USD 489

SABINA HOFFMAN

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  Where are you from? I’m originally from Manhattan, Kan., but have lived in the Hays/Victoria area for nine years.

• What did you teach before coming to our district? I taught kindergarten for the last five years in Russell, Kan.
• Where in the district will you be located? I will be teaching at Early Childhood Connections. I’ll be teaching preschool in the morning and then working as a SPED teacher in the afternoon in the collaborative classroom.
• Where did you go to school? I went to school at Fort Hays State University.
• What do you do in your spare time? In my spare time, I love to spend time with family, cook, go on walks, work on projects around the house and enjoy the great outdoors when I can!
• Feel free to provide any information about your family (children, dogs, etc.) or any other random fun fact about yourself.  I’m married to my high school sweetheart, and together we have one daughter who is 3. We also have two dogs, Ace and Doc, who keep up on our toes as well. We are also huge Chiefs fans and love going fishing together!

KYLE PORTER

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  Where are you from? Holton, Kan.

• What did you teach before coming to our district? Taught at Royal Valley High School in Hoyt, Kan., for the past six years – high school social studies
• Where in the district will you be located?  I will be located at Hays High School — teaching PE and social studies and will be the head girls basketball coach and assistant football coach.
• Where did you go to school? Washburn University
• What do you do in your spare time?  I enjoy coaching, reading, and spending time with friends and family.
• Feel free to provide any information about your family (children, dogs, etc.) or any other random fun fact about yourself.  I have one daughter named Jori who just turned 1 year old.  My wife, Crista, is an occupational therapist at Hays Med and played basketball at Fort Hays State.  Our family loves the small-town feel of Hays and are enjoying becoming part of the community.

NICOLE LINENBERGER

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  Where are you from? I was born and raised in Stockton, Kan., but my husband and I have lived in Hays since 2007.

• What did you teach before coming to our district? This will be my first year teaching.
• Where in the district will you be located? I will be teaching special education at Hays High School.
• Where did you go to school? I went to Fort Hays State University for my bachelor’s degree and am currently going back for my master’s in special education.
• What do you do in your spare time? In my spare time I enjoy spending time with my family and friends, and  watching my boys play various sports throughout the year.
• Feel free to provide any information about your family (children, dogs, etc.) or any other random fun fact about yourself. My husband, Shaun, and I have been married for 15 years in September, we have two boys, Will and Parker, who attend Hays Middle School and we are expecting our third child in October, which we are all excited about.  When time allows, we enjoy traveling, camping and riding our motorcycle.

BECKY MEAGHER

• Where are you from? I was born and raised in Hays.
• What did you teach before coming to our district? I have actually never taught at a school.
• What did you teach before coming to our district? I will be the school counselor at Lincoln Elementary this year.
• What do you do in your spare time? I am the youngest of six children and will be married this coming February.  In my spare time I like to workout as well as spend time with my friends and family.

REBECCA KUEHL

• Where are you from? I was born and raised in Larned, Kan., and have lived in Hays for the past seven years.
• What did you teach before coming to our district? Previously I taught in Bucklin (grades three and four) and Larned (Middle School language arts and arts
• Where in the district will you be located? Wilson Elementary and Hays Middle School
• Where did you go to school? FHSU
• What do you do in your spare time? Quilt, scrapbook, read and travel

KALEIGH WENTWORTH

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  Where are you from? I am from Hays.

• What did you teach before coming to our district? This will be my first year teaching.
• Where in the district will you be located? I will be teaching third grade at O’Loughlin  Elementary School, which is fun because that is the elementary school I went to growing up!
• Where did you go to school? I just graduated with my master’s degree from Kansas State university in May. Before going back to school, I worked for Early Childhood Connections as a parent educator.
• What do you do in your spare time? During my free time, I enjoy spending time with my fiance, our three kids and two big dogs. Our kids are in many sports, and my fiance coaches, so we are usually attending games around town.

KAREN WILSON

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  Where are you from?  I am from Oklahoma.

