Hays Post
Emergency responders were called to a pasture area near Thomas More Prep-Marian at about 3:15 p.m. Monday for a rollover accident.
A vehicle was reportedly carrying multiple passengers.
Rescue crews left the scene before 4 p.m., and initial reports were that all on scene refused treatment.
Check Hays Post for more as details become available.
By CRISTINA JANNEY
Hays Post
Local cheerleaders and cheer coaches are excited about the possibility of cheerleading becoming an Olympic sport, but the move may affect more than whether young men and women will have an opportunity to go for the gold.
Cheerleading’s designation as a sport could affect funding for the sport at the local level, college scholarships, competition and rules and regulations governing the activity.
Cheerleading was given provisional status by the International Olympic Committee in December 2016.
However, you won’t see cheer in the Olympics in 2020.
The International Cheer Union will have to petition the IOC to become a sport and prove it is widely practiced across the world and it advances the Olympics. The ICU has more than 100 national federations across the world.
In recent years, the cheerleading for many high schools and colleges has meant a move from teams of spirited students leading cheers on the sidelines to complicated stunt routines that include elements of dance and tumbling.
The members of the Fort Hays State University squad physically condition for these demanding routines, including weights twice a week, said Courtney Bartling, head cheer and mascot coach.
The FHSU trainer had to modify the squad’s weight training to make it a more full-body work out as he realized the squad members were using muscles other athletes don’t in stunts such as pyramids.
Bartling and Hays High School Coach Sara Campbell both said they thought the official recognition of cheerleading as a sport could affect funding for squads.
Campbell’s team had a car wash Saturday to raise money for new uniforms. However, if the team was recognized as an official Title IX sport, uniforms would be provided. New uniforms for the HHS squad will cost about $4,500 this year.
Bartling said Title IX designation would also affect students at the college level. Until this year, the college did not have any funding for scholarships for cheer squad members who lived off campus. This included Bartling when she was a squad member.
Under Title IX, cheerleaders could be eligible for scholarships.
This is a prospect that excited Tay Otte, an HHS senior.
“That is really exciting,” he said of cheer’s possible entry as an Olympic sport. “I want to do cheer in college and if I could make it to the Olympics, that would be great. … Cheer is a lot harder than any other sport I have done.”
The FHSU squad does not currently compete, and Bartling said funding is a significant barrier to that.
Under Title IX, FHSU and other college squads could be eligible for funding to attend intercollegiate competitions.
Female-dominated cheerleading could be used to offset male-dominated sports, such as wrestling on the collegiate level.
However, Bartling said she would not like to see cheerleading become an all-female sport. Both the FHSU and HHS squads have male members, and both coaches said those students should also have opportunities to perform and compete.
Creating a sports designation for cheerleading could change the rules and regulations governing the activity, which has some organizers at the national level uneasy. However, Bartling said cheer coaches already have to be certified and any regulations that would help improve the safety of young men and women would be welcomed.
By Cristina Janney
Hays Post
Historic Fort Hays came to life again Saturday with the explosion of cannon fire, the clanging of tins cups and the pounding of hoof beats.
Fort Hays celebrated its 150th anniversary this weekend with a bevy of activities, including reenactors, artillery demonstrations and mounted cavalry maneuvers.
Among the featured performers were Steve Alexander who portrayed Gen. George Armstrong Custer.
Alexander told of Custer’s early difficult life growing up as the son of a justice of the peace and a blacksmith.
He happened to be admitted to the West Point when the person on the admission list ahead of him failed his entrance exams.
Custer, who was noted as the class clown in his West Point class, was constantly a few demerits or “skins” away from being expelled.
Custer made his name during the Civil War, charging into to battles with great gusto.
He was briefly assigned to duty in the south during the reconstruction, but sought the excitement and freedom of the great West.
Custer married his childhood sweetheart Elizabeth Bacon, who followed him on the frontier when she could, being based at forts across Kansas. Custer would ride all day and spend his nights writing 30-page letters to his wife.
Marla Matkin, who portrayed Elizabeth Custer Saturday, talked about her adventures with George Custer and a brief separation when both feared they had been killed.
“A frontier officer’s wife depended on her ability to accept, adapt and stand up unexpected and sometimes dangerous situations,” Matkin said. “She enlisted in the Army the minute she said “I do.”
