By CRISTINA JANNEY 

Hays Post

Flame Engineering in LaCrosse celebrated 18 years with no loss-time accidents during a luncheon on Friday.

Flame, which is locally owned, has been in LaCrosse for almost 60 years and sells its products all over the world. Flame manufactures LP gas equipment. This includes torches for home, agriculture and tar roofing among other products.

Flame Engineering is currently recognized by the Kansas Department of Industrial Safety & Health along with OSHA as a SHARP (Safety & Health Achievement Recognition Program) company. This recognition was accomplished in October 2000 and maintained to date. Companies who are SHARP designated must renew their SHARP every two years.

SHARP is a national program. Kansas has the second largest number of SHARPs only behind Texas. Flame is one of 157 companies in the state to hold the prestigious SHARP designation. It has held that designation longer than any other company in the state.

“Achieving SHARP means that you are the best of the best for safety and health for your employees,” said Allen Vinyard, Kansas Department of Labor consultation program manager. “It means you are following all the rules and regulations, that you have all your written programs in place. It is very prestigious to achieve SHARP recognition. It is also very difficult to achieve SHARP recognition.”

Representatives of the Kansas Department of Industrial Safety and Health, the company’s insurer, Insurance Planning, and Sen. Jerry Moran’s office were all on hand to help the company celebrate its accomplishment.

“They have built a very good safety and health culture here,” Vinyard said, “and that starts at the top. It has to start at the top and work its way down to the employees.”

Both the representatives of the state and Insurance Planning said they routinely use Flame’s safety procedures as a model when working with other companies.

“We will point to Flame as a shinning star that, ‘Yes, look what they’ve done. Look how they maintain it every single year,'” Vinyard said. “We definitely use them as an example. If you want to achieve this, look at what this company has done.”

Stan Jackson, executive vice president at Insurance Planning, said one of the company’s annual trainings is a fork lift rodeo. Although the company was not able to shut down the plant for the annual rodeo this year because they were so busy, usually the rodeo is a fun day of training and competitions, which Jackson officiates, compete with a flag an officials jersey.

Although the company has had 18 years with no claims, it has only two claims in the last 30 years.

Flame Engineering has a Safety Committee. Members of that committee rotate every year so everyone has an opportunity to serve on the committee. It meets monthly and sets yearly goals. Mike Pivonka, owner and founder of the company, said any person in the factory has the authority to shut down a piece of equipment if they believe it is not being operated safely.

Pivonka said safety is not only good for the well-being of the employees, but it sustains productivity and decreases the company’s insurance costs.

He said he has had good buy in from the company’s 30 employees on the company’s safety initiatives.

“We probably have 95 percent buy in from our employees. They all realize they are the ones who are going to get hurt,” Pivonka said. “I’m not in the shop that much. I don’t have the exposure they do. I know everyone of our employees, most of their kids, know their wives and family, and I don’t want to have to call and say, ‘Hey, you have to go to the hospital because so and so got hurt. They all realize that it is their finger and toes and eyes.”

Although he does not spend much time on the plant floor these day, Pivonka said his employees will call him out if they see him without his safety glasses.

In addition to a luncheon, a half day off and T-shirts, the employees can also earn cash safety bonuses.

Pivonka said the company could operate anywhere in the country, but his family likes central Kansas and has found quality employees here.

“I am extremely proud of the employees that we have,” he said. “They just couldn’t be a better group of people.”

CRISTINA JANNEY

Hays Posst

About 90 dogs were already in the pool by 11:30 a.m. Saturday for the Hays Aquatic Park’s annual dog swim. The poll expected even more pouch paddlers before the event ended. Last year the pool welcomed 150 dogs for the last day of pool operation. The pool will be drained for the season after the dog swim.

By CRISTINA JANNEY
Hays Post

Fifteen-year-old Sheena Zeng of Hays recently achieved a new accolade in a long list of awards for the chess prodigy — her National Master title with the U.S. Chess Federation.

Zeng is only the fourth Kansas native to earn the title and the first female Kansas native to earn the honor — a title that Zeng will hold for life.

