Planning a garden? Test your soil through the master gardener extension office.
Year: 2019
Hays High shares CTE needs, looks toward renovation
By CRISTINA JANNEY
Hays Post
The Hays school board and guests toured the Career and Technical Education wing of Hays High School on Monday night, learned about some of the needs of the programs and discussed hopes for a renovation of the program’s space.
As Hays High sees an increase in enrollment, the demand for CTE classes is also increasing. However, the school is limited in adding more course offerings by both staff and space.
For the fall semester of 2019-20, HHS has 888 students (seat-time) in its CTE programs.
Martin Straub, HHS principal, said he would like to double the size of its health care pathway. A room that used to be occupied by a preschool program is now being used used by a NCK Tech teacher to offer allied health classes.
The preschool program was moved to the former Oak Park Medical Complex with the Early Childhood Connections program.
Straub said he would like to be able to have a health pathways instructor on staff, but the shared instruction is working for now. HaysMed recently donated hospital beds for that program.
Although it is not related to CTE, there is a transitional living room in the CTE wing. The room is set up like an apartment. Students in functional special education learn life skills in that program, such as cooking meals, cleaning, budgeting and shopping.
The addition of this room means students don’t have to go off campus to learn these skills. The class averages about 20 students.
Metal shop
The metal shop recently added a new lathe and computer numerical control (CNC) machine. However, metals teacher Alex Ford said the program lacks the space and the equipment to teach all of the skills he said he thinks students need to be prepared for the work world.
Chris Dinkel, CTE instructor, said the department would like to knock down one of the walls and expand the shop into the adjacent room. The program would also like to put in an overhead door on the back of the shop so students could bring in larger projects like trailers, which now have to be worked on outside.
“His student-to-equipment ratio — you have 20 students in here and you have two lathes,” Dinkel said. “That’s a problem. You count the number of machine shops we have within a five-, six-county area, it’s well over a dozen. There is an employment issue too.”
Ford said, “I have one mill. It’s a great machine, but I have 20 students. I can’t teach anything on it. I can’t have 20 students on one machine. I actually need two or three of them. I need four lathes if I want to really teach my students. I have all the welders I can ask for, but I don’t have the machining capability.”
He continued, “CNC is the biggest push right now. I have one CNC machine. I would like to have two or three more. I would like to have classes just on that.”
Lathes cost $5,000 to $10,000. A mill can cost $15,000 to $20,000.
Dinkel said High Plains Machine Works has a large mill it would like to donate to the program, but the high school has no place to put it.
Radio/TV
HHS has an award-winning radio and broadcast program. However, Dan Balman, broadcast instructor, said the classroom space doesn’t fit the program. Balman also teaches American government. When his broadcast students need to shoot video, they have to move all of the desks out and set up the green screen and all of the audio and video equipment.
He would like to see a room that is adjacent to the program’s radio studio reconfigured into a broadcast studio. The room is currently being used for storage. The school board has already approved construction of a metal storage building for HHS, but that building has yet to be constructed.
What is now being used by Heath Meder for the graphics arts program could be converted into an editing classroom for the broadcast program. The CTE program would like to add a door between the two rooms that would be used for the broadcast program. Graphic arts could be moved to what is now being used by Allied Health.
Art
Art teacher Heath Meder offers a jewelry making course. The space is shared with the ceramics program. Meder said the space is so tight it is unsafe for students.
The CTE program would like to knock out a wall to expand the jewelry program’s space into an adjoining classroom. They also are proposing adding a dividing wall between ceramics and jewelry.
Jewelry is a popular class. It has about 60 requests per enrollment period, but only 20 spots are available.
The student learn lost-wax casting. Students who may not take any other shop classes learn to use drill presses and buffers.
“It is a [class] we are talking about math, science, metallurgy. They are using things that I don’t think they will if they don’t have an opportunity in a class like this,” Meder said.
Meder found an aluminum foundry that has been at the school since it was built. Meder said he would like to use foundry in his art classes. A new shed was added outside of the ceramics studio for a new gas-fired kiln, and that area could be used for the foundry.