• What did you teach before coming to our district? I’ve taught Spanish for 26 years. During that time, I have taught grades 1-12. The last 21 years were at Plainville High School. The last two years at Plainville I was 1/2 time Spanish, 1/2 time 7-12 librarian.
• Where in the district will you be located? I will be the Llbrarian at Roosevelt and Lincoln elementaries.
• Where did you go to school? I received a Bachelor of Arts in Spanish from Oklahoma State University and a Master of Library Science from Emporia State University.
• What do you do in your spare time? I like to spend time with my family, read and travel. I am also active in my church and a Girl Scout troop leader.
• Feel free to provide any information about your family (children, dogs, etc.) or any other random fun fact about yourself. My husband is from WaKeeney. I have a married daughter and two wonderful granddaughters who, lucky for me, live in Hays.

COLE CHERRYHOLMES

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  Where are you from? I am from Potwin, Kan.

• What did you teach before coming to our district? I am coming from Wichita Northwest High School. I taught interrelated science to  ninth through twelfth graders.
• Where in the district will you be located? I will be joining the Hays High staff teaching the same subject as well as a block of health. I will also be coaching football and track for the Indians this season.
• Where did you go to school? I went to Remington High School, bachelor’s degree from Fort Hays State and a master’s degree from Southwestern College.
• What do you do in your spare time? In my spare time, I enjoy traveling, spending time with my family and anything activity that can be done outdoors (golf, BBQ, hunt, fish, ect.).
• Feel free to provide any information about your family (children, dogs, etc.) or any other random fun fact about yourself. I am married to my beautiful wife Nikki Cherryholmes (Delzeit), and we have two wonderful children. Our son, Walker, is 2 and our, daughter, Kollins, is 2 months old.

EMALEE TAYLOR

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  Where are you from? I am from Holcomb, Kan.

• What did you teach before coming to our district?  This will be my first year teaching ever and I am so excited!
• Where did you go to school? I went to Fort Hays State University and just graduated this past May.
• Where in the district will you be located? I will be at Hays Middle School teaching seventh and eighth grade science.
• What do you do in your spare time? During my spare time I love to watch movies and spend time with family and friends, and going to FHSU sporting events!
• Feel free to provide any information about your family (children, dogs, etc.) or any other random fun fact about yourself. My husband and I met at FHSU and have been married for a little over a year now.

FRED WINTER

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  What did you teach before coming to our district? I just recently completed my second year as the principal at Horton High School. During my 21 years as an educator, I have enjoyed a variety of experiences in the classroom.  I have had the opportunity to instruct k-12 health/PE, strength and conditioning, American government, U.S. history, sixth-grade math and science, as well as 7-12 special education. While in the classroom, I have always enjoyed collaborating with other educators, parents, and community members to do what’s best for all students. Outside the classroom, I was involved as a head and assistant in high school football, basketball, track, FCA, and junior/freshman class sponsor.

• Where in the district will you be located? assistant principal at HHS
• Where did you go to school? I graduated from Turpin High School in Turpin, Okla. I received my Bachelor of Arts degree from Tabor College, while teaching and coaching at Valley Center High School, and I earned my Master of Science degree in School Leadership from Baker University. 
• What do you do in your spare time? We enjoy spending time as a family, traveling, playing golf, fishing, sporting events and watching our children in their various activities.
• Feel free to provide any information about your family (children, dogs, etc.) or any other random fun fact about yourself. Along the way I married the love of my life and best friend of 23 years, Charice Winter.  We have four children: Maddux, 21, and Connor, 19, both attend school at FHSU and play football, Avery will be entering Hays High as a freshman, and Zoe will be a sixth grader at Hays Middle School. Random fun fact: Coaching football in Australia

JENNIFER OLT

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  Where are you from? Milford, Kan.

• What did you teach before coming to our district? I have 13 years of teaching experience. I have taught science at the middle school, high school and post secondary level.
• Where in the district will you be located? Hays High School
• Where did you go to school? I got my bachelor’s degree from the University of Alaska Anchorage and my M.Ed from the University of West Florida
• What do you do in your spare time? I enjoy cooking, working out, reading books about WW2, and spending time with my family.
• Feel free to provide any information about your family (children, dogs, etc.) or any other random fun fact about yourself. I have been married for 16 years, and we have a 6-year-old daughter.

CHRISTINA SRAMEK

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  Where are you from? I am coming to Hays from Great Bend, but I am originally from Walker.

