This year, more than 2,000 artworks were submitted by teens across Eastern Kansas in the Scholastic Art contest. From those entries, 611 creative teens from Eastern Kansas received regional honors, including Gold Keys, Silver Keys, Honorable Mentions, and American Visions & Voices nominations, from local Scholastic Awards Affiliate Mark Arts. Award recipients’ work was recognized by a panel of creative professionals as the most outstanding work submitted among thier peers.

Royal Valley HS senior Hannah Bechtel had two of her creations recognized by Scholastic. She received a Silver Key for "i don't remember her face" Painting (Pictured on the right). She also was awarded

Honorable Mention for her Thermal Digital Art (Pictured on the left).

Scholastic will recognize these artists with a show at Mark Arts in Wichita. The opening reception event is on February 9 from 4:00-6:00 p.m. Artists' friends, family and teachers are invited to Mark Arts to view the incredible talent on display and celebrate the arts with students from across the state. Guests will enjoy live music by Wichita Public Schools musicians and photo ops. Artists are encouraged to pick up their Scholastic Certificates and Pins at the event.

SCHOLASTIC ART AWARDS EXHIBITION: The Eastern Kansas Scholastic Art Awards Exhibition will be on view at Mark Arts in Wichita, KS at 1307 N. Rock Road from February 9 through March 23. Galleries are open to the public 10 a.m. – 5 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday. Admission is free. Only American Vision nominees, Gold Key and Silver Key Award recipients will be on view at Mark Arts. Honorable Mentions will not be on view in the exhibition due to space limitations.

Congratulations, Hannah!

This is Catholic Schools Week.
Falls City Sacred Heart student come in annually to record messages about their school that has provided Catholic Educaton in Falls City for more than 130 years.

By Wrigly Williams

JAN 26, 2024

Spellers from all across Nemaha County gathered at the NCEMS gym on Saturday, January 20, for the 2024 Nemaha County Spelling Bee. There were a total of 18 ambitious spellers ranging from 4th grade to 8th grade. The participants from NCEMS were Abbott Sullivan 6th grade, Kaden Sperfslage 7th grade, Jayla Nolte 7th grade, Lilly Leis 8th grade, and Will Martin 6th grade. The participants from SPPS were Kennedy Carlson 8th grade, Kaylin Kohake 6th grade, Simon Strathman 5th grade, Logan Uphaus 8th grade, Liam Felder 8th grade, and Fabrizzio Kramer 8th grade. The participants from Centralia were Carlee Steinlage 7th grade, Piper Koch 4th grade, Avery Deters 6th grade, and Kya Franklin 8th grade. The participants from Sabetha were Eli Rebant 6th grade, Emmett Kroll 7th grade, and Reed Toedman 8th grade. 

Unfortunately, not all of the spellers that qualified for the County Bee could make it but, it was still a great turnout. The winner of the County Bee would advance to the Sunflower State Spelling Bee in Salina. 

Once the spellers arrived, they had to draw a number from a cup and that number would be the seat they sit in and also the order they would go in to spell. Once everyone was in their seats and ready to go, the spelling bee commenced. 

All of the spellers got a practice round to get their nerves out before the real thing. Once each speller got to the podium, they were asked to state their name, grade, and school. The practice round started with Kennedy Carlson and ended with Reed Toedman. This order would remain the same until the very end. 

Once the practice round was over, it was time for the real thing. Round one started off with some challenging words that ended up eliminating three spellers, Piper Koch, Simon Strathman, and Avery Deters. 

Round two was a difficult round with lots of hard words that took a little longer than round one. The round eventually ended with spellers Kaylin Kohake, Logan Uphaus, and Emmett Kroll getting out. 

It was obvious now that with each round the words would progress and get more and more difficult. Round three proved this theory by eliminating four spellers, Carlee Steinlage, Liam Felder, Eli Rebant, and Reed Toedman.

Round four got increasingly difficult and ended up eliminating another four spellers including Kennedy Carlson, Kaden Sperfslage, Kya Franklin, and Will Martin. 

Round five had very tough words like hypocaust and luciferin and many more confusing words. But, when the round was complete, only one person got out, speller Jayla Nolte.

There were only three remaining spellers, Fabrizzio Kramer, Abbott Sullivan, and Lilly Leis. All three of these participants would get a medal for getting top three but we still had to decide who would advance to the Sunflower State Bee. The sixth round began with Abbott, then Fabrizzio, then Lilly. Fabrizzio ended up getting out on a very tricky word. That left Lilly Leis and Abbott Sullivan to duke it out to see who would be advancing.