Jennifer Younger, art teacher, said other art classes, including art exploration, drawing and painting also are usually full, and the department has had to turn away students. The program does not have a dedicated room for painting, so the students can’t leave their art pieces out.
Younger said the art department would like to have a dedicated art exploration teacher, so she and Meder could concentrate on their specialities. Straub said HHS at one time had three full-time art teachers, but that position was cut.
“Right now, we are stretched pretty thin,” Younger said. “We are trying to teach everything. Students want to be in here. It kills us to have to turn away, but we are full, and there’s only two of us.”
Wood shop/drafting
A surface plainer and a table saw were recently replaced in the wood shop. However, Dinkel said the school needs a CNC machine for woods to prepare students for what they will experience in the work world.
“What does CNC do for us in here?” Dinkel said. “That is what many shops are doing. You go to Westlake in Salina or you go to Kansas City to these big cabinet manufacturers, once that piece of material runs through the process, especially when it comes to the finishing, a hand does not touch it. It is all on conveyor— sanding, the finishing, the staining process, the drying process.”
In order to make a place for a CNC, machine, the shop will need to be reconfigured. The CNC machine would need to be placed where the student projects are now being stored towards the center of the shop. Those projects would need to be moved to a storage room, but that space would need to be adjusted to allow enough room for both storage and a set of stairs that go to an upper wood storage space. That set of stairs right now butts up against a wall.
This would require a wall being removed and a support beam being added. The stairs could be extended out into the shop area.
Dinkel also teaches drafting. He said the monitors that the students are using are old and small for the large house plans they create.
Ag
The glass for the greenhouse that is used by the ag program was recently replaced. The greenhouse was damaged in a hail storm and insurance covered the cost.
Curt Vajnar, ag teacher, said he now has his drone license and is teaching students drone applications in the ag industry.
He also has students involved in ag research. One student is studying water needs of various grasses with the help of Holly Dickman, City of Hays water conservation specialist. Another student is preparing for a hydroponic experiment and yet another student will be working on a hatching experiment.
The group did not tour the business and marketing or the culinary arts programs.
High school officials hope the renovations to the CTE wing could be done in phases with the total cost of about $150,000.
When the renovations to the CTE wing would be complete is uncertain at this time. The work is contingent on approval of the school board.
HHS Assistant Principal John Linn said work could begin on the renovations as soon as they are approved by the school board.
Kansas, Missouri farmers sticking with Trump despite hard times
By FRANK MORRIS, Kansas News Service
Most farmers haven’t had a single good year since President Trump took office, and Trump’s policies on trade, immigration and ethanol are part of the problem.
Yet farmers, who broadly supported Trump in 2016, are sticking with him as the impeachment inquiry moves forward.
“You see everyone circling their wagons now, and the farm community is no different in that,” says John Herath, the news director at Farm Journal.
The farm magazine polls more than a thousand farmers monthly. Herath says Trump’s popularity slumped a bit in the summer, but he notes it bounced back to 76% favorable the week the U.S. House launched its impeachment inquiry.
‘Scratching our heads’
Farmer Luke Ulrich says he works at least 12 hours a day, almost every day, tending his crops and cattle near Baldwin City, Kansas.
Ulrich anticipates a decent corn and soybean crop this year. But his expenses are so high, and the prices he’s getting for his crops and cattle are so low, he’s budgeting less than $25,000 in income for the whole year.
“We more or less live off my wife’s income,” says Ulrich, looking up from the combine he’s fixing. “She carries the benefits. If it wasn’t for her we’d probably be sunk.”
President Trump is partly to blame for low grain prices. China retaliated against his tariffs by all but closing a giant export market for Ulrich’s soybeans.
“I’d probably be lying if I said some of us aren’t scratching our heads every once in a while,” says Ulrich. “I sometimes wonder if he didn’t bite off a little more than he could chew.”
The Trump administration hurt demand for corn by allowing dozens of oil refineries to sidestep their legal obligations to use billions of gallons of corn-based ethanol in gasoline blends.
Still, Ulrich says he’s not mad at Trump. He loves Trump’s hands-off approach to environmental regulations, and he appreciates the $28 billion aid package that Trump’s agriculture department has distributed to compensate farmers for what they’re losing in export sales.
