USD 231 Examples of Excellence
July/August 2022
Overview
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.
GEHS Cross Country Team Members to the Rescue
On Friday, August 26, following cross country team practice at Kill Creek Park, two Blazers performed an extraordinary deed. While driving back together to the high school for the band event that night, Nate Wilson (senior) and Kennedy Krotzinger (junior) came upon a vehicle that was stopped in the middle of the road, doors open. They carefully approached and quickly saw the driver was in duress and the passenger was frantically trying to get help. The driver was experiencing a medical emergency and the passenger was unable to get a signal on their phone to alert authorities. Nate and Kennedy worked quickly and calmly to alert emergency response of the situation. Help arrived soon after and the driver was safely transported to a local hospital. Both Kennedy and Nate simply did the right thing at a time that was stressful and scary. We commend their actions and are so proud to call them Blazers. THANK YOU!
GEHS Students Compete in National Championship
This summer, two GEHS students (Cale Harlan and Derek Landis) earned a spot in the 2022 Abu Garcia Bassmaster High School Championship. The event was held at Lake Hartwell in South Carolina. The boys were 1 of 5 teams in Kansas who earned a spot at the national championship. They finished 39th out of 314 teams, which placed them in the top 12%. Congratulations!!!
Water-Willow Update
Students in Aaron Batterbee's GEHS biology classes have continued their hard work on the Water-Willow project. This month's edition of "Examples of Excellence " includes an update related to their phenomenal work.
In 2019, Hillsdale Reservoir received historic flooding that eradicated all the existing areas of some really good water-willow habitats. This habitat is a prime place for breeding bass. In 2021, the Kansas Department of Parks and Wildlife and the Leavenworth BASS Fishing Club received a grant to purchase commercial water-willow plants. Initially, these entities planned to purchase water-willow plants commercially, which presented many barriers (e.g., timing of when plants could be produced, inability to ship directly, excessive shipping costs, etc.). Discussing these initial roadblocks, a member of our agency's education section brought up some of the capabilities and assets some area high schools had for growing plants.
This led to another exciting collaboration. The grant funds were used to assist three Johnson County, Kansas area high schools (Gardner Edgerton, Mill Valley, and Shawnee Mission Northwest) to establish water-willow propagation projects. The high schools had different setups but included aquaponics, greenhouse, and wetland capabilities and would provide clean (free of aquatic nuisance species) and sustainable sources of water-willow, which can be harvested and transplanted into Kansas waterbodies.
This portion of the project took place over the school year 2021-2022, and saw mixed results. The high school classes learned a lot about what it took to sustain the plants, but struggled to gain increased production. The schools discussed their results and are looking forward to better results this coming school year.
During the course of conducting that portion of the project, stars aligned, and the State was able to purchase plants commercially this summer. After some delays from mother nature (i.e., high water and a summer thunderstorm that destroyed some plants), plants were purchased. In July, the Leavenworth BASS Fishing Club and Kansas Department of Parks and Wildlife were able to plant most of these plants in Hillsdale Reservoir. Some of the remaining plants are currently at GEHS where students are actively working to propagate new plants to be planted in the spring at Hillsdale Lake.
We are still in the early stages of determining how successful the plantings will be, but optimistic that our groups will see these historical areas of great habitat reestablished.
PRMS Student Wins National Championship
Tucker Brown, sixth grade student at Pioneer Ridge Middle School, won a national championship in Olympic Lifting for 11u age group in the 44kg weight class. Tucker also finished second in the nation for the 13u age group in the same weight class. Tucker, and his teammates at Lion Chaser Barbell, traveled to Las Vegas to compete in the national contest! Congratulations, Tucker!!!
National Honor Choir Participants
Samantha Scoggins, a junior at Gardner Edgerton High School, earned the right to represent our district in the NAfME National Honor Choir in November. Out of thousands of auditions from only the best singers in the nation, Samantha was chosen to participate.
Another student, Elaine Jensen (senior), was chosen as an alternate. We will be notified in September if she's selected.
Samantha (and possibly/hopefully Elaine) will travel to National Harbor, Maryland to sing under the direction of Frances Fonza.
The NAfME All-National Honor Ensembles represent the top performing high school musicians in the United States. So much more than a musical showcase, the ANHE program is a comprehensive and educational experience.
It truly is an honor and a testament to these singers' dedication to choral music that they were chosen.
Congratulations Samantha and Elaine, and to their teacher, Mrs. Kelli Baker!
Convocation 2022
Convocation is the only time during the school year in which all 950 employees in our school district convene in one location - with the purpose of kicking off the school year.
The 2022 edition of Convocation took place on August 9, 2022, and was amazing! Elected representatives and city leaders joined the staff as we heard about excitement, purpose, and dreams for our future from students, teachers, and our superintendent.
The 2022-23 school year is already off to a great start!
GEHS Band Students Perform at Shrine Bowl
Three Gardner Edgerton High School students were recognized for their outstanding work by being selected to play in the 2022 Kansas Shrine Bowl all-state band. This was the 39th annual Kansas masonic all-state marching band and is a significant accomplishment by these students.
Pictured from Left to right: Josh Droegemeier, Leo Schranz, Sydney Stuart (class of 2023)
USD 231 Welcomes New Teachers
In early August, the Gardner Edgerton School District welcomed 68 teachers new to the district for our annual New Teacher Academy (NTA). We enjoy supporting and celebrating these teachers along their journey as they step inside the classroom this year.
The mission of our New Teacher Academy is clear - All new teachers, no matter their pathway to the Gardner Edgerton School District, will be prepared to successfully teach the students of our community.
NTA is designed to educate staff members new to our district so they understand the district’s culture and direction, instructional expectations, and know where to find resources and support.
It was a phenomenal week of learning, collaborating, and the start of many friendships.
Summer Work Crew
In order to ensure schools were ready for students' and employees' return this August, several staff members went above and beyond in June and July as part of a summer work crew.
Picking and spraying weeds, trimming trees, mulching, mulching and more mulching, tilling, using hedge trimmers, digging out dead trees and roots, and filling in holes on practice fields were just a few of the projects they completed.
As we are all aware, most of this was done during an extremely hot summer. Thank you to this team for all their hard work this summer!!!
Share Your Story with Us!!!
Do you have a 'feel-good' story or accomplishment to share? Let us know by submitting the information HERE.
Gardner Edgerton USD 231
Website: www.usd231.com
Location: 231 East Madison Street, Gardner, KS, USA
Phone: (913) 856-2000
Facebook: facebook.com/gardneredgerton
Twitter: @gardneredgerton