Thursday morning Trailblazers practice a play to be performed for their parents, on Friday. The Fort Scott National Historic Site Youth Engagement Team helped with the program.
The Fort Scott National Historic Site’s Trailblazer Program ends August 10.
During this workshop, children were introduced to the National Park Service mission of caring for the nation’s natural and cultural heritage, according to the Fort Scott National Historic Site website: https://www.nps.gov/fosc/learn/news/trailblazercamp.htm
They searched for treasure in a mock archaeological dig, explored the prairie, and discovered methods used to preserve the buildings and artifacts of the fort. The students engaged in living history, learned flag protocol and worked on a play that they will present at the end of the week. Also, there were green activities that taught children how to use resources wisely.
Fort Scott National Historic Site Ranger Ryan O’Connell takes a photo of the Trailblazer Camp participants Thursday morning. From left: Kaylee, Ana, Jordan, Jubilee, James, Nate, Timothy, Jude, Aiden, and Althea.
Sara Sutton, FSCC Agriculture Instructor and Meats Judging Coach.
This is one of a series of profiles on new teachers in Fort Scott.
Sara Sutton is the new Fort Scott Community College Agriculture Instructor and Meats Judging Coach.
Education: Sutton came to FSCC on a rodeo scholarship with Coach Chad Cross after graduation from Shawnee Mission North in the Kansas City area. She then attended K-State on a rodeo scholarship, graduating with an agriculture degree in 2007. She earned a teaching degree and Masters in Educational Leadership from Pittsburg State University.
Experience: She taught biology at Cherokee then Uniontown high schools.
Family: Husband, Scott and twin daughters, Marley and McKinley, and son, Tucker. Her husband teaches vo-ag at Uniontown High School. Lynne Wheeler is her mother-in-law, and John and Irene Doll are her parents. “Scott and I could not do what we do without family support.”
Age: 37
Why a career in education?
“My high school biology teacher, Mr. Fluty, was my inspiration to go into teaching. I love science and agriculture and communicating things I’m knowledgeable about with people.
What is the priority in the new job?
“Teaching, I love teaching. I will teach ag calculations, animal science, intro to feeds and ag tech management.”
“I’m looking forward to building the program. Jennalee Martin and Ryan Edgecomb were great and I want to continue on that.”
Jackie Shadden is the new fourth-grade teacher at West Bourbon Elementary School in Uniontown. She is pictured in her classroom, getting ready for the first day of school on August 30.
Following 13 years as a fifth-grade teacher in Nevada, Mo., Jackie Shadden is the new fourth-grade teacher at West Bourbon Elementary School, Uniontown. Her hometown is Fort Scott.
“My mom, Ruby Gerant, inspired me to become a teacher,” Shadden said. “She taught for quite a few years as a high school English teacher in Uniontown.”
“I love learning and sharing knowledge with others,” she said. “And it’s always been a joy to be around kids.”
Shadden attended Fort Scott Community College, then Pittsburg State University where she earned a bachelors and masters degree in education.
She married David Shadden and had two kids, Seth, age 10-years-old and Hailey, 8.
“My husband and I care for my family’s farm, where we raise cattle,” she said.
“I am hoping to become more involved with my community since I will be teaching closer to home,” Shadden said.
Carl Brenner, new Chief of Interpretation and Resource Management at Fort Scott National Historic Site, started July 22.
The new Fort Scott National Historic Site Ranger has been around.
From Shenandoah National Park, VA to Grand Canyon National Park, AZ to Pinnacles National Monument, Yosemite National Park, Golden Gate National Park-all in California to Lake Meredith National Recreation Area in the Texas Panhandle, Carl Brenner has been all across America.
As of July 22, Brenner is the new Supervisory Ranger and Chief of Interpretation and Resource Management at FSNHS.
“I came to Fort Scott to continue my journey,” Brenner said. “I grew up in St. Louis, MO. I love the history close to home.”
Brenner is ready to become a part of Fort Scott.
“I’m ready to begin engaging with the community-schools, hospital, veterans, all civic organizations here in town,” he said. “And reaching out to other communities to bring them here.”
He wants to tell the story of the fort and its opportunities.
Brenner has a passion for the National Park Service.
“The park service story is the story of America,” he said. “It’s our responsibility to share that story.”
