Month: April 2017
FHSU sonography students provide volunteer service to Locust Grove Village
FHSU University Relations and Marketing
Easter decorations, clothing, jewelry, books and shampoo are among the many items that residents at the Locust Grove Village Long Term Care and Assisted Living facility in LaCrosse are able to shop for during the monthly experience they call “The Store.”
This program is a unique project developed at Locust Grove Village, and students in the Diagnostic Medical Sonography Program at Fort Hays State University volunteered to help. They help set up the displays, serve as personal shoppers for the residents and pack up after the event.
Under the direction of Sandy Nelson, activity director, residents participate in various activities to earn redeeming dollars to spend at the store at the end of each month. Through community donations of gently used items, newly purchased items, and monetary gifts, residents are able to shop.
“For many residents, having the ability to go shopping outside the facility is limited, and they enjoy the experience,” said Brenda Hoopingarner, chair of FHSU’s Department of Allied Health and director of the sonography program.
When residents enter the store, student volunteers help them shop and try on clothing. They visit with the residents and find out what kinds of things they like and what sizes they need.
“The residents especially loved the special attention the student volunteers gave them,” said Hoopingarner. “I was very proud of all of the students.”
“When I arrived that day to work with them, they were already setting up displays, hanging clothes, and marking items,” she said. “Having 10 students volunteer made the setting up much quicker and easier for the staff. When the store opened up, all of them were so kind and caring. Volunteering in this setting really helped the students experience working with the elderly, and they all seemed to have a natural ability. They were energetic, but very kind, patient, and caring.”
“I loved getting to know the residents and being able to give them a fun day,” said Garden Plain senior Paula Mans.
“Just being able to help them shop and feel independent and accomplished again was beyond rewarding,” she said. “I was able to help one woman in particular who was so happy to be able to get out of her room, buy things for herself and gifts for her family. Seeing her light up with joy made the time spent all the more worth it.”
Hoopingarner has a personal connection to Locust Grove Village: Her mother is a resident there.
“I have spent a lot of time there in the evenings and weekends and have gotten to know most of the residents,” said Hoopingarner. “I saw the opportunity for our students to volunteer and when I asked them, they were immediately on board. The program is such an important one.”
She continued, “I was impressed that my mother would participate in various activities to earn her dollars to be able to purchase items in the store. Shopping for her own personal items provides her with an opportunity to still have that independence in purchasing items of her liking. She loves to shop.
“There is no doubt that ‘The Store’ is something that she looks forward to as well as many of the other residents. So, it was a very rewarding experience overall. I would like to thank Sandy Nelson and everyone at Locust Grove Village for the opportunity provided for our students. In the end, I would say that it was a life enriching event for all involved.”
Monica Jean Wilson
Monica Jean Wilson, daughter of Royce Earl & Jean Ann (Quinn) Wilson, was born March 13, 1972 in Norton, Kansas and passed away April 18, 2017 at the Norton County Hospital in Norton, Kansas at the age of 45.
She attended Northern Valley schools, graduating with the high school class of 1990. She continued her education at Clemson University and then graduated in 1996 from the University of Nebraska in Kearney with a Bachelor of Arts in Education degree.
Her teaching career began at the Lenora Grade School in 1998 where she taught 4th & 5th grade for 3 years. In 2001 she then returned to her high school at Northern Valley where she taught for many years, and later taught 4th grade at Northern Valley Elementary for 8 years. In addition to teaching, Monica coached Track and Volleyball and was a Yearbook Sponsor and Scholar Bowl Sponsor. She was also an active member of the Almena Congregational Church in Almena, KS.
In her free time Monica enjoyed snuggling with her cats, golfing, and watching sports, especially KU basketball.
Monica also loved traveling with her sister, Marty. In addition to several trips of their own, the “entrepreneurs” helped arrange several tours to locations outside the United States, which took them to many places throughout Europe.
Some of Monica’s favorite times were spent with her nieces and nephews, attending their school programs and sporting events. She was lovingly known as “Aunt Mo” to all of them, and was always their biggest fan as well as a trusted friend.
Her presence will be deeply missed by all of her family & friends as well as her students.
She was preceded in death by her father, Royce Wilson; father-in-law, Harold Riemann; aunt, Jo Murphy; and nephew, Daniel Riemann.
