Former Phillipsburg resident, Sarah R. Austin, passed away Dec. 18, 2017 in Hays at the age of 94. She was born July 29, 1923 in Thornton, Ark., the daughter of Love Joy and Dora (Holeman) Crossley.
She is survived by nieces and nephews.
Funeral services will be at 10 a.m. Wednesday, Dec. 27 in the Olliff-Boeve Memorial Chapel, Phillipsburg, with Rev. Denzel Nonhof officiating. A graveside service will be at 2 p.m. in the Rosedale Cemetery, Doniphan, Neb.
Visitation will be from 9: a.m. to 9 p.m. Tuesday at the funeral home.
Memorials have been established to the First Christian Church.
The holidays are in full swing, winter has somewhat set in, although it’s not very cold and let’s keep it that way. Although the days remain shorter, farmers and ranchers are busy planning the new year.
Some may be dreaming about a wonderful winter wheat harvest while others are caring for their livestock and others may be preparing for the upcoming fall planting season. All of which, depend on whether we’re blessed with moisture.
John Schlageck is a leading commentator on agriculture and rural Kansas. Born and raised on a diversified farm in northwestern Kansas, his writing reflects a lifetime of experience, knowledge and passion.
During this period, it’s healthy to interject a little humor into the daily diet. A chuckle or comic relief is good for the mind and body. With that in mind, here’s my offering for the beginning of the New Year.
I’ve yet to meet a farmer or rancher who isn’t continually searching for new, innovative ways to make profits. This week, let’s peek at the opposite end of the spectrum. Here are 10 sure-fire ways to cut your profit margins.
Blindly follow seasonal trends or patterns. If the market is going up – do not sell – it may go even higher. If the market is falling – do not sell – it may turn around and rocket back up.
Never, under any circumstances, trust U.S. Department of Agriculture crop and livestock reports. From all the information available, these reports are “strictly legit.” But never mind. Discard these reports at all costs.
Blame the big grain companies. Everyone knows they manipulate the farmer and make all the profits.
Assume prices and costs are related. No place is it written that because you spend thousands of dollars an acre to produce irrigated corn, you are guaranteed a profit on your product.
Hold the short crop because less corn, wheat, beans or milo must mean the price of these commodities will increase. In reality, by the time you hear a crop is in short supply, everyone else has heard the same news and the price has already gone up.
Follow the majority. If your neighbor sells his corn, it is probably the right time for you to sell yours too. Ignore most conversation in the local coffee shop, the town hall or other meeting places. Figure out your own marketing strategy.
Ignore the futures market and basis because everyone knows that a bunch of speculators are rigging the market. Remember, speculators lose money too and provide liquidity for the market.
Never sell until you have a crop in the bin. Often, before you harvest a crop is the best time to lock in profits. Take a hard look at future contracting.
Always, always shoot for the market high. Smart marketers have abandoned this philosophy for the goal of “shooting for higher.”
When all else fails, blame your banker or your wife. You may just want to take a closer look at yourself and your production and marketing strategies.
John Schlageck is a leading commentator on agriculture and rural Kansas. Born and raised on a diversified farm in northwestern Kansas, his writing reflects a lifetime of experience, knowledge and passion.
Suzanne Leikam, fifth-grade teacher at Roosevelt Elementary School, holds up a note she wrote in the second grade about wanting to be a teacher. She stands in front of a billboard featuring pictures of her former students.
By CRISTINA JANNEY Hays Post
Suzanne Leikam is always looking for that spark in her students’ eyes — that moment when she knows they finally grasp a concept.
It is her mission and what has driven her for the last 23 years as a teacher, 20 of which have been at Roosevelt Elementary School.
Leikam was selected as the December Hays Post Teacher of the Month.
“There are many wonderful aspects of teaching,” she said, “But one of my favorite is what I call the ‘ah-ha’ moment. It’s the time when a student has worked really hard to understand a concept, and they finally get it. There is a great satisfaction seeing the confidence they gain at that moment when their hard work has paid off and they feel that sense of accomplishment.”
She explained that moment.
“It is like a light bulb going off, and you know it. Their eyes light up, and sometimes they go, ‘Ah-ha, I got it!’ You can see they brighten up. I feel great for them because they have worked so hard to figure it out. They went through each strategy and tried to work it out. Then when they finally find something that works for them, they say, ‘Ah-ha!’ and it makes you feel great. Look, see what happened. You worked hard, you were persistent and you figured it out, and you did that on your own.”