Custer said he saw native American as free-roaming, free soles, which he admired.
Alexander noted Custer had Native Americans he called friends and did not favor having the Indians restricted to reservations. Custer said he supported the assimilation for the native tribes.
Alexander performing as Custer noted that at one time it was believed that 600 million bison roamed North America. By the time that Custer reached the Great Plains in the 1860s, there were about 60 million head of bison.
He noted taking Russian dignitaries on hunts. However, no one knew at that time the days of seamlessly endless bison herds would come to an end.
As the bison dwindled to as few as 800 individuals, the way of life for the native plains people came to an end.
The fort’s day of celebration also demonstrated the daily life of the common soldiers. This included the Nicodemus Buffalo Soldiers. First Sgt. Barry Tompkins of Ellis told the story of the Buffalo soldier to a crowd who had gathered to watch the Nicodemus Buffalo Soldiers perform mounted maneuvers at the fort’s parade grounds Saturday.
The Native Americans noted Africa-American soldiers’ hair resembled that of their sacred bison, and out of honor, dubbed them Buffalo Soldiers.
The Buffalo Soldiers defended wagon trains as settlers came west and delivered mail after the Pony Express was disbanded.
The Buffalo Soldiers received 23 Congressional Medals of Honor, which is more than any other cavalry regiment in history.
African-American women babysat, cleaned officers’ homes and did laundry at the fort. They received $2 per month per soldier to do laundry. With 22 soldiers each paying for their services, laundry women made $44 per month compared to the soldiers’ $13 month in Army pay.
Although women were not allowed to enlist in the Army, one woman did want to be a Buffalo Soldier. Her name was Cathay Williams. When she went to re-enlist, she switched her name to William Cathay. Despite living in close quarters with men, even sleeping in the same bunks, Cathy’s secret was not reveled until she fell ill and had to be treated at the infirmary.
The fort’s celebration continues on Sunday from 9:30 a.m. to 2:15 p.m. with an old-fashioned church service at 10 a.m. and more chances to meet and hear performances from reenactors throughout the day. The event is free and open to the public. Click here for a schedule.
Jackie Creamer’s dance studio ended its week-long camps Friday with performances at Big Creek Crossing.
Family members gathered to watch members of the Princess Camp for 3 to 6 years olds and a Hip Hop Camp for older children perform.
Creamer said the camps allow children to get a taste of what a dance class is like. They learn to stretch, learned and practice a routine and then performed.
Below are videos of Lauren and Adelyn Wagner, sisters, performing together as well as a presentation by the Hip Hop students.
Hays Post
Historic Fort Hays will celebrate its sesquicentennial Saturday and Sunday with a slate of activities that include reenactors, mounted buffalo soldier drills, a melodrama, Kansas Brigade Band Concert, artillery demonstration and old-fashioned church service on Sunday morning. Below is the complete schedule. The event is free to the public.
Also watch Mike Cooper visit with Tatum Kimzey, Tammy Younger and Marla Matkin about the festivities scheduled at the 150 years of Historic Fort Hays by clicking here.
