Examples of Excellence (Nov 2022)

USD 231 is proud of the daily accomplishments in our classrooms and buildings. We are frequently notified of awards, generous donations by community members, and other occasions that warrant special attention. The USD 231 'Examples of Excellence' newsletter is produced to share the stories of our student and employee successes!

Do you have a 'feel-good' story or accomplishment to share? Let us know by submitting the information HERE.

Congratulations to the GEHS football team on an INCREDIBLE season! In addition to a second-place finish in the KSHSAA 6A playoffs, several players have been named to all-league teams and coaches earning multiple accolades. Just a few of the many articles and video clips are linked below.

Thanks for taking us on a great ride!!!

• Championship-Bound
• State Send-Off
• Heartbreaker in Title Game

​Adrienne Mayer, Emily Hinrichs, and Selena Riddell from Nike Elementary spent time working with ​Sleep in Heavenly Peace, ​a local organization,​ to ​deliver a bunk bed to a Nike family just in time for the holidays!

​USD 231 ​employees Kyle Amos and Erin Riebel took several USD 231 students to the Special Olympics state swim meet in Topeka, K​ansas. Both staff ​members ​volunteered their time to coach the team ​during the 2022 Fall Season. All swimmers grew in both swim skills and confidence.

Approximately 7 to 9 USD 231 students participated in this swim season​ and did an outstanding job​ Congratulations and THANK YOU!!

The John Philip Sousa Honor Band is a nationwide organization that sponsors honor bands for junior high students. Band students through the 9th grade are eligible to audition for a spot in one of two bands. Kansas hosts the largest event in the nation by far. There were approximately 500 students from across the state of Kansas that auditioned for a spot in one of the bands. The Blue Band is made up of 80 students, and the Red band is made up of 100 students.

​In October, four students from Gardner Edgerton High School submitted recorded auditions for the Kansas John Philip Sousa Honor Band. All four of them were selected to perform in the band!

Alexa Rieder - 1st Chair Bassoon - Blue Band

Ricky Lind - 2nd Chair Bass Clarinet - Blue Band

Kyler McCormick - 4th Chair Trumpet - Red Band

Logan Stuart - 9th Chair Percussion - Red Band

Four Wheatridge Middle School students also made the band this year.

Eli Bitar - Trombone - Red Band

Natalie Madrigal - Bass Clarinet - Red Band

Alesandro Ramirez Morales - Trumpet - Red Band

Bre Volo - Flute - Red Band

Also, Alexa Rieder is the first student in Gardner Edgerton history to make the John Philip Sousa Honor Band 4 times! She will likely be the only student or one of a couple in the state of Kansas to accomplish this!

CONGRATULATIONS to these students!

​The following piece was written by Kinslee Stambaugh, a ​​reporter for Prairie Star 4-H Club. She is a 7th-grade​​ student at Wheatridge Middle School.

​"​Reporter’s Report- Prairie Star 4H 11/18.

The Prairie Star 4H club of Gardner, KS, had their November meeting on Monday, November 14th. The club has several USD 231 students and is actively involved in helping the community (see picture below). Each family brought a dozen canned goods to the meeting to help donate to the local food pantry. Additionally, it was decided that two children would be adopted by the club for the Christmas holiday. The club continues to look for ways to serve the community while teaching core values and leadership to the members. If interested in joining the 4H, please reach out to us.​"​

​Well done, Kinslee!

​GEHS students (listed below) recently traveled to Manhattan, Kansas recently, in order to compete in the KSU Programming Contest. Students worked collaboratively to solve one problem per round in a language of their choice. Teams earned points for how fast and accurately they write their program. There were five rounds total during the contest.

The beginning team, made up of Robert Falkner, Robert Ratcliffe, Sydney Stuart, and Logan Stuart, competed well together and earned an overall rank of 7th place! There were 26 teams that competed in the beginning league.

The beginning team, made up of Cole Campbell, Astrid Cooper, Spencer Hare, and Dayne Williams, also worked well together and earned an overall rank of 17th place!

The advanced team, made up of Simeon Dermyer, Peyton Freeman, Sam Laird, and Charlie McGill, earned an overall rank of 18th place! There were 30 teams that competed in the advanced league.

Please congratulate these students for their hard work prepping and competing!

​Jason Pitts, a GEHS senior, has been a Scout since he was in second grade and is now a LIFE Scout, finishing his Eagle Scout Project. His final project is a sensory wall, located in the 200 high school hallway, dedicated to all current and future students to interact with and enjoy. Congratulations, and thank you, Jason!

​A team of three students (Chase Walker, Senior; Brennan Cook, Senior; Aaron Hails, Sophomore) represented GEHS at the ASB 4-state Broadcast Journalism and Film contest in Springfield, Missouri, on October 29th and 30th. Twenty-two schools from the four-state region of Missouri, Kansas, Oklahoma, and Arkansas, plus teams from Texas and Florida, competed in timed divisions.

Brennan Cook, Aaron Hails, and Chase Walker placed second in the Music Video category. They received the lyrics and music to a song, then had six hours to create, film, and edit an entire music video. Congratulations!

​On November 2, GEHS had 10 students attend the Educators Rising Regional Conference at MidAmerica Nazarene University.

Educators Rising is the Career and Technical Student Organization (CTSO) for the Teaching and Training pathway at GEHS. During the conference, students participated in attending teacher lead professional development sessions, which included topics on play-based education, teaching problem-solving through math games, traveling as a teacher, finding and creating joy in your teaching career, and many more! In addition, the following students participated in our Educators Rising Competition Events:

Ashley Baalmann: Teacher Created Materials, Ethical Dilemma- Team

Anthony Carrillo: Lesson Plan & Delivery- Humanities

Grace Daley: Exploring Non-Core Subject Careers (CTE-FCS)

Emma Falkner: Interactive Bulletin Board

Taylor Fisher: Job Interview

Emily Stevanov and Lindsey Gulley: Children's Literature Pre-K - Team

Rhyan Harding: Exploring Non-Core Subject Careers (Psychology)

Chris Moreno: Lesson Plan & Delivery- Humanities (English), Ethical Dilemma- Team

Caitlin Nalker: Lesson Plan & Delivery- Career & Technical Education (FACS), Ethical Dilemma- Team

Congrats to Ashley Baalmann, Christopher Moreno, and Caitlin Walker, who qualified for the State Competition in their team event and individual events!