LHS WEEKLY MESSAGE
Week # 33: The "Pick" Is In
April 19, 2020
Louisburg High School,
202 Aquatic Louisburg, KS
Follow us on Twitter at USD416_LHS
Twitter followers: 609
Louisburg,
One of my favorite things of the year is the NFL Draft. From a very young age when ESPN first showed the NFL Draft live, I was addicted to watching and analyzing who I thought each team would pick. Now, back then, it was in the middle of the week during school, and I don't know what it was, but I always seemed to be sick that day. In these odd times, I am very excited for the normalcy of the draft that will be held next week, and I sure hope my team gets the best player possible. Interviews are kind of like a draft. You have the candidates, consider their strengths and weaknesses, and you finally make the pick that you believe will be the best for your school. This past week we had to make the pick for the next Assistant Principal/AD, and after much analytics, Louisburg High School picks……………
WEEKLY SHOUT OUTS AND OTHERS THINGS TO KNOW (FAQS AT THE BOTTOM)
AND THE NEXT "PICK" FOR THE LOUISBURG HIGH SCHOOL ASSISTANT IS ……..
Mr. Michael Pickman. It is with great honor and excitement that I announce the promotion of Michael Pickman to the position of Assistant Principal and Athletic Director. Mr. Pickman has lived in Louisburg for 12 years and taught English and Yearbook at LHS for the past 7. On top of that, he has been Coach Conley’s assistant for both boys’ and girls’ soccer. Here are several things that I would mention about Mr. Pickman:
1. Mr. Pickman is a truly dedicated teacher. He participates on almost any committee you can imagine, including the Building Leadership Team, the Social Committee, and Broadmoor’s Site Council (his daughter is in 4th grade this year).
2. Mr. Pickman is one of the first to sign up for anything and first to volunteer. You will find him at almost any STUCO event. Mr. Pickman signs up for as much extra duties as possible (detentions, scoreboards, scorebooks).
3. Mr. Pickman has provided ACT tutoring to our LHS students for years, helping many to reach goals higher than they ever thought possible, and helping Louisburg improve on our scores as a school.
4. Mr. Pickman is always at the front of any meeting. Whether it be a staff meeting or a much bigger district inservice, Mr. Pickman is leading the way in the front.
5. Mr. Pickman is always here. He only missed 1 and a half hours of school this year for a dentist appointment for his daughter.
6. Mr. Pickman loves Louisburg, and the only way he would have ever gotten in to administration would be to be an administrator in Louisburg. He is exactly what the Wildcat Way is all about.
7. I have all of the confidence in the world in Mr. Pickman and the fact that he will do amazing things in this position.
CAP AND GOWN PICK UP AND GRADUATION UPDATE
This message went out to senior students and parents this week:
We still do not have a date set for our Graduation, and the governor just extended the state's Stay at Home Directive until May 3. We are tentatively planning to make an announcement on a graduation date at that time, with the expectation being a weekend in July. We know how excited our seniors are to get their caps and gowns in hand so they can begin taking those pictures and sharing their memories with family, friends, and community. Jostens has agreed to come on site next Tuesday to pass out all caps and gowns to seniors. This email was sent to all seniors via Skyward:
Jostens will be set up in front of the school for a “Drive Thru Cap and Gown Delivery” on Tuesday, April 21. Please come at the following time by your last name.
From 2:00-2:30: Students with last name ANDERSON through GEORGE
From 2:30-3:00: Students with last name GILLIS through MURPHY
From 3:00-3:30: Student with last name NICHOLSON through WILLIAMS
Students will stay in their vehicle and the Jostens representative will ask their name and hand their items to them through the window of their car. If your student has a balance due on their Graduation order please pay online before the delivery to pick up your items.
SAYING GOODBYE TO HINKLE (Kind of)
Two years ago, I moved over from the AD/AP spot to the principal’s office. It was important that I find the right person to work with. Ketchup and ice cream are two of my favorites, but I know good and well that I never use them together. Scott Hinkle came to us from Liberal, KS, a place where he had coached and been an administrator while raising his family. Before I ever interviewed him, I was contacted by several people letting me know about a guy that was going to apply that was just amazing. Some former staff members that were letting me know even mentioned how much they thought the two of us would work well together. It was a slam dunk hire and unanimous choice of the members on the panel. Mr. Hinkle spent two great years here, and it was awesome to have him by my side. He quickly developed relationships with the staff and students, and the two of us made a great team. As you probably have heard, Mr. Hinkle is leaving the high school, but he is just heading a few football throws away to the west at the middle school. At the middle school he will be a valuable resource as the AD/AP, and he will bring with him the experience to be a great right hand man to Mr. Proctor, much like he did with me. I want to thank Mr. Hinkle for the past two years here at LHS.
