By GARRETT SAGER
Hays Post

At the end of each month, Hays USD 489 hands out Best of the Best awards to honor a staff member and a student who go above and beyond.

Winners receive a limestone plaque as well as gift cards from Whiskey Creek Wood Fire Grill or Gella’s Diner & Lb. Brewing Co.

Winners are nominated by their peers, and the student winner for February was Lauren Wagner, eighth grader at Hays Middle School. The faculty winner was Andrea Zody, Special Education Hays High School, but she was unable to attend the meeting. She will be honored at the March 13 board of education meeting.

Wagner was nominated by Shauna Zweifel, vice principal at HMS, because of her leadership in different school activities and how she performs in the classroom.

“It’s been my privilege to get to know Lauren a little bit better,” Zweifel said. “She was taken on leadership roles. She’s been a very big leader and, as far as her academics go, she is a dedicated honor student.”

Wagner is a part of the HMS student council, which this year implemented a technique to get the students more active before school starts.

Wagner was crucial in getting that organized, according to Zweifel, organizing the games to be played once or twice a week before school. Zweifel said Wagner often gets in front of the microphone and tells the students which game they will be playing and how to play it.

Wagner also attended a state wellness summit in October. She was one of two eighth graders chosen to attend the summit from HMS.

The summit focused on physical wellness at middle schools throughout Kansas. Wagner took different ideas and tips from the summit and helped the middle school implement them not only at a physical wellness level but also at a mental wellness level with “brain breaks” in between classes and more.

“We’ve also started playing music in the halls on Fridays, which is just another part that Lauren played in,” Zweifel said.

Wagner also helped play a role in the implementation of healthy “smart snacks,” Zweifel said, a program called “Snacks Before Second,” the most significant project students worked on following the health summit. The initiative allows students to purchase healthy snacks between first and second hour twice a week.

Wagner was accompanied by her parents, Eric and Jennifer.

Eagle’s Gerard Wellbrock — the Voice of the Fort Hays State University Tigers — has been named the 2016 National Sports Media Association Sportcaster of the Year in Kansas.

Wellbrock was one of five finalists in Kansas, joined by Mike Kennedy, Wichita State Radio Network, Wichita; Greg Rahe, KVOE Radio, Emporia; Kevin Romary, Wow! 6 News, Lawrence; and Wyatt Thompson, K-State Sports Network/Learfield, Manhattan.

Finalists were nominated by NSMA members in November and announced earlier this month by the NSMA.

Wellbrock’s announcement is at the 3:40 mark in the video above.

DCC

RUSSELL–March is Youth Art Month and the Deines Cultural Center is celebrating with our annual student art exhibition. The art students from Russell schools, USD 407 have been creating works of art in ceramics, drawing, painting, and other mediums all school year. This is your chance to see the creative side of Russell’s youth.

Join us on Sunday, March 5th for a special reception with baked goodies and refreshments served from 2-5 pm. The student art show is on display from March 5th through April 8th. Admission is free and everyone is welcome.

The Deines Cultural Center is located at 820 North Main Street in Russell. Call (785) 483-3742 for information.

USD 489

The Learning Center of Ellis County, the alternative/virtual high school diploma program of Hays USD 489, completed a student-directed mural in collaboration with Fort Hays State University’s art department.

The mural is located in the hallway outside of TLC’s lab, found in the basement level of the 12th Street Rockwell Administrative Building. The design for the mural was submitted by a TLC student and then collaboration with Fort Hays began. Amy Schmierbach, professor of art at FHSU, and art education student Alberto Hernandez Martinez provided their expertise and Hernandez Martinez helped oversee the project from beginning to end.

Several Learning Center students assisted with the mural project, which included stripping the wall of its ancient wall-paper scene, sanding and priming and then painting on the detailed design. The project took approximately three months from start-to-finish and was successfully completed in January. The students’ hard work and dedication to this project was an inspiration.

This successful collaboration between TLC and FHSU students has provided a new focal point that will be enjoyed at The Learning Center for years to come. It was made possible with generous donations from Hobby Lobby, Westlake Ace Hardware and Hays Walmart Supercenter. The Learning Center is grateful to these donors and to FHSU for their support towards the completion of this project.

Today Sunny, with a high near 55. West wind 7 to 14 mph becoming north in the afternoon.

Tonight Mostly clear, with a low around 24. North wind 5 to 8 mph becoming south southeast after midnight.

Friday Sunny, with a high near 67. South wind 7 to 12 mph increasing to 13 to 18 mph in the afternoon. Winds could gust as high as 31 mph.

Friday NightMostly clear, with a low around 37. South southwest wind 11 to 15 mph.

SaturdaySunny, with a high near 71. Windy, with a south southwest wind 11 to 16 mph increasing to 20 to 25 mph in the afternoon. Winds could gust as high as 38 mph.

Saturday NightMostly clear, with a low around 42.

SundaySunny, with a high near 78.

Sunday NightPartly cloudy, with a low around 48. Breezy.

MondayMostly sunny, with a high near 72.