Walking the line
Pat Westhoff, who directs the Food and Agricultural Policy Research Institute at the University of Missouri, says farm bankruptcies are up sharply this year and says the so-called “trade aid” payments are crucial.
“Every dollar counts right now, so it’s a difference between profit and loss for many producers,” says Westhoff.
Trump has mitigated some of the problems he’s caused farmers. Sara Wyant, president of Agri-Pulse Communications, has been polling farmers about Trump for years and says they’ve stood by him through it all.
“That is not going to hold forever,” warns Wyant. “That is going to be a position that when some of them start to face, well, either it’s Trump or going out of business, they’re not going to be still voting for Trump.”
But many farmers are keeping their hopes up. That’s what they tell Jim Mintert, director of the Center for Commercial Agriculture at Purdue University. Mintert says two-thirds of the 400 farmers he polls each month look for a happy ending to the trade wars.
“I wouldn’t say that we’ve seen any evidence of people becoming, less supportive of the administration’s trade policy,” says Mintert. “That’s not to say farmers aren’t concerned. They are very definitely concerned.”
Deeply personal politics
Trump’s tried to ease those concerns. He’s promised progress on trade, pledged to force oil companies to use billions of gallons more ethanol.
And then there are the $28 billion in so-called “market facilitation payments” over and above other farm subsidies and disaster assistance.
And politics are deeply personal these days, according to Chris Larimer, a political science professor at the University of Northern Iowa. Larimer says farmers have to square their economic differences with Trump, with their partisan allegiance to him.
“These partisan identities are hardening,” says Larimer. “So, you kind of have forces pushing in both ways. And it’s sort of this ongoing experiment to see which one breaks first.”
For now, political ideology seems to be winning. While there’s a lot of grumbling about Trump among farmers, neither the trade wars nor the impeachment investigations seem to be driving them away from him, yet.
Frank Morris is a national NPR correspondent and senior editor in conjunction with the Kansas News Service. You can reach him on Twitter @FrankNewsman.
Fort Hays State to host ‘Women Entrepreneurship Week’ panel
FHSU University Relations
Fort Hays State University’s Center for Entrepreneurship will host a local women business owners panel on Tuesday, Oct. 22, from 12 to 1:15 p.m. in the Memorial Union Black and Gold Room as part of “Women Entrepreneurship Week.”
A question and answer session will be followed by a reception with refreshments.
The panel discussion will feature five successful local women entrepreneurs: Deanna Doerfler, owner of Doerfler’s Harley Davidson; Lisa Kisner, founder of Lisa’s Custom Interiors; Bonnie Pfannenstiel, owner of PoPt! Gourmet Popcorn; Kiley Rupp, founder of Body and Soul Day Spa; and Tammy Wellbrock, founder of Girl Twin Solutions, LLC.
Admission is free and open to all of the Fort Hays State community.
For more information, visit https://www.fhsu.edu/cob/entrepreneurship/
Pop vocalists from NYC will play Colby venue
COLBY — YouTube and TV stars Backtrack — a five-person pop vocal group from New York City — will perform Sunday, Oct. 20. The concert begins at 3 p.m. CDT at the Cultural Arts Center, 1255 S. Range, Colby. The program is sponsored by Western Plains Arts Association, part of the local arts organization’s 50th anniversary season.
Admission is by WPAA season ticket or at the door, $20 adults and $10 students.
Backtrack’s exciting arrangements transform familiar tunes and showcase the top-notch vocal (and beatboxing) abilities of all of the members. The group takes the stage around the nation at performing arts centers, corporate events, music festivals, schools and more. They infuse heart and humor into every performance and cover genres from pop to Motown to classical, as well as perform original compositions.
Backtrack got its start on YouTube, where the group now has over 10 million views and 110,000 subscribers. They’ve appeared on PopTV & Scary Mommy’s “Lullaby League” hosted by Parks and Recreation star Jim O’Heir; Steve Harvey’s daytime show, STEVE! and Broadway’s Kinky Boots. They recently won New York’s Got Talent Season 6.
The individual members also have distinguished resumes. Come enjoy this outstanding group of performers
WPAA’s 50th season has been made possible by numerous business and individual donors throughout the area.
