FHSU University Relations

Dr. Janet and Dean Stramel are travel enthusiasts with a passion for education. With a gift of $5,000, the couple is providing financial aid to Fort Hays State University students majoring in teacher education.

Their support will help offset expenses incurred by students traveling to school districts to observe.

“Travel is an important part of our lives,” said Dean Stramel. “It makes our lives richer and more interesting. We want to help others gain those experiences.”

The couple will make minimum annual contributions of $1,000 to replenish the stipend each year. The Janet and Dean Stramel Teacher Education Travel Fund will allow students to experience a variety of cultures and challenges throughout Kansas, the United States, and other countries, which they might not be able to experience otherwise.

Janet, an associate professor in FHSU’s Department of Teacher Education, said, “We know that Fort Hays State University already trains great teachers. However, we want to enhance teacher education majors’ experiences by giving them the opportunity to observe in diverse classrooms in districts other than where they grew up.”

This short “study away” experience has already been successful for students at Fort Hays State through the Rural Field Experience that FHSU’s Noyce Scholars participate in. The Stramel donation will take this a step further by helping anyone in the teacher education program, regardless of their major.

Dr. Chris Jochum, chair of the department, said this stipend will greatly influence students.

“The generosity and commitment that the Stramels have shown to our students is not only a reflection of their dedication as educators, but also shows their passion for providing our students opportunities that will undoubtedly help them as future educators,” he said. “Most importantly, they will have a positive impact on their own students.”

Michaela Strecker, a Fort Hays State University senior studying elementary education, said the experience would certainly help to expand her horizons beyond her hometown of Minneola.

“I grew up in a very small community in southwest Kansas,” said Strecker. “So being able to see a diverse, urban school district would be an eye-opening experience. The opportunity to travel would greatly benefit me as a teacher by giving me more insight into a completely different teaching style and way of life in general.”

To learn how you can join the Stramels in supporting FHSU’s Department of Teacher Education, please contact the Fort Hays State University Foundation at 785-628-5620 or [email protected]. For additional information, visit https://foundation.fhsu.edu or https://www.fhsu.edu/teachereducation.

Ness County Sheriff

BAZINE — At approximately 6:30 p.m. Thursday, the Ness County Sheriff’s Office, along with K9 unit Bach from the Plainville Police Department, executed a narcotics search warrant in the 400 block of South Rice Street in Bazine.

Two females from Bazine were arrested for several charges including possession of methamphetamine, marijuana and drug paraphernalia, as well as aggravated endangerment of a child. One of the females is also being charged with interference with law enforcement.

One male suspect was arrested for felony and misdemeanor drug charges as well as aggravated endangerment of a child. One child was taken into protective custody.

All suspects are innocent until proven guilty. Investigations are continuing at this time.

The Hays Sunrise Rotary Club is sponsoring its annual Grocery Grab fundraiser as a benefit for Ekey Park.

The winner gets to spend five minutes wheeling their grocery cart through the Dillons store at 1902 Vine on Thursday, Nov. 14, at 8 p.m.

There is a suggested donation of $10 for tickets. To get tickets, contact [email protected]. The winner will be notified Nov. 11.

The only restrictions are entrants must be 18 or older, cannot purchase pharmacy, alcohol, tobacco or health and beauty products, and are limited to one minute in the meat department with a maximum pick-up of two items each, and five items of one kind each.

The proceeds for the annual Grocery Grab will go toward improvements at Ekey Neighborhood Park.

Chartered April 29, 2010, the Hays Sunrise Rotary Club is the newest service club in Hays. It is comprised of 20 men and women who are business, professional and community leaders with a shared commitment to make the world a better place through humanitarian service above self. The club meets the second and fourth Thursdays of each month at 7 a.m. at Augustine’s Bakery, “On The Bricks” on Main Street off 13th Street.

The Hays Sunrise Rotary Club is one of more than 34,000 clubs worldwide affiliated with Rotary International, whose more than 1.2 million members volunteer in their communities and around the world to support education and job training, provide clean water, combat hunger, and improve health and sanitation. Rotary’s top priority is the global eradication of polio.

New York Times bestselling author and historian Jeff Guinn, who wrote definitive biographies of Charles Manson and Jim Jones, will speak at 7 p.m. Monday in the Fort Hays State University Memorial Union Ballroom.

The talk is called “Once Upon a Time in Hays,” a discussion on cultural history and political meaning of the guru, counterculture era in America.

The discussion will include lessons learned from the history and whether the tragedies associated with the forms of demagoguery point to cautions or challenges in political leadership today.

The public is invited to this free event sponsored by the FHSU Department of Political Science.

– FHSU Dept. of Political Science –