Leikam’s path to becoming a teacher was similar to her students’ struggles with math problems and history. Leikam, 57, knew she wanted to be a teacher from an early age. She has a piece of yellowed Big Chief paper stuck to one of her file cabinets that she wrote when she was in second grade.
In large printed letters it says, “I want to be a Teacher beCause I can Teach The Children games. I can Teach The children how to read. I can play gams With them.”
She said she had mentors along the way who helped her realize she was a good student.
Suzanne Leikam, fifth-grade teacher at Roosevelt Elementary School, wrote a note in the second grade about wanting to be a teacher.
“Because there were times that I felt that I wasn’t the smartest one in the class,” she said, “and then you have those teachers who nurture you and build up your confidence and they make you realize, ‘Oh, yeah, I can do this.’ That’s the kind of teacher I want to be as well.”
Mr. Zwink in seventh and eighth grade showed her she was capable as a student, and Roger Ruder, her high school history teacher at Marian High School, sparked her interest in history.
“(Mr. Ruder) was the one who lit the spark for me,” she said. “It was the way he taught. He would attach little stories to information we needed to know. That helped me remember the information.”
However, life intervened. Leikam got married and had a family. She went to work for Roosevelt, but as a secretary. Finally, the “ah-ha” moment struck her. She was in her 30s, and she was teaching second-grade religion courses for St. Mary’s Immaculate Heart of Mary. She enjoyed the experience so much she enrolled in the education program at Fort Hays State University.
Going back to school was difficult, but Leikam said she appreciated school more as an older student.
“It was bittersweet,” she said of going back to school,” she said. “When I went back to school in my 30s and saw these 18-year-olds and they were in a place where I was just getting to in my 30s, I said, ‘Wow, I have wasted so much of my time, but it took me a while to figure out what I wanted to do. … Once I got my mind set on something, I got really focused on what I wanted to do.”
Leikam has worked with every level of elementary student and said she each grade has its pros and cons.
She loves kindergarteners’ innocence and honesty.
“If I wore something that didn’t look good on me, I had a little girl who would say that didn’t look very good on you,” she said. “They would work very hard for me.”
Fifth-graders, which she teaches now, are more independent.
“The reason I chose to work with elementary students is their infectious love of learning,” she said. “At this age, students are still idealistic and every day is a new day of wonder and excitement about something they have learned.”
Leikam seeks to prepare her students for what they will learn later in school.
“I make the comparison between elementary school and the foundation of a house,” she said. “You need a solid foundation to support the rest of the house and that is how I view teaching elementary students. What we teach the students at this age is the foundation of their education to be built upon each year. As elementary teachers, we are also very aware that we set the tone for how our students view school and their attitude toward learning.”
Leikam not only tries to help prepare her students academically, but socially and emotionally as well. She said it is the most challenging aspect of being a teacher.
At one time, only a few of her students came from homes with divorced parents, and now it’s at least half. During her years of teaching, she has had to deal with children in poverty and who have been homeless and many other situations Leikam said children should not have to deal with.
“We have to be good listeners,” she said. “When they come in and they just need someone to talk to and it is a release for them, I am here to listen and they know that is as far as it goes — that they don’t have to worry about me going here or there and talking about it with anyone else. Sometimes they just need to express what is going on, and if there is something that I can’t help them with, I refer them to the counselor. …
“That is probably the hardest part is when you see them at such a young age dealing with stressful situations that I myself personally have never had to deal with and yet here they are 10-years-old and they are pushing through it.”
Teachers routinely help students with basic needs, such as coats or a pair of shoes to replace one with holes in the them.
“You just try to be there to be a good listener for them and to reassure them that, yes, it is a rough path now, but things do get better,” she said.
Leikam said she hopes to leave her students with a sense that she cares for them as individuals.
“I hope to instill in them some values,” she said. “We talk a lot about respect. Being respectful to each other and yourself and especially to the staff. I try to build on that respect, and I hope that has an effect on how they treat others.”
At the beginning of each school year, she does a study of the same book, “A Hundred Dresses,” which is about bullying.
“I tell them every year that you come to school here to learn, and I want you to be safe here,” she said. “I don’t want you to worry as soon as mom or dad drops you off here someone is going to be saying mean things to you or pinching you where a teacher doesn’t see it.”
