By CRISTINA JANNEY
Hays Post

Sheena Zeng on paper is not your typical 14-year-old.

In April, Zeng, of Hays, won a national chess championship in her age class—14 and younger. She also was recently admitted to the prestigious Kansas Academy of Math and Science program.

Students in the residential program on the Fort Hays State University campus, which is also known as KAMS, study at an advanced level and earn both their high school diplomas and 68 hours of college credit.

The program usually admits older students (sophomores who are entering their junior year in high school), but Zeng, whose peers are in the eighth-grade, has already completed her sophomore year of high school at Thomas More Prep-Marian and was admitted early. She skipped second and sixth grades.

She may be a whiz kid on paper, but Sheena says she is like most other kids.

Although she devotes a lot of time to studying and chess, she also spends her free time doing fun things, such as watching anime, listening to music (especially K-Pop. Her favorite bands are BTS, 2NE1 and Red Velvet), and hanging out with friends. 

She also plays the piano and likes to write fantasy fiction. Her characters often have magical powers. She loves to read and is a big fan of Harry Potter and the Percy Jackson series, as well as a book called “The City of Brass.”

Sheena does not think of herself as a genius or prodigy. She sees herself as someone who works hard.

“People sometimes think that everything is really easy for me in school. ‘Yeah, Sheena this is really easy for you, so you won’t understand how we feel.’ It is hard for me to maintain my good grades and stay on top of things, but I guess I do it well enough that people don’t think that it is difficult for me.

“They all think I am some sort of super genius, but I’m not. I just sort of enjoy learning and working hard for what I have. I wasn’t necessarily born really, really intelligent.”

At one point Sheena said she wanted to be a doctor, but after taking biology, she said she may change her emphasis to biochemistry. She hopes to attend John Hopkins University after completing her studies at FHSU.

Sheena learned to play chess from her father, Hong Biao Zeng, when she was 7. A chess board still inhabits a prominent spot in the family’s living room. However, because of her family’s busy schedules, Sheena mostly plays online these days. She also spends hours studying chess theory and solving online chess puzzles.

“I like thinking through the positions and finding ways to solve all my problems,” she said. “I just like thinking during the games.”

Sheena has competed internationally, including in Canada, South Africa and Costa Rica and will attend the World Youth Chess Championship in Greece in October. She tied for first place in the Pan-American Chess Championship in Costa Rica last year, ultimately taking home a second-place trophy on a tie break. Sheena is in the top five for her age group nationally. On the world stage, she is a women’s candidate master.

She said her latest title was special.

“It felt really special when I was winning it. The second I knew I was the champion, I just felt really relieved and happy because I never won before. I was always second or lower, but never first. It felt good to finally win first place.”

Competitive chess can be stressful. Sheena described it as a test of your mental strength and stamina. Some games can go as long as six hours.

“Playing in competitions is stressful, especially when you are expected to do well, but once I get into it, it is a little bit more fun. It also feels good when you win,” she said.

Sheena definitely has some wins under her belt. Besides her recent national championship, she also has two second-place national trophies for girls 12 and younger and a third-place national trophy for girls 10 and younger at the All-Girls Nationals in Chicago.

Her long-term chess goal is to be ranked among the top 100 in the world.

Sheena wants to let other kids know chess can be fun. She started a chess club at O’Loughlin Elementary School. She volunteers regularly with children in first through fourth grades.

“I wanted to spread chess around Hays in general,” she said. “Not many people are aware of chess. O’Loughlin is where I used to go to elementary school. There wasn’t a chess club or anything, and I always wished I had teammates to play with, so I thought I could start a club so they could play with each other and play chess as a team instead of just individually.”

Sheena said she enjoyed working with the younger children.

“Yeah, it’s fun,” she said. “I have learned a lot working with them, but sometimes they don’t listen to me, so that is hard too.”

Sheena encouraged other kids to give chess a try.

“It is very challenging, but the benefits such as better problem-solving skills and that kind of stuff are worth it as well.”

Sheena’s next step academically will be to start the KAMS program in the fall.

“Sometimes I am really excited, and sometimes I get nervous,” she said “I think, ‘Oh no, what if everyone there is smarter than me? What if they know more than I do? But I guess that is more motivation for me to work harder.”