LOUISBURG TOPS THE FRONTIER LEAGUE IN ACADEMICS
Last year was my first year as the principal of LHS. You always have to wait until the following year to see any results for the prior year. Last week I told you how I would brag on our students achievements academically. Here are a few pieces of info.
Here are a few fun reports:
Back in October, School Digger compiled the data for strictly testing. I had been saving it to show our students before state assessments, but I figured now is a great time. Of the 286 school districts in Kansas, Louisburg ranked 9th. To put that in perspective, there are 255 picks in the NFL draft I talked about. The 9th pick in the NFL draft is golden. On top of that, Louisburg moved up 57 spots, as we were ranked 66th the year before. Unfortunately, there won't be 2019-2020 data to share next year, as the assessments were cancelled due to Covid. Check it out for yourselves.
Background Checks just released their report about a month ago. They use a different methodology to rate schools. The following variables contributed to the ranking: number of students (K-12), graduation rate, school funding per student, student to teacher ratio, percent of students scoring above proficient in standardized state Math test, percent of students scoring above proficient in standardized state Reading and Language test. Data from a total of 10,247 public school districts were used to compute a score for each school district. The following states were omitted due to lack of sufficient data: Hawaii, New Hampshire, New Mexico, Utah, and Virginia. Note that high schools in some states have their own independent districts. Louisburg ranked 14th in their rankings, still tops in the Frontier League.
The Wildcat Way is a powerful thing, and we are just getting started!
SHOUT OUT TO OUR COACHES AND SPONSORS
Shout out to our coaches and sponsors
The bond between coach and player and sponsor and member strengthens the high school experience, and none have probably felt the sadness of distance more than these groups, but our coaches and sponsors are bridging that distance.
Mr. Chapman, with the help of the LHS softball community, had a sign placed in the players' yards that had players’ names and numbers with a special message to seniors on the back. Promoting that family concept and letting them know they are in his thoughts.
Coach Ebenstein and his staff conduct Zoom workouts for the football players. They can’t be together, but they can workout together, serving the dual purpose of socialization and staying ready for the upcoming season.
Coach Conley and the soccer community expected a continuance of success this season with a record number of seniors, but this teams’ success was also captured in a feature story on Channel 41 news, and while unfortunate the need for the story, the recognition was well deserved. He is keeping in touch with his team over Zoom. https://www.facebook.com/LBGWildcatsGirlsSoccer/videos/548050449248918/
The girls soccer team also participated in a video challenge where team members and coaches juggled the soccer vall and sent the video to Conley where he edited and posted on Twitter.
https://twitter.com/Conley_LHS/status/1251954723634233347?s=19
Mr. Tiedeman is keeping close tabs on the online progress of the band students and will be recognizing those students with Zoom shout outs next week as he connects to praise and check on his band members.
Mr. Burns took a special date to recognize his promising golf squad. On the day that would have been their first tournament he zoomed his team so they could all know he cared and have a chance to get together and chat to ease the pain of reality.
Mrs. Lane has used Zoom not only to connect with the basketball players for next year in what will be her new head coaching role but also as the FBLA sponsor by sending videos to her members and checking on them and upcoming videos will show how to apply to be an officer to continue to have strong chapter representation from LHS.
While these are only a few, our coaches and sponsors recognize the support they can provide our students and ensure that distancing and stay at home orders doesn’t mean they can’t remain a family and be Wildcat Strong and promote the Wildcat Way.
Sports and Activities Update
We are happy to know that in these tough activities related times that our local Sports reporter, Andy Brown at Louisburg Sports Zone continues to seek out and report on the news concerning our schools and students. Please find links to the recent stories available at his website. He will continue to do write-ups this spring.
SPORTS AND ACTIVITIES
2020 Senior Spotlight: Shayla Aye
Shayla Aye was looking forward to making school history as a member of the school's first girls swim team. Even though that season won't happen due to the spread of COVID-19, Aye was happy with the short time she did have with her new team.
Allie Boles
Softball has always been a big part of Allie Boles' life and she was looking forward to joining the Lady Cat program and helping them to another regional title. Instead, it was taken away due to COVID-19. Still, Boles was thankful for the time she had.
2020 Senior Spotlight: Michael Waldron
Trinity Moore hoped for that perfect finish to her senior season after starting off with a 4th state medal in XC. Moore and the Wildcat girls soccer team was prepping for a trip to the state championship before the spread of COVID-19 ended their season.
2020 Senior Spotlight: Garrett Rolofson
Garrett Rolofson was a member of last year's golf state tournament team, but never got a chance to participate at state. He figured he would have one more chance to get there and experience it all, but the spread of COVID-19 put a stop to his senior season
THANK YOU ANDY BROWN!
2020 Senior Spotlight: Avery O’Meara
Avery O'Meara has been a staple for the LHS girls soccer program the last 3 years and was ready to make her fourth all the more special. O'Meara, an all-state player from a year ago, has loved her time with her teammates and coaches.