She has the children raise their hands if they have been bullied, and Leikam raises her hand. She went to a small school and played football with the boys. One of the boys pushed her down regularly. She remembers vividly one day he hit her in the chest with his knee and she lay gasping on the ground for breath.
The act of raising her own hand helps open up the discussion and allows her to talk to the children about helping others during bullying situations.
“When they ask me about me bullying, I say I am too ashamed to talk about that,” she said. “That is something I don’t even want to talk about. That was a time in my life that wasn’t very good, but I want them to understand. I ask them, ‘Why?’ and a lot of it is that they were bullied.”
Katelyn Hecker, teacher at Lincoln Elementary School, nominated Leikam for Teacher of the Month. Leikam was Hecker’s teacher when she was in elementary school and was her mentor when Hecker was a student teacher. She said Leikam is the reason she became a teacher.
“She is supportive, always welcoming, and extremely compassionate,” Hecker said. “I am so fortunate to be able to say that I started my primary education with her and completed my college education with her!”
Hecker remembered dictating a parent newsletter to Leikam for her mother. Leikam did this for every student and parent weekly. Hecker also remembered feeling special when she got to take the class fish home for the summer.
Hecker said Leikam always gave the students individual attention and she was more like a mom than a teacher to her students.
Leikam said, “Special times for me as a teacher are when I have former students come up to me and say ‘Hi’ and let me know how they are doing. As a fifth-grade teacher, there are times when I see former students who are now young adults, are taller than me, and they … drive! It’s also special when these students share a memory they have of something that we did when I had them in class. However, the most rewarding part of teaching, is when these former students tell me they have decided to become teachers themselves.
“When I think about Katelyn Hecker, my former student who nominated me, I feel my whole career in teaching has been validated.”
The USD 489 Hope Pantry was able to fill 55 boxes of food and hygiene items for district families for the winter break.
Arnett Chiropractic and Cornerstone Orthodontics both had food and supply drives this month to benefit the district’s pantry.
The generosity of outside organizations and a grant received by the Heartland Community Foundation will allow the pantry to fill boxes for families in need during spring break as well.
“Thank you to everyone who volunteered to help package the food boxes and deliver them to the schools,” the district said in a news release.
Eight USD 489 Learning Center students received their diplomas on Dec. 11.
The graduation ceremonies were at the 12th Street Auditorium.
Learning Center coordinator Keri Petersen welcomed and congratulated the students. Peterson and teacher Sondra Hickert shared stories about each graduate and their success stories on the road to graduation.
Graduates included: Sarah Kirk, Josue Munoz, Wyatt Zentz, Andrea Galicia, Valeria Chavez, Taylor Seib, Tate Bethel and Trevor Berry.
Jolene Hoover, head of nutrition services at Lincoln Elementary School, was honored with the Best of the Best Award for staff for December.
Hoover has work at Lincoln for 36 1/2 years and will be retiring as of Wednesday.
Elaine Rohleder, Lincoln principal, and Jessica Younker, nutrition services director, nominated Hoover for the award.
As a parent, Rohleder would send her own children to Lincoln’s basement cafeteria for breakfast with Hoover.
“I knew Jolene would always be there to take care of them,” she said. “Just as every other parent at Lincoln school, I knew Jolene would be there with that smiling face and would be welcoming to them each and every day.”
There were mornings that Rohleder worked in the breakfast program and she saw there were mornings Hoover took time out of her busy schedule to help a student with a math problem or help a student who was struggling with homework.
“It shows you what kind of people work for USD 489,” Rohleder said. “Jolene is the first person they see in the morning. That smiling face welcomes them and helps them start their day on a positive note. She is the person they see in the middle of the day. And hopefully if they are having a bad day, she can help turn it around with a ‘Hello, how are you?’ because she knows all of their names.
“As the crossing guard on Fourth Street, she is the last person they see when they leave Lincoln school. She is always there to wish them, ‘Have a great night.’ She is there through the whole day, and I think that is a testament to her commitment to Lincoln Elementary School and our students.”
Younker said Hoover has been great to work with.
“I know every student who was walked through Lincoln Elementary School the last 36 years remembers her and appreciates the service she provided for them,” she said.
Hoover said she will miss the kids and the school.
CJ Denny, Hays Middle School student, was honored with the district’s student Best of the Best Award for December. He was nominated by science teacher Sherry Nelson and the middle school librarian Lynette Armstrong.
