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New superintendent says he is excited to be coming to Hays

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By CRISTINA JANNEY

Hays Post

Ron Wilson

The new Hays USD 489 superintendent, Ron Wilson, said he was excited to be coming to Hays.

The Hays school board voted unanimously Monday night to approve a two-year contract with Wilson, who is currently serving as the Herington superintendent.

The district interviewed four candidates for the position. They also included Keith Hall, Hays interim director of finance; Jamie Wetig, Ashland superintendent; and Mike Gower, Logan and Philipsburg superintendent.

“I think it is a great opportunity,” he said of the job in Hays. “I would tell you the first thing I am looking forward to is getting an opportunity to meet the people who are in the district and in the community.”

He said he was overly impressed with the people he met when he toured the district last week, adding they are already doing great things in the district.

“I am a big believer it is all about people who make our schools the best they can be,” Wilson said.

He said he hopes to have conversations with people in the district and then determine his priorities for the district.

Wilson said of the school board, “I think you have a very committed board who is wanting to provide the best opportunities for the students in the community and serve in a very efficient and responsible way. I felt a really good sense of camaraderie with the board in the sense of being able to talk about issues and things they have been addressing in the district over the past few years. I feel really strongly that it will be a great relationship.”

Wilson continued, “I am just super excited to get into the district and look at all aspects of what is going on and how effectively we can continue some of the great things that are happening as well address some things that perhaps we need to look at.”

Wilson, 53, has been the superintendent in Herington for two years. He was the Abilene Middle School principal for 18 years and also served as a K-8 principal at North Ottawa County. He won the Kansas Association of Secondary School Principals Principal of the Year Award in 2006 and the Kansas Association of Middle School Administrators Principal of the Year Award in 2015.

He received his undergraduate degree at Bethany College and master’s degree and superintendent certification from Kansas State University. He said he made the move to becoming a superintendent later in life, because he wanted to wait until his youngest child graduated high school before moving the family. A job in Hays would move Wilson closer to his aging mother-in-law in Colorado.

Wilson will be moving to Hays with his wife, AJ. The couple has one adult daughter and two adult sons. One son is a senior at Fort Hays State University, and the other son will be enrolling at K-State. Their daughter lives and works in the Kansas City area.

See related story: Hays superintendent candidate Wilson: Focus on what’s best for students

🎥 New Sternberg paleo fossil prep lab is a ‘crossroad’

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A representation of Hays paleontologist George Sternberg overlooks the new Dane G. Hansen Paleontology Research Center/Oceans of Kansas Fossil Prep Lab in the FHSU Sternberg Museum of Natural History.

By BECKY KISER
Hays Post

The new paleo lab at the Fort Hays State University Sternberg Museum of Natural History is now open thanks in part to the mother of Dr. Laura E. Wilson, curator of paleontology.

During Monday’s ribbon cutting ceremony with the Hays Area Chamber of Commerce, Wilson told the crowd it was one of her goals when she started at the Sternberg six years ago to modernize and expand the prep lab and research lab facilities.

“This is really important to our central mission in terms of a crossroads between research, collections, exhibits and education,” said Wilson.

As an academic, Wilson knows how to apply for grants for research and data-driven projects. But she did not have any experience in finding funding for infrastructure renovation.

“I knew we had to take a different path. So, thanks to my very Southern mother who taught me from a young age how to host a party, we came up with the idea of throwing a gala.”

In spring 2016, a gala for interested patrons kicked off a fundraising campaign. Another spring gala was held in 2017 and the initial capital was raised for the project.

“That got the ball rolling for being able to apply to the Dane G. Hansen Foundation for a matching grant.”

Soon after that, Mike and Pam Everhart came forward with “a very generous donation that helped us realize our goals were not only attainable but in a reasonable time frame, like my lifetime,” joked Wilson.

The Everharts are an important part of western Kansas paleontology and Western Interior Seaway paleontology.

The couple have been collecting fossils in the area for decades and donating them to the Sternberg Museum.

“The Everharts are number three on the list of most specimens collected and put into the museum,” director Dr. Reese Barrick said. “They are number two behind only George Sternberg for the number of fossils from the Western Interior Seaway that are here in the Sternberg Museum of Natural History.”

Mike Everhart is a museum adjunct curator and author of “Oceans of Kansas” which highlights discoveries made in Kansas by George Sternberg and other paleontologists in the state.