— Submitted
Kansas leadership program kicks off two-year educational experience
Several from northwest Kansas part of the 2019 class
By MARY LOU PETER
K-State Research & Extension
MANHATTAN – From Kansas City to Garden City and Sharon Springs to Liberty, members of the newest class of the Kansas Agriculture and Rural Leadership program jumped into their first seminar recently to become better acquainted and hear updates on the state of agriculture and rural communities. And that was just the first night.
“Awkward is awesome,” said one new member of KARL Class XV, who spoke of getting out of one’s comfort zone during the “Genesis Seminar” held Aug. 22-24 in Manhattan and Junction City.
The new class of 28 came from their day-to-day work in banking, education, agriculture, government and other backgrounds to build their leadership skills and learn more about their state, country and the world and how they’re all connected – all with the goal of developing effective leadership skills. Overall, they’ll attend nine in-state seminars over two years, plus a “Blue Chip” session for a closeup view of the corporate world. They’ll also travel to Washington, D.C. in 2020 and to United Arab Emirates in 2021.
Ernie Minton, dean of Kansas State University’s College of Agriculture, and Mike Beam, Kansas Secretary of Agriculture, were among the speakers at the kickoff event, hosted by the Kansas Department of Agriculture in Manhattan. The rest of the seminar was at Rock Springs Ranch near Junction City, where sessions focused on developing group dynamic skills, team building and ethics in leadership.
“These seminars are a chance for KARL class members to learn from speakers and also from each other’s experiences as they become more familiar with opportunities and challenges across the state,” said Jill Zimmerman, KARL president. She cited a presentation by Lane Letourneau of the KDA Division of Water Resources as he explained water permit types and requirements in the state and the difference between Local Enhanced Management Areas (LEMA) and Intensive Groundwater Use Control Areas (IGUCAs).
Deputy Animal Health Commissioner Justin Smith spoke with the class about animal traceability, including a pilot program called Cattle Trace. KDA Agriculture Marketing Director Kerry Wefald spoke of the current economic impact agriculture has on the state. Other presentations focused on listening and conversation; rural revitalization; civil discourse; being a courageous leader; and creating your own story.
“The best part of the session was seeing the comfort level of the group change from the prior day,” said class member Garrett Reiss of St. George, Kansas, in describing the final day of the seminar. “You could clearly see the level of conversation getting deeper and the closeness of the group increase immensely just over a couple short days.”
Making connections with current and former class members and seminar speakers is a big part of being involved in the program, Zimmerman said.
Previous KARL class members have gone on to hold elective office in their communities and at the state level, and to lead numerous state and national organizations, including Kansas Farm Bureau, National Sorghum Producers, National Association of Wheat Growers, U.S. Wheat Associates and Kansas Water Authority.
Next up for Class XV is a November 6-8 seminar in Garden City focused on economic development.
Northwest Kansas members of the class include:
– Ellis, Ellis County: Darci Cain (Fort Hays State University)
– Downs, Osborne County: Amy Doane (Smith County Memorial Hospital)
– Phillipsburg, Phillips County: Kayla Jarvis (First National Bank and Trust)
– Oakley, Logan County: Leigh Ann Maurath (Kansas Farm Bureau)
– Russell, Russell County: Andrew Ochampaugh (Agrilead, Inc.)
– Sharon Springs, Wallace County: Clay Schemm (Arrow S Farms)
Kansas man dies after ejected when pickup rolls
COMANCHE COUNTY—One person died in an accident just after 1a.m. Sunday in Comanche County.
The Kansas Highway Patrol reported a 2001 Ford F150 driven by Melvin R. Odell, 69, Coldwater, was eastbound on I Street two miles east of Coldwater.
The driver lost control of the pickup. It ran off the roadway to the right, rolled multiple times over a barb wire fence and the driver was ejected.
Odell was pronounced dead at the scene and transported to Hatfield Prusa Funeral Home. He was not wearing a seat belt, according to the KHP.
Ellis Trick or Treat So Others Can Eat set for Sunday
ELLIS — The Ellis Trick or Treat So Others Can Eat will begin at 4 p.m. Sunday at the Ellis Food Pantry. The food pantry is located behind Casey’s.