Abbott Sullivan went first for round seven, then Lilly Leis, neither of them got out so it was off to the next round.

Round eight began and Abbott Sullivan got eliminated by a very difficult word. Next was Lilly and she got her word correct which meant all she had to do was spell a word right to advance to the Sunflower State Spelling Bee. The word was Mumbai, and Lilly nailed it! Lilly Leis is the Nemaha County Spelling Bee Champion and will be advancing to the Sunflower State Spelling Bee in Salina. Runner-ups were Abbott Sullivan, 2nd place, and Fabrizzio Kramer, 3rd place.  

Spelling Bee winner Lilly Leis said, "It was too early in the morning but I got up early enough and spelled hard words and somehow I won." 

Congrats to all of the participants for making it and everyone did an excellent job!

Nemaha County STEP Foundation Celebrates 31st Anniversary
? The local community foundation has been serving Nemaha County since
1993.
? Grants and scholarships make a positive impact.
? STEP continues to make Nemaha County a great place to live, work and
give. 2023 grant awards funded several projects in Nemaha County.
o $5,000 – Kelly Ball Association for a new playground in Kelly
o $3,500 – St. Peter and Paul Catholic School for a new playground project
o $4,000 – Nemaha Valley Community Hospital for activities to help inpatients dealing
with dementia
o $1,000 – Spring Creek Golf Course to refinish table tops in the clubhouse
o $700 – USD 115 - iPad mounts for speech generating devices
o $1,150 – Community Healthcare System Eastridge to become music and memory
certified
o $2,381 – Eastridge Nursing Facility to buy a geriatric manikin for completion of their
nursing skills
o $1,500 – Nemaha Central Elementary and Middle School (NCEMS) to purchase a molded
bucket swing for students with disabilities to use on the playground
o $3,273 – Northeast Kansas Arts Foundation for a portable sound system
o $1,500 – Sabetha Community Hospital for equipment for the pediatric occupational
therapy department
o $1,854 – Seneca Downtown Impact for a new, mobile friendly website focused on
visitors and tourists
One grant from the CNB/CNB Custody/Invisor Underprivileged Children Fund:

o $4,000 – USD 115 to provide basic needs to low-income students (some examples
include: tennis shoes, backpacks, nap mats, coats, gloves, lice treatment, hair brushes
and other basic hygiene needs)
Five new funds were opened with the Nemaha County STEP Foundation in 2023. The new funds include the Chad Baker Memorial Fund, Seneca Community Fund, Spring Creek Golf Course Improvement Fund, Seneca Knights of Columbus Improvement Fund, and the Northeast Kansas Arts Foundation Fund. These funds are improving the quality of life in Nemaha County and are eligible for Match Day donations.
“STEP’s third Match Day set a new record, receiving over 381 gifts totaling over $234,900,”
reported Tory Jost. The fourth Match Day is set for Friday, August 23, 2024, at the Seneca Free Library from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Online giving will be at stepupnemaha.com.

In other business, Tami Mars, Renee Meyer, and Maggie Grier were elected to the STEP
Foundation Board. President Marceil Hasenkamp thanked Elaine Mowder for her service on the STEP Board of Directors. Vice President Dan Heiman recognized longtime board member and president, Marceil Hasenkamp. “We really appreciate all she has done for STEP,” Dan shared. Ms. Hasenkamp’s term expires in January 2024.
“At year end STEP Foundation’s total assets were $2.3 million, an increase of nearly $500,000
over last year. This is a tribute to record giving by the community and strong earnings,”
reported Treasurer Tim Rottinghaus.

A delicious meal served before the meeting was catered by Home Cookin’ of Seneca. A special thank you to Koch and Company for sponsoring the meal.

Atchison County Community Junior Senior High School is pleased to announce the candidates for 2024 King and Queen of Mats. Queen candidates are Natalie Donaldson, daughter of Tom and Jessica Donaldson; Taylor Keimig, daughter of Cynthia Keimig; and Hannah Simmers, daughter of Jason Simmers and  Christina Graf. King candidates are Nick Cairo, son of Eric and Alexis Cairo; Landon Burge, son of Kurtiss and Kassandra Burge, and Cole and Kara Custer ; and Vincent Webb, son of Brad and Kristen Webb. The crowning ceremony will take place Thursday, January 25, 2024, in the ACCJSHS Gym, at 5:00 p.m., prior to the home wrestling duals with Santa Fe Trail and Perry-Lecompton.