Survivors include the “love of her life”, David Riemann, of the home in Norton, KS; her mother, Jean Ann Wilson of Almena, KS; her sister, Marty Wolfe & husband, Charlie, of Republican City, NE; her brother, Matthew Wilson & wife, Kim, of Garner, IA; mother-in-law, Joan Riemann of Norton, KS; and brother-in-law, Kevin Riemann & wife, Melissa Seacat of Lyndon, KS. Also surviving are her nieces & nephews: Cristee Sharpnack (Nick); Kai & Carson Wolfe; Katelyn, Tyler, and Sidney Wilson; Alex Riemann (Katie); Wesley Riemann (Kasie); Leah Cook (Tyler); Madelyn Montgomery; great-nieces, Zoe, Skyler & Lexi Sharpnack; Sydney Riemann; aunts and uncles, C.A. & Dana Quinn and Roger & Rayleen Wilson, along with many other relatives.
Cremation was planned. A memorial service will be held at 10:30 a.m. Saturday, April 22, 2017 at the Northern Valley High School Auditorium, Almena, KS, with Pastors Kirk Kasson & Roger Wilson officiating.
Friends may sign the book from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. Friday at the Olliff-Boeve Memorial Chapel, 1115 2nd Street, Phillipsburg, KS 67661. The family will receive friends at the funeral home for visitation Friday evening from 7 p.m. until 8:30 p.m.
Memorial contributions may be made to the Northern Valley Elementary School for Playground Equipment.
Online condolences: www.olliffboeve.com.
Officials continue to investigate cause of March fires in Reno Co.
RENO COUNTY — Law enforcement authorities continue to investigate the cause of the fires on March 4-5 in Reno County.
The 43rd and Jupiter Hills fire on March 4, started along the road with no other possible sources of ignition located in the area. This fire is suspicious in nature, according to the Reno County Fire District #3 and the Reno County Sheriff’s Department.
On that same day, a fire occurred at 17th and Faubion – that has also been ruled suspicious in nature.
On March 5, about a half mile west of 82nd and Monroe, a fire started along the road. A firework was found in the area. The firework, known as a Ground Bloom, spins on the ground rapidly emitting a heavy shower of sparks from 8 to 16 inches in length. It’s not known if this was intentional or accidental. This fire is also considered suspicious in nature, according to officials.
Later that same day in the 9500 block of North Hendricks, a fire was reported north and west of the original fire.
There are several witnesses stating there was no smoke in the area shortly before this fire was reported. It is not likely this was a rekindle from the previous fire. This fire is also suspicious in nature.
There are no suspects at this time, according to officials.
If anyone has information about any of these fires, they are asked to call Crime Stoppers of Reno County at 620-694-2666 or 1-800-222-8477.
Western Plains High School presents ‘Peter Panic’
RANSOM — The Western Plains High School drama department will present “Peter Panic” on Saturday, April 22, at 7 p.m. in the WPHS auditorium.
“Peter Panic” is a musical set in a high school where the president of the drama club is attempting to save the club from being eliminated by putting on a huge production of Peter Pan. But football is also dealing with cuts so the coach and players do their best to cause trouble.
The Western Plains students will be joined in the production by alumni, community members and faculty.
This year’s event is a musical to honor the life of Kara McLain, a WPHS graduate, whose life was recently and tragically taken in a car accident.
There will be a freewill donation spaghetti supper in the Commons Area from 5:30 to 6:30 p.m. at the high school all proceeds benefit the Speech and Drama Department.
The show starts at 7 p.m., and admission is free.
Alfred J. Walters
Alfred J. Walters, age 83, of Wichita, passed away Tuesday, April 18, 2017 at Harry Hynes Memorial Hospice in Wichita.
Funeral services will be 10 AM on Saturday, April 22, 2017 at St. Francis of Assisi Catholic Church in Munjor, Kansas. Burial will follow in the church cemetery with military honors.
Visitation will be Friday 5 PM – 8:30 PM with a combined parish vigil and rosary service at 7:30 PM all at Brock’s-Keithley Funeral Chapel and Crematory 2509 Vine Hays, KS 67601.
A complete obituary is pending.
Inaugural Splish Splash Bubble Dash 5K will be Saturday in Hays
By C.D. DESALVO
Hays Post
The first Splish Splash Bubble Dash 5k will be held on Saturday, April 22, at Big Creek Crossing on Vine Street in Hays. The event is put on by the Hays Area Children’s Center and is an effort to raise money for Early Intervention Services for disabled children and early education.
