USD 489
Midwest Energy for provided several grants to Hays High School activities.
Helping Hands received $1,000 to have electrical work completed at their work site.
Teacher Sue Ann Tebo and her students received a $500 grant to be used in conjunction with Safe Relationships Week.
Jessica Roe was awarded a grant to purchase new vision screening protocols for USD 489.
Jerett Pfannenstiel received a $50 contribution to Project Graduation.
A group of area Girl Scouts participated in a painting class Sunday at The Niche in Hays. The girls painted Sparkles the Narwhal, which was the mascot for this year’s cookie sales. Each of the girls also earned a painting badge.
By RON WILSON
Huck Boyd National Institute for Rural Development
Is it a post or is it a rock? In central Kansas, it might be both. A unique limestone formation in central Kansas has given rise to the name Post Rock country. Now a dedicated group of community advocates is launching a new coalition to attract visitors to the Post Rock region.
Last week, we learned about the Russell County Area Community Foundation, which is supporting the new Post Rock Limestone Coalition. The coalition is co-chaired by Rosslyn Schultz of the Grassroots Arts Center in Lucas.
As we have shared before, Rosslyn went to K-State and met and married a Lucas-area wheat farmer. Her interest in wheat weaving led her to become involved in folk art. She eventually became director of the Grassroots Arts Center which specializes in outsider, self-taught art environments across Kansas and the Midwest.
Lucas is in the heart of a unique region known as Post Rock country. It takes its name from the pieces of stone which were used as fence posts by inventive pioneers more than a century ago.
When settlers came to the mostly treeless plains of central Kansas, they solved their fencing problems by quarrying and shaping slabs of limestone for use as fence posts and other purposes. Homes, barns, churches, bridges, caves, and water towers were constructed from the honey-colored stone as well.
In 1975, the book Land of the Post Rock was published. Kansas designated Highway 232 from Wilson to Lucas as the Post Rock Scenic Byway, but the underground stone formation went well beyond that highway.
For years, tourism leaders in the area had thought about working together as a region. When the Russell County Area Community Foundation offered a new grant program, it stimulated action to make this a reality.
In August 2018, Rosslyn Schultz and others started working on a grant proposal. This involved a detailed application and an oral presentation before a review board. “It felt like we were gearing up for a master’s thesis,” Rosslyn said.
The Russell County Area Community Foundation ultimately made a $25,000 grant to develop the Post Rock Limestone Coalition. This coalition represents 17 counties which cover this underground limestone formation. In March, 23 individuals representing 20 different organizations and 10 counties in the Post Rock area attended the second organizational meeting.
The region is located along a diagonal line from north central Kansas toward southwest Kansas. Russell County, including Lucas, is in the heart of this region.
The Grassroots Arts Center is located in three historic stone buildings in downtown Lucas. In back of these buildings is the Postrock Limestone Courtyard, a landscaped area highlighting what can only be described as examples of native stone artistry. Lucas is a rural community of 394 people. Now, that’s rural. Many historic stone buildings can be found in rural communities throughout the Post Rock region.
“Our group has a passion for limestone architecture,” Rosslyn said. “This layer of stone is found nowhere else in the world,” she said. “We want to educate about these stone buildings and the people who built them.”
“We need to get people off the interstate,” Rosslyn said. “A study showed that if we can get current visitors to stay one more night and eat two more meals, that is a $2.5 million benefit to the region.”
Eventually, the group hopes to have a visitor’s center or gateway, mobile apps for guided and self-guided tours, and an artist-in-residence program. “We also need masonry people to restore these buildings,” Rosslyn said. The coalition is seeking more partners to expand this effort. For more information, search for the Post Rock Limestone Coalition on Facebook.
Is it a post or is it a rock? In one unique region of our state, we find both. The limestone which served the pioneers as fence posts also became beautiful homes, stores and churches, and now serves as an iconic symbol for the region. We commend Rosslyn Schultz and all those involved with the Post Rock Limestone Coalition for making a difference by preserving and promoting these historic artifacts. I think I will post that this idea rocks.
TodayThe Hays Arts Council again sponsored its Famous Figures competition for Ellis County fifth-grade students.
Thirty-five finalists were selected to perform Friday at Beach/Schmidt Performing Arts Center. They portrayed figures such as Ruth Bader Ginsburg, Jackie Robinson, George Washington and Roy Rogers. The top three winners were
1.Will Eck of St. Mary’s Grade School as Erno Rubik, inventor of the Rubik’s Cube
2.Kaliyah Bannister of Roosevelt Elementary School as Michelle Obama, First Lady of the United States
3.-tie Johanna Jones of O’Loughlin Elementary School as Dolly Parton, singer and philanthropist
3.-tie Erin Ruder of Roosevelt Elementary School as Ruth Handler, inventor of the Barbie doll
A complete list of participants will be posted at the Hays Arts Council website.
By BECKY KISER
Hays Post
Not a lot of Fort Hays State University students living off campus are participating in Hays’ water conservation programs, but most of them would like to reduce their water use.
A survey of nearly 500 Hays residents by a group of FHSU students known as Water Wise Tigers shows there may be an opportunity for the city to target incentives to property landlords.
Sociology major Kiley Heine presented the findings to the Hays city commission Thursday night.
“Eighty-six percent of the students in our sample live in rental homes. Offering policies or programs that give property owners an incentive to invest in and install water-saving fixtures in rental homes such as low-flow shower heads, faucet aerators, low-flow toilets and high efficiency washing machines may help bridge the social gap between students’ desire to contribute to water-saving efforts and the reluctance to invest in water-saving fixtures and appliances,” Heine reported.