“I’m always amazed in telling groups about the ocean that covered this state for millions of years,” Everhart said. They give me this blank look like ‘we’re in the middle of the Midwestern desert here. What ocean?’ But when you start really looking at the discoveries that have been made in Kansas and the fossils that occur naturally – some of the best in the world – it’s pretty apparent that Kansas has not always been high and dry.”

The new “Oceans of Kansas Fossil Prep Lab” is named for the Everharts. It’s part of the new work area called the “Dane G. Hansen Paleontology Research Center.”

“Mike and Pam Everhart are among the most influential paleontologists in the country on the Western Interior Seaway and some of the most influential people in science in the state of Kansas,” added Barrick.

Kaiden O’Dell, a freshman geosciences major from Salina, is one of the first five FHSU students who have been training in the lab.

“Prep work is a large part of paleontology,” said O’Dell. “It’s not just getting the fossils out of the ground. It’s making sure you don’t break them once they do get out of the ground. We’re learning how to preserve them so you can do research later.”

Being selected to the first student team for training is a dream come true for O’Dell.

“Every little kid likes dinosaurs and my parents bought me a dinosaur encyclopedia. It had real stories about what they would be doing back then,” O’Dell recalled. “Later we came to visit the Sternberg Museum. I saw these amazing and beautiful fossils of fish and giant lizards that were in Kansas. I think it sparked something in me that’s never died since.”

Dr. Tisa Mason, FHSU president, described the advanced paleo lab as a “gateway to fascination, inquisition and science.”

The wide lab windows open to allow workers to explain their hands-on processes to people touring the museum.

In April, Sternberg Museum will host the annual meeting of the Association for Materials and Methods in Paleontology whose members come from across the United States and Canada.

Sunny, mild Wednesday

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Wednesday Mostly sunny, with a high near 63. South wind 7 to 10 mph.

Wednesday Night Partly cloudy, with a low around 32. South wind 7 to 9 mph becoming northwest after midnight.

ThursdaySunny, with a high near 53. Northwest wind 8 to 17 mph.
Thursday NightPartly cloudy, with a low around 19. Northeast wind 8 to 13 mph.

FridayA 40 percent chance of snow. Mostly cloudy, with a high near 27.

Friday NightPartly cloudy, with a low around 15.

SaturdayA 40 percent chance of snow after noon. Partly sunny, with a high near 29.

Public hearing Wednesday for reduced side yard variance

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CITY OF HAYS

The Hays Area Board of Zoning Appeals will meet Wednesday, Feb. 13 at 8:15 a.m. in City Hall City Commission Chambers, 1507 Main.

Agenda items include a public hearing on a request by James Werth for a two ft. side yard variance to reduce the side yard to construct a detached garage at 3113 Thunderbird Circle.

The board will also hear a requests from Alberto Solis and Fredy Urgell Sosa to reduce the street side yard setback from 14 ft. to 2.5 ft. to construct a carport at 217 W. 14th Street, and a request by Brandon Johnson for a variance in height of a detached garage, an increase from 18 ft. to 22 ft. at 3314 Thunderbird Drive.

The complete agenda is available here.

Phillips Co. authorities arrest Romanian national for alleged scam

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PHILLIPS COUNTY — Law enforcement authorities are investigating a scam and made an arrest.

Muntean -photo Phillips County Sheriff

On February 9, deputies were dispatched to the El As De Oros Mexican Restaurant, 609 3rd Street in Phillipsburg in regards to a quick-change scam which had occurred, according to a social media report from the sheriff’s department.

Security cameras captured the crime as it occurred and the suspect identified as 38-year-old Ghiolbana Muntean of Corona New York (a Romanian National)  can be seen exchanging large bills for smaller ones with an employee.

The quick-change scam works by quickly and repeatedly exchanging bills between parties until the victim is confused and loses track of what has been exchanged. It is a favorite scam of gypsies, according to the sheriff’s department.

Deputies were able to locate Muntean at a local hotel and took her into custody, charging her with theft by deception.

A companion with Muntean posted a $1500 cash bond and they left the area.

Hays, Russell vets talk pet health on Doctors on Call

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SHPTV

BUNKER HILL – Smoky Hills Public Television’s local program, Doctors on Call, will focus on pet health with Dr. Steve Mosier from Hays Veterinary Hospital and Dr. Matt Nichols from Town & Country Animal Hospital in Russell. This episode will air Tuesday, Feb. 12th at 7 p.m.

Doctors on Call is a program that provides medical information on a variety of different topics. Medical professionals from throughout the state travel to Bunker Hill to provide information and answer questions from the viewing audience. The program airs LIVE on Tuesdays at 7 p.m.

