By JOHN SIMMONDS
Hays Post

The Hays Arts Center is preparing to host its 46th annual Creative Writing Contest for area students. The contest is open to all students grades K-12 within Ellis County and will have two categories for each grade: prose and poetry.

HAC Executive Director Brenda Meder told Hays Post entries will be accepted from public, private and home-schooled students and will be judged by instructors from the Fort Hays State University English department.  There will be awards for first, second and third places in each category at each grade level.

Submissions are due at 4:30 p.m. March 13. Winners will be honored at an April 27 award ceremony in the Robbins Center on the FHSU campus. According to Meder, submissions can come from individuals, but most will come from teachers who have chosen their students’ strongest work to submit to the competition.

“Because it has become a very popular project, some years back we did limit the amount of submission to 15 for each section of language arts that an instructor taught. So if it was a third-grade classroom instructor they could submit 15 entries in prose and 15 entries for poetry.  If it’s a middle school teacher who has three sections of seventh-grade students, he or she could submit 15 prose and/or 15 poetry for each of those seventh-grade classes.”

Submissions must be turned in on paper,  not submitted electronically.  The following guidelines and competition specifics were sent to area teachers:

1. Each entry from sixth- through 12th-grade is to be written on computer. ** Following Notification – the winning 6th through 12th Grade entries must be sent electronically to the Hays Arts Council by the deadline of Tuesday, April 8. So, to save the need to retype, remind students to save their entries electronically until after the judging.

2. Please avoid submitting multiple entries on a single topic or similar formula. The judges may tend to dismiss “canned” or formulaic entries if they see multiple copies on the same topic.

3. Any entry that has already been published or won an award in any other competition is NOT eligible for submission. HOWEVER, a work currently in submission to another project (but not yet recognized, awarded, or published) IS eligible for submission to our project.

4. Each student must sign a release form (a copy is attached, copy more as necessary), which will be numbered as is the entry, acknowledging it and attesting to its originality. The school’s chair will retain this form and send only the numbered entry to the Hays Arts Council.

5. To help students avoid plagiarism, please screen the entries carefully to insure the originality of the work.

6. Limit prose entries to 1,250 words. All 6th through 12 grade entries MUST include a final “WORD COUNT” noted at the end of their electronically submitted work. Because of printing costs and judging considerations, we must adhere to the word limit. Entries without a “word count” or discovered to be longer than 1,250 words may be eliminated from consideration and/or recognition.

7. All entries should be “proofed” and free of mechanical errors. In the past, many fine endeavors did not make the final cut because they contained serious mechanical errors.

8. Entries must be submitted by 4:30 pm, Thursday, March 13 to the Hays Arts Council,
112 E. 11th – separated by grade and divided into prose and poetry categories.

9. Keep in mind – ANY works written anytime this school year are eligible.

10. The copy of the prose or poetry entry submitted for judging WILL NOT be returned.

A Colby man was hospitalized after a single-vehicle accident at 7:45 a.m. Wednesday in Thomas County.

The Kansas Highway Patrol reported a 1997 Ford Explorer driven by John Michael Haney, 25, was northbound on Kansas 25, approximately 9 miles north of U.S. 24, when the vehicle left the roadway, overcorrected and overturned. The vehicle came to rest in the southbound lanes.

Haney was transported to Citizen’s Medical Center, Colby, for treatment of possible injuries.

The KHP reported he was wearing a seat belt.

RECORD OF THE PROCEEDINGS OF THE GOVERNING BODY 3 DECEMBER 2013

The Governing Body of the City of WaKeeney, Kansas met in a regular session at City Hall 408 Russell Ave at 7:00 PM with the Mayor presiding and the following members present:

Mayor Kenneth Roy and Council Members Mary Jo Clevenger, Irene Dirks, Troy Leiker, Lynelle Shubert, and Allen Weigel

BEING ABSENT:  None

The minutes of the previous meeting were approved as written, printed and distributed.

GUESTS:  Brandi Fritts, Mariah Brungardt, Payton Desormiers, Tyler Lowry, Caden Kemp, Wesley Rietcheck, Devon Ghumm, Audra Berquist, Sonya Stanton, Macy Mattheyer, Cedric Flax, Ethan Stanton, Lincoln Brungardt, Addie Zeman, Shaylee Flax, Haley Weigel, Diane Wagner, Charlie Knoll, and Janelle Miller

Diane Wagner, 1100 Easter Avenue, requested the city repair the alley in Block 2, Original City.  Public works director Charlie Knoll will look at the alley and decide on a proper solution.

CITY ADMINISTRATOR:  Hardy Howard discussed with the Governing Body the notices that were sent on the environmental code abatements.  The 15 day courtesy time frame has expired for residents to begin cleanup efforts.  It was the consensus of the City Council to send reminder letters to those who have not started a cleanup effort.  Formal notices will be sent in the spring of 2014.

The City Administrator updated the City Council on recent developments with the city’s group health insurance renewal.  Due to the ongoing changes with the federal health care reform, the city will be able to keep their existing group health plan for 2014.  However, renewal rates are not currently available from BlueCross BlueShield.

At this time an ordinance making appropriation for the payment of claims for the month of November 2013 was read, whereupon, Mary Jo Clevenger motioned to approve claims in the amount of $138,556.44 Irene Dirks seconded.  Motion carried.  Warrant #9637 was reviewed prior to approval.

The City Council discussed crosswalk improvements along US Highway 283 at the Trego Community High School and at Main and Barclay intersections.  KDOT will be contacted for assistance with improving pedestrian safety at these intersections.

MAYOR:  Kenney Roy invited all council members to attend the Northwest Kansas Planning and Development Commission’s annual banquet on December 11, 2013 in Hill City, KS.

Travel and Tourism Director Cathy Albert also invited the Governing Body to attend the Northwest Kansas Travel Council meeting in WaKeeney on December 17, 2013 at the WaKeeney City Library.

No further business appearing, the meeting was adjourned.

APPROVED:                                                                                        ATTEST:

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