March 1 - Kansas City, Kansas Public Schools

Education NewsArticles from Local Newspapers About or Affecting our DistrictMarch 1-15, 2009Table of Contents:Brown saves best for last in Harmon win [basketball w/photos] (Kansan 3/1) ..................................................................... 4Schlagle ends KCK League schedule with two victories [basketball] (Kansan 3/1) ............................................................. 7Sub-State: 5A boys Lansing [basketball] (Kansan 3/1) ........................................................................................................ 8"Tails" earns Harmon the #2 seed [basketball] (Kansan 3/1) ............................................................................................... 9The Collaborative Celebrates Youth and Youth Workers [w/photos] (Kansan 3/1) ............................................................ 10KCK resident tells Congress of need for volunteerism, community service [w/photo] (Star 3/1) ....................................... 16Single-sex classrooms getting high marks (Star 3/1) .......................................................................................................... 18Five wrestlers earn state honors (Kansan 3/2) ................................................................................................................... 20Holliday's big first quarter leads Sumner to victory [basketball w/photos] (Kansan 3/2) .................................................... 22The Kansan's KCK League teams [basketball w/photos] (Kansan 3/2) ............................................................................. 24Sumner, Piper advance in 4A Sub-State [basketball] (Kansan 3/2) ................................................................................... 27Education rhetoric can’t wish away reality (Star 3/2) .......................................................................................................... 28Kauffman Scholars to host informational meetings for interested families of sixth-graders (Star 3/2) ............................... 29Slashing school finance will harm Kansas, children (Star 3/2) ........................................................................................... 30Sumner Sweeps KCKL in Winning Title [basketball] (Wyandotte West 3/2) ...................................................................... 31Wyandotte County’s Crop Could Produce Champions [wrestling] (Wyandotte West 3/2) .................................................. 32KCK player earns "top dunk" award [basketball video link] (Kansan 3/3) ........................................................................... 33Lady Sabres roll DeSoto [basketball] (Kansan 3/3) ............................................................................................................ 34Wyandotte's Newman nominated for scholarship award [wrestling w/photo] (Kansan 3/4) ............................................... 35Copeland, Downs lead Schlagle into second round [girls basketball] (Kansan 3/5) ........................................................... 36RECAPS: Girls 5A [basketball] (Kansan 3/5) ...................................................................................................................... 37Investigators: Dirty School Kitchen Inspections (KSHB, Channel 41 3/5) .......................................................................... 38KCKPS Honors February 2009 Employees of the Month [photo] (Record 3/5) .................................................................. 42Teen Techs to the Rescue! Rosedale Students Assist Senior Adults with Technology Needs (Record 3/5) .................... 43Area Children Design Ads for “Newspapers In Education” [w/example ad - White Church] (Wyandotte West 3/5) .......... 44Gun incident spurs comments on violence at schools (Wyandotte West 3/5) .................................................................... 45Holliday’s hot shooting sinks Bishop Ward at substate [basketball] (Wyandotte West 3/5) ............................................... 46McCleary claims third at state [wrestling] (Wyandotte West 3/5) ........................................................................................ 47KCK school board to discuss budget cuts March 10 (Wyandotte West 3/5) ...................................................................... 48Leadership camp offered for sixth through eighth-grade girls (Wyandotte West 3/5) ........................................................ 49Learning about the business of higher education (Wyandotte West 3/5) ........................................................................... 50Former school board member, coach and referee, dies [Bill Lindquist] (Wyandotte West 3/5) ......................................... 51Sumner routs Piper, advances to sub-state title game [basketball] (Kansan 3/6) .............................................................. 52Washington advances after strong fourth quarter [basketball] (Kansan 3/6) ...................................................................... 53

Wyandotte shocks Harmon, moves on to second round [basketball w/photos] (Kansan 3/6) ............................................ 54Education committee attempts to untangle 'at-risk' funding mess (Kansas Liberty 3/6) ..................................................... 56Defending champion Sumner Academy girls are ready to roll [bowling] (Star 3/6) ............................................................ 59Sumner too strong for Piper in advancing to finals [basketball] (Wyandotte West 3/6) ...................................................... 60Cold shooting sinks Lady Stallions [basketball w/photo] (Kansan 3/7) ............................................................................... 61Tough defense from St. James ends Lady Sabres' season [basketball] (Kansan 3/7) ...................................................... 63Sumner girls fifth in Kansas 5-1A state bowling (Star 3/7) ................................................................................................. 64Cold third quarter, tough officiating breaks end Wyandotte’s season [basketball w/photos] (Kansan 3/8) ........................ 65Holliday dominates as Sumner advances to state [basketball w/photos] (Kansan 3/8) ..................................................... 68Lansing closes door on Washington's season [basketball] (Kansan 3/8) ........................................................................... 71Sumner begins with defending champions [basketball] (Kansan 3/8) ................................................................................ 72Sumner defeats St. James, advances to Salina [basketball] (Kansan 3/8) ........................................................................ 73FoxTrot comic strip (Star 3/8) .............................................................................................................................................. 74SM South’s Haake takes third in Kansas 6A state bowling tournament (Star 3/8) ............................................................. 75St. Thomas Aquinas boys edge Wyandotte [basketball] (Star 3/8) .................................................................................... 77Students learn lessons on living — from a lifer [w/photos] (Star 3/8) ................................................................................. 78Sumner Academy knocks off St. James Academy 68-51 [basketball] (Star 3/8) ............................................................... 822008-2009 All Wyandotte County wrestling teams announced (Kansan 3/9) .................................................................... 83Half of Kansas teachers who lost licenses were involved inappropriately with students (Star 3/9) ................................... 86Washington to be keynote speaker at women's luncheon (Wyandotte West 3/9) .............................................................. 88Community Candidate Forum set for tonight, Wednesday (Kansan 3/10) ......................................................................... 89KCK League Newcomer of the Year [basketball w/photo] (Kansan 3/10) .......................................................................... 91OBAMA: 'WE'VE LET OUR GRADES SLIP' [with video link] (KMBC-9 News 3/10) .......................................................... 93Obama backs teacher merit pay, charter schools (Star 3/10) ............................................................................................ 95Obama urges longer school hours, extended school year (Star 3/10) ............................................................................... 97Kan. Debate Over School Funding Progresses (WDAF - Channel 41 News 3/10) ............................................................ 98Board approves possible staff reductions for next school year (Kansan 3/11) ................................................................... 99KCK Library to host "Back to School" workshops (Kansan 3/11) ..................................................................................... 100Stimulus money may keep cuts lean in KCKPS (Kansan 3/11) ........................................................................................ 101Sumner, Washington boys bowling teams finish in Top 10 (Kansan 3/11) ...................................................................... 103America has a long way to go to overcome anti-intellectualism (Star 3/11) ..................................................................... 105COMMUNITY NOTES: ARTWALK (Star 3/11) ................................................................................................................. 106Lansing boys, girls teams to play at state tournament [basketball] (Star 3/11) ................................................................ 107KCK School District prepares for staff cuts (Star 3/11) ..................................................................................................... 109NEWS ABOUT SCHOOLS AND YOUTH (Star 3/11) ....................................................................................................... 110Obama favors merit pay for excellent teachers [w/photo] (Star 3/11) ............................................................................... 111Strings attached to stimulus funds put Kansas lawmakers in a bind (Star 3/11) .............................................................. 115BUDGET CUTS... [w/photo] (Wyandotte West 3/11) ....................................................................................................... 117A further stats breakdown on Sumner-Hayden [basketball] (Kansan 3/12) ...................................................................... 119Hayden ends Sumner's season [basketball w/photo] (Kansan 3/12) ............................................................................... 120KCK students on award-winning KSU Black Student Union team (Kansan 3/12) ............................................................ 123KCK League Coach of the Year [basketball w/photo] (Kansan 3/12) ............................................................................... 124

KCK League Defensive Player of the Year [basketball w/photo] (Kansan 3/12) .............................................................. 127KCK League Freshman of the Year [basketball w/photo] (Kansan 3/12) ......................................................................... 128Newman wins $1,500 scholarship [wrestling w/photo] (Kansan 3/12) .............................................................................. 130Piper to increase eligibility policy? [sports] (Kansan 3/12) ................................................................................................ 131Kansas wins Metro Classic Wrestling Dual (Star 3/12) .................................................................................................... 132Topeka Hayden knocks out Sumner 66-57 [basketball] (Star 3/12) ................................................................................. 133Candidates disagree on building programs following teacher budget cuts (Wyandotte West 3/12) ................................ 134Smith secures state championship [bowling] (Wyandotte West 3/12) .............................................................................. 135Sumner Outlasts St. James in Substate Championship Game [basketball] (Wyandotte West 3/12) ............................... 136Wyandotte County Coaches tab top grapplers [wrestling] (Wyandotte West 3/12) .......................................................... 137KCK League Player of the Year [basketball w/photo] (Kansan 3/13) ............................................................................... 140Wyandotte High School Alumni Center Grand Opening (Kansan 3/13) ........................................................................... 141Vietnam Veteran shows high school students unique abilities [w/photos] (Star 3/13) ...................................................... 142

Kansan – March 1, 2009Brown saves best for last in Harmon winby Nick SloanHarmon's Cameron Brown swats a Brett Jones shot away during the Hawks' victory over WashingtonFriday night.

The Harmon Hawks earned revenge Friday night against Washington High School with a 93-75.The Hawks were led by Jauan Wilson's 25 points and Exavier Bass-Brooks' 17 points. However, it may havebeen Cameron Brown's career-high 16 points that propelled Harmon to the win.Brown energized the Harmon faithful by nailing four dunks and blocking a number of shots for the Hawks."Yeah, it pretty much was," said Brown, concerning if it was his best game in his career. "My teammates andcoaches did a good job for me."Harmon closes the season 15-5, a six-game improvement from last year'srecord. The Hawks clinch a winning record in the league after coming offtwo straight 1-7 seasons in the Kansas City, Kan., League.After a close first quarter, Harmon opened up a sizable lead in the secondquarter behind outside shooting from Jervon Hooks (10 points) and Wilson.After Harmon built a 36-19 lead, Washington was able to close the lead to48-40 by the half.Dominique Simmons (20 points) and Brett Jones (17 points) led Washington on two comebacks. After Harmonregained a 17-point lead, Washington was able to cut into the lead.However, late free throws from Exavier Bass-Brooks (12-13 from the line) and Wilson built Harmon's leadback into double figures.A full recap, with video, tomorrow morning.

Kansan – March 1, 2009VIDEO: Harmon defeats Washingtonby Nick SloanHere are interviews with Harmon head coach Heath Cooper and Harmon center Cameron Brown following theteam's 93-75 victory.

Kansan – March 1, 2009Schlagle ends KCK League schedule with two victoriesby Nick SloanThe F.L. Schlagle Stallions won their second consecutive game in the Kansas City, Kan.,League.Darius Hill's game-high 30 points led Schlagle to a 77-74 victory against Wyandotte in the final game of theregular season. Hill was one of five Stallions who scored in double figures.Jeff Jones scored 13 points, while Laray Yong poured in 12 points. Oye Hassan and Jevon Williams each scored10 points for Schlagle. Wyandotte was led by Cortlin Bank's 16 points. Trinity Hall and Montel Andersonscored 10 points a piece.Wyandotte looked in control of the game early on. The Bulldogs led 46-37.The Stallions responded. Schlagle shaved eight points off from the lead in the third quarter after outscoringWyandotte 22-14. The Stallions won the final quarter 18-14.

Kansan – March 1, 2009Sub-State: 5A boysLansingby Nick SloanThree Wyandotte County teams will begin their postseason in the 5A Kansas Sub-State bracket in Lansing. Allthree Wyandotte County teams will play in the county.• Bonner Springs (6) will travel to Washington High School (3) to play the Wildcats. Washington finished theseason 8-12, while Bonner concluded the season 6-14. Washington only lost two games at home this season,one of which coming against Sumner Academy.The winner of the Washington-Bonner Springs game will take on the winner of the Lansing (2)-ShawneeHeights (7) game. Lansing, 17-3, is the heavy favorite to advance into the second round and would virtuallyhave a home-game.• After dealing with injuries this season, the F.L. Schlagle Stallions were able to win some games late to earn ahome sub-state game. The Stallions (4) will take on Topeka-Seaman (5).Should Schlagle prevail, the Stallions would take on the winner of the Highland Park (1) and Topeka West (8)for the right to advance into state.Note: In 5A, two teams advance from the same Sub-state bracket.Both games will begin at 7 p.m.

Kansan – March 1, 2009"Tails" earns Harmon the #2 seedby Nick SloanThe Harmon Hawks will be the second seed in the Kansas 5A Gardner Sub-state bracket.The Hawks won a coin-flip Saturday morning against Pittsburg for the second seed. Both squads finished theregular season 15-5, forcing a tie-breaking coin-flip. The Hawks won the flip after Hawks coach Heath Coopercalled tails.Winning the second seed matches two teams from the Kansas City, Kan., League for a sub-stateshowdown. Harmon will take on Wyandotte at 7 p.m. next Thursday at Harmon High School.Wyandotte was swept by Harmon this season.Meanwhile, Pittsburg will take on the 10-10 St. Thomas Aquinas Saints

Kansan – March 1, 2009The Collaborative Celebrates Youth and Youth Workersby Beverly JohnsonAt a recent meeting of The Collaborative of Wyandotte County, the organization honored a Youth Worker and aYouth Volunteer. The day's events were opened by an Arrowhead Middle School orchestral group, led byMr.Frank Glaser.During the registration and at the beginning of the program, students played songs including Kabuki Dance byRichard Meyer and Impravada by David Shaffer.Erika Suarez is now in her second year of employment as the Bilingual Family Advocatefor the Youth Success project which is funded by the REACH Healthcare Foundation. Sheconnects under-insured middle school youth with needed mental health services.With a student population that is 52% Hispanic, Ms. Suarez provides interpretation andtranslation services for parents, youth, teachers and staff connected to Rosedale MiddleSchool. She assists with school registration, addresses student medication and medical issues, behavioralconcerns, absenteeism, and truancy issues. Students have come to trust Ms. Suarez and confide in her, seeingher as an advocate who will stand up for them.They often come looking for her regarding family issues, explaining to their parents that Ms. Suarez is a personthey can trust. When working with a youth, she doesn't give up, even staying after hours when necessary ormaking an evening visit to the home on her own time to ensure the proper follow-up.When she isn't at work, Ms. Suarez is committed to her husband and children, and their home is a magnet forher children's friends. She always has a listening ear and provides constructive, well-balanced guidance to thosein need.