Community members will be going door to door collecting non-perishable food items for the the food bank.
This is a great way for students to earn community service hours, KAY points, FCCLA points, FFA involvement and others.
Tigers run win streak to four with victory over Hornets
HAYS – Charles Tigner rushed for 111 yards and the Fort Hays State defense held Emporia State to just a third quarter field goal in a 19-3 homecoming win in front of 6,735 Saturday night at Lewis Field. The Tigers have won four straight to improve to 4-2. The Hornets have lost two straight and dropped to 2-4.
The Tiger defense was solid from the start, forcing five straight 3 and outs n the first half while holding the Hornets to 93 yards at halftime.
After being forced to punt on their first two possessions, FHSU scored on four straight to lead 16-0 halftime lead. Dante Brown booted field goals of 34, 31 and 42 yards. D.J. Hickman scored the only touchdown of the game on a 23-yard touchdown pass from Chance Fuller with 10:35 to play in the second quarter.
The Hornets only points came on their first drive of the third quarter. After moving the ball to the Tiger seven, they had to settle for a 24-yard Clark Schoonover field goal. They moved the ball to the Tiger 12 on their second possession but missed on a 29 yard field goal try.
The Tigers only points of the second half came on a 21 yard field goal from Brown with 6:19 to play in the fourth capping a nine-play, 61-yard drive.
Brown’s four field goals gives him 41 for his career, the most in FHSU history.
The Tigers had 392 yards of offense, paced by Tigner’s 111 yards on 22 carries. Hickman added 63 on 10 carries.
Chance Fuller completed 10-of-26 passes for 209 yards. Harley Hazlett had six catches for 44 yards. Manny Ramsey added four for 72 yards and Layne Bieberle hauled in three for 51 yards.
The Hornets finished with 276 yards. Quarterback Dalton Cowan completed 14 of 29 passes for 129 yards and one interception and was sacked once.
De La Hoya and Walther score as FHSU men’s soccer handles Southern Nazarene
BETHANY, Okla. – Continuing their run of wins in the Great American Conference, the Fort Hays State Tigers defeated Southern Nazarene, 3-1, on Saturday evening.
With the victory, the Tigers improve to 7-3-1 in the 2019 campaign, while the Crimson Storm fall to 2-9.
Nathan De La Hoya struck first for the Tigers in the 11th minute on an assist from Santiago Agudelo, marking his first goal of the season.
In the 30th minute, defender Moritz Walther made his mark on the scoresheet. Inside of the 18-yard box, Crimson Storm defender Diego Rojas committed a foul, sending the Tigers to the penalty spot. Walther, as he has previously done, calmly stepped up to the ball and struck it with confidence past the goalkeeper. On the converted penalty kick, the junior registered his third goal of the season.
Just four minutes later, Walther got himself back on the scoresheet. Sophomore Rogelio Lopez send a corner kick into the box, finding the head of Walther who slotted the ball into the lower right-hand corner.
Heading into halftime, FHSU controlled a 3-0 lead on six attempted shots.
Southern Nazarene turned up the pressure in the second half, attempting seven shots at Tiger’s goalkeeper Kieran Brown, who made two saves on the day.
The Crimson Storm were able to strike back once at Fort Hays State on an Eric Romero free kick that found the top right corner of the goal.
Now entering the second half of conference play, FHSU will travel to Claremore, Okla. to face off against Rogers State. The Tigers faced off against the Hillcats in their second GAC match this season, resulting in a 2-0 victory. Their second meeting this season is set to kickoff at 7 p.m. on Thursday, October 17.
FHSU volleyball drops home match to Griffons
HAYS, Kan. – The Fort Hays State volleyball team came up short against Missouri Western on Saturday (Oct. 12), falling in three sets (11-25, 25-27, 13-25). The Tigers move to 6-11 on the year and 3-6 in MIAA play, while the Griffons are now 10-6 overall and 4-4 in league action.
Delaney Humm led the Tigers with 11 kills while adding eight digs and matching her season high with four blocks. Isabelle Reynolds added eight kills with Morgan West chipping in six. Emily Ellis and Morgan Christiansen led the way with five blocks each. Katie Darnell tossed up 24 assists alongside three digs, one block and one kill. Madison Miller and Abbie Hayes paced the team with 10 digs apiece.