She earned the honor after being invited to the Denker Tournament of High School Champions from Aug. 3 to 6 in Orlando, Fla., a tournament she was originally not slated to play.

Zeng had plateaued in her rankings and said she was struggling with her chess during the first six months of this year. Her coach since she was 10 died suddenly in February. Her mother, Michelle, said Zeng had spent hours via Skype training with chess Grand Master Predrag Trajkovic of Serbia. The two worked on Zeng’s chess two or three times a week and then daily closer to tournaments.

She was scheduled to play in a series of tournaments this summer, so Sheena said she really buckled down and concentrated on memorizing her openings (the first 10 to 20 moves of the game, which most chess masters memorize).

“I stopped playing with fear,” she said. “I was playing really passively.”

Zeng played in the Washington International Tournament where she tied for second and earned a $900 prize. She attended an invitation-only chess camp in New York, and she also played in the World Open and the Manhattan Open.

She placed fourth in her state tournament, which meant that she did not qualify for the Denker tournament. However, the first-place state qualifier was unable to attend the tournament at the last minute and the second- and third-place finishers declined the invitation.

Zeng had planned to play in an open tournament that was being conducted in conjunction with the Denker Tournament, so she and her family already had tickets and hotel reservations in Orlando, so Zeng was able to accept the invitation to play.

Zeng went undefeated in the tournament, wining two and drawing four games, one of which was to the highest ranking player in the field. She was awarded the Ursula Foster Award, given to top finisher younger than 16.

She attributed her success to her former mentor, Trajkovic. Her mother said Trajkovic had always dreamed of Sheena achieving her National Master title, but he sadly didn’t live to see his prodigy earn that honor. Sheena, a tough young women, did not cry when she spoke of her coach, but her eyes told that she was still grieving her mentor.

Zeng has tried to encourage younger players. She started a chess club at her former elementary school — O’Loughlin.

“I hope I am a good role model, but I don’t think anyone has taken up chess professionally because of my influence, although I hope that would happen some day. I feel there is a lot for me still to accomplish to become a better role model. I will try to work hard for that,” she said.

Zeng is not just exceptional as a chess player. She is also a budding scholar in the Kansas Academy of Mathematics and Science at Fort Hays State University.

SEE RELATED STORY: Hays teen earns national chess title, set to start college program at 14

KAMS generally admits students who are entering their junior years of high school. During their two-year residence at FHSU, KAMS students earn their high school diplomas and up to 68 hours of college credit. Having completed her sophomore year at Thomas More Prep-Marian, Zeng was admitted to KAMS last fall at age 14.

She is enjoying the more challenging classes, but said it was a bit shocking to go from high school to college. She said she really struggled with time management but is hoping to be on a better track this semester.

Zeng is at least a half decade younger than most of the other students in her classes, but she said most of the students don’t know her age. They think she’s just another college student.

She has contemplated several career paths, including becoming a doctor or biochemist. However, after a semester studying chemistry, Zeng said she is now leaning toward a degree in mathematics. She plans on doing a research project in mathematics this coming school year at KAMS.

“I wouldn’t say that I like math that much, but it is something that I am kind of OK at, so I am hoping the research will go well,” she said.

Her parents Hong Biao and  Michelle Zeng, who both teach math at FHSU, suggested math would give her more time to concentrate on her chess.

Sheena still has lofty goals for herself in chess with hopes of eventually becoming a Women’s Grand Master or an International Master.

However, she wants other girls who might be interested in chess or math to know she is not locked in her room studying all of the time.

She schedules her classes early, so she can spend time reading and enjoying time with her friends.

And even though she is required to live on campus as part of the KAMS program, she often walks home to visit her parents who live just off campus. She’s still pretty dependent on Mom and Dad.

Sheena said she is very grateful to her parents for giving her the opportunity to pursue her chess.

“It is definitely a big privilege for me,” she said of her parents help with her chess.

Zeng plans to take a gap year after she finishes the KAMS program in the spring. She said she just didn’t feel she was mature enough to head off to college on her own. During her gap year, she plans to continue to work toward her chess goals.

Two servicemen were honored by the Kansas Grateful Stitchers with Quilts of Valor Saturday night at RPM Speedway.