Derek Lysinger, a fourteen-year old student, is recognized by neighborhoodchildren as a role model. They go to him when they need help with homework,and when they are looking for friendship, or just someone to talk to. He isinvolved with his church youth group at Remnant Church of Jesus Christ ofLatter Day Saints-1st Gathering Place, and holds a black belt in karate.He was nominated by Rosedale Development Association, with whom he has worked during two years withfirst-year KU medical students for their M1 Volunteer Day. Lysinger has also worked for Join Hands Daywhere he was one of 60 volunteers who worked on improvements at Whitmore Park.He helped paint the house of an 85-year old woman, devoted 26 volunteer hours to Hot Dogs in the Parksponsored by Rose Alert Neighborhood Group. He mows yards for elderly residents and vacant lots in hiscommunity. The young leader has distributed flyers, painted out graffiti, and picked up trash.As youth volunteer leader on the 2008 M1 Volunteer Day, he helped keep other youth volunteers on targetremoving ceilings, patching walls, painting, and doing clean up and yard work at Rosedale CongregationalChurch. He is pictured with his parents at the ceremony. Kansas City, Kansas can be very proud of theArrowhead Middle-School students who played superbly for our listening enjoyment.The History of The CollaborativeKeynote speaker for the program was Irene Caudillo, currently the Director of Children andFamily Services for Catholic Charities of Northeast Kansas. She related the history of TheCollaborative. In the early 80s the Greater Kansas City YouthNet established a metro-wideprogram to stop kids from using drugs and to make metro area neighborhoods safe.As the drug problems began to decrease on the Missouri side, they seemed to move westward to Wyandotte

County. As a result, agencies like the YMCA and YWCA decided to recreate the program as Wyandotte CountyYouthNet. Their goal was to educate kids, arrest dealers, and assist youth organizations in raising funds. Thefledging local agency became a coalition of agencies under the auspices of the Mental Health Association ofWyandotte County.When raising funds for Wyandotte under the Kansas City, Missouri YouthNet name became a problem, theWyandotte group stopped using the name. They decided to be solely Wyandotte County; they hired acoordinator, became an independent organization and hired their first director. Ultimately, Irene became theDirector of the organization that became known as Youth Opportunities Unlimited (Y.O.U.).Y.O.U. started an Advocacy group, the Back to School Fair and published a directory oforganizations working with or for the benefit of youth in Wyandotte County. They alsostarted “The Collaborative of Wyandotte County” to bring together representatives fromorganizations and agencies for quarterly meetings to share their work on issuesaffecting local youth, to network and to share information about their programs andevents. In later years, their member organizations were struggling for funds, and fundersdecided their money should go directly to youth organizations.About four years ago, Y.O.U. closed. The Back to School Fair was taken over by what is now Communities inSchools. The directory ceased publication. The Collaborative, with their news bulletins, funding opportunities,and quarterly meetings was turned over to—Greater Kansas City YouthNet. Through various moves and a numberof leaders who tried to keep The Collaborative viable, each move and each new leader resulted in loss ofrecords and loss of momentum.What used to be meetings with 60-80 attending, and sometimes standing roomonly at Wyandotte West Library, seemed to be gone from the community.About a year ago, the previous Advisory Committee decided to try andjumpstart the quarterly meetings, and they have kept the group going with their

own dedicated time and money.Now, the group is in transition again as they look forward to the possibility of a new organization steppingforward to provide some stable paid staff and funding to keep The Collaborative going and hopefully continuethe growth that was restarted during the past year. The Advisory Committee members are Sunny Church,Wyandotte West Library; April Dohle, Workforce Partnership; Beverly Johnson, currently retired; ChiquitaMiller, K-State Research & Extension; and Brenda Mortell, Heartland Habitat for Humanity.

Star – March 1, 2009KCK resident tells Congress of need forvolunteerism, community serviceBy DAVID GOLDSTEINThe Star’s Washington correspondentPhoto by Paul MorigiRecording artist Usher Raymond IV (left) was among those watching James Harris speak last week inWashington, D.C., to the House Education and Labor Committee.WASHINGTON | The career path of James Harris seemed pretty clear when at age 12 he was drawn into the“gangster life” in his Kansas City, Kan., neighborhood.“Kids are really living it at a very young age,” he says. “I found myself wrapped up in it.”But this past week, Harris, now 19 and a college student, found himself on Capitol Hill, where he testified aboutthe importance of volunteerism and community service at a time of economic worries.“If we don’t care about our community we’re living in,” he told the House Education and Labor Committee, “whowill?”Harris’ plea resonated in the cavernous hearing room. President Barack Obama had made a similar pitch thenight before in his speech to Congress.Meanwhile, both the House and Senate are readying national service legislation that hopes to draw thousands ofnew volunteers to programs on job retraining, education, green energy and other areas.“Whether it’s a middle-class kid on the way to college or a kid in a gang, it changes lives, and he’s a greatexample,” Alan Solomont, board chairman of the federal Corporation for National and Community Service, saidof Harris.

The marquee witness at the hearing was Usher, the Grammy-winning pop star. In 2007, Harris attended a campfor teenagers run by Usher’s New Look charity, and it steered him toward a different life.“I call us Generation S for service because we are a generation ready to serve,” said the 30-year-old entertainer,whose full name is Usher Raymond IV. “Together we are ready to change the world.”A-list celebrities are catnip for members of Congress, and Usher got the star treatment. But Harris stole theshow.“When my peers see me, it is a strong testimonial that anyone can achieve dreams, and if I made it, anyone canmake it,” he said.Both audience and lawmakers applauded.Usher appeared content to watch like a proud parent.“All New Look did was give him the opportunity and the tools,” he said. “He did the rest.”Harris grew up in the neighborhood around 27th Street and Quindaro Boulevard. Without offering details, hetold the committee, “I was involved in things that were not positive at all.”Away from the microphone during a break in the hearing, he said, “Most of the people who I used to look up toare either dead or in jail.”Harris never thought about going to college, just his dream of becoming a rapper. At J.C. Harmon High School,his interest in music led him to a young entrepreneurs program.That led to his being selected to attend Usher’s Atlanta camp for 16- and 17-year-olds interested in the businessside of sports and entertainment. He received mentoring and college prep work and worked in the city’scommunity food bank.Back home, Harris organized a voter registration drive in his neighborhood last fall, adding 500 new voters.Now he wants to help develop more community improvement programs.Harris nurtures his dream of becoming a rapper, but he wants wider options. He’s studying business at JohnsonCounty Community College and hopes to get his four-year degree from the University of Missouri-Kansas City.“I actually make my mom proud now,” he said during the break.To reach David Goldstein, call 202-383-6105 or send e-mail to dgoldstein@mcclatchydc.com.

Back to web versionPosted on Sat, Feb. 28, 2009Single-sex classrooms getting high marksTuesday, Mar 3, 2The Associated PressST. LOUIS | In Alicia Wall’s first-grade class at Carman Trails elementary, just girls sat at round tables, busily coloring and cuttingout pictures of candy. It was a math lesson in attributes. Later, they would sort out the pieces by color, shape and size.As they worked, they channeled their inner Hannah Montanas: “It’s the beeest of both worlds,” their little voices sang.Next door, in Sylvia Bronner’s class, a group of only boys teetered on stools at their tables, if they sat at all. They blurted possibleanswers in a raucous guessing game. “A billion?” Bronner responded to one boy’s guess. “It needs to be lower than a billion.”“One hundred sixty-two!” another boy blurted out.An experiment in single-sex classrooms that started two years ago at Carman Trails school in the Parkway School District iswinning over parents, students and teachers. And even though the school doesn’t have test data to prove its success, theprogram is growing.Last year, the school limited the same-sex classrooms to first grade. This year, it started them in second grade. And just lastweek, after meeting with enthusiastic parents, the teachers and principal Chris Raeker decided to offer the option in third grade.Private schools in St. Louis have offered single-sex education for decades. But more public schools are giving it a try and likingthe results. A charter school in St. Louis, the Imagine Academy of Academic Successes, and the high school and middle schoolsin East St. Louis are among the 500 or so public schools across the nation to try single-sex classrooms.The U.S. Department of Education noted in 2005 that the jury was still out on the effectiveness of same-gender classrooms, dueto “a dearth of quality studies” on the topic. But a lack of data hasn’t slowed the popularity of the approach, which has beentriggered by recent research that suggests the brains of boys and girls develop differently at young ages.Raeker turned to single-sex classrooms while trying to figure out why younger boys were getting lower test scores and gettingsent to the office more frequently. The boys were also going to the nurse’s office more often, not coming to school as often andnot participating in clubs as much as girls.“There were so many different indicators that said we need to look at these guys and see what’s going on,” she said.Groups like the American Civil Liberties Union and the National Organization for Women have spoken out against separating boysand girls in schools, saying such classrooms are illegal and discriminatory. Others say the approach promotes gender stereotypesand fails to prepare students for a world where both sexes work together.Raeker is familiar with those arguments. “We are absolutely committed to just the opposite, to letting girls know there’s nothingthey can’t do,” she said. She points out that parents get to choose whether to send their child to a mixed or single-genderclassroom.Sax said there are advantages to continuing to offer single-sex classes to students as they get older. As girls mature, he said,some show less interest in subjects like computer science, though fourth-grade girls actually outperform fourth-grade boys inmath.Even in first and second grades, Sax said, the gender differences are apparent.For boys this age, he said, it’s not easy to sit down and be quiet like a typical teacher might ask of them. Which is why the boysmove around from activity to activity, stand at their desks or teeter on stools, and love to compete and take on challenges.“Now, I want to see if I can trick you,” second-grade teacher Diandra Maguire recently told her class of boys during an activity ontelling time.Such tactics won’t necessarily work for girls, the school’s teachers say. Girls second-grade teacher Cindy Rudman dares not tellher class she is going to “trick” them. “I know five that would be in tears,” she said.The teachers present the same information to the boys and girls, but present it differently. Advocates of single-gender instructionsay boys seem to learn better if they are presented a concept first, then allowed to experience it before coming back as a group todiscuss it. Girls, they say, learn better if they talk about the concept first and then attack an activity on their own.Supporters of single-gender instruction also point to research suggesting that girls underestimate their own abilities, while boyshave unrealistically high expectations of what they can accomplish.While Carman Trails has no empirical data to show that single-gender classes are improving student performance, the school isconfident it’s on the right track.

School leaders say students in the same-sex classrooms are enthusiastic. The boys are becoming better writers, which issomething boys that age aren’t particularly strong at, says principal Raeker. Next year, they will tackle some research, have somestandardized state test scores to look at in third grade and will hopefully see results, Raeker says.For now, they bask in success stories of individuals like Lucas Reeder.Lucas, 7, is in the all-boys first-grade class and was diagnosed with attention-deficit disorder. His reading and writing haveimproved, and he loves being able to move around the classroom.“We don’t get calls saying ’he’s been having problems concentrating’ anymore,” says his father, Michael Reeder. “I constantly getcompliments from the people at school about what a sweet little boy he is. And it’s nice to see that he’s thriving in hisenvironment.”© 2009 Kansas City Star and wire service sources. All Rights Reserved. http://www.kansascity.com

Kansan – March 2, 2009Five wrestlers earn state honorsby Nick SloanFive Wyandotte County wrestlers placed at state tournaments over the weekend.Wrestlers from Turner, Washington and Wyandotte high schools each "placed" in the tournament.Turner• Jason Langford, third place in 5A Kansas in 140-lb weight level.• Luciano Gutierrez, runner-up in 5A Kansas in 215-lb weight levelWashington• James Wauer, 4th place in 5A Kansas in 119-lb weight level.• Bryron Roath, 4th place in 5A Kansas in 145-lb weight level.Wyandotte• Jerome Newman, 6th place in 5A Kansas in 215-lb weight level.Complete 5A results can be found here, while results in 4A are available here. Congratulations to the five.Posted by christy smith-poeWonderful news! I love coverage about other sports besides basketball!!!!! Great job to all those kids! Howabout the results from the Kansas Bowling Regionals too!Posted by Mark ZaringWhat about wrestlers from Bonner Springs.Caleb Seaton 4th place at 112lbs 5ATanner McClery 3rd place 285lbs 5APosted by Nick SloanUnder the state Web site, it said Bonner Springs had no wrestlers that placed. Apologies if that's incorrect.

Posted by Mark ZaringI saw that too but these two did place thanks.

Kansan – March 2, 2009Holliday's big first quarter leads Sumner to victoryby Nick SloanBehind Reese Holliday’s quick start, the Sumner Academy Sabres rolled Bishop Ward for the secondtime this season.The Sabres defeated Bishop Ward 87-43 at Sumner Academy Monday night in the first round of the 4A KansasSub-State Eudora bracket. Sumner, improving to 19-2, defeated Ward earlier this year at the Spring HillInvitational.Early on, Bishop Ward played well, beginning the game on a 10-5 lead. However, that’s when Holliday sparkedSumner.Holliday (pictured left) scored 14 points in the first quarter, leading Sumnerto a 29-13 lead at the end of the first quarter. Holliday scored each waypossible – from the three-point line and inside. Holliday hit three threepointersin the first quarter.

“I started inside and worked my way outside,” Holliday said. “My shots started falling and I kept on shooting andwanted my teammates involved.”Neil Watson (pictured top), who scored a game-high 17 points, converted a four-point play to give Sumner a25-13 lead – it’s first double-digit lead of the game.From there, Sumner added on to its lead, eventually building up a 48-17 lead entering halftime.“We got up a nice lead on the team and we kept it going,” Holliday said. “We held on to it even with our JV teamin.”After a slow start, Sumner built a 47-point lead during the third quarter. Sumner’s starters saw limited action inthe second half.“We played pretty well,” said Dan Parra, Sumner head coach. “We came out tentative but our defensive pressurepicked up. We turned our defense into offense and forced them into bad shots.”Sumner will play Piper Thursday night in Eudora. Piper defeated Baldwin 57-44 Monday night at Kansas CityKansas Community College.“I think one of the keys is to force them into some of the things we want to get done,” Parra said. “We need tocontrol the tempo and boards.”Sumner and Piper were two of Wyandotte County’s three teams that finished over .500 this season. Tipoff isslated for 7 p.m. at Eudora High School.

Kansan – March 2, 2009The Kansan's KCK League teamsby Nick SloanNeil Watson was Sumner Academy's leading scorer this season and helped earn Sumner an 18-2 recordentering the postseason.It's been a fun year for basketball in the Kansas City, Kan., League.Sumner Academy made more history this year by going 8-0 in league play for the second year in a row.Harmon had a 5-3 record in KCK League play, its first above .500 record in a number of seasons.Four of the league's five teams will host a sub-state game, with the other playing a fellow KCK League team.With all of that out of the way, The Kansas City Kansan now presents its First and Second All KCK Leagueteams. Note – each team will have three guards and two forwards.

FIRST TEAM• G – Neil Watson, Sumner Academy: A no-brainer for the first team, Watsonled the Sabres to an 18-2 regular season record. He led the team in scoring,including a handful of 30-point games for the Sabres this year.• G – Davonte Chaney, Sumner Academy: The league's best defensive player,Chaney has picked it up on the offensive side as the regular season has came to aconclusion. If Chaney keeps it going on offense, the Sabres will be very tough tobeat this year in state.• G – Exavier Bass-Brooks, Harmon: Over the course of the past two months, Bass-Brooks has beenHarmon's best player. His outside shot has improved during the season and he's been rock-steady at the freethrowline.• F – Reese Holliday, Sumner Academy: Holliday's earned a number of double-doubles this season. Hisoutside jumper improved this season, making him a lethal player.• F – Trinity Hall, Wyandotte (pictured): Being a big guy who can shoot the ball outside, Hall may be themost talented player in the league. He can grab rebounds, block shots and hit the three-point shot – a rarecombination in a small league.SECOND TEAM• G – Jauan Wilson, Harmon: Only a sophomore, Wilson has shown flashes of being a senior. Wilsonpenetrates inside and is a threat to score 20 points a game each night.

• G – Benny Parker, Sumner Academy: Like Wilson, Parker's a young talent in the league. As a freshman,Parker began the season on the bench but has leaped to the starting lineup. Parker's quick, plays solid defenseand will be a great point guard for four years at Sumner Academy.• G – Deontae Hooks, Harmon: A transfer from Houston, Texas, Hooks is Harmon's leading scorer as theseason closes. An injured knee hampered Hooks throughout the season, but he still provided a key role inHarmon's turnaround this season.• F – Brett Jones, Washington: Similar to Holliday and Hall, Jones can knock a shot down from any part ofthe court. He's a good rebounder as well and is an easy inclusion on the second team.• F – Dominique Simmons, Washington: Along with Bass-Brooks, perhaps no single player in the leagueimproved as much as Washington's Simmons. Simmons led the Wildcats in scoring a handful of times thisseason.HONORABLE MENTIONS• Kalub Long, Washington• Cortlin Banks, Wyandotte• Oye Hassan, Schlagle• Eli Alexander, Sumner Academy• Jevon Williams, Schlagle

Kansan – March 2, 2009Sumner, Piper advance in 4A Sub-Stateby Nick SloanThe Sumner Academy Sabres and Piper Pirates each won Monday night, setting up a Wyandotte Countyshowdown for this Thursday.The Sabres defeated Bishop Ward 87-43, while Piper defeated Baldwin 57-44.Sumner, behind Reese Holliday's 14 first quarter points, jumped all over Bishop Ward. Sumner led 29-13 afterone and 48-17 at halftime. Neil Watson scored a game-high 17 points.Ward was led by Zach Nill's 11 points.Piper used a balanced attack from Chase Cook (12 points), Duane Smith (12) and Robbie Mason (11) to defeatBaldwin 57-44.The fourth-seed in the bracket, the Pirates used a dominating second and fourth quarter to take control of thegame. Piper outscored Baldwin 17-6 in the second to build a 10-point lead at half.After Baldwin shaved half the margin off during the third quarter, Piper outscored Baldwin 19-11in the fourthquarter.Full recaps later.