Saturday Schedule
8:45 a.m. Raising of the Flag – Battery B, 3rd Kansas Artillery, 8th Kansas*
9 a.m. California Joe – Mark Berry
9:30 a.m. Buffalo Bill Cody – Kirk Shapland
10 a.m. General George Armstrong Custer – Steve Alexander
10:30 a.m. Elizabeth Bacon Custer – Marla Matkin
11 a.m. Whirlwind as portrayed by Ken Weidner will speak from his Lodge/Teepee*
11:30 a.m. Fort Larned Artillery Demonstration west of the Guardhouse*
Noon Nicodemus Buffalo Soldiers Drills and Maneuvers on the Grounds*
12:30 p.m. Kansas Brigade Band Concert
1:15 p.m. California Joe – Mark Berry
1:45 p.m. Buffalo Bill Cody – Kirk Shapland
2:15 p.m. General George Armstrong Custer and Elizabeth Bacon Custer – Steve
Alexander and Marla Matkin
2:45 p.m. Kansas Brigade Band Concert
3:30 p.m. Whirlwind as portrayed by Ken Weidner will speak from his Lodge/Teepee*
4 p.m. Nicodemus Buffalo Soldiers Drills and Maneuvers on the Grounds*
4:30 p.m. Fort Larned Artillery Demonstration*
5 p.m. Play – “Fate Worse Than Death or Saints, Sinners and Scouts”
6 p.m. Retreat – Battery B, 3rd Kansas Light Artillery, 8th Kansas*
Sunday Schedule:
9:30 a.m. Raising the Flag
10 a.m. – Old-fashioned church service
11:30 a.m. – Presentations under the Big Tent Buffalo Bill, California Joe, George and Elizabeth Custer
1 p.m. – Whirlwind (Native American portrayal) at Teepee
1:30 p.m. – Nicodemus Buffalo Soldiers, Mounted Cavalry Demonstrations
2 p.m. – Cannon Salute
2:15 p.m. – Custer and Cavalry Ride in Grand Review
Hays Post
Sephora, the leader in global beauty retail and JCPenney, one of America’s leading retailers, are opening a new location inside JCPenney at Big Creek Crossing in Hays at 10 a.m. on Friday, June 23.
The first 100 clients to show up at the grand opening will dip into the new retailer’s stash of Sephora inside JCPenney gift cards with mystery values worth up to $100.
Plus, Sephora is giving away 700 gift bags stuffed with fabulous samples. “We couldn’t be more proud to open a Sephora inside JCPenney location in Hays and introduce the world’s best international beauty concept to a new community of loyal JCPenney customers and beauty enthusiasts,” said Marie Wegele, beauty manager. “Shoppers will enjoy having a diverse collection of popular and cutting-edge brands of makeup, skincare, fragrance, bath and beauty accessory products all at their fingertips.”
To welcome Sephora to Hays, Big Creek Crossing will open the mall at 6 a.m., so would-be Sephora shoppers can start forming a line.
The mall has scheduled a variety of fun activities to entertain mall-goers as they wait for Sephora to open, including a selfie station.
Coffee and snacks will be offered, and the Hays Convention and Visitor’s Bureau will conduct a Hays Trivia contest. Prizes will include tickets to the Wild West Festival, and there will also be giveaways from other malls stores and of mall gift certificates.
Styles Dance Centre students will perform at 9 a.m.
“We are just so excited,” Katie Dorzweiler, Big Creek property manager, said of the Sephora opening. “JCPenney itself is called an anchor for a reason in the retail world. When you think of an anchor in fishing terms or shipping terms, it is the weight that holds you down and its steady. … We are so excited for Hays, America to be receiving this amazing little store within a store.”
The Sephora opening also coincides with the United Way of Ellis County’s fundraising drive kickoff and Day of Action. Items will be accepted for the drive until June 23. There will be boxes to drop items, such as back to school clothes, baby items, youth underwear or socks, athletic shoes or gift cards.
All these items are available at JCPenney and other stores at the mall, and Dorzweiler urged customers to shop and donate during their visit. A complete list of items is available by clicking here.
About Sephora
The new 1,700-square-foot Sephora inside JCPenney location, situated prominently in the center of the store, is a beauty paradise with close to 50 brands, a news release said.
Clients are encouraged to learn, play and get inspired by trying everything from lip glosses to blushes, skincare to fragrance.
Product consultants with Sephora inside JCPenney are well-educated in the beauty business. Rigorously trained in Sephora educational programs focused on skincare and general beauty, they offer a completely non-biased approach when recommending products, a news release said.
Sephora brands
Cult makeup lines, such as Anastasia Beverly Hills, Kat Von D, Make Up For Ever, Too Faced and Urban Decay, innovative skincare lines including Belif, Farmacy, Glamglow, Ole Henriksen, Origins and Sunday Riley, as well as fragrance offerings from brands, such as Dior, Dolce and Gabbana, Gucci and Marc Jacobs will be available in Sephora inside JCPenney.
Plus, Sephora has its own collection of makeup, tools and accessories and a skincare collection, SEPHORA COLLECTION.
Sephora Beauty Studio
Clients in need of a new look can visit Sephora inside JCPenney for a 15-minute mini makeover or mini facial at the Sephora Beauty Studio from makeup and skincare experts who are available to help you master a new beauty look in minutes.