Sheena’s mother, Michelle, said she thinks Sheena is ready for the next step at KAMS.

“She likes a challenge,” her mother said. “She is going to be going to college pretty young—at least two years younger than her peers, so this KAMS will really prepare her for that.”

By CRISTINA JANNEY 
Hays Post

The Bickle-Schmidt Sports Complex was host to one of its biggest tournaments of the year this past weekend with some improvements to its fields.

The sports complex hosted 53 teams for an NBC points tournament for youth baseball teams from 8 and younger to 14 and younger. This year’s participation is up from 33 teams last year. Each team has 10 to 11 players.

The city of Hays has been working to replace dirt in the infields that had been lost to wind erosion. Work was done on the south fields this year, and the city and the complex director hope to complete work on the rest of the fields next year, said A.J. Preisner, complex director.

The erosion on the fields is a hazard. It creates a lip between the dirt infield and the grass outfield. This can cause balls to pop up as they roll from the infield to the outfield and strike a player who is trying to field the ball. It has been especially a problem for the rec teams and younger players who play closer to the infield.

The lips can also be a tripping hazard.

“We here in the western part of the state get wind blowing the majority of the time. It is hard to control. We have brought in as much in-fill mix as we can. This is our seventh season, so for not doing it for six years, it definitely needed to be built up,” Preisner said.

The city brought in 750 tons of a mix of sand and red shale. The repairs cost the city about $39,000.

Tournaments like the one last weekend can be a significant economic boon to the local economy. Preisner shared an example of spending from a survey completed by one of the teams that came from Wichita.

The team reported they booked 20 hotel rooms and spent about $120 per family. They also ate breakfast, lunch and dinner in Hays during the two days and spent an average of $25 per family on retail items. Thirty-eight of the teams that were in this weekend’s tournament were out-of-town teams, traveling from as far as Manhattan to play.

Tammy Wellbrock, executive director of the Hays Area Chamber of Commerce, said these types of sporting events are a good opportunity for local businesses to showcase their goods and services.

“The chamber recognizes that it is common when people spend their entire day or weekend in Hays they are going to spend money at hotels and restaurants and make incidental purchases, and that must have a major impact on the economy and the city sales tax, plus repeat customers.

“We don’t have a mechanism to show how many of these families are here for the first time and then return to Hays for other leisure purpose. I myself came here as a senior to watch state basketball. I loved it so much I chose to come here for college. We don’t know how one visit for one reason may influence a decision for another down the line.

“Many chamber members and businesses truly appreciate the opportunity to showcase their goods and services to a new audience,” Wellbrock added, “and we will continue to work together to get these types of events hosted here.”

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 DIANE GASPER-O’BRIEN
FHSU University Relations and Marketing

Thirty-two students were recognized in a high school commencement ceremony Saturday at Fort Hays State University.

They didn’t act like high school seniors who had just been handed a diploma and told to move the tassels on their caps. They didn’t toss their caps in the air and shout phrases like “We’re done!”

That’s because these high school seniors still have finals to take this week – as in college finals.

This marked the largest class to complete requirements for the Kansas Academy of Mathematics and Science, a premier high school residential program at FHSU for juniors and seniors.

The eighth annual completion ceremony for KAMS was a going-away affair for the academy’s director, too.

DR. Roger Schiefferecke – who has worked for KAMS for eight years, including the last four as its director – is moving on to take a position at Kansas State University.

“It’s tough to leave,” Schiefferecke said. “I’ve known every student who has come through here. I’m going to miss the great staff and getting work with these brilliant high school kids. But it’s always good to get new blood in here, too.”

While Schiefferecke was honored at the ceremony as “the face of KAMS,” he insisted on focusing the attention on the students.

He told them to enjoy this next week, the last on campus for the majority of the students.
Schifferecke noted that this year’s class had garnered nearly $1.5 million in possible scholarships over four years.

“Be proud of what you’ve accomplished,” he told the students, “and be excited for what is to come.”

FHSU President Tisa Mason called it “a special privilege and honor” that the Kansas Board of Regents selected FHSU to host KAMS, one of only seven of its kind in the country.