“I am CJ’s TA teacher at Hays Middle School, so he has been in my class for the last two and half years,” Nelson said. “During that time, I have never met a student who was so polite to absolutely anyone and everyone at the school whether they are staff or students. He goes out of his way to pay attention to the other students and TA, helps anybody as necessary. He is just in tune to their feelings and emotions.”
CJ walks all the way back to Nelson’s room every day after school to wish her a good afternoon.
“I am just tickled to get to know CJ,” she said. “He is just an incredible young man.”
Armstrong nominated CJ because he helped at the school book fair last month.
A mom came in to find a book for her son. After a lot of searching, she found just the right book. When she came up to pay for the book, she did not have enough money to buy the book. Before any of the adults had time to react, CJ pulled his own money out of his pocket that he had brought to buy a book for himself and helped pay for the book.
The woman was a complete stranger to him. She was not the mother of one of his friends.
“He just saw a stranger in need and did not hesitate to help out in any way that he could ” Armstrong said. “I would have to say that some of us adults in the room were almost moved to tears by it. I am very honored that you guys accepted our nomination. I think he is a very deserving student. We are all better off at HMS to have him there every day with us.”
Development Services of Northwest Kansas announced Tuesday the creation of an endowment in honor of Joey Weber.
Joseph “Joey” Weber, 36, was fatally shot by a Hays police officer Aug. 18, 2016, after grabbing the officer’s gun as the officer tried to take him into custody after a traffic stop. Weber was autistic and had been served by DSNWK since he was in high school.
Joey’s father, John, said he wanted Joey to be remembered as an honest and hard-working young man. Joey was John and his wife, Nancy’s, only son.
“We loved him with all of our heart. He meant the world to us,” John said.
Joey’s parents started intervention with a doctor in Hays when he was 3. He was speech delayed and frightened of loud noises and crowds. Joey, however, was very intelligent. John smiled as he recalled Joey’s ability to recall everyone’s birthdays, especially their ages.
He had a passion for tractors, combines and birds. He learned to spell by writing dinosaur names. He could rattle off all the specs on tractors and combines and could name any bird. Joey grew up in Oakley, but moved to Hays and lived independently in an apartment and worked at Pizza Hut.
Nancy and John Weber
“Joey was a cautious, but a very good driver, maybe too cautious at times,” his father said.
“Joey did not have a mean bone in his body,” John continued. “He was a very good worker and very contentious. We want Joey to be remembered for the honest man he was and the justice he stands for.”
“This is the greatest holiday gift that our family could receive,” John said of the endowment.
The Joey Weber Endowment is a permanent fund that will continuously support services for individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities, and their families in northwest Kansas.
“This is very close to them,” Jerry Michaud, president of DSNWK, said of the Webers. “Joey, as mentioned, impacted their lives clearly, and he is impacting lives today as we move forward. We are honored that you would work with DSNWK to establish this that carries on Joey’s impact and his desire for independence and having a full life. That goal and legacy can now carry on into the future. What a wonderful thing.”
The Weber family worked with State Sen. Rick Billinger, R-Goodland, to get a law passed dubbed “Joey’s Law,” which allows people with autism to have noted on their driver’s licenses and state ID cards that they have a cognitive disorder. There are also placards available similar to those for handicap individuals and a multi-color puzzle piece decal that can be placed on the lower left corner of a license plate.
John Weber said Tuesday he hoped through the endowment and Joey’s Law other families could be helped through Joey’s death.
Billinger was on hand in Hays for the endowment announcement Tuesday.
“The Joey Weber Endowment will give back to DSNWK every year in perpetuity to impact persons with intellectual and developmental disabilities and their families in northwest Kansas,” Billinger said. “I thank and congratulate those with the foresight to establish this endowment and the legacy it establishes to serve others in Joey’s memory.”
Billinger read a statement from Lt. Gov. Jeff Colyer that said Joey’s Law will not only protect Kansans with autism but police officers.
“If officers know they are dealing with someone on the spectrum, they will be more adequately prepared to handle the situation in a manner that takes the needs of that individual into their consideration,” Colyer’s statement said.
Billinger said he did not know the exact number of people who have taken advantage of the new license designation, but he said he knows there has been significant interest in the new law.
DSNWK hopes to raise $100,000 for the endowment in 2018.
“Each of us aspire to a life that matters. Joey’s life mattered,” Michaud said. “And moving this forward is worthy of support.”