The mission of the Quilts of Valor is to honor service members and veterans who have been touched by war with comforting and healing Quilts of Valor.

In 2003, a quilter named Catherine Roberts started the movement that became Quilts of Valor when her son was deployed in Iraq. Since that time, more than 225,000 Quilts of Valor have been awarded.

Kansas Grateful Stitchers, a local chapter of the national Quilts of Valor National Foundation, awarded quilts to Speedway Volunteer E-6 Staff Sergeant Terry Lee Quint of Hays and  Sergeant Dalton Louis Bauer of Ness City.

Sargent Quint started his military career in the U.S. Army Reserves February 1996 and was called to active duty in 2005 to serve in Iraq. Sargent Quint was a motor pull SSG while serving in Iraq.

During his deployment, he was asked to put armor on trucks to help protect the trucks during convoys. The day after he completed one of his assignments, one of the trucks was hit by an IED and the armor he applied saved a young man’s life. He was awarded a Bronze Star. He retired from active duty in 2005.

Sergeant Bauer started his military career in the U.S. Marine Corp, Aug 2013 at Camp Pendleton, Calif.  SST Bauer served in Japan, Republic of Korea, Camp Pendleton and NSB Kings Bay, Ga. He served in many areas: infantry rifleman, security forces, combat marksmanship coach and foreign weapons instructor.

He received many military honors, including Meritorious Unit Commendation, National Defense Service Medal, Global War on Terrorism Service Medal, Good Conduct Medal, Korea Defense Service Medal and Navy Sea Service.

SST Bauer retired from active duty in July 2018.

“This Quilt of Valor unequivocally says thank you for your service, sacrifice and valor in serving our nation,” the Kansas Grateful Stitchers told Quint and Bauer as volunteers presented the men with their quilts.

 Kansas Grateful Stitchers also thanked RPM Speedway for allowing the group to award the Quilts of Valor Saturday.

— Submitted

 

“I wanted to give our students a better start than having to paddle their way to the first day of school.”

By CRISTINA JANNEY
Hays Post

New Hays USD 489 Superintendent Ron Wilson spent what was supposed to be the first day of a new school year assessing empty schools for storm damage.

The storm that barreled through Hays on Tuesday night, bringing winds of up to 78 mph, blew out windows in a classroom at Hays Middle School. The school’s gymnasium took on water, although Wilson said school officials did not think the floor was damaged. Hallways at HMS also were flooded with water.

Lincoln Elementary School, which is in an older, low-lying area of Hays, also had flooding issues. Water blew in under doors and in through Lincoln’s aging windows. A hallway and several classrooms also took on water. Covers were blown off the school’s roof, which Wilson said also contributed to the school’s water issues.

The Learning Center in the basement of Rockwell Administration Center also flooded.

The rest of the schools took on smaller amounts of water, but Wilson said all schools will be open for business for a second try at the first day of school Thursday.

“At this point, I feel really good we have been able to get everything where it needs to be, so we are ready to roll tomorrow morning,” he said.

Elementary students will go for a half day on Thursday and middle and high school students will go a full day on Thursday.

Wilson said he took in several factors when deciding to close school Wednesday.

Not only were several buildings dealing with damage and power outages, he was concerned about the ability of parents, children and staff to get to school safely considering the street flooding, downed power lines and tree damage of Tuesday night.

“I wanted to give our students a better start than having to paddle their way to the first day of school,” he said.

He also hoped to give the students and staff the opportunity to help their families with cleanup at their homes.

The Hays High School football team volunteered Wednesday to help with cleanup, which Wilson said he thought was an important lesson for the students in civic duty.

Wilson also praised the custodial and maintenance staff who where at the schools past midnight and back at the schools early Wednesday morning working on cleanup.

“They left their homes and families in the middle of the night to attack the issues in the buildings,” Wilson said. “I can’t understate these are great people doing great things for our schools. I can’t give enough credit for what they do at our schools. I want everyone to know that the custodial and maintenance crew were amazing last night.”

Wilson said he did not have an estimate at this time of the total cost of the damage in the district.