Complimentary services offered include: Smoky Eye, Contour, Polished Brows, Correct + Conceal, Flawless Foundation + COLOR IQ, Blush + Bronze, Essential Eyeliner, Perfect Lips, and Everyday Eye. Also available at Sephora inside JCPenney is the SEPHORA + PANTONE COLOR IQ; the most advanced foundation matching solution available in North American beauty retail, a news release said.
Using Pantone’s color capture and measuring technology, COLOR IQ is the first and only beauty system to scan the surface of the skin, assign an official PANTONE® SkinTone™ number and match a scientifically precise foundation and concealer and best paired lip colors for your skin tone from Sephora’s selection of 500+ foundations, concealers and lip colors. The foundation matching service is complimentary and available any time at the Sephora Beauty Studio.
Beauty Insider
By joining Sephora’s Beauty Insider program, clients will get behind the beauty velvet rope access to Insider-only products, exclusive samples, birthday gifts and an all-access pass to personalized beauty.
As a Beauty Insider at any level, customers are also eligible to receive a special gift from Caudalíe or Tarte! Check your e-mail, mail or simply come back to Sephora inside JCPenney at Big Creek Crossing, or any other Sephora location, within a few weeks of your birthday to pick up the special gift Sephora has waiting for you.
Since teaming with Sephora in 2006, JCPenney has become a major presence in the beauty business.
Big Creek Crossing brings the number of Sephora inside JCPenney locations to over 600 nationwide.
Hays Post
About 1.85 inches of rain was reported at the Hays Eagle Media Center, 27th and Hall, Thursday afternoon as a storm blew through the city.
The storm caused hail and a few downed tree limbs. Ditches and drains filled with water, but street flooding appeared limited.
A stop light was down as of 4:45 p.m at 13th and Vine streets, and a police officer was directing traffic.
No immediate damage seemed apparent at Hays Regional Airport.
An area on west 27th Street and Cottage Lane known as Van Doren’s Pond filled with flood water after the rain as was slow to drain.
By CRISTINA JANNEY
Hays Post
Hays schools have cooperated with law enforcement, Thomas More Prep-Marian and Holy Family to create a Crisis Management Plan for the district.
Superintendent John Thissen said because emergency teams would work with all schools in the city to do the same things, it seemed unnecessary to duplicate meetings.
The document not only discusses fire and tornadoes, but also possible intruders and emergencies like toxic fume leaks.
He said the process of creating the document has helped the district identify gaps in its emergency planning.
The district noted because of their proximity Wilson and the middle school might need to be on alert at the same time.
The district had in its plan to evacuate students at O’Loughlin to TMP, but staff realized that school could be under a similar threat and students might need to go elsewhere.
The school board also talked about the need to include substitute teachers in the crisis plans, address situations when students are outside during emergencies and areas of schools that are not reached by intercoms.
The 100-page document, which was presented to the board Monday, will be condensed to a two-page handout for teachers and staff and will be further discussed at the building level.
Thissen said he anticipates the document will continue to grow and evolve and likely will be updated every year.
By CRISTINA JANNEY
Hays Post
Hays Middle School will be ordering new locks for its lockers this summer and is proposing to make their use mandatory.
The move is a part of a policy to keep cell phones out of classrooms during the school day. The school board heard about the proposed policy change during its meeting Monday.
The school will require cell phones to be locked in lockers between 8:09 a.m. and 3:04 p.m. unless faculty or administration give students permission otherwise.
The district already had a cell phone policy in place, but Craig Pallister, HMS principal, admitted that students did not have secure places to put their devices.
The locks also will help the school secure iPads, which are issued to the students. Pallister said the locked lockers will give students a place to put the iPads while they are attending classes during which they don’t use the devices, such as band or PE.
HMS’s cell phone policy states that if phones are taken away for violations of the cell phone policy, students will be able to pick up the phones at the end of the school day.
A second violation would require a parent to pick up the phone between 7:30 a.m. and 4 p.m.
A third violation would require a parent to pick up the phone and sign that the student loses his or her right to have a cell phone at the school for the remainder of the school year.
If a student has a cell phone after a third violation, he or she will be assigned in-school suspension for one day for each violation after the third.
