By CRISTINA JANNEY
Hays Post

The United States Postal Service recently released a stamp featuring children’s show legend Mister Rogers.

The photo used for the stamp was taken by a graduate of Thomas More Prep-Marian, Walter Seng.

Seng, 74, who now lives in Arizona and has retired from photography, spent over a decade creating promotional images for Fred Rodger’s “Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood.”

Seng, TMP class of 1961, said he made some lifelong friends at TMP and still keeps in touch with some of his classmates.

Seng drew and painted from the time he was young. He learned to paint from his grandfather, but he fell in love with photography at Carnegie Mellon University, when he attended his first black and white photo exhibition.

“The spirit of those images really drove home to my particular personality and my psyche. It picked me. I didn’t pick it,” he said.

Seng attend TMP as a residential student because his uncle was a priest and teacher at the school. However, he was from Pittsburgh, where “Mister Rogers Neighborhood” was filmed, and Seng became connected with the show there.

Seng began taking marketing photos for the show in 1972 and worked with Rogers through the 1980s.

Seng was notified by the USPS about the stamp more than two years before its release March 23. However, he had to keep the release a secret.

The USPS receives more than 20,000 applications each year for new stamp designs and picks only a handful for publication. The photo that was chosen for the stamp features Rogers in a red sweater with one of the puppets from the show, King Friday.

Seng said the photo was one of a number of publicity photos that was taken in about 1985 to showcase Rogers with all the neighborhood puppets and props, including Queen Sara Saturday, X the Owl and Daniel Striped Tiger. All the puppets lived in the Neighborhood of Make-Believe, and children were transported there via a trolley. The show aired nationally from 1968 to 2001.

For those with younger children, Daniel Tiger now has his own animated series on PBS.

Rogers was known for starting the show by donning a sweater and putting on his sneakers as he sang, “Won’t You be My Neighbor,” one of many songs Rogers composed for the show. Besides composing for the show, Rogers also voiced most of the puppets. Seng said there was a reason behind the sneakers. When he first starting working on TV, he found sneakers made less noise when he was walking backstage during filming.

Seng said Fred Rogers the man was much like his TV persona — kind and professional. Rumors Rogers was a former marine are not true. He was actually a minister, who found his calling in TV and working with children.

Rogers also had a sense of humor, which Seng said helped the two work together. Soon after Seng started taking photos for the show, he was set to take a series of photos with Rogers on various emotions, including love and anger.

For the love photo with King Friday and Queen Saturday, he placed a pencil under King Friday’s robe. Rogers came in and laughed and said, “Why King Friday, aren’t we feeling amorous today?”

“It was really what connected us in terms of irony and humor,” Seng said.

Seng described Rogers as a genuinely warm, approachable, considerate, kind person.

“He was quiet in spirit and really strong in intellect,” Seng said. “He was a brilliant person.”

Rogers also had a knack for listening.

“Fred was one of the best listeners on the planet,” Seng said. “When you spoke to him, he wanted you to talk, not him. It was very disarming because people when they are talking to someone, they are thinking about what they are going to say next. Fred thinks about what you are going to say next. It puts it on you to carry a lengthy and well-thought-out conversation with him. He draws out the best in you that way.”

Rogers throughly researched his shows and tackled tough topics for kids, including anger, divorce and death.

Seng said Walters was very responsive to the children who watched the show. A blind girl who listened to the show sent a letter in saying she was concerned Rogers was not feeding his fish. When he fed the fish on the show after that, he talked about it so she would know he was taking care of the fish and sometimes mentioned her name. Rogers also worked with children off screen and frequently visited a nearby school for disabled children.

In addition to getting to work with Rogers, Seng was often brought in to take photographs of visiting celebrities. One of his favorite celebs was Wynton Marsalis, who brought his whole family to the set. Others included Yo-Yo Ma, Big Bird and Peggy Fleming. For the visit from Olympic gold medalist, Seng photographed Fleming and Rogers skating at the Pittsburg Civic Arena.

The favorite project he did with Rogers was a book titled “Who Am I?” The story was about an African-American girl who wore hearing aids. The book taught children to embrace differences. They shot photographs of the girl playing and jumping rope. Another photo depicted the girl whispering something into a friend’s ear and then him whispering something into her ear.