“We understand the positive impact these young people have had in becoming actively involved in a myriad of activities around campus. We feel we have 32 students who are our best and our brightest,” Mason said. “We are pleased that six will remain at Fort Hays State to further their education.”

One of those “best and brightest” is Patrick Cook from Derby, who holds a perfect 4.0 grade point average at Fort Hays State. He is set to graduate in 2020 with dual degrees in mathematics and physics.

After completing his FHSU finals this week, Cook will graduate with his classmates from Derby High in two weeks, then move to San Antonio for the summer for an internship with Agility, a government contractor for the U.S. Department of Defense for safety standards.

Cook said he decided to attend KAMS after exhausting the list of physics and math classes at his high school.

He fit in well in both departments at FHSU, where he works as a tutor for both. He also manages another tutoring program that he started himself last semester.

He said he thinks it will be an easy transition into full-time college life after attending classes on campus the past two years.

Meanwhile, Jed Werner from Plainville will make another adjustment when he heads to Manhattan to pursue a degree in mechanical engineering at Kansas State.

However, he said he wouldn’t be where he is today without KAMS.

“In high school I didn’t have great study habits because I’d get bored,” he said. “I liked the challenge here.”

He said he thinks the responsibility he learned while having a little more independence will serve him well as he takes off for college.

“You have to be able to handle the freedom that comes with living on a college campus,” he said. “You have to be pretty mature to be successful in KAMS, make the right choices to study and put the time in.”

Werner has been looking forward to attending KAMS since he was in fourth grade at Plainville Elementary School.

“I found out about KAMS then, and it became a goal of mine, something I was shooting for all through junior high and my first two years of high school,” Werner said.

Werner is the first Plainville student to attend KAMS. He might also be the first race car driver to complete the KAMS curriculum.

He started racing when he was 6 years old, following in the footsteps of his dad, who raced motorcycles when he was younger.

“Mom wouldn’t have let me on a motorcycle, so I got in Go-Kart instead,” Werner said, “and when I was 14, I started racing sprint cars.”

While Werner has experienced success in racing, he said he hasn’t made a lot of profit because of the expense of sprint car racing.

He can continue enjoying racing as a hobby, however, after earning one of the top awards from this year’s Dane G. Hansen Scholarship competition. Werner was one of 10 seniors in a 26-county area in northwest and north central Kansas who received the “Leaders of Tomorrow” scholarship for $10,000, renewable for three additional years.

Plainville High School’s 2018 graduation is set for Saturday, May 19, when Werner will be honored with 42 other PHS seniors.

Werner said he is looking forward to seeing his former classmates again and having a graduation party with family and friends.

But that will have to wait. Semester finals in his FHSU classes will occupy his attention this week.

Members of the KAMS Class of 2018 are listed alphabetically by hometown with their sending high schools and their parents.

HAYS (67601): Xinchen Cai, Hays High School, Jianxin Qi and Rui Cai, Beijing, China.
Yunseo “Leo” Choi, Hays High School, Eun Mee Goh and Jong Ho Choi, Daejeon, South Korea.
Oohyung Jang, Hays High School, Young Soon Lee and Myeong-Wuk Jang, Gyeonggi-do, South Korea.
Runsi Jia, Hays High School, Baeyuen Jia and Dongdong Ren, Beijing, China.
Dana Kang, Hays High School, Kyoung Hwa Kwon and Incheol Kang, Pyeongtaek, Korea.
Geon Kim, Hays High School, Mi-sun Yu and Hyung-Whon Kim, Seoul, South Korea.
Gyuree Kim, Hays High School, Youngjuo Shin and Kyungseok Kim, Daegu, Korea.
Minkyu “Matthew” Kim, Hays High School, Juo Youn Kang and Byung Jae Kim, Seoul, South Korea
Junghwan “Jacob” Lee, Hays High School, Hyungsoon Lee and Sunkyu Lee, Daejeon, South Korea.
Jinseo “Jason” Park, Hays High School, Youngwha Jo and Seunggon Park, Seongnam-si, South Korea.
Jinwoo “Harry” Park, Hays High School, Namju Park and Minjeong Kim, Gwangju, South Korea.
Hoyoon Woo, Hays High School, Shin Ju Hyeon and Sang Kyun Woo, Daejeon, South Korea.
Runfan Yang, Hays High School, Juan Lin and Yonghua Yang, Wuhan, China.
Katherine Weisenborn, Hays High School, Gregory Weisenborn and Charlene Nichols, Hays.
Yanzhe “Jenny” Zhang, Hays High School, Huan Xu and Xiaohui Zhang, Beijing, China.

