Our Central Community Service Group and elementary students have been hard at work over the past four weeks giving our playground a fresh new look! From preparing the area to spreading mulch, students put their skills into action while practicing measurement, math, planning, problem-solving and teamwork.

A BIG THANK YOU to Bomgaars for donating around 80 bags of mulch and helping make this project possible!  Your support makes a difference!

Way to go, students! We love seeing our students learn, serve and make a positive impact in their school community!

Virginia Foley has been named Northeast Kansas Heart of FCE awardee. The award recognizes members for their grassroots  community involvement.  A member of the Farmerette FCE unit in Atchison County, Foley has been a member more years than she can remember. Her membership began as a young mother in Missouri and continued with career changes and moves back home to Kansas.

She currently serves as treasurer of the Atchison County FCE Council. Virginia enjoys sharing  with her community.  If you have observed one of the dozens of Barn Quits displayed across the county, the artists have probably attended one of the dozens of classes Virginia has taught.  A recent FCE educational program focused on Autism Awareness; Virginia shared information with the community at the Amberwell Health Fair.

An accomplished quilter, Foley provides leadership for an annual fall FCE Quilt Retreat. Funds raised support a senior scholarship. She also lead efforts to raise funds for the local Autism Support Group by designing a quilt for an FCE community quilt raffle.  Always willing to share her talents, Virginia is also an active member of  the Farmerette FCE club where she serves as an officer, teaches educational programs and joins members in creating a quilt annually for a second scholarship fundraiser. In addition to quilting, she is quick to share her cooking skills to support the community.

Foley is involved in Northeast Kansas Area FCE activities. The state FCE Conference will be held in Atchison in October; Foley has volunteered to organize a first-time Peace and Patchwork Quilt Show.

When not volunteering as an FCE member; one is likely  to see Virginia volunteering for St. Ann’s Parish events in Effingham or at the Quilt Department at the Atchison County Fair. In her spare time, Virginia enjoys following her grandchildren’s activities.

If Virginia’s contributions were measured in dollars, her volunteer efforts have contributed thousands of dollars to the Atchison County community. Virigina’s view of her contributions is  that  I just enjoy helping others. Someone needs to volunteer, why not say yes.

Volunteers are important to our community. Grassroots volunteers like Virginia are making a difference in communities across Kansas. Awards like the Heart of FCE salute these efforts.

The Family and Community Education organization offers local friendships, opportunities to learn about topics related to family issues  and encourages community involvement. Membership starts at the community level while establishing connections on the state, national and international level. Membership is open to any community member.

Atchison County Community Junior Senior High School congratulates the 2026 Homecoming Royalty, who were crowned prior to the football game against Pleasant Ridge on Friday, September 11, 2026. Kain Koontz was named Homecoming King, and Ava Handke was named Homecoming Queen. Rounding out the royal court were candidates Cody Falk, Benjamin Handke, Addison Potts, and Cora-Bella Tull. Assisting with the crowning were Madison Martin the 2025 ACCHS Homecoming Queen and Max Bottorff of the 2025 ACCHS Homecoming Court, along with crown bearers Lila Handke and Archer Eckert, the ACCHS cheerleaders and Student Council members.

 

Photo Credit: E. Noelle Walters ACCHS Student Council advisor.

Back: Ben Handke, King Kain Koontz, Cody Falk
Front: Addison Potts, Queen Ava Handke, Cora-Bella Tull

Homecoming will be held the week of September 21-26 at Falls City Sacred Heart Catholic School.
The Student Council has planned a week full of activities based on a “Mamma Mia” theme. This includes dress-up days for the high school students starting with Monday’s “S.O.S. Wardrobe Emergency.” Come dressed as an emergency responder or show up having a serious fashion crisis; Tuesday is “Winner Takes All” Sports Day: Represent your favorite team, sport or athlete; Wednesday is “Dancing Queen” Disco Day for all the 70s vibes; Thursday is for “Super Trouper” Heroes vs. Villains; and Friday is “Mamma Mia” class color day with freshmen wearing green, sophomores wearing white, juniors wearing black and seniors wearing purple. The K-8 students will join in the fun on Friday by wearing blue jeans and spirit shirts.
The All-School Homecoming Mass will be celebrated at 9:30 a.m. on Wednesday, September 23, in remembrance of deceased Sacred Heart alumni.
Wednesday evening the Student Council will host a community Taco Feed serving from 5:00 p.m. to 6:15 p.m. in the Roh Activity Center commons area. Hard and soft tacos will be $3.00 each or a taco salad for $6.00 with options for meal deals. The Pep Rally and Football Jersey Auction will take place in the RAC beginning at 6:30 p.m. After the pep rally, everyone is invited to stay for the football jersey auction and bid on their favorite football player’s jersey with the privilege of wearing the jersey to the Homecoming game and then returning the jersey to the player Friday night after the football game. The National Honor Society will sponsor the high school Homecoming Scavenger Hunt following the jersey auction.
Friday afternoon, the Student Council is hosting a hot dog picnic for high school students and staff followed by the high school class skits and games to be held in Tiehen Gymnasium.
The Homecoming football game, featuring the Sacred Heart Irish vs. the Osceola Bulldogs will take place Friday evening at Jug Brown Stadium beginning at 7:00 p.m. The coronation of the Homecoming queen and king will be held following the football game. Candidates for Homecoming Queen are Emersyn Courtney, daughter of Justin and Hilari Courtney; Dorothy Crouse, daughter of Liz Luna and Gil Crouse; and Hallie Jones, daughter of Luke and Celeste Jones. King candidates are Hayden Clow, son of Trischa Clow and Chris Clow; Bo Fletcher, son of Dallas and Trisha Fletcher; and Charlie Rottinghaus, son of Elisa Rottinghaus and Eric Rottinghaus.
This year, the Homecoming Dance will be held on Saturday, September 26, from 8:00 p.m. to 11:00 p.m. in Tiehen Gymnasium.