During the program, viewers can call 800.337.4788 with their questions for the doctors.

To submit questions electronically on a specific topic, viewers can send an email to [email protected]. Questions submitted through email must be received by noon on the day of the show.

Volga German Society Oktoberfest Scholarship winner announced

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Candance Miller, Alyssa’s mother, and Alyssa Miller, 2018 Volga German Society Oktoberfest Scholarship recipient.

The Volga German Centennial Association, is proud to announce the 2018 recipient of the Volga German Society Oktoberfest Scholarship: Alyssa Miller from Holdrege, Neb.

Alyssa is attending Fort Hays State University, majoring in elementary education.  Her Volga German ancestry goes back to Pfeifer and her great-great grandfather was Frank Pfeifer.  

Hays Oktoberfest promotes the rich heritage of the Volga German and Bukovina Germans who settled in Ellis County, Kansas. The Volga German Society of Ellis County and Rush County, along with the Sunflower Chapter of the American Historical Society of Germans from Russia, and the Ellis County Historical Society put on the event each year. It also celebrates the history of early settlers in Ellis County, which was created in 1867. The annual Hays Oktoberfest helps raise scholarship money for students of Volga German descent and promote the German Heritage. The booths at the Hays Oktoberfest also help support nonprofit organizations.

The Volga German Society Oktoberfest Scholarship has expanded this year to students attending North Central Kansas Technical College in addition to Fort Hays State University.  The scholarship is intended for students who attend or are planning on attending FHSU or NCK Tech full time and are a descendant of settlers from Ellis or Rush counties. A non-renewable $500 scholarship will be awarded to one student attending FHSU and one student from NCK Tech. All applications must be submitted to the Oktoberfest Scholarship Committee by Feb. 15.

For more information on applying for the Volga German Society Oktoberfest Scholarship visit https://haysoktoberfest.com or call 785.259.1425.

About the Volga German Centennial Society

The Volga German Centennial Association exists to promote and support surrounding Volga German Communities in the Ellis County Kansas Regional Area.

— Submitted

HAWVER: Property tax, pot proposals focus on Kan. veterans

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Martin Hawver
Everyone wants to be helpful to injured veterans. That’s just part of being an American. Those troops, whether volunteers or drafted, deserve our respect for their service…and especially if they have been injured in their jobs.

Now, does that respect make a bill more likely to pass the Kansas Legislature? We may find out this session.

Two bills specifically refer to wounded veterans for their provisions; one would put a cap on property tax increases, another would create the “Veterans First Medical Cannabis Act,” which would legalize medical marijuana and give those wounded veterans first access (for 60 days) to that medical pot.

Will respect or deference to veterans boost the vote, maybe get the bills passed, or is special treatment of veterans a gimmick to broaden support for the bills?

The property tax bill? It would freeze property taxes for some Kansans 65 and older whose household income is $50,000 or less, own outright (no mortgages) homes worth $350,000 or less…and veterans with a 50% permanent disability.

Sounds like a target group that many would like to see escape ever-rising property tax bills, like everyone else in Kansas, but a group which is identifiable and for which many Kansans have empathy.

The medical marijuana bill? It basically legalizes under an extensive, nearly exhaustive list of rules, regulations, boards and commissions the growing, prescription and use of medical marijuana.

Oh, and prescription of pot grown in Kansas for those who have medical conditions which can be alleviated by use of marijuana is for the first 60 days of the enactment of the law limited to veterans. Just veterans. After that, well, it’s a matter of what you can work out with your physician, nurse-practitioner or midwife. Yes, midwife.

No telling how this is going to work out for the legislative bills, and their beneficiaries.

The property tax lid? It is predicted to freeze property taxes for as many as 42,000 Kansas homeowners, saving them about $10 million in property taxes as their neighbors’ homes see their tax bills rising. No numbers on how many of those are veterans with a 50 percent disability.

The medical marijuana? There are polls out there that show more than 70 percent of Kansans favor legalizing medical marijuana. And, veterans have for years advocated for medical marijuana in order to help with treatment of post traumatic stress disorder and other combat-related issues, supporters of the bill say.

There’s probably a fine line somewhere on just when inclusion of specific beneficiaries of a bill helps it pass or when it doesn’t. Nobody has suggested a property tax lid for, say, law enforcement officers or schoolteachers or injured construction workers or notaries.

This isn’t a group of beneficiaries likely to be used as ornaments for otherwise tough-to-pass legislation, and it isn’t likely that they have been tricked or persuaded to become the centerpiece of bills that otherwise make pretty good sense.