Back to web versionPosted on Sun, Mar. 01, 2009Education rhetoric can’t wish away realityBy MARY SANCHEZThe Kansas City StarPresident Barack Obama’s attempt to wrap the urgency of raising high school graduation rates into patriotic terms was a new twiston addressing one of the nation’s most significant problems.Obama seemed to be intoning JFK’s “ask not” speech in his televised talk to Congress last week. Dropping out of high school isnot an option, the president said.“It’s not just quitting on yourself, it’s quitting on your country — and this country needs and values the talents of every American.”Couldn’t agree more, but the commentary quickly had me thinking about the hard lessons learned from the Ewing MarionKauffman Foundation’s Project Choice program, a dropout-prevention effort of intense mentoring that offered the chance of a fullscholarship to college. The program ended in 2001 but was reincarnated as Kauffman Scholars and continues, with many lessonslearned.It is one thing for the president to stand at a podium and use pointed language about making the U.S. more competitive. Just as itwas one thing for a wealthy philanthropist like Kauffman to wish college degrees for low-income students.Making it a reality took a lot more than good will, money and ideals about believing in youth, despite their present circumstances.Obama set the goal of America once again having “the highest proportion of college graduates in the world” by 2020. He offeredthe carrot of a paid college tuition in exchange for military or community service. That’s where Obama waded right into territorythat the Kauffman Foundation knows well.The foundation produced a book that candidly details many of Project Choice’s early sputters. It should be required reading foranyone who likes to bleat such trite phrases as “All children can learn,” without being really honest about why so many do not.Nearly 1,400 students signed agreements with Kauffman from 1988 to 1992. Of that number, 767 graduated on time, and 709 ofthose students continued with some form of education, with 220 earning bachelor’s degrees. Project Choice, which ended in 2001,was successful, but it also ran smack into some harsh realities that adults often discount or wish away by hopeful rhetoric.Kauffman had to admit that in some cases, it was too late.“Far too often, by the time inner-city youth reach ninth grade, their self-esteem as intellectual beings capable of and interested inlearning has been seriously undermined,” the book says.Meaning, by high school, some children had been lost — so far behind in their studies, they didn’t catch up. I’ve heard localeducators admit that reality, too. Sometimes they are unfairly chastised for their honesty.That said, the very real impact of teachers who thought too little of their students also was apparent.The students had to stay clear of drugs. On average, 98 percent tested clean. Yet some teachers didn’t believe the results,insisting that a sleepy student was on drugs. In fact, the child had simply stayed up all night working, in a case illustrated by thebook.Finally, for those who believe money is the magic cure, college was too far in the future and intangible to use as a motivator formany students, but what many of the kids were “starved” for was “adult attention and guidance,” according to the Project Choicebook.Given this country’s relative affluence compared with the rest of the world, staggering dropout rates are a national tragedyundercutting the nation’s future.We need to ensure that the most open hearts for helping students also have a full comprehension of what they are really upagainst. Call it the bleeding-heart-versus-cold-heart divide. One side needs more can-do spirit, the other a more realisticperspective.To reach Mary Sanchez, call 816-234-4752 or send e-mail to msanchez@kcstar.com. To reach Mary Sanchez, call 816-234-4752 or send e-mail to msanchez@kcstar.com.© 2009 Kansas City Star and wire service sources. All Rights Reserved. http://www.kansascity.comTuesday, Mar 3, 2

Back to web versionPosted on Sun, Mar. 01, 2009Kauffman Scholars to host informational meetings for interestedfamilies of sixth-gradersTuesday, Mar 3, 2Recruiting season has returned for Kauffman Scholars.March is the time for families of sixth-graders in the Kansas City and Kansas City, Kan., school districts or public charter schoolsto step up for a chance at academic guidance and tuition for their child all the way through college.Kauffman Scholars get academic and life coaching beginning in the seventh grade.Applicants must have grades of C or better in core classes, nearly clean disciplinary records and qualify for free or reduced lunch.Interested families must reserve a seat at one of eight informational meetings this month beginning Tuesday by calling 816-932-1206.| Joe Robertson, jrobertson@kcstar.com© 2009 Kansas City Star and wire service sources. All Rights Reserved. http://www.kansascity.com

Back to web versionPosted on Sun, Mar. 01, 2009Slashing school finance will harm Kansas, childrenBy BLAKE WESTThe Kansas Legislature is skirting its responsibility to Kansas public school children. Education is the only thing the Constitutionrequires the Legislature to fund, yet all the proposals to help resolve Kansas’ budget troubles will gut millions from local publicschools, and some of the cuts will take effect this school year.This despite overwhelming evidence that shows funding in recent years has resulted in significant gains in student achievement.Kansas National Education Association is urging business to stand up for Kansas public school children because legislators arechoosing not to.Our children get only one crack at first grade or geometry or physics. The quality of a child’s education should not be determinedby economic conditions. Funding cuts mean achievement cuts. If legislators manage to make it harder for kids to get to school, it’sless likely that they will be healthy and ready to learn at school, and less likely that they will be fully engaged in relevant work atschool. We can cut funding and decrease overall teacher quality — and save a bigger bundle when many kids (and our besttaxpayers) pack up and move to other states.Resources go to the classroom and student learning.Many studies show improved funding has improved our schools. The Legislative Post Audit Division found a nearly one-to-onecorrespondence between spending and achievement. In a 2006 study, the division indicated “a 1 percent increase in districtperformance was associated with a 0.83 percent increase in spending — almost a one-to-one relationship. This means that allother things being equal, districts that spend more had better student performance … we can be more than 99 percent confidentthere is a relationship between spending and outcomes.”Schools are spending their money wisely. Resources are making it to the classroom, and Kansas students are learning andachieving. Yes, there is a constitutional responsibility to fund Kansas public schools. And yes, state lawmakers promised Kansasparents and the Supreme Court they would fund public schools. More importantly, our students are excelling. Legislators chooseto reward increased student achievement by gutting school funding? What a message to send to all those who work so hard forKansas kids, especially when lawmakers have other options, such as de-coupling from federal tax cuts and postponing current taxcuts.Great schools are the key to our state’s economic strength and recovery. Educational opportunity should not ebb and flow witheconomic cycles. Balancing the budget by cutting our K-12 system (or higher education) is the wrong response, and it will leaveKansas economically weaker. It will cause us to be less prepared to capitalize on the upswing when it comes.Blake West is president of the Kansas NEA. He lives in Overland Park.© 2009 Kansas City Star and wire service sources. All Rights Reserved. http://www.kansascity.comTuesday, Mar 3, 2

Wyandotte West – March 2, 2009High school basketballSUMNER SWEEPS KCKL IN WINNING TITLESabres seeking state titleby Donovan CorriganSumner Academy closed the regular season by accomplishing three team goals—to go unbeaten in the KansasCity Kansas League. The Sabres secured an 8-0 league record and the championship by hammering Harmon,97-65, on Wednesday night at home.Sumner, No. 1 in the Kansas Basketball Coaches Association’s Class 4A rankings, showed some mentaltoughness in rebounding from a tough 69-61 road loss to Class 5A state powerhouse, Bishop Miege, the nightbefore.“I thought it was great the way we bounced back after an emotional loss the night before, especially against agreat team like Harmon,” Sumner coach Dan Parra said. “Our whole team played with a lot of energy. The teammade it a goal to go undefeated in league, and it was important to them to accomplish this goal.”The game was close early on as Sumner held a slim 22-20 advantage after the first quarter. The Sabres surgedahead for good after outscoring Harmon, 31-13, in the second quarter. The spurt enabled Sumner to take a 53-33 halftime lead. The Sabres edged Harmon 45-32 in the second half in salting the game away.“The second quarter was huge,” Parra said. “We went into a zone and we're really aggressive in it. We went on a15-2 run that was the difference in the game.”Junior forward Reese Holliday led the way for Sumner with 18 points, 15 rebounds and five assists. Toutedpoint guard Neil Watson finished with 21 points, eight assists and two steals. Guard Davonte Chaney had 21points and seven rebounds, while freshman guard Benny Parker contributed 17 points and five assists. ForwardBlake Franklin added 10 points and eight rebounds off the bench after sophomore Eli Alexander was injured.The game against Miege was a battle of two top teams in the area, and two of the best point guards in thestate. Stags’ point man Trevor Relaford scored a game-best 24 points, while Watson netted 16 in theiranticipated match-up.“I thought both players were as good as advertised,” Parra said. “Trevor is probably a little better passer, whileNeil is the better shooter. They are a big reason why both teams are as successful as they are.”Sumner (18-2) will play Bishop Ward (8-11) on Monday night in a 4A substate game at Sumner. Piper (12-7),also is the Eudora bracket, will play Baldwin (11-8) on Monday night at Kansas City Kansas CommunityCollege.“We're excited to be the No. 1 seed,” Parra said. “But everyone enters substate with the same record (0-0). Oursubstate is as tough as any in the state. Piper, Baldwin, and St. James, are capable of beating anyone, atanytime.”

Wyandotte West – March 2, 2009State wrestlingWYANDOTTE COUNTY’S CROP COULD PRODUCE CHAMPIONSby Donovan CorriganEntering their respective Kansas state wrestling tournaments this weekend, six area grapplers are ranked, andserious contenders to return to Wyandotte County with some serious hardware, and possibly, a state title, ortwo.Leading the way will be Piper junior Derrick Weller. A touted 125-pounder, Weller is No.1 in the KansasWrestling Coaches 4A rankings. Weller won a 4A regional title last week at Spring Hill, and will bring a 31-2record into his opening-round match today against Fort Scott’s Justin Sharp (28-15). Weller finished fourth in4A at 119 as a sophomore.Bonner Springs sophomore Caleb Seaton, No. 2 in the 5A rankings at 112, will be looking to improve on lastseason’s fourth-place finish at 103. Seaton (33-5) will wrestle Pablo Llaman (16-14) of Newton today in the firstround. Turner senior Robert Arzola (28-10) is also in the bracket.Washington senior James Wauer, a multiple-time state qualifier, will have another opportunity to win achampionship. Wauer (30-2), who is ranked fourth at 119 in 5A, takes on Mario Corado of Pittsburg (27-8)today in the first round. Turner sophomore James Lohman (19-8) is also in the bracket.Turner senior Jason Langford, who placed fifth in 5A at 140 a year ago, returns to state aiming for the title at140. Langford (33-6), who is currently ranked fourth, will go up against St. Thomas Aquinas’ Paul Speckin (20-19). Schlagle’s Demetruis Clay (14-5) and Bonner Springs’ Ryan DeMato (4-19) are also in the bracket.Bonner Springs senior Tanner McCleary, ranked sixth in 5A at 285, will take a 34-5 record mark into hisfirst-round match today against hays’ Dakota Smith (24-12). Harmon heavyweight Ervin DeMata (15-8) is alsoin the bracket.Turner senior Luciano Gutierrez, ranked fifth in 5A at 215, will wrestle Pittsburg’s Beau Bennett (9-6) in thefirst round today. Gutierrez is 28-7 this season. Schlagle’s Brandon Nickerson (17-8), and Jerome Newman ofWyandotte (25-7), also in the bracket.For a complete recap of the Class 4A and 5A state wrestling tournaments, check the Wyandotte West andPiper Press newspapers on Thursday.

Kansan – March 3, 2009KCK player earns "top dunk" awardby Nick SloanThe guys at All Star Video Sports produced a video featuring its Top 10 Dunks of the Year in Kansas City highschool basketball.One Kansas City, Kan., player is featured in the video's top dunk. I won't spoil the surprise, so click here(http://www.allstarvideosports.com/video/index.php?id=276) to check out the video. Needless to say, it's hardto disagree.• Nick SloanCopyright © 2008 GateHouse Media. Some Rights Reserved. Privacy Policy | Terms of ServiceOriginal content available for non-commercial use under a Creative Commons license.

Kansan – March 3, 2009Lady Sabres roll DeSotoby Nick SloanChannel Maddox's season-high 22 points led the Sumner Academy Lady Sabres to win one onits journey to the state title.Sumner defeated DeSoto 73-35 Tuesday night at Sumner Academy. The Lady Sabres improve to 15-6 on theseason, while DeSoto drops to 3-18.Along with Maddox, Kathleen Brisbane scored 18 points and freshman Sameia Kendall scored 10 points.Sumner jumped out to an 11-point first quarter lead and they expanded on the lead before halftime. The LadySabres led 33-17. After a close third quarter, the flood gates opened for Sumner in the fourth quarter. The LadySabres dominated the quarter by outscoring DeSoto 21-2.Copyright © 2008 GateHouse Media. Some Rights Reserved. Privacy Policy | Terms of ServiceOriginal content available for non-commercial use under a Creative Commons license.

Kansan – March 4, 2009Wyandotte's Newman nominated for scholarship awardby Nick SloanWyandotte High School's Jerome Newman has been nominated for the JeffreyC. Wicina Wrestling Scholarship Award.Newman, a senior, finished in sixth-place at the Kansas 5A WrestlingTournament at the 215-lb weight level. Newman, currently ranked eighth in hisclass, has a 3.6 grade point average.The award is in dedication to Jeff Wicina, who was a wrestler at Bishop MiegeHigh School and was paralyzed while playing football. In 1999, he died justafter turning 30 years old. The award is support through donations and is given to one high school wrestler inthe Kansas City area each year.The award will be presented at next week's Mo-Kan Wrestling Classic.More information on the award and Wicina's stories can be found here. http://jeffwicina.com/index.htmlPrevious winners of the award:· 2008 Carlos Rosales, Bishop Miege High School· 2007 Cody Mikesell, Piper High School· 2006 Ryan Farwell, Plattsburg High School· 2005 Justin Jenkins, Winnetonka High School· 2004 Nathan Payne, Paola High School· 2002 Carlos Torres, Archbishop O’Hara HighSchool· 2001 Ricky Blount, Washington High School· 2000 Jeremiah Beltran, Olathe South High School· 2003 Jeff Burns, Bonnor Springs High SchoolCopyright © 2008 GateHouse Media. Some Rights Reserved. Privacy Policy | Terms of ServiceOriginal content available for non-commercial use under a Creative Commons license.

Kansan, March 5, 2009Copeland, Downs lead Schlagle into second roundby Nick SloanThe Schlagle Lady Stallions defeated the Washington Wildcats for a third time this seasonto advance in the Kansas 5A girls basketball tournament.Schlagle prevailed 51-33. Erin Copeland scored 15 points, while Ashleigh Downs scored 13 points. ParisJohnson, one of Schlagle's leading scorers, was contained to just two points.The Lady Stallions' defense held Washington to 10 first-half points, as Schlagle built a 27-10 lead at the half.Washington was within reach in the second half, as Schlagle added just one point to its lead.Keela Clark scored 12 points, while Marisha Henderson scored 10 points to lead Washington. Washington wasunable to convert any three-point shots, while Schlagle hit just two.Copyright © 2008 GateHouse Media. Some Rights Reserved. Privacy Policy | Terms of ServiceOriginal content available for non-commercial use under a Creative Commons license.

Kansan, March 5, 2009RECAPS: Girls 5Aby Nick Sloan aWhile Schlagle moved on to the next round, other teams in Wyandotte County were sent packing Wednesdaynight.• Bishop Miege 64, Wyandotte 21: The Lady Stags used four 16-point quarters to advance into thesecond round. Miege built a 32-14 halftime lead and expanded the lead by nine more points duringthe third quarter. Miege is now 19-2 on the season.• Gardner Edgerton 74, Turner 12: The Turner Lady Golden Bears were unable to score in thefirst quarter.Edgerton improved to 17-4 on the season. The team led 31-4 at halftime. Eleven players forEdgerton scored, with three of them scoring in double figures.• Shawnee Heights 56, Bonner Springs 22: Schlagle's opponent in the next round will beShawnee Heights High School, as they defeated the Bonner Springs Bravettes 56-22.Bonner Springs fell behind 17-8 in the first quarter. Heights expanded the lead to 33-12 by halftime.• St. Thomas Aquinas 69, Harmon 9: The Lady Saints used a dominating first quarter to defeatthe Lady Hawks.Aquinas led 27-2 after one and 40-5 at halftime on their way to the victory. Ten players scored for Aquinas.Copyright © 2008 GateHouse Media. Some Rights Reserved. Privacy Policy | Terms of ServiceOriginal content available for non-commercial use under a Creative Commons license.