• What did you teach before coming to our district? I was a school psychologist and worked with preschool through 12th grade.
• Where in the district will you be located? I will be at Roosevelt and Holy Family.
• Where did you go to school? Fort Hays State
• What do you do in your spare time? I like to make craft projects and design T-Shirts. I also like going to K-State football and basketball games.
• Feel free to provide any information about your family (children, dogs, etc.) or any other random fun fact about yourself.  I live with my amazing husband, Ryan. We have two ornery cats, Pippy and Piper.

STU BOTT

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  Where are you from? Perth, Western Australia.

• What did you teach before coming to our district? I was a year six teacher for five years and a physical education specialist for two years.
• Where in the district will you be located? I’ll be grade five at Wilson Elementary.
• Where did you go to school? City Beach Primary and City Beach Senior High School in Perth, Western Australia.
• What do you do in your spare time? I love surfing, snowboarding, traveling and hanging out with my family. They told me the surf was great in Kansas!
• Feel free to provide any information about your family (children, dogs, etc.) or any other random fun fact about yourself. I have a beautiful wife, who I met in Hawaii, and a 20-month-old son who keeps me on my toes.  I am a probationary fourth degree black belt in Zen Do Kai martial arts. This is the longest time I’ve gone without seeing the ocean, 2 1/2 years.

LISA SCHROEDER

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  Where are you from? I am originally from Garden City.

• What did you teach before coming to our district? I just recently finished 16 years at Russell, where I had been teaching eighth-grade math and algebra. I have taught third, fourth, and fifth grade at the elementary level and sixth-, seventh-, and eighth-grade math at the middle school level throughout my teaching career.
• Where in the district will you be located? I will be teaching sixth- and seventh-grade math at Hays Middle School.
• Where did you go to school? I graduated from Fort Hays State University with my elementary education degree.
• What do you do in your spare time? My spare time has been spent attending school events, watching football, reading and cooking.
• Feel free to provide any information about your family (children, dogs, etc.) or any other random fun fact about yourself. My husband’s name is Steve, and we have three children: Brooke (25), Kyle (22) and Cole (19).

THERESA CLARK

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  Where are you from? I am originally from Salina. My husband and I moved to Hays 14 years ago from Alabama.

• What did you teach before coming to our district? I taught elementary and junior high in Salina. I had a private practice in counseling for 8-1/2 years and then became the school counselor for Thomas More Prep-Marian Junior High and Holy Family Elementary for the last seven years.
• Where in the district will you be located? For USD 489, I will be the school counselor at Wilson Elementary School. 
• Where did you go to school? I graduated from Kansas State University with degrees in life science and elementary education and from Fort Hays State University with a Master’s Degree in Counseling.
• What do you do in your spare time? In my spare time, I enjoy spending time with family and friends, sitting in a tree bow hunting or walking a field bird hunting with my husband and dogs.

MEGAN ENGLERT

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  Where are you from? I’m local, from Hays.
  What did you teach before coming to our district? I taught ELA and MTSS at Ruppenthal Middle School in Russell, Kan.
  Where in the district will you be located? I will be teaching seventh-grade reading at Hays Middle School.
  Where did you go to school? I received my English literature and secondary education degrees from Fort Hays State University.
  What do you do in your spare time? My spare time is spent having fun with my family and reading.

• Feel free to provide any information about your family (children, dogs, etc.) or any other random fun fact about yourself. I have a wonderful husband, two awesome kids and an adorable schnauzer. I am currently working on my master’s degree in English. I love learning, and I look forward to sharing my passion with my students!

JESSICA AUGUSTINE

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  Where are you from? Originally, I am from Ellis, Kan., but I just moved back to the area from Manhattan, Kan.

• What did you teach before coming to our district? For the past 11 years, I taught English and journalism at Rock Creek High School in St. George, Kan., and for six years before that, I taught journalism at Kapaun Mt. Carmel Catholic High School in Wichita, Kan.
• Where in the district will you be located? I will be at Hays High School, instructing journalism and advising publications, including the Guidon print and online newspapers and the Indian Call yearbook.
• Where did you go to school? For kindergarten through senior year, I attended Ellis USD 388 public schools; for my bachelor’s degree, I graduated from Kansas State University; and for my master’s degree, I graduated from Fort Hays State University.
• What do you do in your spare time? In my spare time, I enjoy playing with my two pups (Max Puppy and Mini Dog), reading non-fiction and cookbooks, baking and cooking, and swimming and working out.
• Feel free to provide any information about your family (children, dogs, etc.) or any other random fun fact about yourself. I am just so excited and so grateful to return to my home county and to work with Hays High School staff and students!