“Part of our program here is early intervention and what they do is they go out and work with children in our area that have developmental delays and disabilities and they put on screenings each month to help detect those,” said Nicole Zimmerman, Community Relations Coordinator of the Hays Area Children’s Center. “So basically all the expenses will go to funding their program and then we will also use part of it here. We have a child care facility and so it will go to early education for those classrooms as well.”
The run will start at Big Creek Crossing and the 5k will loop twice around Aubel Bickle Park. There will also be a shorter route at 1 ½ miles that features different bubble “stations” and other fun obstacles along the way.
“We came up with the idea at one of our fundraising committee meetings and so basically what we’re going to do is create three different bubble stations along the route,” Zimmerman said. “We started doing a little bit of research and we found these bubble machines and they were too high-priced and we looked into making our own bubble machines so that’s essentially what we did we did.”
The Splish Splash Bubble Dash will take place on Saturday at Big Creek Crossing. Registration is at 9 a.m. with the race starting at 10 a.m. Children 5 and younger are free, children 6 and older are $10. Adult registration is $25.
For more information, contact Zimmerman at 785-625-3257. To register, visit www.hacc.info/register.
You can also visit the Hays Area Children’s Center’s Facebook for future events: https://www.facebook.com/Hays-Area-Childrens-Center-Inc-335843019777660/
🎥 Extras from the Extension: Linda Beech – Cancer Do’s and Don’ts
Chances are, we all know someone that has been affected by cancer. Linda Beech gives us some tips to help prevent this terrible disease.
🎥 Community Connection: JD Schramm
Former Hays resident and 1982 Thomas More Prep-Marian High School graduate, JD Schramm, was back in Hays recently to speak at an event at Fort Hays State University for a support group of individuals who have experienced suicide or attempted suicides in their families. Eagle’s Mike Cooper sat down with Schramm to discuss the attempt on his own life in 2003 and how he uses his own life story to help others.
Fort Hays State rodeo is this weekend
FHSU University Relations and Marketing
About 500 competitors from 25 colleges and universities across Kansas and Oklahoma will converge on Hays the weekend of April 21-23 to participate in the 51st annual Fort Hays State University NIRA College Rodeo.
Action in the Central Plains Region event will begin at 7 p.m. Friday, April 21, at Doug Philip Arena. The arena is located at the corner of 230th Ave. and Golf Course Road, about a half-mile west on Golf Course Road off U.S. Highway 183 Bypass.
Saturday’s performance also is scheduled for 7 p.m., with participants trying to quality for Sunday’s championship round at 1 p.m.
Participants will compete in bareback riding, saddle bronc riding, bull riding, tie-down roping, breakaway roping, goat tying, barrel racing, steer wrestling and team roping. They earn points in regional competitions throughout the season, vying for a top-three spot in the region to qualify for nationals.
The Fort Hays State rodeo team has several members still in contention to earn a berth to the 2017 College National Finals Rodeo, set for June 9-17 in Casper, Wyo.
Tickets for the Fort Hays State event are available for purchase at several locations in Hays: the Student Service Center in the FHSU Memorial Union; the FHSU rodeo office, Albertson Hall, room 213A; Orscheln Farm and Home Center, 2900 Broadway Ave.; and Vanderbilt’s Inc., 2704 Vine St., Suite A.
Prices for advanced ticket sales are $8 for adults and $4 for children ages 6 to 15. Tickets also can be purchased at the gate for $12 (adults) and $8 (children). Children 6 and under will be admitted free, as will FHSU students (with their Tiger ID card).
NW Kan. student among those awarded Kansas Entrepreneurship Challenge funding
K-State News and Communications Services
MANHATTAN — A student entrepreneurship competition featuring high school and collegiate teams from across Kansas has awarded entrepreneurial-minded students with $75,000 in prize money.
The Kansas Entrepreneurship Challenge gave students from around the state experience in the process of making a business proposal. The fourth annual event is organized by the Kansas State University Center for the Advancement of Entrepreneurship and this year was sponsored by the Kansas Masonic Foundation.
“The Kansas Entrepreneurship Challenge allows us to support entrepreneurial innovation in the state of Kansas,” said Robert Shively, executive director of the Kansas Masonic Foundation. “The quality of the presentations today has absolutely blown me away. We hope that by providing these students with support, visibility and funding, they can continue to grow their ideas and contribute to their local economy and communities.”
