The Hays USD 489 Board of Education heard a review of district technology implementation at Monday’s night meeting, finding progress is proceeding through the summer — but much more still needs done.
The data presented at the meeting began with a survey from the spring 2015 semester, which evaluated categories of integration and use of technology in classrooms. The results began to highlight some of the areas needing addressed through the district, including increased training and upgraded systems.
“You’ll see a lot of our teachers are at a very foundational level,” said Marie Henderson, instructional tech specialist. Despite that low level of technological integration through the district, interest in better integration in the district does not appear to be a hard sell to teachers, staff told board members.
The teachers are “chomping at the bit” to get training, said Shanna Dinkel, director of curriculum. The initial goal was to train a small group at each school, but interest and participation has pushed training ahead of schedule.
While instructing teachers how to better use technology in the classroom is important, it is only a part of the larger implementation.
“We are still developing that professional learning plan,” Dinkel said. The plan will be molded to feedback from current training sessions.
There is an evaluation tied to every training session, “so that feedback is huge,” she said.
While the survey helps evaluate where the district can begin with implementation strategy, the type of survey used will limit its effectiveness.
“It’s basically to let them express where they are at with technology integration with technology in their classrooms,” Henderson said.
While the survey gave the board an overview of where the district is in terms of technology, it did not break down specific areas of implementation based on questions asked.
“Each question is informing the data on more than one category,” Henderson said. “I think we’re going to be able to show growth, but I don’t think we’ll have as much specificity as we wanted to have with this tool.”
In response to that, she is looking for other tools to help evaluate technology implementation in the district.
Overall, she noted teachers seemed excited to see what they can do with new technology as it becomes available as dated systems get replaced through the district.
Gizmo McCracken will entertain rodeo fans during each performance of Kansas’ Biggest Rodeo in Phillipsburg July 30-31-August 1. He loves making people laugh, and strives to make sure rodeo fans get their money’s worth. Photo by Willis Woyke.
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PHILLIPSBURG – Gizmo McCracken has multiple identities.
But no one’s going to throw him in a psychiatric ward because of it.
The rodeo clown and barrel man uses his different personalities to entertain rodeo crowds, and he’ll do just that when he comes to Kansas’ Biggest Rodeo in Phillipsburg July 30, 31 and Aug. 1.
The Fairview, Mo., man grew up fighting bulls but switched over to clowning when he realized “I could make a lot more money being funny than being scared” as a bullfighter.
Always a jokester, he says, “I was always that kid they sent home from school with a note pinned on his shirt: ‘Don’t send him back till his problems are fixed.’ I just turned it into a career.”
Making people laugh comes naturally to Gizmo, and he loves doing it. His characters range from an ostrich jockey to Mustang Sally to the fat cop and the music man, and his acts are just as varied: an ambulance, shrinking machine, golf act, elephant hunting, and the chicken rocket.
He strives to make sure rodeo fans get their money’s worth. A sticky note on his mirror, where he applies his clown makeup, reminds him before each rodeo: ‘Respect the fan’s time.’ “I don’t want fans to say, ‘Well, there’s two hours of our life we’ll never get back.’ I want them to have fun, to enjoy being at the rodeo.”
And Gizmo finds humor in everyday life. “We’re a funny bunch of people. I try to make people laugh at themselves. They can relate to my jokes. There ain’t nothing funnier than what happens. You can’t make real life up.”
Gizmo, a Pro Rodeo Cowboys Association member since 1992, has worked rodeos from coast to coast and border to border. His biggest honor was being selected to entertain at the National Finals Rodeo in 2005.
He credits his wife of 38 years, Janice, and their two daughters with his success. “I wouldn’t be what I am today if it wasn’t for Janice and my girls. I love my kids, my grandkids. We’re a very tight family.”
Gizmo will entertain between events during each night of the Phillipsburg rodeo July 30-31-August 1. Performances begin at 8 pm each night. Tickets are $15 for reserved adult seating and $11 for reserved child seating, and general admission tickets are $13 for adults and $10 for children.