KSHB, Channel 41 – March 5, 2009Investigators: Dirty School Kitchen InspectionsReported by: Russ PtacekEmail: ptacek@nbcactionnews.comLast Update: 7:53 amKANSAS CITY, Mo. - An NBC Action News investigation has identified about 50 metro schools kitchensthat had high numbers of critical violations, merited state corrective action, or were closed for health risks.Using open records requests, NBC Action News sorted through health department records for schoolkitchens in five metro counties from Jan. 1, 2007 through Dec. 31, 2008.We only included schools in our report if they had five or more critical violations during one healthdepartment inspection, were the subject of a state non-compliance notice or risk control plan, or wereclosed by order of the health department during the two-year-period.Health Departments Move InUse the link below to search school inspections online.http://www.nbcactionnews.com/content/investigative/story/Searching-Schools-Online-Inspections/saYd5y6RUkaM2ql44SP0kQ.cspxSince September, health inspectors have shut down George Washington Carver Elementary twice forserving kids when the kitchen had no hot water for basic sanitation.Inspectors also cited the school the hand washing violations, mold and food build-up on equipment, andmultiple other violations.Those are the kinds of violations that can make kids really sick.

Austin Neff got sick, along with 133 others in Silver Lake, Ks. in what the state linked to poor hygiene inthe school kitchen.“It was horrible,” Austin’s mother Missy Neff said.“Uh, pretty bad,” says Silver Lake Elementary student Jessica Williams describing her bout with diarrheaand vomiting.“She was out of school seven to 10 days,” her mother Kim Williams said.A state investigation linked the Norovirus outbreak to mishandled school menu items.“That's why we consider it an imminent health hazard,” Naser Jourhari with the Kansas City HealthDepartment said about critical health code violations.Our open records search of metro school inspections found multiple instances of workers who didn't washtheir hands, kitchens without standard hot water, mice, roaches, unclean cooking surfaces, and otherviolations that could lead to food borne illnesses.“We take these violations very seriously,” Jouhari said.Over a two-year-period his KCMO inspectors shut down the six following schools for health codeviolations:• Warford Elementary School• Attucks Elementary School• Border Star New Montesorri School• Whittier Elementary School• George Washington Carver Elementary• St. Monica SchoolSome Violators Can Remain OpenGenerally kitchens are allowed to stay open if they acknowledge a violation and fix it on the spot.An employee who doesn’t wash, for example is written up, but allowed to return to work afterdemonstrating he’s properly cleaned his hands.It’s only when the health violations can’t be fixed immediately by kitchen staff --- like broken waterheaters, or backed up drains --- that inspectors shut it down.Our open records search of metro inspections in 2007 and '08 identified about 50 problem school kitcheninspections.The following schools were the subject of state corrective action, had five or more critical violations

on one day, or were temporarily closed by health inspectors at least once during the two-year period.• Academie Layfayette• Attucks ElementarySchool• Barry School• Barstow School• Blue Valley West H.S. -• Border Star NewMontesorri School• Brookridge ElementarySchool• Center Middle School• Center Senior High• Central Classical GreekHigh• Fairview School• Genesis School• George WashingtonCarver Elementary• Harmony MiddleSchool• Ingels Elementary• Islamic School –Universal Foundation• J. A. Rogers Academy• John Diemer Elem.• John Fiske Elem.• Kansas City KansasArea Tech School• KCK Central KitchenUnit• Lincoln Middle School• Lutheran High School• Martin L. King & MaryH. Weeks• Melcher School• North Platte High• Northeast Middle School• Northeast Senior High• Northland Career Center• Olathe Central Kitchen• Our Lady of AngelsSchool• Rhein BenninghovenElem.• Ruskin High School• Sante Fe Trail Elem.• Scarritt School• Shawnee Mission NorthH.S.• Shawnee Mission South• Smith-Hale MiddleSchool• Southwest High• St. James Academy• St. John Francis Regis• St. Monica School• St. Peters School• St. Therese Elementary• St. Thomas Aquinas• Trailwood Elementary• Warford ElementarySchool• Whittier ElementarySchool

Repeat OffendersOf public schools, KCMO made our list the most with 14 schools, but in KCK, the Kansas City KansasSchool District's Central Kitchen was cited for the most documented live roaches seen by one inspector.“Certainly the majority of our schools are not in that category,” JoAnne DeShields, the directors of KCMOSchools’ cafeterias said. “I know that they made the corrections”She acknowledges inspectors found evidence of rats, mice, roaches, and other health risks, but seemedsurprised when we told her about the KCMO school caught two-times with no hot water."I don't know that that's accurate,” DeShields said, asking to pause the interview when we showed her thehealth department records confirming the case.Upon reviewing our reports, she emphasized every critical violation identified by inspectors has since beenfixed.“We try to address that,” DeShields said.When asked how the same problem could occur at the same school over a four-month period withoutworkers noticing the lack of hot water, DeSheilds said, “Honestly, I'm not quite sure.”Cockroaches and hand washing violations were the also problem at the Kansas City Kansas Area TechnicalSchool which at nine critical violations got more violations during one inspection, than any other school inthe metro over the two year period.KCK's John Fiske Elementary had the highest documented mouse count at 20 rodents school wide.Metro private schools made our list 12 times over the two year period.At seven critical violations each, the private Lutheran High School tied with the Barstow School for privateschools with the most violations in one inspection.Schools RespondMany schools have provided written statements addressing the concerns which we are providing uneditedonline.Schools point out that the inspections only offer a glimpse of conditions on the specific day inspectors werein the kitchen and that critical violations must be corrected in order to stay in operation.All schools on our list have passed follow-up inspections and met at least minimum health standards.

Wyandotte West, March 5, 2009KCK school board to discuss budget cuts March 10Budget cuts will be back on the table March 10 when the Kansas City, Kansas, Board of Education takes upthe issue in a regular meeting.The board will meet at 5 p.m. March 10 at Harmon High School, 2400 Steele Road.In addition to regular business, the Board of Education will discuss next year’s budget. At the meeting, theboard members will hear a presentation from district administrators about different budget pictures, and discusswhat the potential effect would be on district students, staff and programs.

Kansan, March 6, 2009Sumner routs Piper, advances to sub-statetitle gameby Nick SloanThe Sumner Academy Sabres used a strong second half to earn their 20thvictory of the season Thursday night.Sumner defeated Piper 83-49 to advance to the championship round of theKansas 4A Sub-State tournament. Sumner was led by Reese Holliday's gamehigh24 points. Neil Watson contributed 12 points while Davonte Chaneyadded 11.For their standards, the Sabres' first half was lethargic, scoring only 27 points,but still led 27-17. Sumner opened up a huge lead during the third quarter,outscoring Piper 28-13 to take a 55-30 lead into the fourth quarter.Piper was led by Duane Smith's 21 points. Other than Robbie Mason's ninepoints, no other Pirate scored more than four points.Sumner hit five three-pointers in the game, with Holliday hittingthree of them. Benny Parker joined Chaney, Holliday andWatson in double-figures with 10 points.Now 20-2 on the season, Sumner will play St. James Academy at Eudora HighSchool Saturday night for the opportunity to move to state.

Kansan, March 6, 2009Washington advances after strong fourth quarterby Nick SloanAfter Bonner Springs hung with Washington through the first three quarters of action, theWildcats smothered the Braves in the fourth quarter.Washington prevailed 89-73 in an up and affair at Washington High School Thursday night.Washington's Dominique Simmons scored a game-high 21 points, with Brett Jones scoring 18 points, KalubLong adding 17 and DeAndre Clark scored 10.A barrage of three-point shots kept Bonner Springs in the game. The Braves hit nine three-pointers, whileWashington only hit two. Juan Pichardo drilled four shots from behind the arc, scoring a team-high 20 points.Jared Brailsford added 11 points for Bonner.From the get go, the tempo was fast. Washington led 24-20 after one and a high-scoringaffair in the second quarter brought Bonner to within three at 49-46. Washington took a 64-60 lead into the fourth quarter.Washington held Bonner to just 13 points in the fourth quarter, outscoring the Braves 25-13.With the victory, Washington will play Lansing this Saturday.Copyright © 2008 GateHouse Media. Some Rights Reserved. Privacy Policy | Terms of ServiceOriginal content available for non-commercial use under a Creative Commons license.

Kansan, March 6, 2009Wyandotte shocks Harmon, moves on to second roundby Nick SloanWyandotte High School's Jerry Sipple scored an inside bucket as the buzzer sounded to send the HarmonHawks home.For the Wyandotte Bulldogs, the third time was the charm.After being defeated twice at the hands of the Harmon Hawks in the regular season, the Bulldogs upset Harmon64-63 at Harmon High School after Jerry Sipple laid in a game winning shot at the buzzer.One of three Bulldogs in double figures, Sipple wrote his name intoWyandotte history with the shot."My teammates trusted me and when I was on the bench sitting there, Iknew what we could do " Sipple said.Sipple's shot was the final swing of momentum in the last minute of thegame. Leading 58-57, Harmon's Cameron Brown (14 points) blocked aWyandotte shot and Exavier Bass-Brooks (13 points) laid a shot inside toexpand Harmon's lead to 60-57.But two Derrick Rolls (13 points) baskets gave Wyandotte a 61-60 leadwith under a minute left. Sipple later converted one free-throw to giveWyandotte 62-60 lead.

Then, Harmon hit appeared to be the game-winner. Deontae Hooks (5 points) drilled a three-pointer at the topof the key with 11 seconds left to give Harmon a one-point lead.After a Bulldog timeout, Wyandotte found Sipple open inside and converted the shot, setting off a celebrationon the Wyandotte sideline."The league was real competitive all year and the kids improved," said Tracy Dyer, Wyandotte head coach. "Wetook our bumps this year but our kids never quit believing. They finally started trusting each other."Behind Cortlin Banks' outside shooting, the Bulldogs built a 23-8 lead early in the second quarter. Behind JauanWilson's game-high 18 points, the Hawks narrowed the lead down to seven by halftime.Wilson continued his solid play in the third quarter, scoring six consecutive points to give Harmon a 38-37 lead,it's first since 6-4 early in the game. The Hawks extended their lead to seven points at 56-49.But Wyandotte outscored Harmon 15-7 to close out the game. Banks hit two consecutive three-pointers tonarrow Harmon's lead back to one.Harmon closes the season 15-6, while Wyandotte advances to play St. Thomas Aquinas Saturday night. TheBulldogs are now 6-15 on the season.

Kansas Liberty: 06 March 2009Kansas taxpayers may have spent almost $52 million for the 2008-2009 school year onstudents who were actually ineligible for free lunches.Education committee attempts tountangle 'at-risk' funding messThe House Education Committee heard testimony yesterday on legislation that would alter how at-riskfunding is allocated to schools by incorporating U.S Census Bureau data into the distribution formula forfunding.Currently the at-risk funding is based on the number of students who qualify for free lunches under federalguidelines. The result can be a misdirection of resources resulting in massive spending errors. In 2008-2009, these errors may cost Kansas taxpayers more than $50 million.That figure comes from data included in a November 2006 Performance Audit Report in the LegislativeDivision of Post Audit that showed approximately 17 percent of Kansas students determined to qualify forthe free lunches were actually ineligible for the benefits.The report calculated the state paid out $19 million for at-risk benefits for about 23,000 ineligible studentsin the 2005-2006 school year. In 2008-2009, that figure may have risen to $52 million.Rep. Clay Aurand, R-Courtland, and chair of the Education Committee, said the legislation, HB 2357, seeksto ensure that school districts which deserve the funding are the ones to which the additional at-risk fundsare actually allocated.“I want to stop sending more money to the wrong schools for the wrong reasons,” Aurand toldthe committee. “And we should all agree that the money should go to the schools where thekids in poverty are.”Free-lunch students must have household incomes of less than 130 percent of the poverty level and themajority of the students determined to be ineligible through the report had household incomes greaterthan that allowed amount.The research used a random sample of 500 Kansas students who had been classified asqualifying for free lunches. From those 500 students, 85 were found to be ineligible for thefree-lunch program, with 62 households of those students having an income of 20 percent orhigher than the limit, and 12 of those 62 earned double the income of the limit.One of the students who was receiving free-lunch benefits had a household annual income of more than$168,000.According to the executive summary of the report, “many households are able to under-report their incomeand still receive free lunches because federal law requires school district officials to accept theirapplications at face value.”Cheryl Semmel, executive director of the United School Administrators of Kansas, said in her testimonythat it was important to note the Legislative Post Audit had access to information that Kansas schooldistricts can not legally obtain.“There has been continued speculation that school districts are over-identifying students,”

Semmel said in her testimony. “I would like to reiterate that this is not true. While theLegislative Post Audit report on at-risk funding…found that 17 percent of students surveyedshould not be eligible for free lunch because their actual incomes were too high, the reportfound no evidence that school districts were deliberately over-identifying students.”Schools in Kansas receive extra funding for at-risk programs through a formula that uses the amount ofstudents who are eligible for free lunches. For the 2008-2009 school year the base state aid for pupils wasset at $4,400 per student. To determine additional funding for at-risk programs, that $4,400 is multipliedby .456, to reach a total of additional $2,006 in funding for each student who qualified for free lunches.Brad Neuenswander, director of the Division of Financial Services at the Kansas State Department ofEducation said the unofficial number of students who applied for free lunches for the 2008-2009 schoolyear is 152,202.Based on these numbers Kansas schools received more than $305 million for funding at-risk programs forthe 2008-2009 school year. If the 2006 post audit report’s estimate of how many students are receivingfree lunches erroneously is applied, then the state would have paid out almost $52 million for the 2008-2009 school year to students who were actually ineligible for free lunches.Aurand, as well as other legislators and members of the education community also said it was important toremember that some students who are eligible for free lunches do not always apply for the service becauseof cultural reasons, or embarrassment about the family’s income. So while some may be receiving freelunches who are not eligible to do so, other students who should be receiving free lunches are not applyingfor them.“More people than not are under-reporting because they don’t want the stigma,” said TomKrebs, governmental relations specialist for the Kansas Association of School Boards, at thehearing.The Post Audit Report said that based on a survey of school district officials, about 6,900 students thatcould be receiving benefits were not applying for them - far less than the report’s estimated 23,000 inineligible students who were receiving the benefits. However opponents of the legislation argued the 6,900was a gross underestimate of how many students were not applying for benefits.While free-lunch student numbers are used to determine how much additional funding schools will get,these students are not necessarily the ones who benefit from the money. The additional funds must gotowards funding programs that can benefit at-risk students, and students who qualify for free lunches donot always meet the at-risk requirements.“At-risk funding is designed to provide additional educational assistance for children who are at risk of notperforming well and the free lunch application is used because it is one indicator of being a low-incomechild and the data shows that low income children are at a greater risk of being a low performer,” JodiMackey, director of child nutrition and wellness at the Kansas State Department of Education, told KansasLiberty.- Holly SmithResources• Read the post audit report: http://www.kslegislature.org/postaudit/audits_perform/06pa12.1a.pdf• Read the bill: http://www.kslegislature.org/bills/2010/2357.pdf• Kansas State Department of Education: http://www.ksde.org

at risk fundingWhile it is a reasonable approach to use Census data to correct for potentially biased free lunch counts, it isentirely unreasonable to take such an approach and manipulate it with the purpose of cutting povertybased aid to the state's highest need largest districts. The bill offers a ratio of 2.37 to estimate how manyfree lunch kids would be associated with a given percentage of kids in poverty (census poverty rate).The reality is that the ratio among larger districts (over 2,000 pupils) is about 2.77 using most recent data,and the relationship is very "tight." (large districts aren't falling out of line with estimates). However, if youcalculate large district free lunch using 2.37 x poverty, you'll end up cutting at risk funding for nearly allhigh poverty large districts - which appears to be the goal here.But, since the ratio for smaller districts is actually about 1.79, you end up preserving at risk funding for thesmaller districts.A typical strategy in KS school finance. When will it ever end?http://schoolfinance101.wordpress.com/2009/03/05/another-lame-attempt-by-ks-legislators-to-screwhigh-poverty-districts/see updated equations at bottom of post.