“Growing up I never realized you could have a job in the park service,” Brenner said. “Learning about nature and the cultures, being able to share them can be a career.”
That’s what his father, John Brenner, taught him, which inspired him. His first supervisor, Barb Stewart, also ” instilled the values of what the park service is and the possibilities that exist.”
The N.P.S became his family, he said.
His personal family is a wife, Maggie, who is still packing up their belongings in Texas, and his dogs, a German Shepherd and a Golden Retriever.
Brenner has been welcomed by the community, he said, and he is impressed with the number of activities that go on in town.
He will have to coordinate with all the activities to “have people come and enjoy the fort,” he said.
This week is Trailblazer Week at the fort.
Brenner believes this is an exposure to the fort and a pathway into a career for youth.
“I’d like to start doing that with schools, the curriculum at the schools,” he said. “Try to build pathways for people to learn about resources and opportunities with the park service.”
Uniontown schools have enrollment August 8 from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. and again on August 9 from noon to 7 p.m.
The school district has its’ first day of school on August 30.
Uniontown native Vance Eden, 33, is the new principal at West Bourbon Elementary School, as of July 1.
” My first priority is to make sure every student and teacher have the things they need to have the best possible start to the school year,” Eden said.
Eden attended Uniontown schools from kindergarten through twelfth grade.
He then attended Pittsburg State University attaining a Bachelors Degree in Elementary Education and Masters Degree in Educational Leadership.
He taught seven years, four years as a 6th-grade teacher and three years teaching Title 1. He served as assistant principal in Webb City, Mo. for four years.
He and wife, Rachel have two children, a son-Scout, 6 years old and a daughter-Rhuey, age 4. They are members of Community Christian Church.
Why did you choose education for a career?
” Working in education is a great way to be a positive impact on the kids and families of the community where you live,” Eden said.
Jamie Shank is surrounded by media after arriving back to the San Antonio Aquarium Saturday from getting the shark, “Helen” from the thief’s home. The next step was to acclimate the shark into a quarantine pool. Submitted photo.
2008 Uniontown High School graduate Jamie Shank was in the national news this week.
As the assistant husbandry director at the San Antonio Aquarium Shank was responsible for getting a shark back after it was put into a baby stroller and stolen from the aquarium last Saturday.
“I wasn’t on duty when the shark was stolen but was involved in getting the shark back,” Shank told FortScott.Biz. “I went with the police to bring the shark back.”
“She is still in quarantine for observation to make sure she is eating right,” Shank said. “She was stored with other fish in (the suspect’s) garage.”
Shank, whose parents, Mark and Lisa, still live near Redfield, said she wanted to be a marine biologist since she was nine years old and continued her education to do so.
After many opportunities, she ended up at San Antonio Aquarium two and a half years ago.
“I love my job,” Shank said. “I love what I am doing.”
The outside pickleball courts are located up the stairs, just north of the water tower at 9th and Burke streets.
It is a cross between tennis and ping pong and was invented in Seattle in 1965.
It’s pickleball.
Played with a short wooden paddle and a whiffle ball, in Fort Scott there are two places to enjoy the sport.
One is indoors at Buck Run Community Center, 735 Scott Avenue, and the other is an outside court at 9th and Burke street, near the water tower. Paddles and balls are available at Buck Run.
The outdoor courts are a first-come, first served basis.
“We are lucky we have two places to play,” Janice Allen, a local player said.
Pickleball is taught as part of the physical education curriculum at Fort Scott Middle School, “And all kinds of kids show up at the water tower to play,” Allen said.
Teams can be found playing at the outside court at 6:30 a.m. Tuesdays and Thursdays and also at 6 p.m.
At Buck Run, 9 a.m. Monday through Friday people play and also Saturday morning at 8 a.m., she said.
There are four courts at the water tower site.
“You can go and watch,” Allen said. “We have a good time.”
Submitted photo
“I’m 77 years old,” Allen said. “It’s an excellent exercise and social game. And I’ve lost 25 pounds since I started playing a year-and-a-half ago.” The outside court opened in 2017.
Submitted photo.
The pickleball court is two-thirds the size of a tennis court, scoring is like for ping pong, serving is underhanded and a person can only score while serving. There are four courts at the water tower location.