For more information about the Joey Weber Endowment and how to make a charitable estate gift, contact Allen Schmidt at 785-621-5327 or [email protected] You may also mail donations to DSNWK Attn: Director of Development, 2703 Hall St., Suite 10, Hays, KS 67601. Note the Joey Weber Endowment in the memo line. You may also give to DSNWK online at www.dsnwk.org.
DSNWK serves more than 500 individuals with intellectual disabilities in 18 northwest counties. Those include Ellis, Cheyenne, Decatur, Gove, Graham, Logan, Norton, Osborne, Phillips, Rawlins, Rooks, Russell, Sheridan, Sherman, Smith, Thomas, Trego and Wallace counties. There are service centers in Hays, Atwood, Hill City, Hoxie, Norton, Russell and Stockton.
The United Way of Ellis County is nearing the end of its 2017 United Way Campaign and it has been a busy time starting with Community Kick-offs, Heroes in Action events, Dine-Out Days, Pumpkin Roll and Run, Power of the Purse Event, Night of Giving, Online Auction, parades, community mailings and the creation of the Wonder Women League.
Sherry Dryden, executive director and Nancy Jeter, campaign chairwoman both express being forever grateful to the many businesses, organizations, and individuals who have contributed to help make the campaign a success. However, the United Way is only at 70 percent of their goal and is asking for help.
The United Way makes a profound difference in the Ellis County Community by helping people during times of crisis. There are currently 13 United Way partner agencies that, with the help of the United Way, are able to create change through the valuable services they provide.
These services include assistance to those dealing with cancer, providing shelter for families in need of assistance, early intervention services for children, counseling, assistance for individuals with disabilities, providing mentors to at-risk children, and so much more.
As Jeter states, “I used to work at one of those partner agencies, and I can tell you first-hand that funding provided by the United Way enabled our agency to change thousands of young lives in a positive way through the years.”
The United Way has become so much more than just raising money for partner agencies.
The United Way also provides direct services such as having a free prescription discount card program with Family-Wize, strategic planning support to partner agencies, free BoardWalk training to all non-profits, grant review opportunities, directory of all services in Ellis County through www.elliscountykshelp.com, and the 211 Nationwide referral-program.
Sherry Dryden, United Way of Ellis County Executive Director
This year, 16 agencies have applied for $414,000 to help their agencies provide services. To help with the current short fall, the United Way has a fun community challenge.
The challenge is for every donation given to help reach the goal, a long piece of duct tape will be used to tape Dryden to a wall during the agency’s Business After Hours from 5 to 7 p.m Jan. 18 with the Chamber. If the campaign goal of $450,000 is met, then Nancy Jeter, campaign chairwoman, will get to put a pie in Dryden’s face after she is duct taped to the wall.
Come join them to see if they made goal. Just prior to the Business After Hours event, at 4 p.m. United Way will have a ribbon cutting for the new Wonder Women League and the announcement of its first project. This is a group of extraordinary women who are committed to inspire and empower women to affect change in the community.
Through the generosity of last year’s donors, the partner agencies were able to provide over 15,000 services to 8,000 people. The partner agencies are counting on the United Way so they can continue to do great things. Please open your heart and do what you can to help the United Way over the finish line. Everyone wins when a child succeeds in school, when families are financially stable, and when people are healthy. It does more than impact our community, it impacts all of us.To donate online, visit www.liveunited.us or stop by the United Way office at 205 E. 7th St., Suite 111.
The Hays USD 489 school board approved an agreement Monday that would create a program that would help Hays teachers earn their master’s degrees at Fort Hays State University.
The board unanimously voted to approved a revised agreement after requesting more restrictions.
Some board members at last week’s board meeting said they did not think the program was restrictive enough.
A revised agreement stipulates applicants to the program would have to be approved by building and district administration. They would also have to be applying for a program “in a high needs area based on anticipated openings and lack of qualified applicants, as designated by the district.”
Under the agreement, one-third of participant’s tuition would be paid for by the district, one-third would be paid for by Fort Hays State University and one-third would be paid for by the participant.
Board member Greg Schwartz also suggested last week the program stipulate a participant would have to work for the district for a certain number of years or have to pay back the district’s contribution to the program. That was not included in the revisions.
After the vote, Schwartz asked Superintendent John Thissen to write a letter of memorandum specifically outlining which administrators would be approving requests to participate in the program. Thissen agreed to do this.