Back to web versionPosted on Thu, Mar. 05, 2009Defending champion Sumner Academy girls are ready to rollBy RYAN YOUNGThe Kansas City StarAs the Sumner Academy bowling team concluded its final practice Thursday, Sabres coach Eddie Gunter had something to say tohis girls.“This is our state title until somebody takes it from us,” he reminded them.Yep, one of the state’s most accomplished varsity bowling programs is back — with a different look but a familiar purpose. TheSumner Academy girls have won the Kansas 5A-1A state bowling championship each of the last two years, and they’ll try to makeit a three-peat today at West Acres Bowling Center in Wichita.“Maybe we’re not the favorite going in, but I don’t know that we’ve been the favorite the last two years, and we’ve taken it,” Guntersaid. “I’m proud of them. They got there — that’s all I can ask.”The Sabres may have lost the reigning Kansas 5A-1A girls state champion, Sarah Ottens, to graduation. They may have lost halfof their state title team from last year. But it seems not all that much has changed.For the third year in a row, Gunter said, the girls finished undefeated in regular-season matches. (They did settle for third place inone tournament.) They won a regional championship on Saturday. There’s only one detail left.“Everybody just kind of expects us to keep doing what we’ve been doing, which is hard to do,” Gunter said. “Anytime in any sportyou’ve had some success, they just automatically think your success will just keep coming.”That’s probably because the Sabres have yet to give their faithful followers any reason to think differently. (They expect 25 to 30parents and supporters to be in attendance today.)Senior Morgan Benton, with an average in the upper 190s, leads the team and is a state championship contender. She placedthird in the state last year.Senior Sierra Martin (eighth at state last season) and sophomore Santana Reed also return from the Sabres’ last state title team.Meanwhile, freshman Emily Lai, junior Brianna Talavera, senior Kristin Forrest and senior alternate Kim Mikulan have filled thevacancies in the lineup.“We’re just trying to keep it going,” Benton said.And the Sumner Academy girls aren’t the only ones feeling motivated by their tradition. The Sabres’ boys team is in contention tocapture its first state title, led by senior Nathan Kriss (fourth at state last year).“They’ve seen the girls win it twice. And these seniors, they’re ready,” Gunter said. “They want a piece of that.”KANSAS BOWLING STATE TOURNAMENTS•6A at Olathe Lanes East: Girls bowl today at 2 p.m. Boys bowl Saturday at 10 a.m.•5A-1A at West Acres Bowling Center in Wichita: Girls bowl today at 3:30 p.m. Boys bowl Saturday at 4 p.m.© 2009 Kansas City Star and wire service sources. All Rights Reserved. http://www.kansascity.comFriday, Mar 6, 2

Wyandotte West – March 6, 2009Substate basketballSumner too strong for Piper in advancing to finalsSabres to play St. James on Saturdayby Donovan CorriganWhen you play with two of the top players in the state, it could be hard to receive the recognition you deserveat times. Factor in the fact that you standout on the defensive end, and getting your name in the newspapers, ornoticed by the casual fan, could be a tough task.But, for players like Davonte Chaney and Benny Parker, they get respected and praised for their unselfish playby the person who matters most—their coach.Chaney and Parker, both ball-hawking guards with quickness and ability to get to the basket, combined to score21 points, but it was their eight total steals that helped Sumner Academy surge past Piper, 83-49, in a 4Asubstate semifinal game on Thursday night.“We wouldn't be 20-2 without Benny and Davonte,” Sumner coach Dan Parra said. “They are two of the bestdefensive guards that I have seen. They create so many easy baskets by their defense. On offense they arecapable of scoring 20 (points each) a night, but everyone has a role on the team.”Sumner played stout team defense in holding Piper to 17 first half points in building an insurmountable leadby halftime. A strong defensive third quarter put the game out of reach with a 60-30 lead.“Piper is very good defensively, so we knew we had to get in transition,” Parra said. “We created a lot ofturnovers and converted them into easy baskets. The biggest key was we started to be more patient against therezone and we started pressuring their guards more. We played really good defensively.”Standouts Reese Holliday and Neil Watson continued to lead the way for the Sabres. Holliday scored 24points, grabbed 12 rebounds and dished out three assists. Watson had 12 points, seven assists and two steals.Chaney netted 11 points with four steals, while Parker added 10 points, four assists and four steals.“Reese and Neil are the catalysts to our team,” Parra said. “Neil is the floor general that distributes the ball,and sets the tone on offense. Reese is the enforcer that can score and rebound.”Piper, who finished the season 13-8, was led in scoring by guard Duane Smith, who finished with 21 points.Guard Robbie Mason had nine points, while guard Jasper Sanders chipped in four.Sumner, ranked No. 1 in 4A in the Kansas Basketball Coaches Association’s poll, will play St. James onSaturday in the substate finals. The winner advances to the 4A state tournament next week.“St. James is a very good, and discipline team,” Parra said. “They are 19-3 for a reason. They are playing theirbest basketball right now. It's going to be challenge for us, and we're looking forward to it.”

Kansan – March 8, 2009Cold shooting sinks Lady Stallionsby Nick SloanThe Schlagle Lady Stallions' season ended Friday night in Lansing.Shawnee Heights used swarming defense and cold shooting from Schlagle to clim a 58-29 win. Schlaglefinishes the season 14-8 after claiming a piece of the regular season Kansas City, Kan., League title.While Schlagle scored only five first quarter points, the cold-shooting caught up with them even more in thesecond quarter, with the team not converting on a field goal. Shawnee Heights built a 28-9 lead entering thehalf.Shawnee Heights extended the lead to 36-11 early in the second half, holding at least a 20-point lead most ofthe game.Throughout the game, the Lady T-Birds swarmed Schlagle's Paris Johnson on the perimeter. Johnson, Schlagle's

leading scorer with 13 points in the game, hit three three-pointers. But two of them were late in the game afterthe result was apparent. Erin Copeland scored eight points, while Ashleigh Downs added six.For Shawnee Heights, Taylor Flloyd's game high 16 points helped the team claim sub-state. Cierra Ceazerscored 12 points.The Lady Stallions' mission of a white banner, as head coach Peyton Leslie desires, may have fell short thisyear. But the team won 10 more games than it did last year. The club finished just 4-17.

Kansan – March 8, 2009Tough defense from St. James ends Lady Sabres' seasonby Nick SloanMica Spradlin's game-high 19 points helpd the St. James Academy girls basketball teamadvance to the Kansas 4A Sub-State final.St. James defeated the Sumner Academy Sabres 46-33 Friday night at Eudora High School. Sumner, whoplayed without Kathleen Brisbane, finishes the season 15-7.Spradlin hit four three-pointers in the game, while Sumner as a team struggled from the outside, hitting noshots. Lola Imokhome scored a team-high 12 points for Sumner Academy. Chanel Maddox and Sameia Kendallwere held to six points.Sumner led 7-6 after one quarter of play. But in the second quarter, Sumner lost control of the game. St. JamesAcademy snatched the lead by half, outscoring 15-6 in the second and took a 21-13 lead at halftime.St. James extended the lead to double digits during the third quarter, taking an 11-point lead into the finalquarter.

Back to web versionPosted on Fri, Mar. 06, 2009Sumner girls fifth in Kansas 5-1A state bowlingBy TRAVIS RICHARDSONSpecial to The StarWICHITA | Sumner girls bowling coach Ed Gunter didn’t feel any additional pressure going into the Class 5-1A statechampionship Friday.A surprise, considering the Sabres were the defending champions the last two seasons. But a bid for a third consecutive title wascut short, as the Sabres finished in fifth place. Wichita Bishop Carroll took home the team title with a 2,409 total, winning by 219pins over second place Topeka Shawnee Heights.“We lost a state champion to graduation last year (Sarah Ottens, the 2007 individual medal winner),” Gunter said. “I felt like wecould compete, but we only had three returners from last season. (The team) is a little down now, but I like that. We’ll reload.”Senior Morgan Benton led Sumner, bowling a 578 series. Benton finished in 13th place individually. Sophomore Santana Reedwas second with a 544, placing 18th overall.“Our three new players got some good experience today,” Gunter said. “I thought they did what they could. We didn’t have a lot ofpractice at this alley before today, and that showed a little.”Turner finished eighth. Samantha Leatherbury rolled a 546, finishing 17th individually. But no other Golden Bears bowler finishedabove a 500.Bishop Carroll, though, left little doubt as to the winner. Morgan Kuckelman led the Eagles with a 614 series, good for third placeoverall. Erin Sanagorski finished sixth, and Sara Hansen finished ninth for Carroll. The state championship is the second in fiveyears for the Eagles.“They stepped to the line and made shots when they needed to,” Carroll coach Jim Nance said. “I told them to not even look at theother teams’ score, and just focus and help your teammates out. Usually when one bowls well, they all bowl well. They just feedoff each other.”© 2009 Kansas City Star and wire service sources. All Rights Reserved. http://www.kansascity.comMonday, Mar 9, 2

Kansan – March 8, 2009Cold third quarter, tough officiating breaks end Wyandotte's seasonby Nick SloanThe clock struck midnight for the Wyandotte Bulldogs Saturday, but the game was not without its share ofcontroversy.St. Thomas Aquinas defeated Wyandotte 55-51 at Gardner-Edgerton High School Saturday. After upsettingHarmon Thursday night, the Bulldogs jumped out to a quick start over the Saints.Cortlin Banks (pictured left), who scored a game-high 18 points, hit three three-pointersearly in the game, vaulting Wyandotte to a 29-18 lead. Aquinas, behind Zach and BeauBourquin, responded.Beau scored 15 points, while Zach scored 13. Kevin Sweeney, who also scored 13 forAquinas, led the comeback. He scored four points late in the first half to help the Saintsnarrow the gap to 30-29.

Banks, who hit four three-pointers in the game, led Wyandotte's onslaught from behind the arc. The team hit 11three-pointers in the game. However, the team did not remain hot from the field in the third quarter.The Bulldogs only scored one field goal in the quarter, and only five points overall. Aquinas, meanwhile, scored15 points and built a nine-point lead.However, the Bulldogs had one last bite for Aquinas.Terry Moore scored five points to open the quarter, bringing Wyandotte to within four. With Aquinas leadingmost of the quarter, Banks saved his best for last.Down 51-48, Banks netted a three-pointer to tie the game. Then, the Bulldogs may have been on the short-endof two officiating calls.Following Banks' bucket, the Bulldogs stole the ball. After the steal, Wyandotte head coach Tracy Dyer calledtimeout. But instead, the officiating crew called a travel on the team.On Aquinas next possession, Zach Bourquin hit a layup to give Aquinas its last lead at 53-51. Wyandotteappeared to win a scramble for the loose ball on the other end, but the officials called a jump ball (with anAquinas arrow) instead of acknowledging Dyer's timeout."In reality we had full possession of the ball twice but we didn't get the calls," Dyer said after the game.Still, after a heartbreaking loss and at times bumpy regular season, Dyer feels the game can help Wyandotte fornext year."It was pretty hard in the locker-room," Dyer said. "They worked so hard and I told them to keep their heads up.All 12 kids who played left it on the floor and hopefully we learn for next year."

Dyer said the team tried to create a fast-tempo for the game; Aquinas is known for a grind it out, slow style."We wanted to play it faster and get some easy shots," Dyer said. "We played a couple paces during this game."Diondre Taylor scored 11 for Wyandotte, while Derrick Rolls scored six.

Kansan – March 8, 2009Holliday dominates as Sumner advances to stateby Nick SloanThe Sumner Academy Sabres won its Kansas Sub-State bracket Saturday. The Sabres advance to the Kansas4A State basketball tournament.In a heavyweight battle between two of the best teams in Kansas 4A basketball, Reese Holliday helped SumnerAcademy land the knockout punch at Eudora High School Saturday night.Holliday (pictured right) scored 26 points and grabbed 18 rebounds as Sumner Academy defeated St. JamesAcademy 68-53. And wait – Holliday added five assists to the stat line Saturday."Reese puts up a double-double every night," said Dan Parra, Sumner headcoach. "We tried to get him the ball on each possession tonight."Holliday, who averaged a double-double in the regular season, played his bestgame, according to Parra and Holiday himself.

"I think so (if it was his best game)," he said. "We've been looking forward to getting to state this year. Lastyear we were one and done."Along with Holliday, Sumner's other usual suspects Neil Watson and Davonte Chaney scored in double figures.Watson scored 15 points, while Chaney scored 14 points.Sumner saved its best for last. After a back and forth duel between the two teams in the first three quarters(Sumner led 18-15, 32-30 and 45-43 after each quarter), Sumner outscored St. James Academy 23-8 in thefourth quarter.After St. James Academy freshman Clint McCullough scored a basket to tie the game at 45, Sumner took over.Reese Holliday converted a three-point play on the following possession, giving the Sabres a 48-45.On Sumner's next possession, Chaney drilled a three-pointer on the wing, giving Sumner its largest lead at sixpoints.McCullough, who scored a team-high 18 points for St. James, brought the game to within five after hitting ashot. But Holliday's nine fourth quarter points helped Sumner build a double-digit lead. Late free-throws gavethe Sabres a cushion.With the victory, Sumner is now 21-2 on the season, and is only three games away from its third state title in 10years."We try to take the games one at a time," Parra said. "Each game is the state title game for us. St. James is verywell coached and it took our best effort tonight.”Although trailing throughout most of the game, St. James held an early four-point lead.

The Thunder’s last lead of the game was 39-38 after a three-pointer. But Holliday responded on the nextpossession, converting a three-point play to give Sumner a 41-39 lead. Overall, the team exchanged the leadeight times in the game, with many ties.One player who made an early impact was Eli Alexander. Coming off an injury, Alexander scored seven points,including an early three-pointer that helped Sumner take the lead. He also provided the Sabres defense inside.St. James Academy concludes the season at 19-4. Both teams were ranked in the Top 6 in the Kansas BasketballCoaches Association’s final regular season poll.

Kansan – March 8, 2009Lansing closes door on Washington's seasonby Nick SloanThe Washington Wildcats were defeated 71-61 Saturday night in Lansing, Kan.Lansing defeated Washington 71-61 to advance to the Kansas 5A Basketball Tournament. CodyRush led the Lions in scoring with 22 points. Curtis Beall (13 points), Ryan Delich (12) and Calvin Schneider(10) joined Rush in double figures.For Washington, Brett Jones led the way with 17 points; Kalub Long scored 13 points and Dominique Simmonsscored 13.Lansing led 17-11 after the first quarter and the Lions exploded for 26 points in the second to take a 43-29halftime lead. Washington rallied to cut the margin a bit in the second half.Washington outscored Lansing 22-15 in the final period, but came up 10 points short.

Kansan – March 8, 2009Sumner begins with defending championsby Nick SloanIn order to become state champions, the Sumner Academy Sabres will have to dethrone the current 4A Kansasstate champions.The Sabres will play Hayden High School of Topeka, Kan., in Wednesday's first round game. Sumner, thefourth-seed in the tournament, enters the game with a 21-2 record. Hayden is the fifth-seed and enters the gamewith a 20-3 record.The game will tip at approximately 4:45 p.m. from the Bicentennial Center in Salina, Kan.

Kansan – March 8, 2009Sumner defeats St. James, advances to Salinaby Nick SloanThe Sumner Academy Sabres claimed the Kansas 4A Sub-State Eudora title tonight after defeating St. JamesAcademy 68-51.The Sabres, now 21-2 on the season, are halfway to the state title. Reese Holliday was Sumner's leading scorerof the game, dominating inside and outside."Reese puts up a double-double every night," said Dan Parra, Sumner head coach. "We tried to get him the ballon each possession tonight."The Sabres will play later next in Salina, Kan. The game was close throughout the first three quarters, asSumner took a 45-43 lead into the fourth. But Sumner's offense started clicking late and its defense shut downSt. James.Full recap later.