CODELL (67663): Jerad “Jed” Werner, Plainville High School, Russell and Marianne Werner.

DERBY (67037): Patrick Cook, Derby High School, Dennis and Kelly Cook.

DODGE CITY (67801): Amelia Richter, Dodge City High School, Matthew and Sheri Richter.

HOISINGTON (67544): Seth Colson, Hoisington High School, Curt and Liana Colson.

HOLTON (66436): Nathan Smith, Holton High School, Porter and Terri Smith.

KINGMAN (67068): Danica Kostner, Kingman High School, Adrian and Shondra Kostner.

KINSLEY (67547): Bruce Davies, Kinsley High School, Robert and Melody Davies.

LAWRENCE (66049): Emily Thornton, Free State High School, Joseph Thornton and Brenda Thornton.

LIBERAL (67901): Christian Ermann, Liberal High School, William and Dayna Ermann.

NEWTON (67114): Brennan Wald, Newton High School, Aaron and Brie Wald.

OVERBOOK (66524): Emily Linder, Baldwin High School, Stephen and Laura Linder.

PRAIRIE VILLAGE (66208): Juliana Ames, Shawnee Mission East High School, Kenneth and Carmen Clark and Alan Ames.

TOPEKA (66606): Jada Gardner, Topeka High School, William and Gloria Horn.

TOPEKA (66614): Grant Nichol, Topeka High School, Eric and Shannon Nichol.

WaKEENEY (67672): Jacob Schneider, Trego Community High School, Rebecca Hillman and Rick Schneider.

WICHITA (67212): Alexandra Depew, Wichita Northwest High School, James and Rachelle Depew.

WICHITA (67209): Annie Hinds, Goddard High School, Donald and Misty Hinds and Ron and Jennifer Walker.

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.”

By CRISTINA JANNEY
Hays Post

Something Blue in Hays has expanded its business and split into two different spaces with two different merchandise lines.

The store has moved its wedding dresses and accessories to 1012 Main St.

Kayla Rathbun, owner, said the new space gives more visibility to the store’s wedding dresses. The dresses had been stored on the second floor of the Something Blue’s space at 1008 Main St. Something Blue moved into the new 1,500-square-foot space on April 1.

The space was formerly occupied by Gypsy Rose. Some of the products lines at Gypsy Rose, including purses, are now available across the street at Salon Ten O Seven.

“We were hoping expanding would put more of our gowns in the view of people,” Rathbun said. “It has worked already. We have had a lot more appointments. We have had a lot more walk-ins. We see a lot more people stopped at the stoplight look in, so it is obviously working.”

The store is carrying about 400 wedding gowns with more coming. Rathbun said she is seeing new trends in gowns with many brides opting for ivory, champagne or blush over white. The store has also seen an increase in couples opting for fall and December weddings over the usual spring and summer events.

“It is becoming a trend. People don’t want to stand out there in 90-degree, 100-degree weather,” Rathbun said. “They would rather have their ceremony in the church and then have their reception and not take as many pictures outside and wedding gowns in snowy weather can make beautiful pictures.”

The store carries some mother-of-the-bride dresses, bridesmaid dresses and flower girl dresses, but Rathbun said she plans to expand those offerings. The store carries about 100 bridesmaid gowns currently and more online. Rathbun said the store didn’t have room to carry the bridesmaid dresses at the former location.

Rathbun said the bridal store is a needed service in the community. To find much of a selection, most brides would have to go to Wichita or Kansas City.

“I’d rather keep our money local,” she said, noting the store donates to a variety of local charities.

Something Blue will be open noon to 5:30 p.m. Tuesdays through Fridays, 10 a.m to 3 p.m Saturdays and by appointment.

The 1,350-sqaure-foot space at 1008 Main St. has been renamed Bluetique and will be a boutique. It will focus on clothing for men, women and children. The store also sells food items, decorative items and still stocks some of Something Blue’s wedding accessories.