In the opening round of the competition, teams delivered a four-minute quick pitch of their business to a panel of judges that consisted of entrepreneurs, bankers and investment experts. From those pitches, the judges selected four high school finalists and four collegiate finalists, who each then had the opportunity to do a more in-depth pitch, followed by a question-and-answer session with the judging panel.
“This event is an opportunity to showcase the tremendous entrepreneurial talent we have in the state of Kansas,” said Chad Jackson, director of the Center for the Advancement of Entrepreneurship. “The real-world experience of pitching a business in front of the type of business experts we have on our panel is invaluable to these students, and provides real-world feedback and support to launch companies within our state.”
In the collegiate division, Jonathan Griffin from the University of Kansas, Lawrence, was awarded the $25,000 grand prize for his pitch of Exodus Technologies, which is currently developing an early-detection blood test for multiple sclerosis diagnosis.
“This money will allow me to take the next step toward proving the concept and bringing the test to market,” Griffin said.
Jared Goering and Spencer Steinert, Wichita State University, were awarded $12,000 for their second-place pitch for Vytal, a next-generation adhesive wearable that uses biometric information to empower athletes.
In third place, Connor England and Mark Feuerborn, Washburn University, Topeka, took home $7,500 for their pitch of AllSpice, a spice storage and digital measuring device.
The fourth-place collegiate finalist was the Kansas State University team of Tyler O’Briant, senior in electrical engineering, Tonganoxie, and Sam Rozell, senior in electrical engineering, Manhattan. The team’s pitch for Eyas, a drone system designed for use by law enforcement and emergency management personnel, was awarded $2,500.
In the high school division, the team of Alexis Ralston, Davi Sher and Sydney Howe, Blue Valley CAPS, Overland Park, was awarded the $10,000 grand prize. The team’s business, Kalo Kit, is a subscription box service filled with all-natural skin and beauty products sourced from local vendors in Kansas City.
In second place was Sierra Brown, Lansing High School, who took home $5,000 for her pitch of SpecialTees Custom Quilts, which creates keepsake quilts out of T-shirts and other items of significance to the customer.
Jade Artzer, Goodland High School, won $2,500 for her third-place pitch for Made by Jade, which produces high-quality homemade bread mixes.
The fourth-place high school finalist was the team of Corbin Hawkins and Robert Deleon, Stafford High School. The team’s pitch for Scan from the Past, a QR code system used in cemeteries to find out more about the deceased, was awarded $1,500.
Teams that were not chosen to advance to the finals but still showed potential were entered into the Second Chance round, where judges could award an additional $5,000 in prizes for each division. In the collegiate division, $1,500 went to Cassidy Merriman and Kennedy White, Washburn University, and to the Wichita State University team of Ernesto Cisneros, Jocelyn Galacia and Jose Cisneros. Awards of $1,000 were earned by Breanne Couch, Emporia State University, and the team of Caylin Wiley, Fanny Ochoa, Gisela Guzman and Maria Valbuena, Wichita State University.
High School Second Chance prizes of $1,500 were awarded to Jonathan Hinerman and Nathan Simhiser, Hillsboro High School, and Sailor-Ann Seiler, Hodgeman County High School, Jetmore. Two $1,000 prizes were awarded to Milton Li and Kusalwin Kularatne, Blue Valley CAPS, and Emily Hull, Eudora High School.
🎥 Extras from the Extension: Stacy Campbell – Leaf Rust
With precipitation and cool temperatures in the area, the wheat crop is susceptible to foliar leaf disease. Stacy Campbell explains.
Deines Cultural Center opens Four Painters & Three Potters Friday
DCC
RUSSELL–The next exhibition at the Deines Cultural Center opens Friday, April 21st.
Four Painters & Three Potters features paintings and ceramics from seven artists from the Great Bend area. Bev Simonson, Carol Long, Karen Shaner, Krystal Barnes, Bambi Freeman, Marc Freeman, and Cynthia Collier-Wilson will have their work in the Deines Galleries from April 21st through June 9th, 2017.
Join us on Friday April 21st for the opening reception. Admission is free and everyone is welcome. The Deines Cultural Center is located at 820 North Main Street in Russell. For information call (785) 483-3742. check our website www.deinesculturalcenter.org and Facebook for upcoming events