It just feels a little…strange. And is a veteran’s 50 percent disability the right number for some medical reason or is it a provision that most people wouldn’t question or care to argue about?

Well, that’s how the Legislature works. There are towns where a large portion of the population has either served in the military or has family or friendship ties to veterans. There are also towns where rising property taxes threaten to force some retirees to consider trading-down or moving in with their children or to a retirement facility.

We’ll see where this goes.

Syndicated by Hawver News Company LLC of Topeka; Martin Hawver is publisher of Hawver’s Capitol Report—to learn more about this nonpartisan statewide political news service, visit the website at www.hawvernews.com

NCK Tech selected as a top automotive school

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According to Trade School Future, NCK Tech achieved the ranking of No. 2 in the nation for its Automotive Program. Daniel Kolbo of Trade School Future announced the ranking after a “deep dive into hundreds of the top trade schools in the nation to select our top ten based off of the projected value gained by going through the particular program.”

The ranking, based off five different criteria, includes average cost of tuition, typical debt-load of graduates, average early career salary, average mid-career salary and graduation rate.

NCK Tech has two campus locations – Beloit and Hays. Both campuses offer an 18-month Associate of Applied Science degree in Automotive Technology. Bob Gibbens, Department Chair of the Beloit program reiterates the criteria by which the school was evaluated.

“We work with students to go out after graduation so they can perform above expectations of most employers.” Gibbens adds that even though students receive a lot of hands-on experience in the shop/lab and through contests, “…at the end of the day going to work after graduation is what it is all about.”

“Employers from all over the state are calling asking for graduates to move to their towns or cities to come work for them,” stated Richard Cox, Department Chair of the program in Hays. “Our program takes pride in our students and we stand behind their education 100 percent.”

President of NCK TECH Eric Burks commented, “I’m a big believer that you build great things around great people. We’re blessed to have dedicated faculty and staff members who make our programs successful. I very pleased for the national recognition the Automotive Technology program has received, and appreciate the efforts of instructors Ryan Cairns, Richard Cox, Bob Gibbens, Brett Pfannenstiel and Mark Rathbun for all they do to make this program successful.”
Burks emphasized the importance of this type of recognition. “Ultimately, we’re elated for our graduates, as this ranking is based primarily on the fantastic return on investment they receive when they complete this program.”

The entire article from Trade School Future came be found at www.tradeschoolgrants.com. For information and to learn more about NCK TECH, visit www.ncktc.edu.

Kansas Farm Bureau Insight: Mentor and friend

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By GLENN BRUNKOW
Pottawatomie County farmer and rancher

My friend and writing mentor John Schlageck decided to retire. I doubt if retire is quite the right word. If I know John, he will be the farthest thing from retired — he just won’t be coming into Kansas Farm Bureau each morning.

In any case, the idea to fill the hole with guest columnists was hatched and I was asked to help.
I admit it, I struggled to come up with an idea. After all, I write a weekly column and to ask my little-pea-picking brain to come up with two ideas in one week is a lot. Then it dawned on me, the first column should be about John.

It’s an idea he would hate. You see, John would never go for the idea because he reveled in the focus of this column staying on the farmers and ranchers he worked for and not himself.

I also contemplated writing this in the same style John would have and then realized I could not. There truly is only one John Schlageck and try as hard as I might, I could never replicate his style and voice.

His writing has a warmth and depth that I have never found anywhere else. He paints a picture with words like very few can. A picture with depth, color and detail. One that takes you to the very place and time he is describing.

Over the past decades of service to Kansas Farm Bureau, John has explored every corner of our state. He has gone to places like Sin City…I mean Sun City (it’s an inside joke that probably everyone who has ever went to Busters can understand). More importantly he has covered nearly every inch of this state meeting the very men and women he worked for. Getting to know them so he could share their stories in vivid color.

For those of you who have not met my friend, although I know there are not many, the man is even better than his writing. John has one of those personalities that fills the room without taking all the air out of it. Much like his writing, he is always focused on other people rather than himself. That is an exceedingly rare quality and one that should be held in highest regard.

Shortly after I started my column, John gave me one of the best compliments I have ever received. He told me he liked my writing because I wrote from the heart and about things I knew. Those words meant so much to me because I knew that was how he writes. John never really worked a day at Kansas Farm Bureau. He loved what he did too much to have considered it work and all of us in the Farm Bureau family benefited from that dedication.