To purchase tickets, call Heritage Insurance at 785-543-2448. For more information, visit the rodeo’s website at KansasBiggestRodeo.com or, on Facebook, search for “ksbiggestrodeo.”
The Ellis County Sheriff’s Office is asking for the public’s help in locating a pickup in connection with a deadly hit-and-run accident that occurred south of Hays over the weekend.
According to Ellis County Undersheriff Bruce Hertel, John J. Befort, 69, rural Ellis County was walking on 210th Avenue on Saturday between 6:30 and 9:15 p.m. when he was struck by a vehicle traveling northbound in the 900 block of 210th Avenue. Hertel said the vehicle fled the scene.
Currently, law enforcement officials are looking for a light-colored 2009 to 2015 Dodge Ram pickup that was spotted in the area by a witness at the approximate time of the incident.
Hertel said officers want to locate and talk to the driver of the pickup.
Anyone with information about the incident is encouraged to call the sheriff’s office at (785) 625-1040.
The High Plains Music Camp at Fort Hays State University was in full swing last week, bringing in students, music instructors and clinicians to Hays from around the country — creating a unique musical event in northwest Kansas.
The event, aimed at providing world-class music instruction for middle and high school students, has been an annual tradition at FHSU since 1947, regularly bringing back FHSU alumni and FHSU students to assist with the camp along with guest clinicians. This year, the camp brought Maestro Theodore Kuchar, California, Orchestra Conductor; Gretchen Harrison, Kansas, Choral Specialist; Rodney Jones, New York, Jazz Guitarist; and Pete Zimmer, New York, Jazz Drummer.
Video by Ricky Kerr, Hays Post
On his second visit to Hays, Zimmer found a different experience working with the campers.
“I’ve been having a lot of fun working with the drummers and the jazz students,” Zimmer said, noting he also presented a workshop in 2009.
Even with the busy schedule of the camp, Zimmer said he found time to explore Hays.
“We’ve gone to Gella’s — great food and beverages,” he said, adding he had also stopped at local haunts Gutch’s and Whiskey Creek.
Along with the local dining, Zimmer felt the local landscape was interesting and very different from his current home.
“It’s really beautiful,” he said. “In New York, you don’t get to see the sky as much. It’s been cool at night and the clouds and everything are a different vibe from New York.”
Even though he currently resides in New York, he grew up in Wisconsin and said Hays “kind of feels like home.”
Many students echoed Zimmer’s enthusiasm for the camp and Hays.
“This is my fourth year,” said Allison Hall, high school junior. “It’s just so much fun, and it introduces me to new people and harder types of music.”
“I absolutely love all of the music that is played at all of the recitals,” she said. Hall was with a group of four that came from Dodge City to participate in the camp.
High school senior and trumpet player Rhiannon Mullins, Hoxie, also has been coming to the camp for four years and has aspirations of some day being a collegiate music instructor. But for now, she just enjoys the camp.
While she said “we’ve played a lot,” the camp also gave her the opportunity to have “a lot of fun” and “hang out with friends.”
One of the more interesting features of the camp is the number of students from the past who now work the camp as instructors or counselors.
Brianne Shores, a FHSU art major from Haven, had been a camper during her high schools years and felt the desire to be a counselor at the camp now that she is a FHSU student.
“It’s just a really great community. It’s really powerful and you learn a lot. Ever since I came here, I wanted to be part of the university,” she said.
According to the Ellis County Sheriff’s Department, the victim was walking on 210th Avenue between 6:30 and 9:15 p.m. Saturday when he was struck by a vehicle traveling northbound in the 900 block of 210th Avenue. The vehicle fled the scene, police said.
The sheriff’s department now is seeking information on a Dodge Ram truck with passenger side, front-end damage to the front bumper and headlight area.
Anyone with information about the incident is encouraged to call the sheriff’s office at (785) 625-1040. The Kansas Highway Patrol is assisting in the investigation.