The Tigers posted a .067 attack percentage in the match while totaling 10 blocks and 45 digs on defense.
After falling behind early in the opening set, the Tigers kept pace in the second frame. After the teams alternated points to a 7-7 tie, FHSU scored five of the next six points to force a Griffon timeout. West was a key to the big run, picking up three blocks and one kill in that span.
Missouri Western stormed back with an 8-2 run to retake the lead, 16-14. The Tigers fought back to tie the score seven more times in the set, but the Griffons never allowed FHSU to go back in front. Two Tiger errors allowed the Griffons to take a 2-0 lead into the locker room.
The Tigers head back out on the road next week when they travel to play Missouri Southern and Pittsburg State. The road trip opens with a Friday night (Oct. 18) matchup in Joplin, Mo. against MSSU, with the first serve set for 6 p.m.
Kansas man who used BB gun in 3 robberies sentenced
WICHITA, KAN. – A Kansas man who robbed three stores was sentenced this week to 84 months in federal prison, according to U.S. Attorney Stephen McAllister.
Willie Smith, 39, Wichita, pleaded guilty to one count of robbery. In his plea, he admitted that in 2018 he robbed the QuikTrip store at 1532 S. Seneca. He showed the clerk what appeared to be a revolver before demanding money. Later, when investigators searched his apartment, they found a black BB gun they believe Smith used in three robberies.
At sentencing, the court also took into account as relevant conduct two other robberies Smith committed in 2018. Smith robbed the Express Mart at 565 S. Market. During the robbery, he showed the clerk what appeared to be a revolver. Smith also robbed Pete’s Liquor at 332 W. Harry. During the robbery, he pulled out what appeared to be a revolver.
HHS girls’ cross country third, boys eighth at Salina Central Invitational
SALINA – The Hays High girls’ cross country team placed five runners in the top 15 and finished in third place at the Salina Central Invitational Saturday. The Indians were again led by freshman Amelia Jaeger who finished third.
The Indian boys were led by Brayden Hines who placed 26th.
Boys Team Results
1. Dodge City 40
2. Goddard Eisenhower 42
3. Clay Center 76
4. Maize South 110
5. Salina Centreal 129
6. Salina South 152
7. Junction City 193
8. Hays 207
9. Wichita Heights 224
HHS Boys Results
Brayden Hines V 17:58:00 26th Medalist
Mathew Dempsey V 18:56:00 40th
Nathan Erbert V 19:07:00 45th
Grant Brungardt V 19:17:00 46th
Landon Viegra V 19:36:00 50th
Chris Goodale V 19:47:00 54th
Fernando Zarate JV 20:22:00 30th
Carter Muehleisen V 20:34:00 58th
Daimon Lang JV 20:37:00 37th
Zachary Chance V 21:09:00 45th
Cyrus Vajnar JV 21:13:00 46th
Ethan Voss JV 21:42:00 57th
Ryan Schuckman JV 21:57:00 61st
Logan Chance JV 22:25:00 71st
Brandon Kennemer JV 22:49:00 76th
Jude Tippy JV 23:38:00 80th
Ethan Klausmeyer JV 23:50:00 81st
Girls Results
1. Dodge City 43
2. Goddard Eisenhower 50
3. Hays 56
4. Salina Central 82
5. Salina South 141
6. Clay Center 164
HHS Girls Results
Amelia Jaeger V 20:12:00 3rd Medalist
Yesenia Maldonado V 21:05:00 11th Medalist
Jaycine Watson V 21:06:00 13th Medalist
Michaela Dickman V 21:14:00 14th Medalist
Allison Shubert V 21:14:00 15th Medalist
Claire Shippy V 21:51:00 23rd
Landri Dotts V 22:13:00 25th
Lainey Hardman JV 22:37:00 4th JV Medalist
Elizabeth Dickman JV 23:27:00 11th JV Medalist
Maddie Lohmeyer JV 25:08:00 25th
Ashlyn Hammerschmidt JV 25:29:00 26th
Kambri Bogart JV 25:32:00 27th