In these crazy and troubling times, I am so fortunate to be able to take time to reflect on the past few years and how we have both continued to climb academically and continued to build a staff throughout the district that has a passion for Louisburg. Continuing that trend, this past week, we made a great "Pick."
Until next week,
Jeremy Holloway
Learning
Living
Leading
The Wildcat Way
FAQS
GRADUATION
One question that I keep getting is about Graduation. Louisburg, like most area high schools, is still in a wait and see approach. Graduation will happen, but when and what exactly it looks like is not as clear. I will tell you that we have gotten the bill for the caps and gowns, and the Booster Club is paying for them just like always. Seniors will be getting their caps and gowns. We will arrange a way to get these to students, and I will stay in communications on dates. I know that many are wanting them for pictures, and I don’t want anyone to miss out on that experiences. Huge shout to Jenny Diederich and Susan Caldwell for all they do with the Booster Club.
INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY (IT): 837-1711 or HELP@USD416.ORG
Huge shout out to our IT department which includes the whopping duo of Stacie Shaffer and Richard Griffin. The two of them have worked nonstop to make this transition as smooth as possible. They have added rights to sites, trained staff on usage, and done everything in their power to make this as successful an endeavor as possible. If your student has any difficulties with their Chromebooks, please use the email or number provided. That is Stacie Shaffer’s extension, and she is manning all of the repairs. She will schedule a time for meeting if a meeting is necessary. Best ways to contact:
1. Email: help@usd416.org
2. Call 837-1711
PERSONAL BELONGINGS
The other questions that I get on a fairly repeated basis deal with personal belongings. Until further notice is given, no personal belongings will be picked up from the school. The building is closed, and there are only essential operations going on in the building at this time. I know that this can be frustrating, and I appreciate your patience and understanding. As soon as something changes, I will let you know.
SO, HOW DOES THIS CONTINUOUS LEARNING LOOK? (THIS PORTION WILL REMAIN FOR THE REST OF THE YEAR)
1. When do students start? Classes should all be accessible on Monday, March 30. Many teachers have already opened some classes to allow students to get started, and that’s okay. Several students have been chomping at the bit, and you would be amazed at how many are ready for something to do.
2. How do students get assignments? Student at LHS are very familiar with Google Classrooms, as the majority of our teachers have always used them. Now they will all be using them. Our students are equipped for this. Parents can also follow along and to see the assignments in these same Google Classrooms. Any student that has access to this has what they need to be successful. Of course, always communicate with the teacher. Students should have already received an invitation to each Google Classroom if they weren’t already a member. My daughter is an example, and she has been contacted by every one of her teachers.
3. What if my student doesn’t have internet? Every student and/or guardian has been contacted and has a plan in place that will work for them.
4. How much work should my student expect? Your student should expect a workload of approximately 20 minutes a day per class. Some students, as with every assignment, will need less time, and others will need more. Teachers are aware of this. We at the high school are very aware of the variety of challenges that have been placed on many households, and we do not want to overload students. Again communicate with the teacher.
5. What will that work look like? Like all high school classrooms, the work will vary greatly based on the layout of the classroom and the class that is being taken. Some examples will be daily assignments, weekly assignments, and even long term assignments. Remember, those assignments will still average out to approximately 20 minutes a day, even if the assignment may take 2 weeks. At the high school level, students have been managing this all along, and now where these skills come into effect. This isn’t something to be feared. They got this.
6. What if my students don’t have the materials they need from their locker? Teachers are aware that students were left without books and many of the materials that they have used throughout the year. Lessons have been designed and resources added to compensate for this. Your teacher can give great advice, and most of our texts are online anyway.
7. When will students be able to get things out of their lockers? At this time, the building is closed until the end of the year. Food items have been removed by Mr. Hinkle and I, and there is no current time set for personal items until guidelines change. I will keep everyone up to date on those changes. I apologize for the inconvenience.
8. Are classes scheduled and face to face? No, there are not scheduled class times. This has been asked a few times, but, no, you will not attend your regular blocks at the regular time. There may be a few scheduled contacts, but not regularly scheduled classes.
9. How do students contact teachers? Every teacher will have three office hours per day. Some are lumping them, and some are spreading them out throughout the day, even into the evening hours. You can email a teacher any time, but, during office hours, you know that they will be able to respond very quickly and potentially chat in some way. Always try email first, unless the teacher has made other arrangements. Some students are having open Zoom meeting for students to jump in and talk and get help in a face to face computer environment. Teachers will also still have access to their school numbers. If you call their number, please leave a voice message for the teacher, and they will be sent an email.
Louisburg High School
Email: hollowayj@usd416.org
Website: https://www.frontierleagueks.org/public/genie/976/school/13/
Location: 202 Aquatic Drive, Louisburg, KS, USA
Phone: (913)837-1720
Twitter: @LhsUsd416