tickets in advance.
The sign atop the new John Deere Tech Program building at the intersection of Horton and 23rd Streets. The building is located on the easternmost segment of the main campus of Fort Scott Community College..
The public opening of the new John Deere Tech Program at Fort Scott Community College was held at the site Feb. 9.
A hamburger lunch was provided by the college.
Attending were prospective students, local residents, business corporations, FSCC staff and Fort Scott Chamber of Commerce members.
Attendees of the Fort Scott Community College John Deere Tech Program grand opening eat in the largest building of the tech complex. This building is the old National Guard Armory at Horton and 23rd streets.The college provided a hamburger lunch for attendees of the John Deere Tech Program official opening.
Following the lunch were speeches and a ribbon cutting sponsored by the Fort Scott Chamber of Commerce.
FSCC President Alysia Johnston speaks to the crowd at the public opening of the new John Deere Tech Program building, completed in December 2017.
Tours were given prior to the event for those interested.
FSCC President Alysia Johnston left, gives a tour of the renovated welding shop located north of the new tech program building. At right is FSCC Board of Trustees Member Dana McKenney.
A building north of the new John Deere Tech Program building was renovated for welding classes instruction. The program began in August, with Brandon McAdam, as the instructor.
The John Deere corporation supplies new and used tractors for training the students, said Dale Griffiths, tech program instructor.
Additional old tractors are supplied by dealers and individuals, he said.
Currently, there are 23 students in the program, mostly from Kansas and Missouri, Griffiths said.
“Ninety-five percent of the students will have a job waiting for them,” Griffiths said. “Technicians are the most demanded field in the ag. equipment business.”
Classes are in session from Monday through Thursday, Griffiths said.
“Most kids will travel back to work at their dealers,” he said.
In this program, students are required to work through a qualified dealership that provides paid internships throughout the program’s two years, according to information provided by FSCC.
After completing the program, students receive an associate of applied science degree and can transfer to Pittsburg State University to complete a four-year management option.
Many students choose to stay with their sponsoring dealerships to begin their career as a technician.
Federal loan and grant programs are available to students who qualify. For more information contact the financial aid office at 620-223-2700 or visit fortscott.edu.
USD 234 Superintendent Bob Beckham is retiring effective June 29.
Beckham gave the Board of Education notice at a meeting last Tuesday.
Beckham worked his way up from teacher to the athletic director, then the principal, then four years ago assumed the superintendency of the district.
The following is from an interview with fortscott.biz.
Why are you retiring?
“I always told myself that I would know when it was time for me to retire, I just know it’s time now.”
How far into your contract are you?
“In June I will have fulfilled my current contract.”
Will you give a short synopsis of your career?
“After graduating from Pittsburg State University I taught and coached five years at Altoona-Midway High School. I came home in 1989 and taught biology and social studies and coached at Fort Scott High School for nine years. I served as the athletic director for seven years, then as the high school principal for eight years. I will have completed my fourth year as the superintendent in June.”
Why did you become an educator?
“Like all educators, I chose this profession to invest in young people – to help them reach their full potential.”
What are you looking forward to in retirement?
“I will be going back to work, just not sure in what capacity yet.”