Traveling is not uncommon to attend the Ellis County Fair, but for one participant, the trip was a bit further than normal – over 4,000 miles – but it would be hard to guess that she hails from so far away, as she almost seems at home here in Ellis County.
Anne Dahle is visting Hays from Norway, coming on a four-week exchange program with 4-H.
“Every second year, Norway sends kids to the States. Next year, America sends kids to Norway,“ Dahle said.
Anne Dahle, right
This year, 29 Norwegians are spread across eight States — 12 are in Kansas and that’s the program’s biggest group this year.
While Dahle came to Hays to experience American culture, it was not her first visit to the U.S.
“I was in North Carolina the first time, so it’s a bit different from Hays, Kansas. It’s warm, but it’s nice. It’s a little bit more flat than I’m used to,” Dahle said.
She considered the timing of her visit perfect, as she was able to experience the fair and explore the differences between a traditional Norwegian fair and here.
“I was really lucky that I could come to fair week,” she said. “The fair is really nice. It’s very different from what we do in Norway in 4-H, so it’s really cool to get to see how you do it.”
Visitors from the U.S. who would go to a fair in Norway might not even recognize their events as fairs at all.
“We don’t call it a fair. It’s more like a fall fest,” she said. “We only have one night where we make stands. Every member has a stand and shows the community what we have done through the year. So it’s sort of the same idea, but it’s shorter. We have a big stage and everyone performs and stuff. It’s a little bit of the same, but in a shorter interval.”
In Norway, the fair would not feature a carnival or concerts like in the U.S., and members are much more involved in planning and running the fair than here, she added.
“It’s the kids that run everything. We only have advisers,” she said “One adviser per club. The kids (are) on the boards, and the kids decide what to do.”
Dahle’s experience isn’t unique. 4-H regularly allows younger people to travel across the globe allowing cultural exchanges. With this being her second trip, she traveled as a sponsor, allowing her to interact with other exchange students during her trip.
“We are the first group of international students that come to the States. There are people from Finland and Costa Rica — everywhere really,” adding she also knows of a large contingent from Japan that comes yearly.
Cultural benefits extend both ways from the exchange program. Locals get to meet people from international locals and the participants get to experience local American culture.
“We can apply to be a participant. I thought it would be really nice to see new places and meet new people and just learn about the American culture and also language,” she said. “In just four weeks, you get to do more than just touristy stuff. You live with the host family, and they show you around and get the normal life.”
As part of the exchange, host families are required to have children close in age to the participant, allowing cultural transfers for young Americans as well.
“It’s a really good opportunity for host families, too, just to get someone new, just learn new things. The kids learn a lot,” Dahle said, adding that the program allows everyone to “exchange tradition and knowledge.”
Even with her previous experience in the U.S., Hays offered her a unique look into the American spirit.
“People are very, at least the ones I’ve met, are really open-minded,” Dahle said. “They maybe never heard of what I’m talking about, but they don’t mind when I do it. And they’re interested and ask questions, which I find is nice, because then I get to talk about it.”
Even with the exchange, Dahle noted the differences in local and urban cultures is similar in both countries. Dahle is from a small town of just over 100 people.
“That’s also a thing to go with State 4-H. You usually don’t end up — you can end up close to a city — but you’re never in the city so you get rural life, which in Norway, that’s 4-H,” she said. “There’s not much 4-H in the cities. So you get to see how it is other places, in other countries, which is really nice.”
“In cities, I think it’s mostly the same — too busy to live their own lives. Well, at least here in Hays, it’s everywhere you go people talk, it’s really nice.”
Part of the reason for such an easy blending of culture comes from the Norwegian school system. Dahle said she began learning about American and English in the first grade. Students in Norway are required to take English until 10th grade. With that, American culture seeps into her country.
“I guess we do learn quite a bit,” she said. “You’re on the news, movies and music. … I think more Norwegians have heard of America than Americans have heard of Norway.”
