Editor’s note: the venue for the funeral has changed.
Joseph Michael Grieshaber, age 52, resident of Fort Scott, KS passed away Friday, January 10, 2024, at his home following a brief fight with cancer. He was born November 3, 1972, in Neosho, MO, the son of Michael and Kathy Miller Grieshaber. Joey worked as a youth minister for several years before becoming an EMT. Upon the death of his wife, Jamie Channel, he changed direction and became a schoolteacher. He was currently employed at Uniontown, KS teaching 6th grade and coaching football. Joey married Stephanie Krieger on February 27, 2022. Joey enjoyed all things outdoors, including hunting, fishing, and camping. He was deeply involved with Highland Games and that community. He loved spending time with his family.
Survivors include his wife Stephanie of the home; nine children, Petra Johnston (Caleb) Raytown, MO, Titan Grieshaber, Kansas City, MO, Adrianna Krieger, Joplin, MO, Amayah Rodriguez, Joplin, MO, Alexandria Boyd (Gauge), Joplin, MO, and Ryder Cosens, Truman Burns, Kyser Grieshaber, and Riggs Grieshaber, all of the home; his mother, Kathy Villa (David), Bakersfield, CA; and 2 brothers, Austin Vill (Maddie), and Pierce Villa (Cynthia), both of Bakersfield, CA. He was preceded in death by his wife, Jamie; a sister, Melissa Cooper; and his father.
There was cremation. A Celebration of Life will be held at 10:30 AM Saturday, January 18th, at the Cheney Witt Chapel. Memorials are suggested to the Joey Grieshaber Memorial Fund and may be left in care of the Cheney Witt Chapel, PO Box 347, 201 S. Main St., Fort Scott, KS 66701. Words of remembrance may b
Members of the USD 234 Board of Education met at 5:30 p.m. on Monday, January 13, 2025, for their regular monthly meeting at the board office.
President David Stewart opened the meeting.
The board approved the official agenda, and the consent agenda as follows:
Board Minutes
12-09-24
Financials – Cash Flow Report
Check Register
Payroll – December 20, 2024 – $1,735,450.74
Activity Funds Accounts
USD 234 Gifts
Terry Mayfield, Assistant Superintendent, recognized the District Tech Team. Stephen Mitchell, Bryce Daly, Joe Foulk, and Landon Hill were thanked for them for their role in keeping the district running smoothly. They are behind the scenes a lot of the time, but they are hardworking and are able to help in an effective and timely matter.
Joe Foulk, Landon Hill, Stephen Mitchell, Bryce Daly. Submitted photo.
Superintendent Destry Brown reported on a PowerSchool data breech that occurred earlier but thanks to our security there was not any data that has been accessed.
The Hydroponics Farm is being delivered this week to the High School. He also reported on a couple grants that the district will be working with area schools to complete.
Assistant Superintendent Terry Mayfield provided the Board with an update on the football field that is close to being completed. IT has been working hard on upgrading our district systems. He also updated on the Cell Tower Lease and Keyhole property. Wrestling has been moved to the Middle School until the heat can be fixed.
Tonya Barnes, Special Education Director, updated the Board on starting a monthly new employee orientation that will begin this week.
Dr. Johnson, the Middle School Principal, brought an update to the Board about all the remarkable things happening at the Middle School. He reported and thanked the staff for their dedication and hard work. Through this, they have seen great growth in the students. Tracy Homan reported on STUCCO and how they are learning to become leaders. They have helped with teacher appreciation, and Veterans’ Day Assembly, and are going to be working on the yearbook. She said the students are excited and have attended the Greenbush Leadership Conference. Kerri Hanson gave an update on the social emotion aspect and how they were able to have a Career Fair in October with thirty-one presenters. Whitney Beth and Jessica Steury talked about the AP schedule and the advantage of being able to help those students who may be behind. They are excited about the growth in confidence that this schedule has given the students. Staci Black and Adam Feagins presented about Project Lead the Way (PLTW). PLTW is an activity, project, problem-based learning approach. This is a hands-on experience that will build on different subjects as they head toward high school. Overall Middle School students are working extremely hard and there are many exciting things that are taking place for the growth of the students.
There are two open board seats that have been posted. Applications will be taken until the Board Meeting held on January 20, 2025. At this meeting the board will interview those interested.
The Board Approved the following items:
Maintenance Truck Purchase
Hinton Creek Solar Contribution Agreement
Resolution 24-08 To Establish Regular Board Meetings 2025
Resolution 24-09 To Establish Election of School Board Officers
There were a few present during public forum.