BRITTANY BALDWIN

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  Where are you from? I am originally from Jacksonville Beach, Fla.; however, I have lived in Hays for the past 20 years. I love aspects of each location and consider both places home!

• What did you teach before coming to our district? For the past seven years, I have been the technology instructor at Roosevelt Elementary. Prior to that I was a para-educator at Lincoln Elementary for one year.
• Where in the district will you be located? I will be teaching fifth grade at Roosevelt Elementary this year.
• Where did you go to school? I earned my bachelor’s degree in elementary education (K-6) and my master’s degree in instructional technology from Fort Hays State University.
• What do you do in your spare time? In my free time, I enjoy: reading, traveling, crafting and spending time with my dogs and family. I am also a huge storm enthusiast and love anything related to weather (such as: storm chasing, cloud observing, and binge watching shows on the Weather Channel).

ALYSA ERWAY

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  Where are you from? I am originally from Larned, Kan. Hays has been my home away from home for about four years now!

• What did you teach before coming to our district? This will be my first year teaching, and I am SO excited!
• Where in the district will you be located?  I will be teaching third grade at Lincoln Elementary.
• Where did you go to school?  I recently graduated from Fort Hays State University with a bachelor’s degree in elementary education.
• What do you do in your spare time? In my spare time, I like to read, go on adventures with my husband, and hangout with my friends and family.

• Feel free to provide any information about your family (children, dogs, etc.) or any other random fun fact about yourself. I recently got married this summer to Landon Erway, who is finishing up his business degree at Fort Hays.

ERIKA NORRIS

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  Where are you from? I am from Glade, Kan,, just an hour north of Hays.

• What did you teach before coming to our district? This will be my first year teaching!  While I was in college, I worked in the After-School Care program at Roosevelt Elementary.
• Where in the district will you be located? I will be a fifth-grade teacher at Roosevelt Elementary.  I will teach reading, writing, math and English language arts/grammar!  I am so excited to begin the school year and meet my students!
• Where did you go to school? I just graduated in May from Fort Hays State University with a bachelor’s degree in elementary education and special education.
• What do you do in your spare time? I enjoy spending time with my friends and family. I also love to go camping, fishing, kayaking. In the evening, I love to read and watch “Friends”!
• Feel free to provide any information about your family (children, dogs, etc.) or any other random fun fact about yourself. I have one border collie that lives at home in Glade named Jake!  My favorite animal is a buffalo since my family and I own a small buffalo herd!

CASSY WATSON

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  Where are you from? I am from Montezuma, Kan.

• What did you teach before coming to our district? This will be my first year teaching.
• Where in the district will you be located? I will be the early childhood special education teacher located at Early Childhood Connections.
• Where did you go to school? I went to school at Fort Hays State University. I graduated with my bachelor’s degree in early childhood unified education in May.
• What do you do in your spare time? In my spare time, I like to spend time with my family and friends, be outdoors, and watch sports.

ASHLEY BUTLER

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  Where are you from? I’m from Ellis, Kan.

• What did you teach before coming to our district? While I was a student, I worked as a para-educator, working with special education students and as a classroom para with kindergarten students leading up to my student teaching.
• Where in the district will you be located? I will be teaching second grade at O’Loughlin Elementary this fall!
• Where did you go to school? I just graduated from FHSU this May!
• What do you do in your spare time? In my spare time, I like to read, play Sudoku, and spend time with friends! I also love music and play the trumpet as well! I’m excited for my first year as a teacher and am happy to be here!
• Feel free to provide any information about your family (children, dogs, etc.) or any other random fun fact about yourself.

JARED MICK

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  Where are you from? I am from Ellis, Kan.

• What did you teach before coming to our district?
• Where in the district will you be located? I will be teaching special education at Holy Family Elementary this year (K-6).
• Where did you go to school? I received my bachelor’s degree from FHSU in May 2018, and I am currently working on my master’s degree.
• Feel free to provide any information about your family (children, dogs, etc.) or any other random fun fact about yourself. I am getting married in October and have a beautiful daughter who is 14 months old!