The store has expanded its children’s clothing line. The store carries kids’ clothing from newborn to size 10/12.

“I have two kids,” she said. “I know it is hard to find places around here to shop for them.”

In women’s clothing, Bluetique carries small to 3X and in men’s the store carries up to a 2X.

Bluetique’s hours are 10:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. Tuesdays through Fridays and 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturdays.

Something Blue has grown significantly over the last three years. Rathbun started making paper flowers and bouquets and selling them on Etsy. A year ago, she opened Something Blue as a bridal store, and her enterprise has grown from there. Although the store still offers paper flowers and bouquets for weddings, Rathbun has had to delegate most of that hand work to her employees.

She said the two stores keep her busy, but thought they are complimentary.

Bluetique carries men’s, women’s and children’s clothing as well as gift items.

“I think it works really well because over (at Something Blue) it is a more serious side. It is a big decision,” she said. “Over (at Bluetique) we get to have fun, and we get to participate in all the downtown events. I feel we get the best of both worlds.”

Rathbun, 33, said she had difficulty deciding what she wanted to do with her life, but she says she feels she has finally found her passion.

“Under my name in the yearbook, it said ‘undecided’, but now I feel like I finally figured it out,” she said.

“I love the boutique stuff,” she said. “I get to show my personality when I am looking for items to purchase for the store. I look for things that I think are fun or styles that I like and that I think other people will like too.”

You can follow both Something Blue and Bluetique on Facebook.

By CRISTINA JANNEY
Hays Post

Technology education students from across Kansas brought their project to FHSU Friday for the Western Kansas Technology Education Fair.

These include wood projects, furniture, CAD designs and metal work. Each entry is judged and awarded a ribbon or medal. But Ness City High School thought big—they brought a whole house.

This is the second year the tech students have built a tiny house as a class project.

Brent Kerr, instructor, said the students wanted to stretch their abilities and learn more about the building trades, but the district knew they would not be able to sell a full-size house in Ness City.

The tiny house is only 200 square feet, 24 by 8 feet, but has a kitchen, bathroom and sleeping loft.

“So trying to fit everything in that amount—your kitchen, your bathroom, your sleeping area, your living area and still be a livable space is a challenge,” Kerr said.

Before the end of the year, the students will add a wash/dryer, stove top, refrigerator, concrete counter tops and on-demand water system.

The home, which is mobile, will go to Woodland Park, Colorado, where it will be sold at the end of the school year.

“We would never imagine we could do this,” Andrea Morales, Ness City freshman, said. “We have never done these type of project before, so it is really awesome to try to do this during a school year.”

Ryan Gabel, Ness City sophomore, said he enjoyed putting up the outside trim and siding. The class used steel framing on the house, which he said was a challenge.

As students and teachers streamed in and out of the tiny house, Gabel said he was learning to talk to people about their project.

Kerr said that was a very important skill for the students to take away from the project.

“Everybody thinks in a building trades class or CTE class they are probably learning about just that trade, but these kids learn a lot about visiting with people and having a conversations and telling them what they have done,” he said. “They are learning some communication skills that you can’t get anywhere else.”

Students throughout the day also participated in competitions, including communication, problem solving, metric 500 racing and technology challenge (quiz bowl).

In the morning, middle and high school students participated in a live communication project during which they had to come up with a plan or device to improve their CTE classes. The students drew posters and then gave short recorded presentations on their ideas. Devin Smith, FHSU senior in engineer, technology and design education, said the students practice communication skills teamwork, brainstorming and public speaking.

The students at Hays Middle School wanted to redesign their classrooms and do more computer models, and the students from Paradise Junior High School designed a technobot to help with internet crashes and privacy.

 

 

 

By CRISTINA JANNEY
Hays Post

The Hays Public Library Herb Day kicked off Saturday with a presentation on healthy cooking with herbs.

Americans cook with a lot of salt, which can be unhealthy, said John Fitzthum, executive chef and food service director for HaysMed.

Fitzthum’s presentation was the first of a slate of speakers for Herb Day, which was sponsored by the Hays Public Library’s Herb Study group. The event also included vendors at the Downtown Pavilion.

Fitzthum gave several examples where home chefs could make their own dishes using herbs with little or no salt.