Together Marysville is the theme for the Marysville Chamber & Main Street’s annual meeting and banquet. The event is Saturday, February 24, at Venue 36, Marysville.

Bridgette Jobe will be the evening’s keynote speaker. She is the director of the Kansas Tourism Division at the Kansas Department of Commerce, whose mission is to inspire travel to and throughout Kansas. Jobe joined Kansas Tourism in 2019. Previously, she spent over twenty-one years with the Kansas City Kansas Convention & Visitors Bureau. She is a past president of the Travel Industry Association of Kansas and served as chairman of the Kansas Governor’s Council on Travel and Tourism. She is a life-long Kansan.

After Jobe’s presentation, the organization will present seven awards. “We want to celebrate our local businesses, organizations, leaders and volunteers,” said Allie Argo, the event coordinator for Chamber & Main Street. “We invite everyone to make a nomination. We
want everyone to come together to celebrate Marysville.” The organization is accepting nominations for:

Business of the Year
? For a business with 25 or more employees
? The business demonstrates: adaptability, passion, is customer focused, vision, creativity,
integrity, communication, effective marketing, innovation and involved in the community
Small Business of the Year
? For a business with fewer than 25 employees
? The business demonstrates: adaptability, passion, is customer focused, vision, creativity,
integrity, communication, effective marketing, innovation and involved in the community
Volunteer of the Year
? Someone who gives to the Marysville community
? The volunteer possesses the following characteristics: communication, work ethic, problem
solving, energetic, professional, organized, reliable, passionate, compassionate, creative,
patient, teamwork, positive attitude, proactive, leadership and community focused
Business Design and Beautification Award
? To a business that has repaired, improved or enhanced the overall aesthetics of their property
to maintain the beauty of their neighborhood and surroundings.
Outstanding Customer Service Award
? This could be awarded to an individual or a business.

? Things to think about patient, going above and beyond, good communication, knows the
product, listening and learning, attentiveness, proactive, convenient, problem solver, positive
and persuasive To make a nomination, send an email to the Chamber & Main Street office at
marysvillecms@gmail.com or drop it off at 617 Broadway. Nominations should be at least 100 words long, and must be received by Monday, February 4. “People may make nominations in one category or several categories,” Argo said. “We are excited to recognize all of those who make Marysville great.”

Two other awards will be presented: Black Squirrel of the Year and the Legacy Award.
Chamber & Main Street members will vote on the Black Squirrel of the Year Award, and the Chamber & Main Street board members will determine the winner of the Legacy Award.
For more information, call the office at 785-562-3101.

Agricultural Education teachers from across Kansas met at the Wichita Marriott in Wichita, Kansas for the Kansas Association of Agricultural Educators Ag Ed Symposium on January 18th through 20th.  While there, teachers attended educational sessions, went on industry tours, networked with colleagues from across the state, held business sessions, and recognized award winners. 

Kim Clark, Royal Valley Agricultural Education instructor, is the award winner for the Kansas Association of Agricultural Education Outstanding Agricultural Education Teacher and the Kansas Association of Career and Technical Education (K-ACTE) KAAE Carl Perkins Outstanding Service Award. Clark’s awards were sponsored by Kevin and Rosemary Harris of Abilene, Kansas.

“Ms. Clark’s outstanding qualities distinguish her, highlighting her dedication to her students and her significant contributions to leadership development within the state of Kansas and beyond,” said Mr. Aaric Davis, Royal Valley Superintendent. “Over the past decade, Ms. Clark has demonstrated exceptional leadership by founding and nurturing the Royal Valley FFA program. Under her guidance, the program has flourished, with students actively engaging and excelling in local, state, and national competitions.”

The Kansas Association of Agricultural Educators is an organization of teachers of agriculture at the high school, postsecondary, and adult levels who seek to advance agricultural education in Kansas.  The KAAE strives to provide leadership opportunities, service, and advocacy for its members.

The KAAE is affiliated with the National Association of Agricultural Educators (NAAE) and the Association for Career and Technical Education (ACTE).

Thirty-two educators from Kansas are being recognized for their outstanding teaching skills through the 2024 Kansas Horizon Award program.

The 2024 Kansas Horizon Award recipients were recently announced by the Kansas State Department of Education (KSDE).

The educators will be honored at a special ceremony during the Kansas Exemplary Educators Network (KEEN) State Education Conference on Feb. 23 in Topeka.