Pallister said the decision to add the locks and refine the policy was arrived at after much discussion with other schools on their policies.
He said the goal of the policy is to maximize education time in the classroom.
He noted one phone that had been confiscated chimed 40 times with Snapchat updates while setting on a secretary’s desk in the office.
“Teachers do not have time to work with all the cell phones during the hour,” Pallister said.
The policy change is part of handbook revisions, which will be voted on at the school board’s next meeting on June 26.
By CRISTINA JANNEY
Hays Post
The Hays school district Vision Team will be recommending a $78.5 million bond to the school board at its June 26 meeting.
The bond would be paid for through a 30-year mill levy that would equal a tax increase of $16.43 per month on a $150,000 home.
The district is proposing to drop its capital outlay mill levy by 2 mills to decrease the burden on taxpayers.
The proposed bond project would include the following:
Elementary schools
• Two new elementary schools
• Renovation to Roosevelt Elementary School including a new secure entrance
• Renovation of O’Loughlin Elementary School for use by Early Childhood Connections, the Westside program and the Learning Center.
Middle School
• New secure front entrance
• Build a new gym to accommodate physical education programs
• Renovate and expand the cafeteria and kitchen space
High School
• New secure entrance
• New auditorium that would double as a storm shelter
• Larger classrooms to accommodate modern learning practices. This would include renovation of the career and technology education classrooms
Wilson, Lincoln, Westside, Washington and Munjor would be vacated. Munjor would go back to the Catholic Church.
Provisions would be made in the bond to sell, demolish or find other uses for the vacated schools.
Superintendent John Thissen said Rockwell is not a part of the bond issue, but the district would eventually address the Rockwell building and housing of administration.
“We wanted the bond to focus on students,” he said.
The Community Vision Team, administrative team and executive team all debated Tuesday the need for the second new elementary and all three decided that closure of Wilson was the best option financially.
Wilson is a 56-year-old building. It is worth about $5.9 million, but would cost about $15.6 million to renovate. A new building will cost $21 million.
“It is scary,” Chris Dinkel, team member, said of the second elementary school. “It is a pretty big ask.”
RELATED: Voters reject $94M bond issue in June 2016.
Dinkel later voted to move forward with the plan.
Renovating Wilson would not eliminate some of the needs for maintenance associated with an older buildings, members of the DLR, the district’s architectural firm, said.
Because of the cost ratios to a new building and the building’s worth, DLR did not recommend renovating the building.
The bond teams considered various funding options for the bond Tuesday but decided the option they choose would allow the district to maximize its investment while minimize the impact on taxpayers.
Some team members expressed concern about the funding mechanism for the bond, including the extension of the bond to 30 years and the shift in the levy from capital outlay to a bond.
However, DLR staff noted that by restructuring the bond, and adding 1 mill, which equals $18 per year on a $150,000 property, the district can accomplish all of its key priorities, including the second new elementary school.
The district had considered using a countywide sales tax to support the bond issue, but the Hays City Commission indicated it would not support a sales tax.
The Vision Team will present the bond proposal to the school board at its next meeting on June 26. A timetable for its approval or calling for a bond election has not been set. It could be as early as the November election, but Thissen said that does not have to be the timeline.
“You have a good plan that will touch every school and every child,” Troy Wade, DLR consultant, told the group. “You are taking next steps and making a 25-year plan.”
By CRISTINA JANNEY
Hays Post
The Hays school district state assessments were equal to or greater than the state medians this year.
The scores were presented to the school board Monday night.
Shanna Dinkel, assistant superintendent, said this is a positive sign for the district.
“I was quite pleased,” she said. “We had some turn over in staff, and we implemented a new reading and writing workshop. After we implemented that, we expected a little drop, but I felt the scores were good. Having the scores above the state median is always good.”
Scores on the test range from 220 to 380.
The scores for Hays were as follows:
Third grade English — State: 302 Hays: 308
Math — State: 295 Hays:297
Fourth grade English — State: 291 Hays: 296
Math — State: 300 Hays 303
Fifth grade English — State: 288 Hays: 295
Math — State: 295 Hays: 300
Six grade English — State: 287 Hays: 289
Math — State: 292 Hays: 295
Seventh grade English — State: 284 Hays: 284
Math — State: 287 Hays: 289
Eighth grade English — State: 280 Hays: 282
Math — State: 282 Hays: 286
10th grade English — State: 281 Hays: 292
Math — State: 284 Hays: 290
Blue is the state median, green is Hays English and yellow is Hays math.