I also don’t want this to sound like a memorial because it is far from that. It is simply the last sentence in a very good chapter. I know I echo the thoughts of many when I say we wait with anticipation to find out what exactly the next chapter will bring. I don’t know what it will be, but I know it will be good.

“Insight” is a weekly column published by Kansas Farm Bureau, the state’s largest farm organization whose mission is to strengthen agriculture and the lives of Kansans through advocacy, education and service.

Fort Hays State professor judges KWU music competition

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Kansas Wesleyan University has announced the winners of its first International Festival Concerto/Aria Competition.

According to information from the university, the competition was conducted last weekend when 13 competitors assembled in Christ Cathedral to perform in front of a panel of judges including the following.

  • Julie Bees, Wichita State University piano professor
  • Genaro Mendez, University of Kansas voice professor
  • Matt Means, Fort Hays State University strings professor

Participants were competing for the opportunity to perform with the KWU Festival Orchestra during the International Music Festival. The winners’ concert is scheduled for 7:30 p.m. March 27 on the Kansas Wesleyan campus.

Pre-college winners include the following.

Cello
Brandon Rectenwald, Salina
Joseph Gogadi, Salina

Piano
Landon Wilson, Minneapolis

Collegiate winners include the following.

Marimba
Morgan Parker, Salina

Piano
Joseph Wu, Taichung, Taiwan

Violin
Alicia Mora, Hutchinson

Vocal
Stephine Gomez (soprano), Lyons
Brianna Anderson (soprano), Colorado Springs, Colo.

Sunny, warmer Tuesday

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Today Sunny, with a high near 50. West northwest wind 8 to 16 mph.

Tonight Mostly clear, with a low around 25. Light and variable wind becoming south 5 to 7 mph in the evening.

Wednesday Mostly sunny, with a high near 63. South wind 7 to 10 mph.

Wednesday Night Partly cloudy, with a low around 31. South wind 7 to 9 mph becoming northwest after midnight.

ThursdayMostly sunny, with a high near 53. North northwest wind 8 to 18 mph, with gusts as high as 28 mph.

Thursday NightPartly cloudy, with a low around 19.

FridayA 40 percent chance of snow. Partly sunny, with a high near 28.

Herington superintendent selected as new Hays USD 489 superintendent

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Hays Post

Ron Wilson

Update: The Hays USD 489 school board extended a two-year contract offer to Herington Superintendent Ron Wilson to become the new superintendent.

Wilson accepted the contract, and the school board voted Monday night to unanimously approve the contract with Wilson.

The district interviewed four candidates for the position. They also included Keith Hall, Hays interim director of finance; Jamie Wetig, Ashland superintendent; and Mike Gower, Logan and Philipsburg superintendent.

“Ron comes in with a really great attitude, a very positive, uplifting attitude,” Board President Mandy Fox said. “He has culture on the forefront. He really wants to build that culture for this district. He referred back each time to the same phrases, ‘We are here for the kids, ‘Is that is what is best for the kids?’

“I think he is going to work hard to instill that culture, not only to staff, but administrators and with the kids even. I think his focus is to bring everyone together and to bring some new ideas to what we are doing now with the board too.”

Wilson in his last two years in Herington has engaged in interest based bargaining with teachers. The board at one time used IBB, but has moved away from it in recent years. Board member Paul Adams recently suggested the board move back to IBB.

“I think he is excited to come,” Fox said. “I think his wife is really excited to come. They were very energetic when I made the offer, and we look forward to having them this July.”

Wilson will take over as the superintendent in Hays on July 1.

Current Hays Superintendent John Thissen will serve out the remainder of his contract, which runs through June 30.

Thissen resigned in October, citing personal reasons.

Adams said he thought Wilson was a very good candidate.

“I think his personality and his inclusiveness in bringing the teachers into his vision and building a culture is going to be very important for us as we are moving forward.”

Adams said he also thought Wilson’s desire to work with the board to find efficiencies is important.

Board member Mike Walker said of the four candidates, Wilson seemed to exhibit the most energy and be the most positive.

“I think that will be a good thing for our district—to have a real go-getter,” Walker said.

——-

The Hays USD 489 school board in its final agenda for Monday’s meeting will vote to extend a two-year superintendent contract to the Herington Superintendent Ron Wilson.

Wilson has been the superintendent in Herington for two years.

He will take over as the superintendent in Hays on July 1.

Current Hays Superintendent John Thissen will serve out the remainder of his contract, which runs through June 30.

Thissen resigned in October, citing personal reasons.

Watch the Hays Post for more on this story as it becomes available.

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