The Kansas Horizon Award program, sponsored by KSDE, allows all school districts in the state to nominate one elementary and one secondary teacher for the award. To be eligible for the award, teachers must have successfully completed their first year of teaching and have performed in such a way as to distinguish themselves as outstanding.

The program is a regional competition with four regions corresponding to the state’s U.S. congressional districts. Four elementary and four secondary classroom teachers may be selected for the award from each region.

Recipients of the 2024 Kansas Horizon Award were notified of their selection by Kansas Commissioner of Education Dr. Randy Watson.

The 2024 Kansas Horizon Award recipients, along with their regions, are listed below:

2024 KANSAS HORIZON AWARD RECIPIENTS

Region 1

• Braiden Allen, Haven Grade School, Haven USD 312
• Marlene Barajas, Dodge City Middle School, Dodge City USD 443
• Jami Dryden, Fort Larned Elementary School, Fort Larned USD 495
• Zachariah Harvey, Oskaloosa High School, Oskaloosa USD 341
• Alexis Hattabaugh, Canton Galva Elementary School, Canton Galva USD 419
• Jenna Kimble, Union Valley Elementary School, Buhler USD 313
• Ashlyn Kuhlmann, Manhattan High School, Manhattan-Ogden USD 383
• Ashley Sharbutt, Hutchinson Middle School, Hutchinson USD 308

Region 2

• Michelle Barnes, Woodlawn Elementary School, Lawrence USD 497
• Blair Conley, Riverside Elementary School, Emporia USD 253
• Sarah Cormier, Jackson Heights High School, Jackson Heights USD 335
• Erica Harper, Atchison Co. Elementary School, Atchison USD 377
• Jacoby Johnson, Prairie View High School, Prairie View USD 362
• Allison Jones, Emporia Middle School, Emporia USD 253
• Leslie McCaffrey, Williams Science and Fine Arts Magnet, Topeka USD 501
• Jodee Nickell, Humboldt High School, Humboldt USD 258

Region 3

• Garrett Bates, Paola Middle School, Paola USD 368
• Janelle Craig, Olathe West High School, Olathe USD 233
• Larry Gazaway, Broadmoor Elementary School, Louisburg USD 416
• Richard Gutierrez, Turner Elementary School, Turner USD 202
• Brennan Mills, Indian Woods Middle School, Shawnee Mission USD 512
• Elizabeth Palmer, Rosehill Elementary School, Shawnee Mission USD 512
• Jonas Pippitt, Gardner Edgerton High School, Gardner Edgerton USD 231
• Taylar Flaming, Starside Elementary School, De Soto USD 232

Region 4

• Drew Carney, El Dorado Middle School, El Dorado USD 490
• Ivy Daugherty, Maize South Middle School, Maize USD 266
• Shae Enegren, Oak Street Elementary School, Goddard USD 265
• Makinsey Farber, Prairie Elementary School, Haysville USD 261
• Morgan Kaiser, Valley Center High School, Valley Center USD 262
• Haley Miller, Maize South Elementary School, Maize USD 266
• Brianna Oglesby, Prairie Creek Elementary School, Andover USD 385
• Elizabeth Toribio, Eisenhower Middle School, Goddard USD 265

Nemaha Central hosted their spelling bee on January 5th.  The top six students from 5th through 8th will represent Nemaha Central in the county wide Spelling Bee on January 20th. 

They include:
Will Martin
Jayla Nolte
Abbott Sullivan
Xavier Haverkamp
Kaden Sperfslage
Kyleah Bstanding
 

Valley Falls hosted their annual Spelling Bee for their 5th and 6th grade students.  Bailey Marshall was the overall Champion and Olivia Partridge was the Runner-Up.

Congratulations!

Congratulations to Asher Cooper for winning the Atchison Middle School Spelling Bee today! After several championship words, he corrected spelled "penultimate" to win the bee. Finishing in 2nd place was Abby Webb. 

Hiawatha Middle School held their annual school spelling bee Thursday.

Congratulations to Nicholas Aller, Jayda Reeves, Lexi Tawzer-Walsh, Dayne Covert (2nd place) and Rozlyn Mathewson (1st place)! These students will represent HMS at the Brown County Spelling Bee in February.

Congratulations to Rachel Gibson of D-West Elementary School for being named 2024 National Art Education Association's Western Region Elementary Art Educator!

Rachel will be recognized at the NAEA National Convention in Minneapolis during the Division Awards Ceremony in April.