Submitted photo. Pickleball can be played outside at night as well because of lights at the court.
“You don’t have to go with people,” Allen said. “We’ll rotate you in and out of the game. Someone will help you get started.”
“You need to wear shoes with tread, cross-training shoes, not running or walking shoes,” she said.
Taste the glossy red fruit tomorrow at the farmers market to see which is your favorite!
Tomatoes for sale at Fort Scott Farmers Market.
The annual Fort Scott Farmers Market Tomato Festival is Saturday, July 28 at Skubitz Plaza, starting at 8 a.m.
The public is welcome to bring in their tomatoes for the contest as well, Stacey Atkins, president of the FSFM said.
“People can sample tomatoes and vote for their favorite,” Atkins said. “It’s always fun to sample the produce.”
Vendor Stacey Atkins chats with a customer July 21 at her booth. Atkins sells eggs, baked goods, and lemonade.Chet and Linda Bower sell produce from their farm.Linda Murrow changes the billboard of what she sells as she runs out of produce. Murrow sells produce, baked goods, and lemonade.Mary Yoder sells baked goods, homemade jellies, relishes and cherry tomatoes.Roman Shetler sells produce, honey, maple syrup, relish and produce.Ronnie Brown sells nuts, jellies, fruit, produce and baked goods.Micki Kraft sells homemade sewn products.Chet Bower shows some of his carrots he grew on his farm.
“There has been a Title IX complaint against the school district,” USD 234 Superintendent Ted Hessong, said. “There is an investigation currently and the school district is unable to comment more specifically at this time.”
The investigation pending is regarding Title IX Athletics, according to the website.
In June 2018, City Attorney Bob Farmer was asked by the Fort Scott City Commission to send USD 234 a letter to be sent with the school district’s paperwork on the case to the Office of Civil Rights, according to the city commission minutes of June 19, 2018.
In the letter Farmer sent, the city stated it had no plans to build a clubhouse or dressing room at Fisher Park because there is no funding at this time to do so, according to the minutes.
The city owns Fisher Park and allows the USD 234 to use the facilities there for the FSHS girls softball program, Hessong said.
“The OCR wanted a letter from the city stating that the city has no intention of building at Fisher Park,” City Manager Dave Martin said.
“We have been unable to find out who filed the complaint,” Martin said. “The state will not tell the person who turned them in.”
Hewitt Field at Fisher Park. The FSHS girls softball program uses the facilities in the spring.Don Hewitt Field at Fisher Park. The ballpark is three blocks north of Fort Scott High School.The concession building at Fisher Park.Fort Scott High School, 1005 S. Main.
The city of Uniontown’s Council received a grant to replace the natural gas pipeline in the town.
The Uniontown City Council has been active in recent years to improve the town’s infrastructure.
A project to widen and deepen the town’s ditches to keep water going where it should, a water line replacement project and this year a natural gas line replacement project has been initiated by the council. Uniontown’s population is 272.
The city of Uniontown was awarded $201,000 in 2017 with Community Development Block Grant funds to replace a natural gas transmission line, according to kansascommerce.gov/CivicAlerts.
The city will contribute $201,000 in matching funds for this project.
NPL Foreman Pat Wier, Parker, left, tells USIC employee Mason Adams, Sugar Valley, right, where the pipeline project is, on Tuesday morning. USIC locates electric meters for entities.
The Uniontown project started June 12.
“We are trying to get it done by September 1,” NPL(Northern Pipe Line) Foreman Pat Wier, said. “So far, we are up to date, but we have a lot of work to be done.”
The two-man crew is replacing PVC pipe with PE pipe. The crew is comprised of Wier and Edmundo Rodriguez, Lenexa.
“PE is a federal requirement,” Wier said. “PVC is not recognized anymore. We are laying new pipe in portions of the city where the PVC is.”
The crew worked late into the night on Thursday to get resident Bill Griffith hooked back on to gas after a day spent laying pipe on the town’s southeast side.
“Once started, we couldn’t quit,” Wier said. “There are a few late nights.”
The usual hours for the crew is 7 a.m to 5:30 p.m. Monday through Friday, Wier said.
Edmundo Rodriguez, left, an NPL employee, chats with Mason Adams, USIC employee during work on the pipeline just south of Nita Campbell’s property Tuesday morning.
