By CRISTINA JANNEY

Hays Post

It was a breezy, but otherwise a pleasant day for a car show Saturday in Frontier Park.

The annual Thunder on the Plains car show attracted more than 180 cars, trucks and motorcycles.

“We are really happy with it,” said Jackie Lang, event volunteer, of the turnout. “This is the first time we have had it on our own.”

The event used to be downtown and co-sponsored with the Downtown Hays Development Corp.

Allen and Marie Leiker of Hays brought their 1959 Chevy Impala to the show.

Allen had a ’59 Impala when he was in high school. During his Vietnam service, he asked his father to sell the car.

“It took me 40 more years to find another one and bring it home and restore it,” he said.

Allen has owned this Impala for about 10 years. Allen and Marie said they still enjoy driving the car.

“We have to cruise Main at least once,” Marie said when they take the car out for a spin.

Thunder on the Plains is one of about six or seven car shows the Leikers attend with the Impala every year, but they said they particularly enjoy bring the Impala out for Thunder on the Plains.

Harold Kraus of Hays attended the car show with his son who brought a 1952 International truck and Whizzer bike that had belonged to Harold when he was younger.

See related story: Historic Whizzer bike restoration a labor of love for father, son

The truck belonged to Pete Johnson. Harold’s son bought the truck from him. The truck was still remarkably preserved and required little restoration, Kraus said.

Kraus said he remembered Johnson using the truck. He put a hitch on it and pulled it from field to field behind a tractor so he would have transportation.

“But I don’t think Pete went over 30 miles per hours,” Krasu joked.

By CRISTINA JANNEY
Hays Post

Kerri Lacy stands at the door of Lincoln Elementary School every morning so she can high-five her students as they enter the school.

Lacy, the new principal at Lincoln, said she has learned about half of her students’ names since the beginning of the school year, but it is her goal to learn them all as soon as possible.

Lacy, a 26-year veteran of education, said building relationships is the most important part of her job.

“My personal philosophy is that you must build a relationship with whoever you are working with, whether it be the student, the staff or the parents in order to be successful. My goal is, and I said it 100 times in our first meeting this year, relationships, relationships, relationship.

“They need to trust you. They need to know you care about them. They need to know family is first.”

Lacy and her husband, Brian, are empty nesters with two grown daughters of her own. Her youngest, Bailey, graduated from Thomas More Prep-Marian in the spring and is attending Highland Community College, where she is a pitcher for the softball team. Her oldest, Kelsey, attended Northwest Missouri State.

She said she has been where her teachers have been and if a teacher has a sick child, she knows that staff member needs to take care of that child.

Lincoln’s greatest challenge is a changing dynamic in families. Many children who attend Lincoln come from low-income families. As a result, those families struggle in a variety of ways. Lacy said she wants to work to connect those families with other resources in the community.

“Society has changed,” she said. “It is just different than it was when I first started teaching. That is a challenge every day to make sure every kid is safe, every kid is fed and every kid is happy.”

The school feeds many of its children breakfast, lunch and a snack during its afterschool program. Lincoln also has a Food for Kids Sake program that sends food home over the weekends.

“My goal is to make Lincoln a family centered, safe, fun place to be for not only our kids and staff but our families,” Lacy said. “I want our families to know they are welcome to come in at any time. …

“I want our kids to feel this is the best place in the world to learn and we care about them.”

Another significant challenge for Lacy as a principal is the age and condition of the Lincoln building. The school district has tried to pass bond issues twice in the last three years. Both failed. The most recent bond would have closed Lincoln, one of the oldest buildings in the district, in lieu of building a new elementary school.

The school struggles to maintain an aging AC and heating system and has had multiple issues in recent years with plumbing.

Lincoln is on multiple levels, which makes moving young students through the building more difficult. Because the school has stairs and no elevator, it can’t accept students in wheelchairs.

“Do I think Lincoln will be open in 10 years?” she said. “I would hope not, because I would hope that we can pass a bond issue or do something for our kids to get them into something that is a more functional environment.”

Lacy, 48, a Fort Hays State University graduate, began her teaching career at Kennedy Middle School, where she spent 13 years. She worked nine years as principal in Solomon before returning to Hays to teach at the middle school level and most recently fifth-grade at Lincoln.

Lacy replaces Elaine Rohleder, who retired in the spring. Lacy said already knowing the staff at Lincoln has been a great advantage. Rohleder also left Lacy a large book of notes that Lacy calls the “Principal’s Bible.”

“She did everything she could to prepare me,” Lacy said of Rohleder. “Still I call her or text her every once in a while and say: ‘What about this?’ ‘Did you do this?’ ‘Should I do this?'”

After all her time as an educator, Lacy still says seeing the excitement on her students’ faces is what brings her back to school each morning.

“Whether it is when you high-five them when you are walking in the door in the morning or when you are down in the cafeteria and they get excited. They may not be having such a great day, but they put that aside and give you a smile. That it what I love, because I know I am making a difference with those kids.”

She said she has enjoyed her transition back to being a principal.

“Being a principal, it is so nice because I get to see every kid every day. I work in the cafeteria, and I have the opportunity to talk to every kid every day, and I think that is really awesome,” Lacy said.

Lacy does not have a lot of extra time now that she has taken over the principal role. However, when she does have free time and she is not spending time with her family, she can be found with hammer and saw in hand making furniture out of reclaimed wood.

Her first project was a buffet for her home, which blossomed into a side business making beds, buffets and cooler cases for her friends and family. One of her pieces recently sold at a charity auction for more than $600.

By CRISTINA JANNEY
Hays Post

Although everything that can happen seems to happen to poor Junie B. Jones, she manages to maintain the utmost optimistic attitude.