Dahle also studied the German language and culture in her schooling, making the German heritage of Ellis County even more special. She noted that the presentation of America in school is different than the being here as she sees the mixing of cultures from various immigrants.
“It’s sort of fun to see,” she said. “When you only read about America, it’s American sort of, it’s everything, but when you visit, it’s a lot of cultures that just mix together.”
With summer in full swing, there are more kids and animals outside right now than any other time of the year. With that shared space comes the possibility of bites. While animal bites are not common, city of Hays Animal Control reminds residents bites are avoidable.
“The city of Hays has on average around 25 animal bites per year, the majority of them being family pets biting family members,” said Stan Moore, city of Hays Animal Control officer.
According to Moore, dogs bite for three reasons – fear, injury or aggression.
“Never approach a strange dog,” he said. “If you find a dog that’s at large, call the police department. Don’t try to apprehend it yourself. Most dogs are friendly, but occasionally you’ll find one that’s hurt or scared, and if you try to catch it, you run the risk of getting bitten.”
The city of Hays also has a leash law that requires pet owners to keep their pets on a leash or under direct verbal control at all times.
Moore also has advice to give in order to keep pets safely at home.
“A fenced in yard is great,” he said, adding “if a yard is not available, you can get a kennel, just make sure it doesn’t impede the natural movement of the dog and gives them some room to move.”
Summer temperatures are reaching their peak of the season as well, and Moore advised that dogs need to be kept cool.
“Dogs suffer heat the same as people do,” he said. “Try to treat them the way you’d like to be treated.”
The Ellis County Relay For Life is coming to the campus of Fort Hays State University, and Kim Peach, the organizer of the event, said the new partnership is a natural.
“We are an international organization,” said Peach, the American Cancer Society specialist for Relay For Life in northwest Kansas, “and Fort Hays State is world ready, so it couldn’t be a better fit. Also, it doesn’t hurt that by having our event in Gross Memorial Coliseum on the FHSU campus, we will not have to worry about the weather.”
Dr. Mirta M. Martin, FHSU president, will speak during the opening ceremony of Relay For Life, and she agreed that the campus is a great venue for Relay For Life.
“Even with the amazing strides that have been made in the treatment of cancer, it remains a devastating disease that touches nearly every family in some way,” President Martin said. “We are honored to be the site for this year’s Relay For Life. I am asking the FHSU family — students, faculty, staff, alumni and friends from the community — to step up and form teams to participate in this marvelous event.”
The 2015 edition of the Ellis County Relay For Life is scheduled for 3 p.m. to 10 p.m. on Saturday, Sept. 19, in Gross Memorial Coliseum adjacent to the U.S. 183 Bypass on the FHSU campus.
Relay For Life, a long and valued tradition in Ellis County, raises funds for the American Cancer Society, celebrates cancer survivors, and reminds those battling cancer or mourning lost loved ones that they are not alone.
For many years, the Hays Middle School outdoor track was the site of the Relay For Life, with teams walking around the track for 12 continuous hours. Teams set up “campsites” around the track, where many of them offered games, keepsakes and foodstuffs for cash donations. Last year, Relay For Life moved to the parking lot of The Mall.
At Gross Memorial Coliseum, there will still be campsites, and the track around the basketball arena will serve as a perfect location for luminaries and the team walkers. Participants will enjoy activities, games, food and entertainment while taking turns walking.
The main source of fundraising is the sale of luminaries for $10 each, which can be dedicated to loved ones and will be lighted at the event. However, the options are endless as to how teams can go about raising money for the cause.
As President Martin noted, it seems that nearly everyone has been touched by cancer in some way. This is an opportunity for our community to fight back.
The dollars raised by Relay For Life have real benefits through the American Cancer Society toward research and treatment. A breakdown of those benefits is available HERE.
To register a team for the Ellis County Relay For Life, click HERE. The Relay For Life website also offers online fundraising tools for teams. Learn more at relayforlife.org.