SM South’s Haake takes third in Kansas 6A statebowling tournamentSource: The StarThe day before making his first state tournament appearance,Shawnee Mission South bowler Henry Haake watched one of hisfellow Raiders compete in the girls tournament.Haake had come close to advancing out of regionals the past twoseasons before finally breaking through this year. And as aspectator Friday, he turned to the wife of SM South coach KentThompson and told her he was feeling nervous for what wouldsoon be his much-awaited moment.advertisement “I got with him today before everything gotstarted,” Thompson said. “… I said, ‘Don’t be(nervous) — this is icing on the cake.’ ”more boys bowling...• Johnson Country bowling notebook• Olathe Northwest’s Washford is TheStar’s boys All-Metro bowler of the year• High school athletes of the week• Johnson County bowling teams roll atstate• Question of the week: Why hasbowling been embraced as a varsitysport?Indeed, the ending Saturday proved sweet for Haake. He cappedhis junior season with a third-place finish at the Kansas 6A boysstate tournament, bowling a personal-best 724 series at OlatheLanes East.No SM South bowler had ever recorded a 700 series incompetition before Haake did it with games of 242, 235 and 247.No Raiders bowler had ever placed so high at the state meet. Andno other Kansas City-area bowler fared better in 6A on Saturday.you might also like...• SM Northwest boys, Olathe North girlswin Kansas bowling regional titles• Johnson County bowling notebook• Johnson County bowling notebook“I didn’t think I was going to do that,” Haake said. “I’ve beennervous all week. I didn’t know what to expect.”Goddard won the team championship with a 2,673 series. AndGoddard senior Adrian Bohanan won the individual state title withan 803 series.• Shawnee Mission West’s Baker isheaded to state on a roll• Olathe Northwest senior MattWashford wins Kansas 6A boys statechampionshipOlathe North’s Ryan Engle (693, sixth place), Olathe South’s Garrett Hayhow (688, seventh) and Lawrence’s TannerKilmer (683, eighth) also excelled individually with top-10 finishes.The SM Northwest boys, meanwhile, finished as the top local team, taking fourth place with a 2,504 series. TheCougars finished only 12 pins back of runner-up Wichita Heights (2,516) and two behind third-place Maize (2,506).Before the meet, SM Northwest junior Brett Dowell was asked to stand in front of the crowd to be recognized for anact of sportsmanship.Last Saturday, the Cougars left their regional tournament with the first-place trophy. But the next day, Dowell noticedby looking at the scores in the newspaper that he was credited with 10 pins too many.He reported the error to Cougars coach Britt Haney, and the team’s regional championship turned into a runner-upfinish after the change was noted.“I don’t know if I could have done well today if I didn’t do that,” Dowell said.

So he took a clear mind into the state tournament Saturday and led the Cougars with a 665 series to place 12thindividually.SM West’s Matt Beeghly (660, 13th) and Olathe Northwest’s Jesse Foulk (652, 16th) also medaled.Sumner’s Smith bestSumner Academy couldn’t take home a team title Saturday, but the Sabres were far fromdisappointed.Sumner finished third in the Kansas 5-1A state tournament at West Acres in Wichita, giving the Sabres their firsttrophy in state tournament play. And the Sabres’ Christian Smith placed first in the individual standings.“This is just great overall,” Sumner coach Ed Gunter said. “Our seniors carried us today. This is a greataccomplishment for this school and the bowling program.”Smith bowled a 777 series, and his third game of 278 moved the Sabres up in the standings. It was also secondhighestscore of the tournament.“Everything was going right today,” Smith said. “I usually leave those 7 pins, but they were just falling today.”Nathan Kriss was second on the team with a 621, and Cedric Phillips rolled a 605.Washington finished in seventh place, led by Jarvis Ford with a 627 series. Zach Winkler and Greg Fears joinedFord with a pair of 600 series. Gardner Edgerton’s Alex Thompson finished in seventh, bowling a 692.Wichita Bishop Carroll won the team title with a 2,686 series, giving it a sweep of the boys and girls team titles.Topeka Seaman finished in second with 2,663, followed by Sumner with 2,598.submitted by RYAN YOUNG - 2009-03-07 21:01:03

St. Thomas Aquinas boys edge WyandotteSource: The StarTwo days after pulling off a narrow upset win in its Kansas 5Aboys substate opener, Wyandotte almost did it again Saturday.But with the score tied late, St. Thomas Aquinas senior ZachBourquin scored the game’s final four points to deliver the Saints a55-51 victory over the Bulldogs in the substate final at GardnerEdgerton.advertisement With that, the Saints advanced to the statetournament for the third season in a row — thelongest streak in program history, coach Sean Reilly said.“If you make state, everyone’s happy. If you do it two years in arow, people say, ‘Gosh darn, you’ve got some really good players,’” Reilly said. “If you do it three years in a row, and you’re doing itwith different people, then you say the program is representing theschool community the way you want it.”Bourquin broke the tie with a layup and added a pair of free throwsfor the Saints, 12-10Senior Cortlin Banks scored a game-high 18points for Wyandotte, which finished 6-14. The Bulldogs upset No.2-seeded Harmon in the first round.more boys basketball...• Sumner Academy knocks off St. JamesAcademy 68-51• Grandview beats Liberty in MissouriClass 5 quarterfinals• Shawnee Mission East rallies, beatsLawrence• Olathe South, Olathe East win Kansas6A substate crowns• Threes for all in the Mundweiler familyyou might also like...• Aquinas girls struggle to beat GardnerEdgerton 27-24• BV North girls, Aquinas boys winKansas substate games“We thought we were good enough to head down I-70 this year (tothe state tournament in Topeka),” Wyandotte coach Tracy Dyersaid. “We’ve been thinking that way all year. … I’m really proud ofthis bunch.”Bishop Miege 66, Gardner Edgerton 64The Bishop Miege boysbasketball program had made 10 consecutive state tournamentappearances before falling short last season.• St. Thomas Aquinas edges BishopMiege in Kansas 5A substate final• Kansas substate basketball: Fivethings to watch• Releford is 2008 boys player of theyear“We were used to going, and that hurt last year,” Miege coach Rick Zych said.On Saturday, the Stags started what might become a new streak, sealing their return to the tournament with athorough win over host Gardner Edgerton.Junior Trevor Releford led all players with 18 points.submitted by RYAN YOUNG - 2009-03-07 20:54:01

Star – March 8, 2009Students learn lessons on living — from a liferBy TONY RIZZOThe Kansas City StarAt Central Middle School in Kansas City, Kan., Pablo Ceniceros (center) and Ociel Lara (right) talkedabout the letters they and classmates sent to inmate Jermaine Davis, whose story appeared in The KansasCity Star’s “Murder Factory” series.Dania Noyola was poised to make a rash and life-altering decision.But the Kansas City, Kan., middle school student didn’t realize it until she learned the story of convictedmurderer Jermaine Davis and his road from the honor roll to a life behind bars.From his failure, Dania drew inspiration to succeed.So she changed her mind about dropping out of the Kauffman Scholars program and its ultimate payoff of anexpenses-paid college education.“I was going to quit but then I actually thought about it,” she told Davis in a letter recently mailed to him inprison. “I know I was going to lose a lot if I did. But I really did learn a lot from your life.”Dania was among about 20 students of teacher Emilee Rose who seized inspiration from Davis after his storyappeared earlier this year in The Kansas City Star’s “Murder Factory” series on Kansas City ZIP code 64130.

After reading about convicted killer Jermaine Davis in “Murder Factory,” The Star’s series on KansasCity ZIP code 64130, Yer Her and other students of teacher Emilee Rose wrote him about what his storymeant to them.The series revealed that more convicted murderers incarcerated in Missouri prisons came from 64130 than anyother ZIP code in the state.Rose, who teaches reading and writing at Central Middle School, decided to share with her students the story ofDavis — a former student of hers whom she remembered from nearly two decades ago as energetic, likable,eager to learn.“He definitely seemed like somebody who was going to make it,” said Rose, who taught in Missouri back then.Instead, Davis got caught up in a downward spiral of skipping school, fighting and committing petty crimesuntil, at age 18, he robbed and killed a manager at the south Kansas City restaurant where he worked. Serving alife sentence, he has been in prison longer than Rose’s current students have been alive.

“I wanted to show the kids how quickly some crucial bad decisions can ruin your life,” Rose said.Though it was Rose’s idea to have her students read the articles about Davis, it was the kids who decided towrite him letters about what his story meant to them.Joshua Hernandez, Dania’s eighth-grade classmate at Central Middle, said it prompted him to take a hard lookat the bad choices he was making.Jermaine Davis“Since I’ve read the article about you, I’ve thought about everything I’ve done and I have to admit, I regretsome of the things I’ve done,” Joshua wrote. “This article has taught me to choose carefully who you hang outwith and how to make your choices and I thank you.”Despite the differences in age, gender and race, Dania said she felt a special connection to Davis because he hadbeen a student in Project Choice, an earlier version of the Kauffman Scholars program she is now part of thataims to prepare and assist inner-city youths in obtaining college educations.Davis, while a student at Westport High School in the early 1990s, not only had the same offer of a collegescholarship, he got to meet Ewing Kauffman and introduce him to a packed school auditorium.Dania said that until she read about Davis, she was ready to drop out of the program. She was frustrated withthe extra work and time after school and on Saturdays that it required while her friends, who were not in theprogram, were hanging out and having fun.

Rose’s students said they have not heard from Davis since writing him at the Jefferson City Correctional Center.The Star was unable to contact him for this story.The students live miles from the part of Kansas City where Davis lived before he went to prison. Yet many areconfronted by the same problems associated with poverty and crime.The danger was punctuated for them last month as they were finishing their letters. Someone fatally shot aCentral Middle seventh-grader about a mile from their school. He died on his 14th birthday.“It was a horrible, real-life example of what I was trying to get them to see,” Rose said.Another of her students, Sabrina Heistand, mentioned the death of her friend in her letter to Davis.“He was only in seventh grade and now he’s gone,” she wrote.Though Sabrina’s letter echoed those of classmates who said Davis’s story had helped them understand theimportance of resisting negative peer pressure and making good personal choices, she also offered a uniquewish for him.“I hope me thanking you for your inspiration helps you,” she wrote. “I think it will because you are helping melearn from your mistakes.”@ Go to KansasCity.com to read the “Murder Factory” series and for a special multimedia section.

Sumner Academy knocks off St. James Academy 68-51Source: The StarSt. James Academy freshman Clint McCullough, as he had doneall night, rose up for a jumper to tie the score.Then Sumner Academy’s Reese Holliday, like he had done allweek, took control. The 6-foot-4 junior scored 10 of his game-high26 points in the fourth quarter and helped the Sabres to a 68-51victory in a Kansas 4A substate final Saturday at Eudora HighSchool.advertisement Sumner, 21-2 and ranked No. 1 in The Star’ssmall class, advanced to the 4A statechampionship in Salina. Holliday, who pulled down 12 reboundsSaturday, averaged 22 points over three substate games.“Reese seems to put up double-doubles every night, and tonightwas no different,” Sumner Academy coach Daniel Parra said.“There for a while, a long while — about two quarters — we triedto get the ball to him on every possession and either let him createfor somebody else or get his own shot.”Holliday had trouble containing the 6-foot-6 McCullough. Thefreshman scored 18 points for St. James Academy, which endedthe year 19-4.“We knew they were good, but it was an even better game than wethought it would be,” Holliday said.more boys basketball...• Grandview beats Liberty in MissouriClass 5 quarterfinals• St. Thomas Aquinas boys edgeWyandotte• Shawnee Mission East rallies, beatsLawrence• Olathe South, Olathe East win Kansas6A substate crowns• Threes for all in the Mundweiler familyyou might also like...• St. James boys top De Soto 59-48 inovertime• St. James girls to face Eudora insubstate final• Bishop Miege beats Sumner 69-61• Sumner Academy, Harmon to competefor KCKL title this seasonEudora girls 42 St. James Academy 25The Eudora girls capturedtheir first substate basketball championship since 1992 in aKansas 4A substate final.• The little things are big for SumnerAcademy“This is what we’ve been waiting for,” coach Ryan Luke said. “There are no words to describe it. I’m happy for thekids No. 1.”Eudora’s Haley Epperson had 14 points.submitted by JEFF GELSKI - 2009-03-07 23:28:01

Kansan – March 9, 20092008-2009 All Wyandotte County wrestling teams announcedby Nick SloanWyandotte County’s All-Wrestling team was announced over the weekend.The nine coaches in the county gathered to make the selections. The teams are dominated by members of theTurner Golden Bears wrestling team.A Golden Bear won Wyandotte County Wrestler of the Year. Luciano Gutierrez finished second at state in hisweight level. Darwyn Thomlinson, head coach at Washington High School, was named the Wrestling Coach ofthe Year.The full list:Wrestler of the Year: Luciano Gutierrez, Turner High SchoolCoach of the Year: Darwyn Thomlinson, Washington High School103lbs1st Team: Ronnie Enloe, Washington119 lbs2nd Team: Tony Arzola, Turner1st Team: James Wauer, Washington2nd Team: Nick Coffman, Piper112 lbsHonorable Mention: James Lohman, Turner1st Team: Caleb Seaton, Bonner Springs2nd Team: Robert Arzola, TurnerHonorable Mention: Russell Brown, Turner

125 lbs145 lbs1st Team: Derrick Weller, Piper2nd Team: Forrest Carrol, TurnerHonorable Mention: Brooks Ballou, Bonner Springs1st Team: Byron Roath, Washington2nd Team: Adam Shirley, Bonner SpringsHonorable Mention: Jesse Estrada, Turner130 lbs152 lbs1st Team: Chris John, Turner2nd Team: Jermaine Rhone, SchlagleHonorable Mention: Aaron Morris1st Team: Brian Callahan, Bonner Springs2nd Team: Joe Mohler, TurnerHonorable Mention: Jaysson Tansey, Sumner andAlex Orel, Bishop Ward135 lbs160 lbs1st Team: Jimeal Glover, Wyandotte2nd Team: Devan Sierant, TurnerHonorable Mention: Collin Zwart, Piper1st Team: Gerardo Pena, Turner2nd Team: Tyler Coffey, PiperHonorable Mention: German Lira, Washington140 lbs171 lbs1st Team: Jason Langford, Turner2nd Team: Demetrius Clay, SchlagleHonorable Mention: Phillip Lewis, Piper1st Team: Herman Ming, Schlagle2nd Team: Anthony Ellingsworth, Bonner SpringsHonorable Mention: David Selleck, Washington

189 lbs215 lbs1st Team: Elijah Ming, Schlagle2nd Team: Keith Slowter, WashingtonHonorable Mention: Armando Alcantara, Turner1st Team: Lucianao Gutierrez, Turner2nd Team: Jerome Newman, WyandotteHonorable Mention: Brandon Nickerson, SchlagleHeavyweight1st Team: Tanner McCleary, Bonner Springs2nd Team: Sheron Berry, SumnerHonorable Mention: Ervin DeMata, Harmon

Back to web versionPosted on Sun, Mar. 08, 2009Half of Kansas teachers who lost licenses were involvedinappropriately with studentsMonday, Mar 9, 2BY HURST LAVIANAThe Wichita EagleMore than half of the 76 Kansas teachers who have lost their licenses since 2000 were involved in inappropriate relationships withstudents or were convicted of sexually abusing other children, state records show.Reports of teachers having inappropriate contact with students have become increasingly common in recent years. But lastmonth's arrest of the assistant principal of Cloud Elementary School caught many by surprise because the alleged victim was a 6-year-old girl.Only three of the 76 revocations this decade involved charges of sexually molesting grade-school-age children, Kansas StateDepartment of Education records show.Experts in the field, however, say it's happened before."Normally, people who have a sexual interest in children are going put themselves around children," said John Shehan, director ofthe exploited child division of the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children in Alexandria, Va. "They're going to migrate toplaces where children are."Sedgwick County sheriff's Sgt. Amy Tracy, who works in the Wichita/ Sedgwick County Exploited and Missing Child Unit, said ifcrimes involving young victims appear relatively rare, it's probably because young children are less likely to report abuse."It's a very sensitive subject for kids," she said.The former Cloud Elementary assistant principal, Robert C. Baker, 59, is free on $250,000 bond pending a March 18 preliminaryhearing on charges of rape and aggravated indecent liberties. Baker, an employee of USD 259 since 1974, told a judge during hisfirst court appearance last week that he was retired.The three Kansans who lost their teaching licenses for incidents involving children in grade-school-age children:• Anthony Baker, 37, was a librarian at Muncie Elementary School in Leavenworth when he was arrested in 2007 on federalpornography charges.One of the children found in the images on Baker's computer was a 10-year-old girl he had been tutoring at the school. He wassentenced to 17 ½ years in prison on the pornography charge.Baker also was charged in Leavenworth County District Court with rape, aggravated criminal sodomy, aggravated indecentliberties and sexual exploitation of a child. A preliminary hearing on the state charges is scheduled for this month.• Scott A. Habegger, 36, was the principal at Prairie Center Elementary School in Olathe when he was arrested in 2006. He wascharged with sexually assaulting a fourth-grade boy while student-teaching at a Lincoln, Neb., grade school in 1995.The victim was 21 when he came forward to tell authorities about the case. The victim said Habegger befriended him one day atrecess, then later molested him repeatedly at Habegger's home and during several out-of-town trips. Habegger pleaded nocontest and is serving an eight- to 20-year sentence at the Nebraska State Penitentiary in Lincoln.• Michael G. Lambdin, 38, was an English teacher at Liberal High School until he was arrested in May 2006 and charged withmolesting two young girls. He was convicted of molesting one of the girls, who was 6 at the time, in Seward County District Court.He is serving time for rape, aggravated indecent liberties and sexual exploitation of a child at the Hutchinson Correctional Facilityand will be eligible for parole in 2024.Teacher licensesThere are more than 70,000 teachers licensed in Kansas, though not all are working full-time assignments.Kevin Ireland, a lawyer for the Kansas State Board of Education, said a teacher's license can be revoked if he or she is convictedof a felony or of a misdemeanor involving theft or drugs. Engaging in sexual activity with a student is also grounds for a licenserevocation.Before 2001, it wasn't illegal in Kansas for a teacher to have consensual sex with a 16- or 17-year-old student. Today it's a felonyfor a teacher to have sex with a student no matter what the student's age.When deciding whether to revoke a license, Ireland said, the board must find "clear and convincing evidence" that the teacher hasviolated state ethics standards.