  HANNAH POLAND

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  Where are you from? Ellis, Kan., currently, originally from Plevna, Kan.,

• What did you teach before coming to our district? Speech language pathologist at multiple elementary schools
• Where in the district will you be located? LaCrosse and ECC (Oak Park)
• Where did you go to school? Fort Hays State University
• What do you do in your spare time? I enjoy crafting, reading, movies and walking my dogs.
• Feel free to provide any information about your family (children, dogs, etc.) or any other random fun fact about yourself. I am married to a veterinarian who also works in Hays, and we have three dogs.

HANNAH HESTON

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  Where are you from? I am from Topeka, but I have lived in Hays for two years.

• What did you teach before coming to our district? I have been an occupational therapist for six years. I worked for a school district in Wichita for one year and then a district in Omaha, Neb. for three years prior to moving to Hays. I worked for HaysMed for one year in the home health setting, and then I returned to pediatrics in January 2019. Currently, I work at a private clinic in Hays and do telehealth therapy with a school district in Texas.
• Where in the district will you be located? I will be based out of the Hays Area Children’s Center working with the Early Intervention Team. I will be serving infants and toddlers ages birth-3 through home visits.
• Where did you go to school? I graduated high school from Seaman High School, and my bachelor’s and master’s degrees are from the University of Kansas.
• What do you do in your spare time? Our spare time is spent with our two young sons (3.5 years and 10 months) and two dogs. We enjoy being outside, playing “harvest” with toy tractors, and tending to our garden!
• Feel free to provide any information about your family (children, dogs, etc.) or any other random fun fact about yourself.  My husband is a pediatrician at HaysMed, so we share a love for the little ones! I am looking forward to working with the youngest students in the district and am excited to be a part of the USD489 team!

JACK GARCIA

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  Where are you from? I am originally from La Crosse

• What did you teach before coming to our district? This will be my very first teaching job.
• Where in the district will you be located? I will be teaching at the middle school in LaCrosse teaching SPED.
• Where did you go to school? LaCrosse High School. I went to college at Ottawa University, where I received my bachelor’s degree in elementary education.
• What do you do in your spare time? I love to hangout with my family and dog.

JOHN NEAL

• Where are you from? I grew up in Colorado, born in Greeley but spent most of my youth in Castle Rock. Graduated from Douglas County High School in Castle Rock.

• What did you teach before coming to our district? (subject, grade level, etc.) Since 2001 I have taught in two districts. From 2001 – 2017 I taught in USD 437 in Topeka where I taught mainly chemistry but also Biology and Biotechnology. The last two years I have been teaching Chemistry, Biology and Biotechnology in USD 211 which is in Norton.

• Where in the district will you be located? I will be teaching at the high school

• Where did you go to school? After high school I attended two years of junior college at Otero JC in La Junta, CO and finished my undergraduate degree at Baker University in Baldwin City, KS.
• What do you do in your spare time? My wife and I bicycle and also enjoy watching KC Royals baseball and Denver Bronco football games.
• Feel free to provide any information about your family (children, dogs, etc.) or any other random fun fact about yourself. We have a 21 year old son who is currently serving in the Marine Corps and a dog, Bingo, who is an American Boxer.

Other new staff members who did not respond to Hays Post’s request for biographical information include:

• Dazi Moore-Daniels —SPED at HACC
• Suzan Hess — SLP at HACC
• John Neal — science teacher at HHS
• Carol Whisman — music teacher at HMS/O’Loughlin

By CRISTINA JANNEY
Hays Post

Thousands of rubber ducks raced around the Hays Aquatic Park’s lazy river vying for a Ford Focus on Wednesday night.

The annual fundraiser benefits Big Brother Big Sister of Ellis County. Troy Burkhart’s Xibit Customs  was the winner of the car this year.

The car give away was sponsored by Car Zone, James Motor Co., Lewis Automotive, Hays Chevrolet, Auto World and Happy’s Auto. The Duck Derby race was sponsored by Paul Wertenberger Construction and Insurance Planning.

Auto World’s Man Overboard Challenge cardboard boat race, was won for the second year in a row by Auto World in a time of 42.13 seconds.

APAC took second, and Cloud Storage placed third. The Soroptimist Club won the Titanic Award. Great Clips won the Spirit Award. Cloud Storage won Best in Show with its NASA spaceship-themed boat.