Volunteers also are needed to help with the event. To volunteer, or for more information about forming a team, call Peach at (785) 639-3603.
Raymond Mai, 91, of Utica has been selected by Area Agencies on Aging in Kansas to be honored as Keeping Seniors in the Game! First Pitcher on Sunday, July 26, at the 7 p.m. feature game of the National Baseball Congress (NBC) World Series.
Raymond Mai
The 81st NBC World Series happens at Wichita’s Lawrence-Dumont Stadium. Games begin Friday, July 24, and go until the NBC Championship game on Saturday, Aug. 8.
Mai is one of 16 Kansans over age 80 throughout the state selected for the honor. Keeping Seniors In The Game recognizes the vitality and contributions of older Kansans and raises public awareness of the services of Area Agencies on Aging–the national network of groups that provide unbiased answers and real help to seniors and family caregivers with the goal of helping seniors stay happy and independent in their home communities.
Mai’s baseball connections span decades. He was paid by Damar for two years and also pitched for The Hays Larks for a couple games. His favorite baseball memory is when his Damar team in the West Central Kansas League beat the Hays Larks. Mai recalls that the League was a pretty good in the late 1940s and the Hays Larks always went to the state tournament–so this win was a big deal
Besides keeping up with his favorite sports teams, Mai and his wife, Peggy Sue, keep up with three daughters — Delma, Dana, and Debbie–their six grandchildren and eight great-grandchildren. Ray enjoys traveling in Kansas –and enjoys casinos and playing poker. He’s been a member of the Hays Poker Club for 26 years. He is also a member of the Methodist church in Arnold and the Eagles in Wakeeney.
Mai was nominated by the Northwest Kansas Area Agency on Aging in Hays and also by the Southwest Kansas Area Agency on Aging in Dodge City that serves Ness County.
“We are very happy to work with the National Baseball Congress Foundation to recognize the vitality of older Kansans and the important contributions they make to our country, our hometowns and our communities,” said Julie Govert Walter, Executive Director of the North Central-Flint Hills Area Agency on Aging who leads the Keeping Seniors In The Game! initiative.
The NBC World Series was founded by baseball innovator Hap Dumont in 1934. Over the years, the NBC has launched the careers of many baseball icons. The 81st World Series includes teams from throughout the United States. For NBC World Series information and ticket prices go to www.nbcbaseball.com or call 316-977-9400.
“Every year, we strive for a balanced budget, we want to continue to put money away in reserve — pay cash for our projects — and levy no more than 25 mills.”
Those are the objectives of the annual budget process for the city of Hays, according to City Manager Toby Dougherty.
“Those were all hit (for 2016),” Dougherty told city commissioners Thursday night during their work session.
He pointed out some things that are “a little bit different” in 2016.
All employees will be getting a wage increase of $2,050 each next year. Dougherty said it’s a strategy to reduce turnover in front-line employees who are being “cherry-picked” by other employers.
“We are seeing a little turnover and having a hard time competing in the market at a lot of our lower ranks,” he said. “Some of our direct competitors locally are matching our salaries, and sometimes beating our salaries. It’s hard for them to match on benefits but we’re getting beat on salary quite a bit.”
According to Dougherty, the budgeted money is a “3-percent salary increase that equates to $2,050 for each employee” with the exception of those who are capped out. No new, full-time employees will be hired during 2016.
More money will be spent in 2016 for street maintenance.
“In the General Fund, we’ve identified an extra $500,000 to be transferred to Special Highway to spend more on street maintenance. That’s something we worked on diligently,” Dougherty said.
Another change is in the Utilities Fund with the separation of the water and sewer funds as the city moves forward with a $30 million rebuild of the wastewater treatment plant.
“We have completely separated them (water, wastewater and water sales tax funds) knowing that we are going to have large capital expenditures in wastewater and large capital expenditures in water. We need to make sure we understand completely the revenues, the expenditures — the dollars coming in and the dollars going out,” Dougherty said. “Our capital expenditures have been co-mingled in the past, and we want to make sure that is all separated.”