In a criminal case, where the burden or proof is higher, a judge or jury must find proof "beyond a reasonable doubt" that a crimehas been committed. Ireland said a criminal conviction therefore usually leads to a license revocation."If somebody has been convicted of a crime, it makes it much easier for us to prove that the conduct occurred," he said.Ireland also said there have been several cases in recent years where a license has been revoked because of an inappropriaterelationship that did not involve criminal conduct.Investigating teachersAt the county's Exploited and Missing Child Unit, which investigates reports of physical and sexual abuse of children as well aschild pornography, detectives handle about 170 cases a month. Tracy said only a handful involve teachers."If we had five a year, that would be a lot," she said. "It's certainly not common."Bob Shoop, a Kansas State University education professor who specializes in studying student abuse, said he doubts that the 41revocations for improper conduct with children represent all the abuse that has occurred in Kansas schools since 2000."I promise you, that's just the tip of the iceberg," he said. "Most cases don't get reported."And just because a case is reported, he said, doesn't mean it will result in criminal charges."In many cases, the parents don't want to see their child become the poster kid for being abused," he said.Shoop said school districts should establish clear standards that set appropriate boundaries for student-teacher relationships. Hesaid parents and students need to be aware that inappropriate contact can occur in schools.Two decades ago, no one would have suspected that a priest would molest a child, Shoop said. He said that changed afterseveral high-profile cases.Shoop said he suspects the same phenomenon is now happening in the nation's schools, which have turned out not to beimmune from sexual predators."There are some very sick people who go into education because that's where the kids are," he said. "They go so they can getaccess."At the national Missing and Exploited Children Center, an effort is made to track the relationship between child victims and theirmolesters. Although officials there don't treat teachers as a separate category, Shehan said, teachers do fall into the category ofpeople most likely to molest children: people the children know and often trust."The vast majority have legitimate access to the kids," he said.Reach Hurst Laviana at 316-268-6499 or hlaviana@wichitaeagle.com.© 2009 Kansas City Star and wire service sources. All Rights Reserved. http://www.kansascity.com

Wyandotte West – March 9, 2009Washington to be keynote speaker at women's luncheonby Bettse FolsomPauletta Pearson Washington, actress and wife of the movie star Denzel Washington, will visit Kansas City,Kansas March 12 at the Jack Reardon Convention Center, 501 Minnesota.She will be the keynote speaker for the KCK School Foundation for Excellence second annual Women’sLeadership Luncheon. The theme of the conversation this year is “Dare to Believe.”“These women have done a tremendous job in humanity and creating to make sure that students are gettingan education,” Washington said. “I was very glad they asked me to come. I am hoping that I can share somestories that will encourage and inspire people to go for it.”She has been married to Denzel Washington for 32 years, while most Hollywood marriages last less than fiveyears. She said their strong faith in God has been the reason for their successful marriage.“We first met briefly when we were working on a television show, “Wilma,” at the same time,” she said.“However, we weren’t formally introduced until a year later at a party he was hosting. We had a greatconversation and 32 years later, here we are.”The Washingtons are very spiritual and live outside the fantasy of Hollywood. They have friends who are notpart of the movie industry. The hardest challenge to them is trying to stay focused, however, she said herparents were great role models.“Before I got married, my mother told me that 85 percent of the success of our marriage would fall on me,”Washington said. “I was shocked because it was the time where women’s rights were an issue. However, afterthinking about it, I saw that my parents made a great team and put God first in their lives.”She said she would like women to gain more unity. The so-called unity that women have, they don’t, shesaid. Women, once thought of as secondary citizens, have come a long way, even running for president.However,Washington believes that women need to have equal rights, but not forget to embrace their femininity.“We are so busy and occupied being the caretakers and the nurturers,” Washington said. “I would like to seeus embrace ourselves.”Washington said it makes her sad to see that there are cultures and practices in this world where some womenare still treated as property. However, it seemed that those traditions are embedded, and the women can't evenhelp themselves.“I have met people like kings and queens and presidents and farmers and miners,” Washington said. “Peopleare people and the position that they hold are sometimes taken out of context. Everyone is human.”At the luncheon Washington will be sharing some of her stories as a young woman at the brink of integration,and that anyone can make it by daring to believe they can. She believes that she and her husband have walkedthe path of incredible success and it can be done.“My advice to young women is to get some faith and rely on something bigger than you,” Washington said.“No matter how smart, how pretty and how much money you make, you will never overcome the obstacles youwill face today by yourself. Find something greater than yourself to rely on.”To learn more about attending the luncheon, go to http://www.kcksffe.org/ or contact Shelley Coulter at 913-279-2091 or shcoult@kckps.org. Tickets are $75.

Kansan – March 10, 2009Community Candidate Forum set for tonight, Wednesdayby Sam HartleThe Kansas City, Kan. Community College will host the first of two candidate forums at 6 p.m. tonight to primevoters ahead of the April 7 general elections in Wyandotte County.On the docket for tonight's forum: Community College Board of Trustees and the three positions up for electionfor the Kansas City Board of Public Utilities.Wednesday night's forum will feature races in the USD 500 Board of Education, Unified Government andSheriff. It will also start at 6 p.m. at the Community College.Here's a detailed look at tonight's schedule:6 to 6:55 p.m.: KCK Community College Board of Trustees: Cathy Breidenthal, Catherine Durham, NolenEllison, John Littleton and LaVert Murray. Due to scheduling conflicts, Clayton Hunter will appear on behalf ofWendell Maddox, and Jason Banks will appear on behalf of J.D. Rios.7 to 7:30 p.m.: Kansas City Board of Public Utilities At-Large, Position 1: Mary Gonzales and Lynn Smith.7:35 to 8:05 p.m.: Kansas City Board of Public Utilities At-Large Position 2: David Alvey and Mark Jones.8:10 to 8:40 p.m.: Kansas City Board of Public Utilities Position No. 2: Loretta Colombel and Heather DeLeon.

Here's Wednesday's schedule:6 to 6:40 p.m.: Kansas City, Kan. Public Schools District Board of Education: Evelyn Hudson, Vicki Meyer,Linda Pendleton and Sam Stillwell.6:45 to 7:15 p.m.: Unified Government Commissioner, District 8: Butch Ellison and William Maher.7:20 to 7:55 p.m.: Unified Government Commissioner, At-Large District 2: John Mendez and T.J. Reardon8 to 8:30 p.m.: Unified Government Mayor/CEO: LaTosha Moore-Fradieu and Joe Reardon.8:30 to 9 p.m.: Wyandotte County Sheriff: Don Ash, LeRoy Green Jr

Kansan – March 10, 2009KCK League Newcomer of the Yearby Nick SloanNote: The Kansas City Kansan will be releasing its individual awards for the Kansas City, Kan., Leaguethis week. Today's award is KCK League Newcomer of the Year.J.C. Harmon junior Deontae Hooks is our choice for the Kansas City, Kan., League Newcomer of the Year.Hooks, who transfered from the Houston, Texas area this year, led the Hawks in scoring throughout the seasonand was one of the team's leading rebounders. During the team's run to the Paola Invitational, Hooks scored 36points against Tonganoxie and averaged around 25 points a game for the tournament.With a solid outside shot, Hooks shot 37 percent from three and 52 percent inside the arc. Overall, his shootingpercentage was 46 percent.

The Hawks improved from 9-12 last season to 15-6 this season in part because of Hooks. Next year, he isprimed to be a candidate for KCK League Player of the Year.Posted by Keith DeBose yesterdayWhile this young man's accomplishments are good, I believe that Bennie Parker of Sumner Academy is handsdown the Newcomer of the league. He's a freshman and the starting point guard for the Sabres who are on theirway to the state tournament.

KMBC-9 News – March 10, 2009OBAMA: 'WE'VE LET OUR GRADES SLIP'President Wants Higher Education StandardsPOSTED: 6:35 am CDT March 10, 2009UPDATED: 10:05 am CDT March 10, 2009President Barack Obama said Tuesday that he wants the country to set higher education standards, including aquicker start for children in kindergarten and a much better high school graduation rate.Video: Obama On Education http://www.kmbc.com/video/18895713/index.htmlObama did not propose any specific legislative goals on education in his speech Tuesday to the U.S. HispanicChamber of Commerce. Instead, the president talked about how the United States must work much harder tokeep pace with international competitors."Other nations outpace us," he said, adding, "It's unacceptable for our children."He also didn't detail any requirements to change President George W. Bush's No Child Left Behind program.Obama did say, however, that his administration will "finally make No Child Left Behind live up to its name."Obama called on people not just to educate their children, but also to educate themselves, urging them to makeeducation a priority and give the country the highest proportion of college graduates in the world by the year2020."We've accepted failure for far too long. Enough's enough," Obama said.He also said that where the so-called "charter schools" have been shown to be successful, they should beencouraged.Obama said that "America's place as a true global leader will be put at risk" if it doesn't substantially improveeducating "our sons and daughters." He said, "We've let our grades slip."Obama Urges Special Rewards For Best TeachersObama also said he backs the idea of merit pay for the best school teachers -- a position that his unionsupporters have fought."It is time to start rewarding good teachers and stop making excuses for bad ones," the president said.Teacher's unions have strongly opposed bringing such a system to public education. But Obama said Tuesdaythat the time has come to do just that.He said that "too many supporters of my party have resisted the idea of rewarding excellence in teaching withextra pay." He said the resistance has continued "even though we know it can make a difference in theclassroom."

It was Obama's first major speech on education since taking office. White House aides characterized the speechas a first step for an agenda to change American schools.Obama's huge economic stimulus package provides $41 billion in grants to local school districts. He also plansto send $79 billion in relief to states to prevent cuts in state aid, and another $21 billion for schoolmodernization.The stimulus package also provides more than $35 billion aimed at building schools and training teachers.

Back to web versionPosted on Tue, Mar. 10, 2009Obama backs teacher merit pay, charter schoolsBy LIBBY QUAIDAP Education WriterPresident Barack Obama called for tying teachers' pay to student performance and expanding innovative charter schoolsTuesday, embracing ideas that have provoked hostility from members of teachers unions.Wednesday, Mar 11, 2He also suggested longer school days - and years - to help American children compete in the world.In his first major speech on education, Obama said the United States must drastically improve student achievement to regain lostinternational standing."The future belongs to the nation that best educates its citizens," he said. "We have everything we need to be that nation ... andyet, despite resources that are unmatched anywhere in the world, we have let our grades slip, our schools crumble, our teacherquality fall short and other nations outpace us."His solutions include teacher pay and charter school proposals that have met resistance among members of teachers unions,which constitute an important segment of the Democratic Party.Obama acknowledged that conflict, saying, "Too many supporters of my party have resisted the idea of rewarding excellence inteaching with extra pay, even though we know it can make a difference in the classroom."Despite their history on the issues, union leaders publicly welcomed Obama's words, saying it seems clear he wants to includethem in his decisions in a way President George W. Bush did not."We finally have an education president," said Randi Weingarten, president of the 1.4 million-member American Federation ofTeachers. "We really embrace the fact that he's talked about both shared responsibility and making sure there is a voice forteachers, something that was totally lacking in the last eight years."The president of the 3.2 million-member National Education Association, Dennis Van Roekel said, "President Obama always sayshe will do it with educators, not to them.""That is a wonderful feeling, for the president of the United States to acknowledge and respect the professional knowledge andskills that those educators bring to every job in the school," van Roekel said.Van Roekel insisted that Obama's call for teacher performance pay does not necessarily mean raises or bonuses would be tied tostudent test scores. It could mean more pay for board-certified teachers or for those who work in high-poverty, hard-to-staffschools, he said.However, administration officials said later they do mean higher pay based on student achievement, among other things."What you want to do is really identify the best and brightest by a range of metrics, including student achievement," EducationSecretary Arne Duncan told The Associated Press in a brief interview.White House press secretary Robert Gibbs said certification is part of the mix. "But the president believes that school systems canwork with teachers and parents to come up with a system that rewards our best teachers with more pay for their excellence in theclassroom."The union leaders also liked that Obama took on Republicans in his speech, saying the GOP has refused to spend more moneyon early childhood programs despite evidence they make a difference.There also has been considerable friction over charter schools, which are publicly funded but operate independently, free fromsome of the rules that constrain regular schools. Many teachers are concerned that such schools drain money and talent fromregular schools.However, Obama said state limits on numbers of charter schools aren't "good for our children, our economy or our country." Hesaid many of the innovations in education today are happening in charter schools.Obama addressed the U.S. Hispanic Chamber of Commerce, a setting intended to underscore the need to boost academicperformance, especially among Latino and black children who sometimes lag behind their white counterparts.President George W. Bush's No Child Left Behind law aimed to close that achievement gap, but progress has been slow, andObama says his administration can do better. None of what he outlined Tuesday was new; his education agenda reflects Obama'scampaign platform.Broadly speaking, Obama wants changes at every level from before kindergarten through college. He is putting special focus onsolving the high school dropout crisis and pushing states to adopt more rigorous academic standards.