Next for the crew is replacing 3,700 feet of two-inch steel pipe south of town.
“That is exposed,” Wier said. “We’ll be replacing and putting pipe underground for safety.”
Recently, a brush mower in this area ran over the steel riser and “caused a pretty good (gas)leak,” Wier said. “That’s why we are doing all this.”
During the FortScott.Biz interview a Kansas Corporation Commission Inspector, Jon Bolinder, turned up at the work site.
Kansas Corporation Commission Office of Pipeline Safety Inspector Jon Bolinder of Topeka stopped by the Uniontown gas line project Tuesday morning.
Bolinder is with the Office of Pipeline Safety for the KCC, he said.
Bolinder said all projects submit a construction notice to KCC. He was on his way to the Coffeyville area and made a stop in Uniontown to view the project.
“We come out and make sure they are following code when installing,” Bolinder said. He also said it helps him “in my head, when I am doing the paperwork on the project.”
The Small Cities Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) Program allows the Kansas Department of Commerce to distribute federal funds to Kansas cities and counties looking to improve their community.
To receive CDBG funds, a project must meet at least one of the following federally mandated criteria, according to the website:
The project benefits low- and moderate-income individuals.
The project removes or prevents slum or blight condition.
The project eliminates an urgent need created by a disaster when local funds are unavailable.
Guinea keets for sale. Guineas are ideal for reducing chiggers and disease-carrying ticks. Unlike chickens, guineas are less prone to scratching and eating plants so they are often used for bug control in areas with gardens and flower beds. Keets are 4 to 6 weeks old.
Fort Scott National Historic Site Youth Conservation Corp Member Reaghan Dowell tells about the garden at the fort. Sara Stepanic, right, a student trainee park ranger, listens.
Two groups of local youth donned the 1840s summer military uniform of soldiers and told stories of life at The Fort Scott National Historic Site on Saturday.
July 21 was Family Day at FSNHS, a new event planned by area youth to gain experience with the National Park Service this summer.
“We picked cooking, gardening and dummy guns for topics,” for Family Day, Reaghn Dowell, YCC member said.
To lead the activities, the youth wore the summer uniforms that soldiers wore in the 1840s.
“The uniforms are canvass,” Sara Stepanic, said. “They are pretty heavy and not cool.” Stepanic is a student trainee ranger this summer at FSNHS.
In the morning, three different stations were available for public engagement: a cooking demonstration, where visitors were instructed in food preparation and cooking methods; a historic garden display, where one could work in the garden and help with the harvest; and firearms drills in the use of 1840s firearms using wooden “dummy guns”.
Afternoon activities included arts and crafts for the family at one station and historic, interactive games and activities for adults and kids at a second station.
Family Day activities were presented by two groups of youth who are working at FSNHS, the Youth Conservation Corps and the Youth Engagement Team. Both groups consist of high school age students who are gaining experience with the National Park Service this summer.
The Youth Conservation Corps is comprised of Kaden Primm, Anthea Montojo, Reaghn Dowell, and Jessden Kiwan, all from Fort Scott. Sara Stepanic, Wisconsin, a college-age student trainee park ranger was the leader of the YCC group at FSNHS.
The Youth Engagement team members are Jacey Bowen, Uniontown and Emily Davenport, Fort Scott.
Jacey Bowen, Fort Scott National Historic Site Youth Engagement member, left, and YCC Member Jessden Kiwan, right, teach how firearms were used int he 1840s.Jase Garrison, Claremore, OK, gets a firearms lesson from Park Ranger Ryan O’Connell, while his extended family looks on.FSNHS Youth Engagement Member Emily Davenport, left, YCC Member Kaden Primm, center; and YCC Member Anthea Motojo helped prep food for the beef stew that was being demonstrated as part of Family Day.Park Guide Paul Goodman makes beef stew as part of Family Day at FSNHS.Park Ranger Robert Thomas leads the Muller Family from Denver, CO in the Junior Ranger Program Pledge.
The Muller Family from Denver, Colorado worked on the National Park Service Junior Park Ranger Program while at the Fort on Saturday. Following the program outline, they were led in a National Park Service Junior Ranger oath by Ranger Robert Thomas in the visitors center.
The children get a book, badge, sticker and five trading cards when they sign up for the program.