Jerri Smith, Jessica Smith, Leslie Gordan, Erin Vann, and Kenna Miles were present to speak on behalf of wrestling members and parents. They are concerned about conditions where the wrestlers are practicing. Wrestling is a growing sport, and they are asking for more support and recognition. The Board heard the concerns and there was no further discussion at this time. Mr. Mayfield had in his report that they will be practicing in the Middle School until the heat is fixed or another solution is found.
The Board went into an executive session for personnel matters.
President David Stewart adjourned the meeting.
PERSONNEL REPORT – APPROVED
January 14, 2025
RESIGNATIONS/TERMINATIONS/RETIREMENTS:
Chaplin, Mercedes – Resignation – Paraprofessional – Eugene Ware
Drake, Amy – Supplemental Retirement – Dance Coach – High School
Heenan, Kristen – Resignation – Paraprofessional – High School
Large, Lahanna – Resignation – Paraprofessional – Winfield Scott
Martin, Dave – Assistant Swimming Coach – High School
Murrow, Janelle – Retirement – Title 1 Reading – Eugene Ware
EMPLOYMENT:
Classified Recommendations for the 2024-25 school year:
Brown, Afton – .5 Para Middle School/.5 Para General Ed –
Newman, Ronna – Paraprofessional – High School
Roberts, Victoria – Paraprofessional – Preschool
Rowe, Cynthia – Mental Health Intervention Liaison
Wright, Stacey – Paraprofessional – High School
Supplemental Recommendations for the 2024-25 school year:
Corbitt, Cheyenne – Assistant Intramural Coach for 3rd quarter
Sara Sutton from the Fort Scott Community College website.
The Fort Scott Community College administration used the community forums that they initiated last spring to tell interested community members about the upcoming reaffirmation visit this fall for the college’s accreditation, give departmental updates, and have open conversations, said FSCC Interim President Sara Sutton.
“During the open conversation, we gathered that the community would like the college to look into new career technical education programs and athletic programs and they voiced their appreciation for the communication we have been giving over the college as a whole. We plan on continuing these for the spring semester and dates will be released soon,” she said.
Classes Begin On January 21
The campus opened on Monday, January 6, but students won’t return in full force for the spring semester until classes start on Tuesday, January 21. After classes begin, the school will get a full count of the students, Sutton said. There are currently 25 teachers at the community college.
“Due to game schedules, many student-athletes, including men’s and women’s basketball and indoor track students, are back on campus already,” Sutton said.
Trustees and Admin Winter Retreat and Inservice
The FSCC Board of Trustees and the Executive team held a winter board retreat on Monday, January 13, to review the college’s strategic plan, set goals and objectives, and discuss board etiquette and higher education funding training opportunities.
“The board had their retreat yesterday,” Sutton said. “The strategic plan was reviewed, and nothing was changed or modified. We discussed the process for reviewing and revising when that time comes.”
Five objectives listed in the strategic plan are 1) foster relationships with the communities they serve, 2) cultivate quality enhancements for education and learning, 3) promote student success, 4) develop fiscal responsibility, and 5) promote strategies for employee success.
“An in-service was held today, January 14th. Various topics were on the agenda, including leadership updates, accreditation training/conversation, ALICE training, CPR training, AI workshop, staff evaluation workshop, and other pertinent updates. FSCC has a reaffirmation visit for our accreditation in October of this year, and employees have been working diligently on this to prepare for our peer review visit.”
Leaders
The leadership team at FSCC is: Sonia Gugnani – Vice President of Academic Affairs, Missy Scott – Vice President of Finance and Operations, Vanessa Poyner – Dean of Students, Juley McDaniel – Human Resource Director, Liza Erwin – Athletic Director
Members of the trustee board: Bryan Holt (Chair), Doug Ropp (Vice Chair), John Bartelsmeyer, Jim Fewins, Ronda Bailey, and Chad McKinnis.
The newly sworn-in Bourbon County officials. Submitted photo.
The newly sworn-in Bourbon County elected officials are from left Sheriff Bill Martin, District 2 Commissioner David Beerbower, District Court Judge Mark A. Ward, District 3 Commissioner Leroy Kruger, Attorney James Crux, and County Clerk Susan Walker. The submitted photo was from January 13.
County Commissioner District 1 Brandon Whisenhunt and Register of Deeds Lora Holdridge were unable to attend the ceremony and were sworn in by the County Clerk.
USD 235 and SEK Interlocal 637 offer Child Find screenings to locate, identify, and evaluate all children who may have a disability in the areas of fine motor, gross motor, cognitive, communication, adaptive, and personal/social skills development.
For children ages 3-5, developmental screenings clinics will be offered at West Bourbon Elementary the morning of Wednesday, January 22, 2025. Appointments can also be made as needed in the months of September, December, February, and April.