Fitzthum began with a mirepoix, which is carrots, onions and celery sautéed with herbs. Fitzthum added rosemary, thyme and garlic to his mirepoix. A mirepoix is often used as a base for a stew or soup or roast, but Fitzthum also recommended trying it as a side dish or over a steak.

Fitzthum used no oil or butter, he let the vegetables cook down using their natural moisture in a non-stick pan. Even extra virgin olive oil has 90 calories per tablespoon.

Instead of throwing away his leftover onion bits, the bottom of the celery stalk or the extra bits of carrot and additional herbs, he threw them in a pot with water to reduce into a vegetable broth. He suggested to reduce the liquid by half.

“We often don’t think about it, but we go to the store and we buy a can of beef stock or we buy a can of vegetable stock, but if you look at the label and what is the first thing on the label? Salt. It might not be the first thing, but there is a lot,” he said.

After you cook the broth, the veggies can still go in the compost.

“Everything is processed,” he said. “What I am doing here is processing, but you have to think about how the process is taken. Has it been designed to sit on the shelf for 580 days? When you buy a manufactured can of soup, it is designed to sit on the shelf for 580 days. We all eat it. You eat it. I eat it, but at some point we have to bring this back in. What you are doing being interested in herbs and growing herbs is phenomenal. The more (herbs) we use and the more (herbs) we talk about, the less (salt) we use.”

You can use dried herbs in recipes if they call for fresh, but you will need to cut the herbs in half. Two tablespoons fresh becomes one tablespoon of a dried herb, for example.

He said a key to cooking well is full experiencing the dish as you cook.

“We always say cooking is about taste, but cooking I start to hear it sizzle. I can smell it. I can see it and of course I’m going to taste it. We often underestimate when we are doing a recipe and this is the biggest thing I see … It says 10 minutes add this, add that and we follow it by the book and it is terrible because we are not hearing, we are not seeing, we are not tasting.”

As the mirepoix and vegetable stock cooked down, Fitzthum made a basil pesto. Fitzthum left out the salt when he made his pesto.

Pesto is multi-functional. It can be over pasta or in rice, quinoa or couscous. You can also substitute half of your mayonnaise with pesto.

Fresh basil can also be used with mozzarella, fresh tomato slices and balsamic vinegar to make a quick caprese salad,

“If you are cooking for a thousand people a day, we use a lot of fresh basil, but we don’t get into the different kids of basil. There is lemon basil and orange basil. You get into different flavors and that is how you change your recipe.

“I don’t want to beat anybody I up, I eat the fast food to. I don’t want to be a hypocrite, but I think we get too involved in everything- has-to-taste-the-same-every-time mentality.”

Bringing in fresh ingredients, makes the food so much better, he said. The hospital has planted a herb garden, and Fitzthum is trying to compost.

By CRISTINA JANNEY
Hays Post

After multiple moves during the last 17 years, Northglen Antiques hopes it has found its final home on south Vine Street in Hays.

The antique store opened Monday at its new location at 2010 Vine, moving from the former sale barn on north Vine Street north of Walmart.

The business was originally located at the corner of 43rd and Vine streets, where Wendy’s now sits. The business was in the Wiesner Building downtown until that building was sold. The business was also in Ellis for a time.

Sue McRae Bickle said she has purchased their current building and has no intention of moving again. She said she hoped the new location will increase visibility and traffic.

“Here’s what I tell people,” Bickle said. “I have had a shop downtown. I have had a shop out of town. Today, I have a shop uptown. We are now uptown.”

Right now, she is occupying about 2,500 square feet of the building, but there is more space in the rear and a second attached building that she hopes to remodel and expand into. At the downtown location, she was able to have booth space for other antique vendors and said she would love to be able to offer that again.

“It brought a lot of people in,” she said of vendors, “and most everybody found something.”

Bickle began her business in 2001 by importing antiques from Scotland, her family’s ancestral home. She still has many pieces from Scotland, including art, furniture, clocks and stained glass, and carries new Celtic items, such as kilts, tartans and jewelry.

Bickle is the fifth generation to live in North America. Her family came from Scotland to Canada in the middle 1800s. The family settled in Hays, when Bickle was 4. The whole business started from one family trip to Scotland with her father and siblings. She said the trip was more than a vacation, but an education. She felt the history and the land and has had a special connection to the place ever since.