Audit
The board also heard a report on the district’s annual audit from Adams, Brown, Beran, and Ball. The company said there were was one significant deficiency found during the audit. A person who was not eligible to be paid through federal Head Start dollars had been paid with federal funds for a year incorrectly. Those dollars had to be returned to Head Start. The administration was made aware of the issue, and it was corrected.
There were no other significant issues in the audit.
However, the accounting firm did recommend the district create a system to reconcile its Hays Middle School gate receipts, update W-4s and K-4s for name and address changes and review activity fund policies and procedures in light of staff changes.
Financial report
Tracy Kaiser, director of finance, said the district is under budget to this point in the year. It has spent 29 percent of its allowable budget. It budgeted to spend up to 38.5 percent of its budget by this time of year.
Outgoing board members
Outgoing board members Josh Waddell and Danielle Lang were honored for their years of service. Both board members served one four-year term.
A reception was conducted prior to the board meeting Monday night.
Thissen said, “I really do appreciate very much your service. In this position, there are not a lot of thanks. In your service, you have been very, very helpful to Hays. It is really a difficult job and takes quite a bit of time.”
Board president Lance Bickle said, “Thank you for all your service. We’ve been through a heck of a lot. Thank you.”
New board members Sophia Young and Mike Walker will take their seats in January.
In other business, the district approved the Hays High Curriculum Guide changes and heard a report on board goals.
Options Domestic Violence and Sexual Assault Services is in desperate need of gifts for survivors of domestic assault and sexual assault and their children.
Options is hoping to gather Christmas gifts for the families it serves, including those families in its safe house in Hays.
Toys for Tots have provided gifts for young children, but Options has not received any gifts for teens or parents.
Rachel Angel, Options director of client services, said gift cards are good for both teens and parents. Monetary donations are also being accepted.
Other donation recommendations are wrapping paper, gift bags, bows/ribbon, new make up or nail polish, new bath and body items, candles, new blankets, sleep wear for men, women or children, home decor, dishes or cookware.
Donations can be dropped off at Options, 2716 Plaza Ave., Hays, between now and 5 p.m. Thursday. The center is open from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. weekdays.
For more information, call 785-625-4202 or 1-800-794-4624.
If you are a survivor of domestic violence or sexual assault and need assistance, call Options’ 24-hour help line at 1-800-794-4624. Also visit the Options website for more information on services.
The Hays USD 489 school board will take up a revised agreement tonight that would create a program that would help teachers earn their master’s degrees.
Some board members at last week’s board meeting said they did not think the program was restrictive enough.
A revised agreement stipulates that applicants to the program would have to be approved by the building and district administration. They would also have to be applying for a program “in a high needs area based on anticipated openings and lack of qualified applicants, as designated by the district. ”
Under the agreement, one-third of participant’s tuition would be paid for by the district, one-third would be paid for by Fort Hays State University and one-third would be paid for by the participant.
Board member Greg Schwartz also suggested the program stipulate a participant would have to work for the district for a certain number of years or have to pay back the district’s contribution to the program. That was not included in the revisions.
At 6 p.m. before the board meeting at Rockwell Administration Center, there will be a reception for outgoing board members Josh Waddell and Danielle Lang. The regular board meeting will start at 6:30 p.m.
Hays High School is offering a new way to wake up in the morning.
Helping Hands opened a coffee shop called Indian Grounds in the HHS library in October.
The program is offered for any junior. This includes students in the special education program. The program is only open to juniors this year, but the school hopes to expand the program to seniors next year. Twenty-eight students participate in the program currently.
HHS teacher Michelle Thacker said Principal Martin Straub approached the staff about using the space now occupied by Indian Grounds for something besides library materials.
“I just thought a coffee shop would be a perfect fit for Helping Hands kids to learn in. It is just a perfect complement to the program,” Thacker said. “They are already learning how to work together and communication skills and teamwork and integrity and honesty and punctuality. They already get to make products, but they don’t get to interface with the customer. This way they get to interface with the public and the customer and learn those soft skills and actually practice those communication skills with other people.”
Helping Hands has been a program in Hays for 27 years.
It already has a commercial bakery at the old high school building, but teacher Jolene Windholz said the program did not allow the students to build customer service skills and work face to face with the public. The Indian Grounds program requires the students to work in groups, learn customer service, be responsible for something larger than themselves and be good employees, she said.
“This is pretty real world,” she said of the shop. “We get pretty busy, and we have to buy and keep up with demand and meet students and promote.”