This year’s presenting sponsor was Eagle Communications, which owns and operates the Hays Post.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

By CRISTINA JANNEY
Hays Post

The Hays Community Theatre was filled with music and laughter during a special theater camp organized by a Thomas More Prep-Marian junior this week.

What is unique about this camp is that all 20 campers are developmentally disabled adults.

Annie Wasinger, 16, has been working to pull the camp together for about a year. She has been actively involved in community theater from the tender age of 3. However, she noted her older brother, Joel, who has cerebral palsy, could only listen to her belt out show tunes and run lines, but never participate himself.

When the HCT installed a handicap accessible bathroom at its new venue on Eighth Street, the idea struck her to organize the camp.

“I was really excited about it, because I thought he could finally come to shows. That would be so good. I thought more about it, and thought if he can come to shows, he has always wanted to perform. But in all 13 years I have been with Hays Community Theatre, we have only had one person in a wheelchair, and it wasn’t my brother. I thought it would be really cool to create a camp for everybody in the community,” she said.

“Since it is Hays Community Theatre, I think we should branch out and be here for any individual whether they have a disability or not.”

Students at TMP have special time during their school day called “20 time” during which the students are encouraged to work on a community service project or learn a new skill. Wasinger chose to use that time to organize the Center Stage camp. She wrote grants, sought donations, organized a presentation to the HCT board and found a curriculum from an online company, Fourth Wall, specially geared for adults with disabilities.

Her mother, Becky, who is also her brother’s limited license provider, said she has been impressed with Annie’s commitment and efforts to organize the camp.

The camp runs Monday through Friday this week, culminating in a free hour-long public performance at 6 p.m. Friday at Celebration Community Church.

“I really want to press we need the community to support this and come to the show,” Annie said. “Each [camper] is so very excited to have their chance on stage and feel the way you do when you get audience reaction.”

The campers are participating in a variety of games to help them learn about acting, theater and stage directions.

“We teach them there are three aspects of theater — singing, dancing and acting,” Wasinger said. “So we are going to do three acting pieces. We have one where everyone is a superhero, and that is a little skit. Then we have one where everyone is a detective. Then we have an actual script that is 20 minutes long, and it is called ‘The Princess and the Dance Crew.’ ”

“Princess and the Dance Crew” is a variation of “Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs.” Also on Friday, one camper will also sing “What a Wonderful World” as the rest of the campers sign the words.

So far this week, the campers have played four corners using stage directions. They played Pass the Hat on Tuesday. Each person put on a police hat and had to say something a police officer would say. Pictures were projected on a screen for a game called Act it Out, and the campers had to act out a scene based on the image. The campers had to pretend they were eating spaghetti or pretend they were a bunny, etc. The campers will also do a variety of improv exercises.

Annie has been concluding the camp sessions daily with a game, A Minute of Fame. Each camper comes in front of an audience of other campers, care staff and volunteers, and they can sing, dance or tell a story. On Tuesday, the campers chose to sing.

Annie worked with DSNWK to hand pick about half of the campers from the Reed Center. The others came from the community. She said the campers from the Reed Center spend most of their time in a classroom setting.

“They don’t usually get time to truly display all their talents and do stuff individually,” Wasinger said, “So when we do stuff like One Minute of Fame, they are so excited to get the chance to go up in front of everybody and sing. I think acting is escapism. I think everybody needs that. I think it has been really nice for them to come everyday and know that they are going to have fun. …

“For me, it has been really cool because I have known most of these people all of my life through Joel, and I have seen them break out of their shells.”

One of the campers, David, wanted to talk about his horse, so he got up in front of the audience and neighed.

“I have been so impressed by going over scripts and seeing how they inflect lines,” Wasinger said. “The stuff they have done there — it has just been really important. … I think it is just good to see what they can do, since it is something they have never been given the opportunity to do.”

Staff from the Reed Center have accompanied their clients, and the camp has about 40 additional volunteers. Annie said everyone seems to be having fun.

“I think people my age are benefiting so much because they are volunteers … I am fortunate that I have had the background that I have with people with disabilities, but a lot of these people are coming from my youth groups or church or I know them from school and theater or I know them from another background. I think it is so cool for them to interact with people with disabilities because they never have before. I have been really proud of my volunteers for how they have worked together.”

Wasinger said she hopes the Center Stage camp can become an annual event.