“I had a strong desire to go back, and this was my way,” she said of the antique shop.

She was talking to a Scottish cab driver during one of her trips about her desire to keep coming home to Scotland, and he said, “Aye, I know. You had a bloody spiritual connection, you did.”

In the early years of the business, Bickle was traveling to Scotland twice a year and sending a couple of semi boxes of Scottish antiques back to the States. The store was known regionally for its Scottish wares.

Once she gets the store established in its new locations, Bickle said she would like to resume her trips to Scotland.

However, she has expanded into American antiques. Many local families have come to Bickle to sell estate items, including furniture, glassware and quilts.

In the front section of the building, Bickle has set up a library area with her antique books. Above the main bookcase is a painting of the ancestral clan seat, Eilean Donan Castle. The famous landmark can be found in photographs and postcards all of the world. Bickle even saw a photo of castle on a TV box in the States.

With the rise of the digital age, some argue the printed word is becoming obsolete. However, Bickle is seeing a renewed interest in antique books. The collection is now categorized by subject, including poetry, history, military and more. Her oldest editions go back to the mid-1800s.

Northglen’s new location on Vine used to be a pool and spa dealer. The showroom space was designed with nooks to showcase hot tubs. Bickle has used those spaces to her advantage, setting them as vignettes.

The oldest item in shop is an oak and walnut European prayer cabinet that was likely carved in the 16th century. Bickle has spent years trying to interpret the meaning of the carvings on the piece, which depicts the crucifixion of Christ. She does not know but thinks it may have been carved by unskilled monks and, based on the design, may have held the sacraments for a small community church.

The cabinet is for sale to the right buyer. Bickle said she would love to see the piece in a museum.

The store also has a painting by John C. Thorns Jr. He was the chairman of the Fort Hays State art department from 1973 to 1990. The Moss-Thorns Gallery at FHSU was named for him.

On visiting the shop, you might also get to meet the store’s three mascots — Scotty dogs Heather May, Bonnie Bell and Bella Rae.

The shop is open 10:30 a.m. to 6 p.m. Mondays through Saturdays, except for Fridays when it closes at 5 p.m. The store is also open 1:30 to 5 p.m. Sundays.

Bickle is 60 — a time when many people are looking forward to retirement — but she said she has no plans to retire any time soon.

“I can hear people saying, ‘She’s moving again.’ Most people are ready to retire when they hit 60, but I don’t feel like this has ever been a job. I love what I’m doing. I love the people I meet, and it’s not work. How do you retire from that?”

By DIANE GASPER-O’BRIEN
FHSU University Relations and Marketing
Video/Photos by BECKY KISER
Hays Post

The definition of collaboration in the Oxford Dictionary is “the action of working with someone to produce or create something.”

Performing in the true sense of the word, two pillars of the community collaborated with classes from two of the city’s post-secondary institutions to build a gathering space for the ages in downtown Hays.

The Downtown Hays Development Corporation planned a 46-by-86-foot outdoor pavilion on 10th Street, about a block east of Main. The planning and design class at Fort Hays State University designed the structure. FHSU’s building construction class built it with some guidance from Commercial Builders Superintendent Geoff Withington. And an electrical technology class from North Central Kansas Technical College installed the electrical wiring and lighting.

The dedication of the new Downtown Pavilion in Union Pacific Park on a warm, sunny afternoon Friday was a long time coming.

Sandy Jacobs, former DHDC board president, said the idea of a downtown pavilion had been tossed around for more than 15 years.

The project was boosted from a proposal in 2012 to a plan that came to fruition six years later with a $100,000 donation from the Bob and Pat Schmidt Foundation and a matching grant from the Dane G. Hansen Foundation.

The DHDC sold 50 bricks and 24 larger cornerstones to the public that were placed in a wall on the north side of the pavilion. The wall was finished with a cement cap for seating purposes. An additional thousand-plus bricks were available after being removed from the sidewalk area to the west when a public restroom was built in 2017.

“I think the bricks add a lot of history,” said Sara Bloom, DHDC executive director.