The coffee shop serves coffee, teas, hot chocolate and cider to about 50 to 60 customers between 7:15 to 7:50 a.m. on Maroon Days at the school, which means the coffee shop is open two to three days per week depending on the high school schedule. Prices are kept reasonable — $1 a cup.
Thacker said the shop has had great buy-in from the teachers, students and staff and has developed a regular customer base.
“The students who work the coffee shop have been wonderful about showing up,” she said. “It is just like any job. You sometimes have enough help and sometimes you don’t. That is part of the learning process. The kids know that it takes everybody to make it work. When someone doesn’t show up, that makes it hard on everyone. That is a whole other learning opportunity for students.”
Gabriela Arthur, HHS junior, said she is learning customer service, money handling and how to use a cash register.
Preston Brown, HHS junior, said he has enjoyed his experience working at Indian Grounds and would like to pursue a job in customer service after graduation.
Jocelynn Ornelas, HHS junior, wanted to gain work experience.
“I could see a new opportunity and see how the business works here. I like working with other people, I guess,” she said.
The money raised at the coffee shop helps support the Helping Hands program. Any additional profits will go toward a scholarship fund, which students who have participated in the program can apply for.
In addition to Indian Grounds and the bakery, Helping Hands sponsors a community service project. This year Helping Hands is coordinating Project Prom To Remember. The program is collecting formal wear for both male and female students. Helping Hands will have a prom store open in the spring, so students can select free outfits for prom.
The new HHS web-based radio station is set to be on air in mid-January to February.
By CRISTINA JANNEY Hays Post
Hays High School will be on the air with its own student-run radio station starting next semester.
Two HHS juniors have spearheaded an effort to start a web-based radio station at the high school.
Juniors Isaiah Schindler and Jackson Stanton went to their adviser Dan Balman and suggested the school start a radio station. Balman charged the students with developing a plan to present to the administration that would include what type of equipment the school would need, its cost, the space needed for the radio studio and the licensing required.
HHS Juniors Isaiah Schindler, pictured here, and Jackson Stanton teamed to write a proposal to start a new web-based radio station at the high school.
“We didn’t want to go to Walmart and get the cheapest stuff we could,” Stanton said. “If we were going to do it, we wanted to make it so it would last and be worth the effort. We didn’t want to make a sub-par program.”
The administration approved about $900 for the purchase of a mixer, three microphones and stands, and a computer and software for the program to be paid out the high school’s regular audio/visual program budget. Balman predicted it will cost about $1,000 per year to keep up the cost of subscriptions and licensing for the station.
Eventually Balman said he hoped the students will sell advertising to help support the program.
“They took the ball and ran with it,” Balman said of the two students. “It is a big deal they were able to do something with it.”
Although the students will be gaining practical experience running a radio station, Balman said the skills they are learning in communication may be even more important.
HHS junior Jackson Stanton tests radio equipment in the new HHS radio studio.
“They had to use their communication skills,” Balman said. “I am not talking about technology. I mean face-to-face.”
Kansas Education Commissioner Randy Watson has said school programs in all areas of study should build communication skills, Balman added.
“As these students go out in the business world, whether they go into radio or not or go to college or not, this is going give them an advantage. They have had to give a presentation and listen to what other people say. I am proud of them.”
Schindler has been involved in radio for several years, doing his own programming on short wave and Caster.fm. He said radio/TV may be his future profession and this a good way to gain some practical experience.
Stanton said the radio station will let him explore his passions.
“For all my life music has been a giant passion of mine. I also love technology and computers. Radio just sums all that up and lets me listen to the music I like to listen to and the equipment I like to use and use the computer programs I like to use. It is just like the perfect scenario for me,” he said.
Radio may be his passion, but not his profession. Stanton said he thinks he would rather study herpetology in college.
The station will play music from local musicians as well as classic rock from ’80s and ’90s and maybe some current pop. Stanton said getting the licensing for the music was the most challenging aspect of the project. The students are continuing to grow their catalog. Stanton is a big classic metal fan and looks forward to pumping out some Black Sabbath on the new station.
The station, which will air from 7 a.m. to 4 p.m. will also include some talk programming and sports casts. The students hope to interview students, teachers and administrators as well as broadcast HHS sports, such as football and basketball.
The students are still waiting on some computer equipment and expect they will need more training before they are ready to go live. They should hit the internet in mid-January or February. There should be a link to listen to station on the HHS website once the station goes online.