By CRISTINA JANNEY
Hays Post

More than 100 kids and adults sat next to dog cages and curled up with cats Thursday at the Humane Society of the High Plains to read to animals.

Officials from the Humane Society and the Hays Public Library, which co-sponsored the event, said they thought the reading program benefited both the animals and the children.

Sara Schoenthaler, HPL early literacy librarian, said reading out loud helps build literacy skills.

“I think one of the big benefits is reading aloud and working on verbal language in a way that isn’t intimidating or frightening to the kids, because it can be scary when you are asked to read in front of the class and you are not good at reading,” Schoenthaler said. “This is a way students can read to animals. Maybe they can start doing it more. They can start coming out here more and really work on their verbal skills.”

Schoenthaler said the library was very impressed with the turnout. The library provided books for the event, although some children brought their own books. Youth of all ages from preschool to teens participated.

Betty Hansen, shelter manager, said shelter workers have found the animals seem to be more calm when people sit in front of their cages and talk to them.

“It would give the kids the reading and the dogs the company,” Hansen said of the project.

“The animals seem to love it,” she added.

Even though the shelter was swamped with many more people than it expected for the event, Hansen said she thought the dogs seemed to be more calm as the children read to them.

Hansen said the event also helps promote the humane society and its mission of encouraging responsible pet ownership and adoption.

Both Schoenthaler and Hansen said they were interested in repeating the reading program. However, in the future the program would likely require registration, so the shelter is not inundated with so many people all at once.

 

 

 

 

By CRISTINA JANNEY
Hays Post

After a long spring spent prepping the west wall of Professor’s, a landscape is slowly starting to emerge.

Artist Jason Lamb volunteered to paint an exterior mural on the length on the Professor’s Classic Sandwich Shop & More building at 521 E. 11th in Hays.

Lamb, who moved to Hays less than a year ago and lives across the street from Professor’s, has little formal training as an artist.

His father, grandfather and great-grandfather were all painters, and his father made a living as a house painter, a trade his dad passed on to Jason.

“I kind of have paint in my blood,” Lamb said.

Lamb, 43, has dabbled in various media, including oil, watercolor, graphite and sculpture. He also tattooed professionally for eight years before moving to Hays.

“My favorite work to do, where it is not so technical, which is most free to work on is impressionistic,” he said. “I love to paint impressionistically … kind of like my own take on Van Gogh. I love Van Gogh, and I love Monet.”

Although he enjoys using nature as as a theme in his impressionistic work, he also creates works of fantasy, which tend to have a more realistic style.

He has painted interior murals before, but nothing as large as the Professor’s project.

The painting is going to be a impressionistic landscape with sunflowers, trees, dragonflies, butterflies, and of course bees and mushrooms as a nod to Professor’s, which sells honey and mushrooms that are grown in the building’s basement.

As light changes throughout the day, the mural will appear differently. Lamb said he intends to use metallic paints, which should pop more during the afternoon in full sun.

“My goal with this painting is to have it readable at a distance, so when you look at it from far away you get a general feel of the colors and intensity. As you get closer, more surprises appear,” he said, “So there are little treats the closer you get to the piece of art. People who stop and come see it closely will be able to see things they couldn’t see from far away.”

Lamb said as the mural has taken shape he periodically steps back to appraise his work from different angles.

“This is the first mural where I was given the freedom to do whatever I imagine,” he said. “Amy (Jensen) was very open for me to create a true piece of art out of my ideas, out of my soul. Most murals before this have been commissioned illustrations that I have brought to life that was someone else’s idea.”

He said one the most significant challenges of this project thus far has been the amount of paint required. The exterior wall Lamb is working with is made of a weathered wood. He said  he spent a significant amount of time prepping and sealing the wall before he starting painting the image.

The heat is another factor. Lamb primarily works on the mural in the mornings when it is cooler.

Lamb is nearing completion on the background. He said he will start working on the foreground next. He anticipates the mural will be completed in late October. He said he will likely have hundreds of hours in the painting before it is completed.

“Patience — I have to just be patient with myself, because I really don’t like my art until the last couple of days really that I work on it,” he said.

Lamb will be finishing the mural with a UV protectant and anticipates the colors will remain vibrant for up to 10 years.