The levy will remain at 25, the same as in 2015.
Dougherty said Ellis County has told the city to expect a 5 percent increase in its total valuation.
Last January, Sam Brownback was trying hard to shift the blame for an expanding state budget crisis. Referring to the 2012 Kansas income tax cuts, he told the Topeka Chamber of Commerce, “What I got from the Legislature was a naked tax cut with none of the pay-fors.”
But in 2012, Brownback did not admit any misgivings. He happily signed the income tax cut bill, the most consequential act of his governorship and the beginning of the so-called Kansas experiment. Until the state budget crisis hit, he trumpeted his decision as a shot of adrenalin to the Kansas economy.
Now, three years in, Kansans and the nation are realizing how high the costs of our tax experiment have been. The income tax cuts were indeed not free. “Pay-fors” have definitely been required.
The most visible pay-fors have been tax increases. The 2012 income tax cuts blew such a hole in the state budget that lawmakers had no real choice during the 2015 legislative session but to raise taxes somewhere. They chose the sales tax, cigarette tax, and a few others. The state sales tax has increased to 6.5 percent, and only Mississippians pay a higher sales tax rate on food than Kansans. Unwilling to challenge a veto threat from the governor, legislators could not correct the income tax policy that unfairly gives huge tax cuts to some of the wealthiest, but still requires working Kansans to pay.
The income tax cuts have also been paid for by cutting back state services. The most prominent example is the switch of school aid to a block grant formula. The block grant lowered classroom funding and then froze that diminished funding in place for the next two years. The block grant was not implemented because it was a better, fairer way to distribute funds. Rather, the key purpose was to put a chokehold on school finance in order to make up for a portion of the revenue loss from the income tax cuts. In response, school districts have shortened their school year, chopped programs, and raised property taxes. And in ongoing school finance litigation, the Kansas district court has already ruled the block grant system inadequately funds schools, thus violating the state constitution.
One of the biggest costs of the Kansas experiment, although not as easily quantifiable, has been stagnation. With the state in financial crisis, all thoughts go toward surviving the chaos, pulling back, and making do. The Kansas political environment currently offers no capacity to consider questions like: How do we make our schools world-class? What are the next steps for our road system? Can we improve the health of our citizens? Progress requires a stable budget and fiscal situation which Kansas still does not have. While Kansas lawmakers were spending a record-long legislative session agonizing over finances, other states were thinking about their future and passing us by.
The pay-fors have come into focus: Higher sales and property taxes. Cut-back services. Crisis-management politics overtaking future planning.
What are the benefits? Did Kansas get anything for all these pay-fors?
The Brownback administration cites economic statistics that show the Kansas economy has been growing. That’s true. Kansas has been on a slow economic path upward, but below the national average. Other states that did not apply tax cuts have been growing faster. The tax cuts did not give the Kansas economy any kind of measurable positive jolt. Instead, Kansans have been on the receiving end of a lot of pay-fors.
The 2015 legislative session is over, but next year lawmakers have another chance to put Kansas on a better path, by ending an experiment that has already cost us dearly.
Duane Goossen is a Senior Fellow at the Kansas Center for Economic Growth and formerly served 12 years as Kansas Budget Director.
AMC Theatres, an entertainment company based in Leawood, announced in a corporate news release Tuesday plans to acquire privately owned Starplex Cinemas. The deal, estimated at $172 million, will put 380 theaters and 5,300 total screens under the AMC umbrella.
Starplex Cinemas operate three theaters in Kansas, with locations in Hays, Salina and Pittsburg. The Hays Starplex is located inside the Hays Mall, 2918 Vine.
“Starplex and AMC have a shared vision to provide a quality guest experience, even more of our guests will now benefit from recliner (seats) and other great amenities,” said Steve Holmes, CEO of Starplex Cinemas.
Hays Post contacted local, regional and corporate management, all of which declined to comment.
AMC said the transaction is expected to be completed by the end of 2015.