“Junie B. Jones, The Musical” is the feature of this year’s Paula Huser Children’s Theatre.

The Paula Huser Children’s Theatre is an annual production that showcases child actors ages 7 to 14. Older students are mentored as directors and to manage lights and costumes. Huser was a founding member of what later became Hays Community Theatre and was known for her work with children, said Wendy Richmeier, “Junie B. Jones” director.

Performances will be 7 p.m. Friday and 1 p.m. Saturday at Celebration Community Church. Tickets are $5 and are general admission. Attendees are asked to bring a non-perishable food item. Tickets can be purchased at the door or online at www.hctks.com. Doors open 30 minutes before each performance. The musical lasts about an hour.

This year’s performance has more than 40 cast and crew members.

“Junie B. Jones, The Musical” is based on the book series by Barbara Park that bares the same name. Although the stories in the musical come from the book series, the musical does not follow any one book exactly.

The books are intended for a second-grade reading level, but many older children will likely remember the stories, Richmeier said.

The audience will join Junie B., played by Jordan Aschenbrenner, on her first day of first grade. Junie B. has a rough start to grade school when her best friend from kindergarten, Lucille, doesn’t want to be her bestie anymore. However, she makes friends with the new kid at school, Herb, on the school bus.

Junie B. is also disappointed to learn from her teacher, Mrs. Scary, that she has to get glasses after she struggles to read the chalkboard during class.

Junie B. keeps the details of all her travails in her “Top-Secret Personal Beeswax Journal.”

Correction: For time on Saturday for performance, which is at 1 p.m.

By CRISTINA JANNEY

Hays Post

The Hays USD 489 school district head count is stable and in good shape, said Superintendent John Thissen Monday night.

A report heard by the school board Monday night shows enrollment at 3,033 students compared to an audited count of 3,006 last year.

Superintendent John Thissen said once the enrollment figures become official, he anticipated they will be close to the audit numbers from the previous year.

The district’s official count date is Sept. 20. Those figures are then audited in spring.

However, the district is showing a slight increase over the last seven years. Audited enrollment during the 2012-13 school year was 2,916 students.

Assistant Superintendent Shanna Dinkel said that enrollment trend may continue. The district’s largest class is the incoming kindergarteners, and the smallest classes are the juniors and seniors. As the smaller classes graduate, enrollment may see a slight bump, she said.

Base state aid for schools is based on enrollment. However, school districts receive additional funds for various factors.

The head count also includes students who go to other area schools, but receive services through the Hays school district for special education. The district enrollment may vary depending on how many hours of the day the auditor determines these students are receiving services from the district.

District goals

The board further refined its goals during its meeting Monday.

The board settled on three goals:

• Design a stable financial structure that allows the district to accomplish its educational mission.

• Create an educational improvement guide utilizing the Kansas Educational Systems Accreditation process.

• Develop a plan to prepare the district for the future.

Each of these goals have multiple objectives, which will be refined in the coming weeks.

Crisis Drills

The board also discussed changes to its Administrative Handbook that were required to conform with new state rules for crisis drills.

The Kansas Fire Marshall’s Office increased the number of required crisis drills, reduced the number of fire drills and stipulated school districts statewide could only give five minutes notice of a drill to the public. State officials suggested giving more notice might lead to someone taking advantage of the drills to harm students or staff.

Wilson playground

Thissen also reported work has begun on installing new playground equipment at Wilson Elementary School. The work should be complete by the end of next week.

By CRISTINA JANNEY

Hays Post

The United Way’s Wonder Women League sponsored a self-defense class for women Saturday at the Gross Memorial Coliseum.

Trainer Kenton Russell told the women that if they are being attacked, their most important tools are their voice to call for help and their feet to run way.

He also told the women there are no rules in a fight for your safety.

Russell with the help of FHSU Self-Defensive Tactics Club members guided the women through hands-on exercises to learn and practice self-defense and escape maneuvers.

He also told the women always to be ready to defend themselves and be aware of their surroundings.

He demonstrated how simply having your hands in your pocket can make you more vulnerable to attack.

By CRISTINA JANNEY

Hays Post

More than 500 fans of the mega sci-fi saga Star Wars joined Stormtroopers, Jedi masters and even R2-D2 at the Sternberg museum on Saturday for Star Wars Day.

In addition to the museum’s usual interactive exhibits kids, many in costume, eagerly waited in line to make slime.

Camdyn Armbruster, 7, of Hays, said he likes all the Star Wars movies. He is a fan of Darth Vader because he can move stuff with his mind. Of course, so can Yoda, so he said he likes Yoda too. Armbruster wasn’t born when “Return of the Jedi” was released, but he said he has seen the monster that ate R2-D2 and spit him back out. He laughed. He thought that was pretty cool.

Evan Betz, 9, of Hays, said he came out to the museum because, “I love Star Wars so much!” Evan’s sister, Eva, 6, was dressed as Princess Leia, who is her favorite character. Both kids were anxiously awaiting their turn to make slime.

Brecken Otte, 10, and his sister, Camdyn, 6, also attended the Star Wars Day.

“I am a super big ‘Star Wars’ fan,” Brecken said. “I have liked it for about three years now, and I have seen every single movie. We always go with our neighbor to the new movies. I have liked it for quite a while.”

Otte thought for a moment when asked about his favorite character, but finally settled on Kylo Ren, Darth Vader’s grandson and latest dark side villain.

Camdyn became a Star Wars fan because her birthday falls on May 4, a day celebrated by Star Wars fans worldwide as a play on words of the Jedi mantra, “May the force be with you.”