Dustin Roths, current DHDC board president, called the pavilion “a gift to the people of Hays, to all of western Kansas.”

Kris Munsch, assistant professor of applied technology and instructor of FHSU’s building construction class, said he and his students enjoyed witnessing the public’s interest in construction. Several people drove and walked by to take a look at the progress of the project on Tuesday and Thursday afternoons.

“Oh my goodness, it’s a very visual project for the community,” Munsch said. “It’s a community investment.”

From the cathedral ceiling with a tongue-and-groove pine ceiling to the clay tile roof – and everything in between – FHSU senior Caden Schulz said the project was a learning experience.

“I’ve been really excited about getting it done and seeing what people think,” said Schulz, a construction management major from Wray, Colo. “I had never done a tile roof before, so I was glad to be able to be a part of that.”

The pavilion is available for use free to the public, and groups can reserve it by calling the Hays Parks Department at 785-628-7375.

Eight benches commemorating several partnerships that made the project possible surround the outside corridor of the pavilion. Four more benches have been placed near the public bathroom area.

In addition to the cement wall, more seating was provided with square limestone structures covering the 12 steel base plates of the column supports.

By design, the rest of the area is open space. Groups are able to bring their own seating if needed.

“We’ve had a lot of requests to keep it open,” Bloom said. “We already have musical performances and barbecue contests scheduled here. There are so many possibilities for this space. There can be dances and family gatherings. The possibilities are endless.”

The pavilion also features free internet access provided by Nex-Tech.

Dr. Tisa Mason, FHSU president, was unable to attend the dedication but sent her congratulations to all who were part of the project.

Brent Hirsch, current vice president of the Student Government Association, read remarks from Mason.

“Fort Hays State University is proud to have played an important role in the design and construction of the Downtown Pavilion,” Hirsch read. “This structure represents a strong partnership between Fort Hays State University and the Hays community, representing a downtown dream and the creativity and strength of approximately 80 FHSU students.”

“I can’t think of a better way to teach our students the importance of community,” Mason wrote. “Thank you for this opportunity for our students to learn, create and grow in their areas of study. We look forward to future partnerships and the development of new and exciting projects in the Hays community.”

Bloom agreed.

“Both Fort Hays State and NCK Tech are intricate parts of our community in so many ways,” she said. “A lot of time the partnerships are through the professors and instructors and not the students. This is the students getting excited about the community, investing in the community and maybe staying in the community even after they graduate.”

Munsch’s building construction class traditionally builds residential garages for its spring project. But he jumped at the chance for something different.

“This is by far more interesting than a garage, partly because of the scale of the project,” he said. “A garage is about 10 yards of concrete, and this was 90 yards.”

Allen Hill, chair of the electrical technology department at the Hays campus of NCK Tech, said the project also worked out really well for his students.

“They’ve had a good time with it,” he said, “and it was a great experience for them.”

Other NCK Tech students also contributed to the project as the welding class provided decorative corbels on the underside of the roof.

Schulz said he was glad he had the opportunity to get to work with a professional construction superintendent.

“Geoff is a good instructor himself,” Schulz said. “He’s been really patient with us, and we learned a lot working with him.”

Withington expressed mutual feelings.

“I truly enjoyed it,” he said. “I told the students this is a real-life experience. I’d like to do something like this again.”

Some folks hung around after the dedication, proclaiming the beauty of both the pleasant spring weather and the new addition to downtown Hays.

Bloom glanced around and realized that the pavilion was now open to the public. In fact, the inaugural event was scheduled for just a few hours after the dedication. The FHSU Jazz Ensemble and Quartet were set to play there Friday night during the city’s Spring Art Walk.

“We want this to be the most utilized shelter in Hays,” Bloom said. “I’ve heard it’s beautiful in the dark, all lit up. I can hardly wait until tonight.”

Munsch hopes some of the folks utilizing the shelter are the young people who helped build it.

“The students can really take pride in this,” Munsch said. “It’s about leaving a legacy. They can come back here 20 years from now, take their family under it and say, ‘I helped build this.’ ”

Hays Mayor James Meier said he hopes this can just be the beginning of other similar projects.

“Let’s think what else we can do to make our city better,” he said. “Let’s look at more campus to core. Let’s look to the future.”