The district has consistently scored at or above state median on its test scores. Sixth grade math was slightly below median last year, but all grades met or exceeded median this year.
The science scores have yet to be released but should be available this fall.
Although state and federal rules still require assessments be given, the state is moving away from using them as a measure of district success.
The new requirements include kindergarten readiness, individual plans of study, high school graduation, post-secondary completion and social/emotional growth.
By CRISTINA JANNEY
Hays Post
Although the school district may receive more state funding this year, it won’t likely be a big windfall for the district.
A school funding package that would increase funding to the state’s school districts by $284 million during the next two years has been passed by the Legislature but is setting on the governor’s desk waiting for a signature.
He has until Monday to sign the legislation, veto it or allow it to become law without his signature.
The legislation then must go to the Kansas Supreme Court for review. The court ruled state funding is inadequate after a number of school districts sued the state.
The Supreme Court had given the state until June 30 to come up with an alternate funding plan or it would stop school funding.
District staff told the school board Monday that it is already down $90,000 due to additional expenses and cuts to federal funding. Those cuts have come in the form of federal Title funding and Medicaid.
The district has been able to save money on other line items, including insurance costs.
Superintendent John Thissen said any additional funding this year will likely fill gaps that have been created by years of underfunding.
“Individuals may view this as new dollars,” Thissen said, “We are not looking at this as new dollars, but this is money we have done without. Individuals may look at this and say, ‘What are you going to do with all these new dollars?’ We are going to pay raises that haven’t been given in some time.We are going cut some of the fees. We raised fees tremendously a number of years ago.”
Tracy Kaiser, finance director, said there may be some restrictions on where additional funding might go, including technical education or at-risk funding.
The district is ending its year in positive financial shape. It froze spending in anticipation that the Legislature might come back for more cuts for the 2016-2017 school year. It did not. That means staff is recommending transferring $330,000 into reserve, leaving the total in reserve at $661,000.
Kaiser said this is a very low amount for a district Hays’ size.
Thissen said the district has a budget plan but will have to wait and see what happens with the legislation in Topeka before it can bring concrete numbers on its 2017-18 budget to the board.
By CRISTINA JANNEY
Hays Post
Leadership Hays 2017 is asking the community’s help in a drive to fill the new Caring Kids Closet for St. Francis Community Services.
The drive seeks, coats, clothing and shoes for children 1 to 17 as well as diapers, formula, books and toys.
“Children who are removed from their homes often come only with the clothes on their backs,” Sarah Wasinger, Leadership Hays 2017 member, said. “They are lucky if they have shoes.”
Items that are gently used and clean will be accepted during the drive. The program has received a grant for its inaugural year. The program is accepting monetary donations as well, which would be used to purchase items that are not donated or will be used next year to continue the program.
Wasinger said if donors have questions about the appropriateness of an item, bring it and organizers will let them know if it can be used.
Formula will need to be unopened in order to be accepted.
In terms of toys and books, Wasinger said the group is looking for items children can call their own.
“We want something that will comfort them and allow them to relax,” she said.
Items may be dropped off between 10 a.m. and 2 p.m. Saturday, June 17.
Drop off locations include Walmart, 4301 Vine, outside the north entrance, Hays; Big Creek Crossing, 2918 Vine, inside center entrance, Hays; St. Francis, 3000 Broadway, parking lot, Hays.
Donations can also be dropped off at the First Care Clinic in Hays and Victoria and at the superintendent’s office at Rockwell Administration Center, 323 W. 12th, Hays during business hours if you are unable to drop off items on June 17.
All proceeds got toward stocking a closet for youth in transitional custody with St. Francis Community Services.
For more information, call Alaina Hughes at 785-620-7067.
Sponsors for the drive include Leadership Hays 2017, USD 489, Walmart, Eagle Communications, Big Creek Crossing, Nex-Tech Wireless, Hays Area Chamber of Commerce, First Care Clinic, Kiwanis and Bank of Hays.