If you would like to schedule an appointment for this screening clinic, please contact either Julie Akins or Jennifer Vaughn at (620) 235-3155.
Joseph Michael Grieshaber, age 52, resident of Fort Scott, KS passed away Friday, January 10, 2024, at his home following a brief fight with cancer.
He was born November 3, 1972, in Neosho, MO, the son of Michael and Kathy Miller Grieshaber. Joey worked as a youth minister for several years before becoming an EMT. Upon the death of his wife, Jamie Channel, he changed direction and became a schoolteacher. He was currently employed at Uniontown, KS teaching 6th grade and coaching football. Joey married Stephanie Krieger on February 27, 2022. Joey enjoyed all things outdoors, including hunting, fishing, and camping. He was deeply involved with Highland Games and that community. He loved spending time with his family.
Survivors include his wife Stephanie of the home; nine children, Petra Johnston (Caleb) Raytown, MO, Titan Grieshaber, Kansas City, MO, Adrianna Krieger, Joplin, MO, Amayah Rodriguez, Joplin, MO, Alexandria Boyd (Gauge), Joplin, MO, and Ryder Cosens, Truman Burns, Kyser Grieshaber, and Riggs Grieshaber, all of the home; his mother, Kathy Villa (David), Bakersfield, CA; and 2 brothers, Austin Villa (Maddie), and Pierce Villa (Cynthia), both of Bakersfield, CA.
He was preceded in death by his wife, Jamie; a sister, Melissa Cooper; and his father.
There was cremation. A Celebration of Life will be held at 10:30 AM Saturday, January 18th, at St. Paul’s Church, 2423 W. 26th St., Joplin, MO.
Memorials are suggested to the Joey Grieshaber Memorial Fund and may be left in care of the Cheney Witt Chapel, PO Box 347, 201 S. Main St., Fort Scott, KS 66701. Words of remembrance may be submitted online at cheneywitt.com.
DANCE PARTY
IN THE HALL, sponsored by the City of Fort Scott is
Saturday January 18th from 7:00 pm to 10:00 pm at Memorial Hall, Fort Scott.
Get ready to groove to the hottest tracks from
every era and genre!
Drinks and Food will be sold by
Aunt Toadies
Quarterly Downtown Meet & Greet scheduled for January 14th!
The Fort Scott Area Chamber of Commerce announces a Downtown Meet & Greet will be held Tuesday, January 14th at City State Bank, 202 Scott Ave., from 8 to 9am.
These informal, quarterly meetings are hosted by the Chamber for downtown business owners, representatives, and community members to network and share ideas on events, promotions and anything related to downtown.
Coffee, juice, and light refreshments will be served.
Thank you to our Chamber Champion members below!
Fort Scott Area Chamber of Commerce | 231 E. Wall Street | Fort Scott, KS 66701 US
Tara Soloman-Smith, Family and Wellness Agent, Sunflower District of Kansas State University’s Extension Office. Submitted photo.
The nation recently honored the life of former President Jimmy Carter. In February 2023, his choice to begin hospice care spotlighted this model of compassionate, high-quality support. He continued to receive this care for nearly two years.
Hospice focuses on comfort, not curing. It is a customized model of care that helps people with life limiting illnesses live with dignity. Hospice focuses on maintaining quality of life for the person, rather than aggressively treating the disease or illness.
Common myths of hospice care include the following:
MYTH:Hospice is only for the last weeks or days of one’s life.
Hospice can begin when a physician determines a person has approximately six months or less to live if the disease were to run its normal course. Pain management and comfort care give a person an improved quality of life and more comfortable days.
MYTH:Hospice means you have given up.
Receiving hospice care does not mean that you have given up hope. The focus of care is to provide a person with a better quality of life, be more comfortable, and feel more like themselves. Sometimes, people will go on and off hospice if their health improves, if they no longer qualify for services, or if they choose to pursue treatments.
MYTH:Hospice care hastens death.
People sometimes associate medication used for pain control, such as morphine, with a person’s death. Remember, the person on hospice is already entering the last stages of their life. In many instances, controlling pain and discomfort allows the person to live longer.
MYTH:Hospice care is just for the dying patient.
Hospice also provides caregiving assistance and grief counseling for family members and caregivers. Most providers offer these bereavement services up to 13 months after the patient’s death.
Hospice provides individuals the freedom to choose how they want to spend their remaining days. Engaging in family conversations about end-of-life decisions helps us recognize the value of hospice care, reflect on our own wishes, and communicate what matters most to us.
Information for today’s article came from K-State Research and Extension’s Fact Sheet: Understanding Hospice. For more information contact Tara Solomon-Smith, [email protected], or call 620-244-3826.
# # #
Kansas State University Agricultural Experiment Station and Cooperative Extension Service