Other students in the Water Wise Tigers group are Diane Hernandez-Ramirez and Amanda Buday, who conducted the research under the direction of Dr. Brett Zollinger, chairman of the Department of Sociology.
By TOM COLE
RCT
RUSSELL – Open auditions for the Russell Community Theater (RCT) production of “The Complete Works of William Shakespeare (abridged) [revised]” will be held Monday, May 6 starting at 6:00 p.m. Auditions will be held at the RCT Playhouse at 5th and Kansas, Russell. Prepared audition materials are not required.
“The Complete Works of William Shakespeare (abridged) [revised]” features all 37 of Shakespeare’s plays, performed in just over 90 minutes by three actors. Fast paced, witty and physical, it’s full of laughter for Shakespeare lovers and haters alike. Join these madcap men in tights as they weave their wicked way through all of the Bard’s works in one wild ride that will leave you breathless and helpless with laughter. Written by Adam Long, Daniel Singer and Jess Winfield, The Complete Works is celebrating the 20th anniversary of the Reduced Shakespeare Company’s classic farce, with this thoroughly revised show incorporating some of the funniest material from numerous amateur and professional productions throughout the world.
Men and women of all ages may audition. Production dates are Tuesday through Saturday, June 25 through 29, 2019. The Complete Works of William Shakespeare (abridged) [revised] is presented by special arrangement with Broadway Play Publishing Inc., New York, NY. For more information, contact RCT at 785-483-4057.
Russell Community Theater is a non-profit theater company in Russell, Kansas. The sole purpose of RCT is to produce theater for the community and the surrounding area. Completely volunteer-driven, RCT is supported financially solely through ticket admissions and gifts from those supportive of community theater. Since its inception in 1986, RCT has presented 95 full-scale theatrical productions.
James Bell has joined the staff of Eagle Radio and Hays Post as a reporter and on-air talent.
Bell returns to Eagle after two years in Oklahoma, while his wife, Lisa, finished her doctoral studies in English.
The Macksville native, who earned his bachelor’s and master’s degrees from Fort Hays State University, has extensive media experience, including a former stint as a reporter for Hays Post. He previously served as news director for Tiger Media Network at FHSU and media coordinator with FHSU’s Political Science Department. He was also the news editor for the University Leader during his time as a student.
Bell can be contacted at [email protected].
USD 489
The Dane G. Hansen Foundation awarded Hays USD 489 a $25,000 grant to pay for costs associated with the district’s second-consecutive summer reading camp.
120 students in grades K-2 across the district will be able to participate in the camp this year due to the Dane G. Hansen Foundation’s generosity.
Students will attend camp from 9 a.m. until 11 a.m. on Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays throughout the month of June.
Activities will include reading and writing in small groups and a field trip to the Hays Public Library.
The 2018 Summer Reading Camp yielded several positive results for students who attended. Of the 112 students who participated in camp last year, 39 students were able to maintain their reading levels from the spring to the fall testing dates. 40 students increased their reading level during that same period. Only 33 students performed at a lesser level than their spring test date in the fall.
Fort Hays State senior defensive back Doyin Jibowu is among 22 undrafted free agents arriving today for the Chicago Bears rookie minicamp.
The minicamp will be Friday, Saturday and Sunday.
Click HERE for more from the Chicago Bears.
HFD
The Hays Fire Department will be inspecting and flow testing fire hydrants on Fri., May 3, 2019 in the area of Vine St. to Ash St. between 27th St. and 19th St. and also in the area of Hall St. to Oak St. between 17th St. and 7th St.
This is part of a coordinated effort by the city of Hays to inspect all fire hydrants in the city and flush all water mains annually.
FHSU University Relations
Two Fort Hays State University communication sciences and disorders professors and two CSD program specialists recently attended the annual meeting of the Council of Academic Programs in Communication Sciences and Disorders in San Diego, where they gave two presentations.
Dr. Karmen Porter, chair of the department, and Dr. Frederick Britten, professor of communication sciences and disorders, presented “Aligning CSD Course Learner Outcomes with University/College Accreditation Initiatives and CAA Standards.” The CAA is the specialized accrediting body for the master’s degree in speech-language pathology at FHSU.
Their presentation focused on the assessment plan that is being used at FHSU in tracking the course learning outcomes and how it ties into the specialized accreditation of the master’s program in speech-language pathology.
“It was reinforcing to acknowledge that FHSU and our CSD program is much further along in the process than many other programs,” said Porter.
“Our presentation was able to demonstrate how we have acquired and monitored the data and how we use the data for course and program improvement,” said Britten.
“Serving Students, the Community, and Clients through Telepractice Initiatives” was presented by Porter, Jacque Jacobs, Herndon Clinic coordinator and program specialist, and Stephanie Tiernan, program specialist. Joining them in this presentation was Dr. Jayne Brandel, former member of the FHSU faculty.
“Serving Students” described the innovative telepractice program offered through FHSU and a school district in southwestern Kansas and describes the initiation of the service and the equipment. FHSU uses this program in the graduate clinical education portion of the master’s degree in speech-language pathology. Telepractice Initiatives is able to provide speech-language services to an area of the state which would otherwise be unserved.
“There was considerable interest expressed by attendees in all aspects of this program,” said Britten. “The Council of Academic Programs in Communication Sciences and Disorders is made up of member academic programs in CSD from across the country. Faculty attend this meeting to discuss issues facing academic and clinical education in all graduate programs.”
“Having two presentations from Fort Hays State accepted for presentation is commendable, as the competition is difficult with many more submissions than there are spots in the program,” he said.
The CAPCSD promotes excellence in the graduate education of audiologists and speech-language pathologists by forming a conference program which facilitates continuous quality improvement of the programs.
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