Seng said Rogers was a good subject.

“He once said to me, ‘Walt, you are the only photographer that I give myself to.’ I said, ‘That is a good compliment. Don’t make me cry. I won’t be able to shoot.'”

Rogers died in of stomach cancer in 2003, but Seng said he thinks he would have appreciated the Postal Service honoring him with a stamp.

Postmaster General Megan J. Brennan dedicated the stamp honoring Fred Rogers where it all began 50 years ago — WQED’s Fred Rogers Studio in Pittsburgh.

“Mister Rogers and his Neighborhood of Make-Believe made the ups and downs of life easier to understand for the youngest members of our society,” said Brennan in a USPS press release. “In ‘Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood,’ children learned, in a safe space, how to be a friend and create relationships. He shaped generations with his kindness and compassion. It’s why we honor him today.”

Seng continued to work commercially and artistically after he stopped photographing Fred Rogers.

“I liked photographing people on the street,” he said. “I always had my camera with me.”

Seng, who was an avid biker, said his favorite image is a picture of four bikers under Mount Rushmore.

“It was a coincidence. It helped me believe in God once again,” he said. “That there could be four guys — a Mexican, an Indian, an Irishman and a Norwegian — just like the faces of the presidents and they were bikers. I thought about doing a shot just like that, but thought it would take months to find the right models and there they were. They were all there. They were friends right there at the base of the mountain waiting for my camera.”

He said the best part of being a photographer was meeting people.

“I could work with a homeless guy sitting by a garbage can and an executive making millions a year and have a rapport with all of those people. That is why I got along with Fred so well. It was not about me, and it was not about him. It was about the process. It was about getting the best out of both of us without wearing it as a label on your chest to do a good job. I loved it. I loved photography.”

By CRISTINA JANNEY
Hays Post

Hays Middle School sixth-graders donned royal robes, knight’s swords and peasant’s rags for the school’s Medieval Feast on Thursday.

The feast is a role-playing dinner that wraps up the students’ studies of Medieval history.

All of the students picked a role to play from a hat. There was a king and queen, their court, knights, ladies in waiting, nuns and priests, a herald, jesters, orchestra musicians, butlers, guards, cooks, scullions and peasants.

Each child dressed according to their station in life and were seated according to that station in the great hall at the Ellis County Fairgrounds. They had to research what a person in their social class would wear and were responsible for putting together costumes for their characters.

Students with the help of parent volunteers prepared plates of cheese, apples and grapes, bread, rice, chicken and ham. For dessert, they ended with sweet raspberry treats with strawberries and a treat that the Gella’s chef helped create.

Marilyn Engel, English teacher, helped organize the event.

“We explained to them that you were born into a station in life that you were stuck in,” she said.

The students who portrayed the beggar peasants had to beg at the door to be let into the feast. They talked about being in the lowest class.

Student Lex Lummus said being a peasant didn’t feel very good.

“If you are a higher class, you have more money and more stuff to do, and (as a peasant) probably don’t have a house or money,” he said.

Student Cooper Sanders chimed in saying the peasants probably didn’t have much to eat.

On the opposite end of the spectrum, Derek Quach portrayed the king and Joanna Mendoza the queen.

The students learned that as royals they were allowed to wear clothing the others could not including purple robes. Purple dyes are very difficult to produce from natural substances and as a result were very rare in the ancient world.

Another group of students were ladies in waiting, who are charged with assisting the queen. Student Kassie Donann pointed out some of the different customs of the Medieval Age, such as dipping your hands in water at the table before you ate and the custom of blood letting to cure diseases.

“It was kind of gross and looked painful,” she said of the blood letting.

Engel said the activity helps solidify what the students have learned.

“We don’t do this every year, but we have done this for a long time. The kids that did it years and years ago still remember this day. They still remember what their role was. I’ll be in the check out line in Dillons and somebody will bring up, ‘Remember when I was a cook in the madrigal? Cooks rock!’ Some of the teachers who I teach with now were ladies in waiting when they were sixth graders, and they still remember it. I have parents who come and say they still remember the role and this day. This live role-playing really does solidify it in their minds.”