“My goal for any art is that people for just a tiny moment in their life to be removed from the normal day-to-day problems they have and escape and feel a sense of happiness and joy and beauty,” he said. “If I can get someone just running by or someone driving by … if for just one second they’re happier and they experience artistic beauty in a way I can express it, then my goal has been met.”

Amy Jensen, Professor’s owner, said she hopes the mural will beautify the neighborhood.

“And maybe people will come just to see it,” she said.

Lamb said his next project will be designing his own set of tarot cards in pencil and watercolors. He is self-employed, reads tarot and sells toys at toy shows in addition to his art.

Lamb takes commissions and is interested in doing more murals. You can reach him at 303-532-7068 or by email at [email protected].

By CRISTINA JANNEY
Hays Post

LIEBENTHAL — The new copper glinted in the summer, prairie sun as four handcrafted copper crosses were placed Thursday on the base of the Saint Joseph Catholic Church steeple in Liebenthal.

The cross installation was one of the final projects on a two-month restoration by Roofmasters Roofing and Sheet Metal of the church’s steeple, which reaches 167 feet at the tip of its spire.

“They are all very excited about it and proud that we have managed to do this … to accomplish this … to take the bull by the horns and to get the job done to last and stay pretty true to the original construction,” Judy Hoffman, Saint Joseph church secretary said of the parishioners.

RELATED STORY: 114-year-old St. Joseph’s Church steeple in Liebenthal gets facelift

Saint Joseph was established by Volga Germans in 1876, and the current church building was was dedicated on May 28, 1905. Although the steeple has had repairs many times over the years, it has not had a major renovation for 55 years.

The steeple was damaged over time by Kansas wind, rain and hail. In March 2018, the steeple sustained significant storm damage, and the parish immediately began fundraising for a major overhaul. The church estimates the cost of the project will be about $100,000, and only a fraction of the repair cost will be covered by insurance.

The church has raised about $50,000 toward the repairs, and the rest will come from its emergency fund. The church continues to raise funds for the project. Some donations have come from passersby who have admired the work being done on the historic church this summer, many in small amounts of $50 or $100.

But Hoffman said every dollar has been important to the small congregation of only 50 families. The church has had a Mass said for the donors and they continue to keep them in prayers, she said.

New copper has been installed on the exterior of the steeple, the wood gables were replaced, and extensive work was done to the framework of the steeple. The project required three pallets of 20 ounce copper sheeting.

The old copper that was removed from the steeple was recycled.

Andy Littrel, project foreman, said the steeple, with its new cooper, can be seen from up to 6 miles away.

Hoffman said Roofmasters has done excellent work on the project.

“You can see it from a distance,” she said of the steeple. “If you are approaching from an angle where the sun is bouncing off of it, my gosh, it is just so stunning. It just makes you proud that you were able to do that … to dare to do that.”

Littrel handmade the new copper crosses for the steeple. Each cross is almost 5 feet tall.

“Well what I did was take one of the old crosses back to my shop and copied it piece by piece,” he said.

The old crosses had received a lot of hail damage and had big dents in them. Each cross took a full day of work to complete.

The new crosses are being secured with copper braces, so they will not move so much in the Kansas wind.

One of the old crosses is being displayed in the entryway of the church. The church has considered auctioning one or two of the remaining old crosses to raise money for the repairs. Church officials have also considered dismantling one of the crosses and selling the pieces also as a fundraiser.

Littrel will make a lid for an existing hatch for the steeple, and the crew will be adding lightening protection, and then project will be complete. Littrel said he hopes the church will get another 50 years out of the renovation.

“It is stronger now. All of these gable ends are rebuilt. They are stronger than they ever were to begin with,” he said. “The copper is heavier than the original steeple was. The design is a little bit different, but it’s solid. It should be able to take a lot of wind and a lot of punishment. It should be able to last for a long time.”

The church hopes to have a celebration to honor the completion of the steeple project. No date has yet been set, but it likely be scheduled for this fall.

“It is inspiring when you top the hill and you can see Liebenthal by the church steeple,” Hoffman said. “That’s our landmark, as far as I’m concerned. And I know a lot of people when they see that, they know they are almost home.”

Anyone wishing to donate to the steeple project can do so directly through the church’s website. Go to rushcountycatholicchurches.com and click on the St. Joseph Parish Giving icon. Donors can also send checks to 202 Main St., Lienbenthal, KS 67553.