Parent volunteers were essential in puling off the event, Engel said. They helped decorate, cook and prepare the students in their costumes.

“It is a fun day for the kids,” Engel said. “They are going to remember this for a long time.”

About 180 people participated in the Susan G. Komen Race for the Cure Saturday at Municipal Park in Hays.

The Susan G. Komen organization supports breast cancer research, provides care for underserved patients, promotes cancer awareness and promotes research funding and supports and celebrates survivors.

Find more about Susan G. Komen or donate by clicking here.

By CRISTINA JANNEY
Hays Post

The annual Famous Figures competition finals were Friday at Beach/Schmidt Performing Arts Center on the Fort Hays State University campus.

About 300 area fifth-grade students developed five-minute presentations that were performed in costume at their schools. Two students from each class — 34 this year — were selected to perform in the finals.

All students who were in the finals received medals, and the students placing in the top five received trophies.

This year’s winners were:

• Caleb King of Wilson Elementary as William Shakespeare —first
• Mason Schleicher of O’Loughlin Elementary as George Ferris Jr.—second
• Maleah Vine of Washington Elementary (Ellis)—third—tie
• Clare Tholstrup of Wilson as Grace Hopper—thrid—tie
• Kallyn Meyers of Wilson as Marie Curie—fourth—tie
• Riley Frank of Holy Family as Joan of Arc—fourth—tie
• Isabelle Jones of O’Loughlin as Christa McAuliffe—fifth—tie
• Savannah Schmitz of Roosevelt as Amelia Earhart—fifth—tie

The event is sponsored by the Hays Arts Council and Rotary.

Below are videos of several winning performances.

By CRISTINA JANNEY
Hays Post

Amy Haskell, fifth-grade teacher at O’Loughlin Elementary School, was nominated by her students as well as some of their parents for the Best of the Best award.

Most of those students showed up at the Hays school board meeting Monday night to honor her and thank her for being their teacher.

“Our whole class nominated Mrs. Haskell, because we thought she was a really good teacher and she made all of our school work really fun,” said student Marisa Wasinger. “We didn’t just read out of textbooks. She helped everyone in our class grow a lot and helped us all out a lot through the past two years.

“She really deserves this award because she really has been one of my favorite teachers. She has a really good personality, but when it is needed, she is strict. Those are just a couple of reasons that Mrs. Haskell will be a teacher that I will remember.”

Other students said Haskell made learning fun and she uses voices when she reads the children books. The children also said Haskell cheers them on through their extra curricular activities, such as sports.

“Mrs. Haskell is the most humble teacher that I have ever had,” Mason Schleicher said. “She always likes to laugh around with us and play outside with us. You always laughs and she barely ever gets mad, so she is the most favorite teacher I have had yet.”

Student Ian Irwin said Haskell was the kind of teacher that makes you want to get out of bed in the morning, because she does not stress her students out.

The students were also eager to report when Haskell is particularly proud of them, she buys them doughnuts.

Another student said Haskel makes her smile every day.

The students concluded by thanking Haskell for helping them grow in school.

Haskell said, “It is such a gift to know I have made such an impact on these children and their families and that I am not so mean it sounds like. I love my job. I wish everyone could say that. These kids, you guys, make my job so much fun, and you are the reason I get up in the morning and come to school and plan fun things for you. I love you guys.

“One of you made a poster in fourth grade that said ‘Family’ for our classroom, and I think that is what we are. It is easy to be a teacher and spend every day with you guys. You make it fun. Thank you for nominating me and taking the time to do this.”

Taryn Bieker, Roosevelt fourth-grader, was named as April’s student Best of the Best.

She was nominated by her teacher Jeff Welch.

“I nominated Taryn because since the beginning of the school year, she is truly someone who goes above and beyond in everything she does. She is a very kind, empathetic and dedicated student and someone any teacher would be happy to have in their class,” he said. “I know she makes my job a lot easier and a lot more enjoyable on a daily basis. It was an easy choice to nominate her for such an award. I am very proud of her.”