Some of his promises already are in the works: Public schools will get an unprecedented amount of money - double the educationbudget under Bush - from the economic stimulus bill over the next two years. To get some of those dollars, Obama and Duncaninsist states will have to prove they are making good progress in teacher quality, on data systems to track how students learn andon standards and tests.After the scheduled event, Obama made a surprise visit with Duncan to a meeting of state school chiefs at a Washington hotel.Duncan said last Friday that states will get the first $44 billion by the end of the month.Obama also wants kids to spend more time in school, with longer school days, school weeks and school years - a position headmitted will make him less popular with his school-age daughters.Children in South Korea spend a month longer in school every year than do kids in the U.S., where the antiquated school calendarcomes from the days when many people farmed and kids were needed in the fields."I know longer school days and school years are not wildly popular ideas, not with Malia and Sasha," Obama said as the crowdlaughed. "But the challenges of a new century demand more time in the classroom.""If they can do that in South Korea, we can do it right here in the United States of America," Obama said.© 2009 Kansas City Star and wire service sources. All Rights Reserved. http://www.kansascity.com

Back to web versionPosted on Tue, Mar. 10, 2009Obama urges longer school hours, extended school yearBy STEVEN THOMMAMcClatchy NewspapersPresident Barack Obama said Tuesday that American children should go to school longer - either stay later in the day or into thesummer - if they're going to have any chance of competing for jobs and paychecks against foreign kids."We can no longer afford an academic calendar designed when America was a nation of farmers who needed their children athome plowing the land at the end of each day," Obama said, adding U.S. education to his already crowded list of top priorities."That calendar may have once made sense, but today, it puts us at a competitive disadvantage. Our children spend over a monthless in school than children in South Korea. That is no way to prepare them for a 21st century economy."He urged administrators to "rethink the school day" to add more class time."I know longer school days and school years are not wildly popular ideas," he said. "Not in my family, and probably not in yours.But the challenges of a new century demand more time in the classroom. If they can do that in South Korea, we can do it righthere in the United States of America."He proposed longer class hours as part of a broader effort to improve U.S. schools that he said are falling behind foreigncompetitors."Despite resources that are unmatched anywhere in the world, we have let our grades slip, our schools crumble, our teacherquality fall short and other nations outpace us," Obama said. "In eighth-grade math, we've fallen to ninth place. Singapore'smiddle-schoolers outperform ours 3-to-1. Just a third of our 13- and 14-year-olds can read as well as they should."Among his proposals: extra pay for better teachers, something opposed by teachers unions."It is time to start rewarding good teachers and stop making excuses for bad ones," he said in a speech to the U.S. HispanicChamber of Commerce. "Too many supporters of my party have resisted the idea of rewarding excellence in teaching with extrapay, even though we know it can make a difference in the classroom."Teachers groups applauded Obama's speech, largely sidestepping the thorny question of merit pay."Teachers want to make a difference in kids' lives, and they appreciate a president who shares that goal and will spend hispolitical capital to provide the resources to make it happen," said Randi Weingarten, president of the 1.4 million-member AmericanFederation of Teachers. "As with any public policy, the devil is in the details, and it is important that teachers' voices are heard."Despite his call for changes and his use of examples from around the country, Obama didn't mention the simmering dispute overone program in Washington.Democrats in Congress were poised Tuesday to use a budget bill to wipe out $14 million for the D.C. Opportunity Scholarshipprogram.The federally financed program gives grants or vouchers averaging $6,000 to 1,700 poor children in Washington to help themattend private schools.Obama, who sends his children to private school rather than to Washington's public schools, didn't mention the program."President Obama himself passed up the District's public schools and sent his daughters to prestigious Sidwell Friends," TheWashington Post said in a recent editorial. "Two Sidwell students will lose their Opportunity Scholarships if Congress kills theprogram. There is nothing wrong with choosing the best possible school for your children, but doing so while denying that choiceto poor D.C. students is shameful."ON THE WEBHeritage Foundation video urging Obama to save D.C. school voucher program: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QKzZJoPu1OQ© 2009 Kansas City Star and wire service sources. All Rights Reserved. http://www.kansascity.comWednesday, Mar 11, 2

Kan. Debate Over School Funding ProgressesLast Update: 3/10 3:54 pmTOPEKA, Kan. (AP) - Gov. Kathleen Sebelius likes what she's seeing so farfrom legislative committees when it comes to education funding.Spokeswoman Beth Martino says Sebelius is pleased both the HouseAppropriations Committee and a Senate budget subcommittee haveendorsed her plan to use federal stimulus dollars to avoid deep cuts in aid topublic schools.But House committee Chairman Kevin Yoder, an Overland Park Republican,said all decisions will be reviewed again next week. That's when his panel willfinish its work on a budget for the fiscal year that begins July 1.Sebelius has proposed using $192 million in education dollars from thefederal stimulus package in the next budget.That will keep aid to public schools at the level in the current budget, as revised by Sebelius and legislators this year.©2009 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

Kansan – March 11, 2009Board approves possible staff reductions for next school yearby Nick SloanThe Kansas City, Kan., Board of Education voted tonight to reduce staff across the district for the 2009-10school year. However, if stimulus funds remain in the new state budget, some staff members could return.J.D. Rios, assistant superintendent for human and community resources, told members the move was made inorder to prepare staff members who may lose their positions."Every-one of our (budget possibilities) calls for staff reductions," Rios said. "We have a May 1 deadline andwe need to begin the process. It's hard for (the district) to continue budget planning if we don't get the HumanResources wheel rolling."Under the timeline Rios stated, members of the district's central office who will be cut will be notified thisFriday. Rios and the Human Resources Department will begin the process with individual schools next week.Board President Gloria Willis voted against the measure."I'm concerned that the morale is low," Willis said. "If we go to our people now and say their positions may notbe available, but if we get money they may be – I just don't like that."The cuts are a result of loss of state dollars in the area of education. Depending on whether or not the statereceives education stimulus dollars, some of the listed staff reductions would be invited back.All districts have a May 1 deadline of informing licensed teachers concerning their job availability. If districtsdo not inform teachers that their job would be cut by then, the district must retain the teacher.

Kansan – March 11, 2009KCK Library to host "Back to School" workshopsby Nick SloanThe Kansas City, Kan., Public Library and the Education Opportunity Center of Kansas City, Kan., will offertwo workshops next month to help adults discover continuing education opportunities.The West Wyandotte Library – located at 1737 N. 82nd Street – will host "Back to School for Adults: The Way toa Better Future," next month. They will be held on April 2 and April 30, with the earlier workshop beginning at7 p.m. and the second one held at 10 a.m.The workshops will present information to adults concerning acquiring an education to improve their status inthe workforce, whether a GED, training or earning a college education."Workshop participants can learn how to apply for some of the $83 billion available through federal grants, andhow to choose a school that will meet their educational needs and career goals," a press release about the eventsays. "Information about scholarships, loans, local and library resources will also be provided at the workshop."Both events are opened to the public with free admission.

Kansan – March 11, 2009Stimulus money may keep cuts lean in KCKPSby Nick SloanThe Kansas City, Kan., Board of Education received a report this evening concerning up to date budgetinformation.Like in other school districts in the area, the Kansas City, Kan., Public School District could have less severebudget cuts after federal stimulus money comes into the state.Outgoing Kansas Gov. Kathleen Sebelius' amended agenda would cut state base aid from $4,433 to $4,400 perstudent. just a $33 decrease from funding last year. An across the board 10 percent cut would have resulted in a$440 cut.In KCKPS specifically, when incorporating the district's weighted funds, the district would lose $110 underSebelius' new budget, which incorporates federal stimulus dollars for education.A six percent cut would result in $496.18 in the district per student, while a 10 percent would result in a$787.60 decreasing in aid per student based on the district's weighted funds."It certainly gives us hope that school funding will not be cut dramatically," said Cindy Lane, assistantsuperintendent. "It's not great news but it's much better."Still, even with the federal stimulus dollars coming in to KCKPS, the district would still be short of $1.1 millionin state aide.Lane outlined a preliminary plan on potential budget cuts under Sebelius' new budget. Reductions would comemostly from Central Office salary costs. In preparation for staff cuts, the district is also looking at increasing the

pupil teacher ration at all levels."The ratio is downward to project not only less dollars this year but years down the road," Lane said.Along with less funding from the state, the district could lose money based on its local option budget. Adecrease in the district's assessed valuation would leave the district with more cuts. Under the budget proposal,the district is counting on a 10 percent decreasing in its assessed valuation.

Kansan – March 11, 2009Sumner, Washington boys bowling teams finish in Top 10by Nick SloanThe Sumner Academy Sabres and Washington Wildcats bowling teams each finished in the Top 10 in lastweekend's Boys 5-1A Bowling State competition.Sumner finished in third with 2,598 points, behind Bishop Carroll (2,686) and Topeka-Seaman (2,663).Meanwhile, Washington finished in seventh place with 2,432 points.While the team fell short, one Sabre won the individual competition.Senior Christian Smith completed a 777 series by bowling games of 254, 245 and 278. Smith finished 32 pinsahead of the second place winner.Washington's top bowler was Jarvis Ford, who finished with a 627 series and in 27th place. Schlagle's ChrisMcIntosh finished in 34th ploace, while Louis Ramirez of Turner finished in 36th place.Other KCK area bowlers who competed by school:Sumner AcademyNathan Kriss, 31stCedric Phillips, 42ndChris Cole, 46thBryan Watson, 53rdMichael Jackman, 65thWashingtonZach Winkler, 38thGreg Fears, 43rdJimmy Carter, 44thGus Ayalla, 51stCody Nichols, 61st

TurnerSteven Kolojaco, 59thPosted by christy smith-poeCongrats to all the great bowlers!!!! It was a pleasure to watch all of you this season!!Way to go SABRES!!! Congrats Christian!!!!Posted by andie smithCongratulations from NorCal Christian Smith and the Sumner Sabres! WOW!

Back to web versionPosted on Tue, Mar. 10, 2009America has a long way to go to overcome anti-intellectualismWednesday, Mar 11, 2Eric Hanushek of the Hoover Institution wrote (1/19, Opinion), “Nobody doubts the need to improve our schools.” He rightly notesthe modest performance of American students compared with those in many other countries and advises, “We cannot continuedoing what has not worked, even if we do it more intensively.”Hanushek is correct on all counts, and so is his observation that our schools and teachers need rewards for academic success.But they need much more.To measure up to our high-achieving friends in the global economy, we need to enhance the power and prestige of teachers tothe point where teaching is one of the most desirable careers, as it is elsewhere. We need to make teaching so attractive that wedraw new teachers largely from the top ranks of college graduates, as happens elsewhere. We need to identify bright potentialteachers at an early age, and nurture their ambitions and their skills. We need to end the waste of resources caused by half of ournew teachers’ leaving the profession within their first five years. We need to make the words “I used to be a teacher” as rare as “Iused to be a physician” or “I used to be an architect.”As a principal, I made it a practice to sit down with our school’s top 10 graduates each spring to get their views of their schoolexperiences and to chat about their plans. From the 1970s through the 1980s, at least one and often two or three wereconsidering teaching careers. In the ’90s, that dwindled to one or none. After two years of none, I brought this up with the top 10.One bright, supremely able young woman jumped at it, saying, “I’d love to be a teacher, but my dad won’t let me. He says it’s notworth my time or his money.”Her dad was no ogre, but a solid citizen who supported the schools and just wanted the best for his child. For our schools toimprove significantly, teaching must be seen as one of the best careers for anyone’s child, as it often is elsewhere.All this will not be enough, however. There are many good teachers today whose effect is blunted by a culture that devalues theirefforts and intellect generally. America has a long tradition of anti-intellectualism, well documented by observers foreign anddomestic. We like to think we prefer the practical over the theoretical and the intuitive over the analytical. Sometimes, we like tojust not think much at all. This has been especially evident in recent years with a sizeable minority of Americans rejecting thefindings of the worldwide scientific community in fields as diverse as climatology and evolutionary biology. Only in America.Our schools and our students will thrive most when all of us respect the scientists, historians, mathematicians, poets and othercustodians of the world’s knowledge, consistently show that respect to our children, and take pleasure in mastering as much ofthat knowledge as we can. That is the foundation — and requirement — of what has been called a learning society.The corporate sector and the media need to help with this, as well. In his thought-provoking book The World Is Flat, ThomasFriedman remarks that when Bill Gates visits China, his talks are packed with adoring high school students eager to learn. Toyoung Chinese, Gates is a rock star; to young Americans, he isn’t. Creating a learning society here will take some seriousmarketing.Jim Haas is director of the master of arts in teaching program at Webster University-Kansas City. He lives in Olathe.© 2009 Kansas City Star and wire service sources. All Rights Reserved. http://www.kansascity.com

Star – March 11, 2009COMMUNITY NOTES: ARTWALKArtwalk 2009The Kansas City, Kan., Second Friday Artwalk opens its second season this week with an exhibit of studentartwork.More than 200 pieces of Kansas City, Kan., school district student art work will be on display at City Hall andat three galleries. The opening reception will be from 4 to 5:30 p.m. Thursday at City Hall, 701 N. Seventh St.All galleries are open 4-5:30 p.m. Thursday and 5-8 p.m.Friday unless otherwise indicated.| The Star | The Star

Lansing boys, girls teams to play at state tournamentSource: The StarRod Briggs’ three-year goal for the Lansing basketball program —to make the state tournament — was met with last weekend’s 71-61 victory over Washington in a 5A substate championship game.Briggs, in his third season as Lansing’s head coach, knew hecould build a program that could compete against the best teamsand play in the 5A state tournament. He also knew it wouldn’t beeasy.advertisement “This has been a three-year process of hard workin the summer from dedicated players,” Briggssaid. “We started three years ago with no returning starters, andonly one player who had (varsity) experience. It proves hard workand dedication pay off.”Lansing played hard from the start against Washington in buildinga 17-11 lead heading into the second quarter. The Lions outscoredWashington 26-18 in the second quarter in taking a 43-29 halftimelead.“We got off to a great start,” Briggs said. “We played probably thebest basketball we have played all year in the first half.”Washington put together a 22-15 run in the fourth quarter, butLansing made its free throws down the stretch in securing theprogram’s fourth trip to state. Lansing played in the 4A tournamentin 2003, and also went to state in 1990 and 1950.more boys basketball...• Johnson County boys state tournmentpreview• Platte County, Kearney take aim atbasketball state championships• Out-of-town games haven’t stoppedSoutheast boys• Sumner Academy knocks off St. JamesAcademy 68-51• Grandview beats Liberty in MissouriClass 5 quarterfinalsyou might also like...• Lansing falls in 5A substate final• Lansing defeats Basehor-Linwood• Improved Schlagle girls fall in substatefinal; Lansing wins• Lansing rolls over Atchison• Rush helps to power LansingCody Rush led a balanced offense with 22 points. Lansing hadfour other players score at least nine points.No. 3-seeded Lansing (19-3) will play Salina Central (14-8 and the sixth seed) at 8:15 Thursday night at the KansasExpocentre in Topeka.Basehor-Linwood boysAfter several failed attempts to win a substate title and advance to the Class 4A statetournament, Basehor-Linwood is state-bound.The Bobcats were helped by a clutch fourth-quarter shooting performance from senior guard Tanner Bowers, whoscored 12 points in the quarter. He also made some key free throws in helping Basehor-Linwood earn a 68-50victory over Tonganoxie in a 4A substate final.Bowers finished with 17 points. Senior Chandler Schaake scored 15.Basehor-Linwood (19-4 and the sixth seed) will play Wichita Trinity Academy (22-1 and the third seed) in the 4Astate tournament at 8:15 tonight at the Bicentennial Center in Salina.Lansing girlsA big second half lifted Lansing to a 50-42 victory over Topeka Seaman in a Class 5A substatechampionship game Friday night at Lansing.

The Lions overcame a 20-14 halftime deficit by outscoring Seaman 36-22 in the second half in securing a berth inthe 4A state tournament. Standout guards Brittney Lang and Amy Briggs combined for 26 points. Lang finished witha Lansing-best 19 points.Lansing (19-3 and the fourth seed) will play Emporia (18-4 and the fifth seed) in the state tournament at 4:45 p.m.today at the Kansas Expocentre in Topeka.Sumner Academy boysA huge fourth quarter from Reese Holliday helped Sumner Academy earn a 68-51 victoryover St. James Academy in a Class 4A substate championship game. Holliday scored 11 of his game-high 26 pointsin the fourth quarter.No. 4-seeded Sumner (21-2) will play Topeka Hayden (20-3 and the fifth seed) at 4:45 today at the BicentennialCenter in Salina.submitted by Special to The Star - 2009-03-10 16:37:01

Back to web versionPosted on Tue, Mar. 10, 2009KCK School District prepares for staff cutsBy DAWN BORMANNThe Kansas City StarHoping for the best and planning for the worst, the Kansas City, Kan., School District will issue preliminary pink slips Friday for 36positions in the central office.Board members reluctantly agreed to that action Tuesday because of the potential need to cut more than $21 million during the2009-10 school year. The Legislature has yet to complete its school finance plan for next year. But administrators said theyneeded to act because of state deadlines for setting contracts with certified staff members.The district will tell central office employees which positions could be eliminated unless federal stimulus money and additionalstate funding come through. But the board won’t give final approval to the reductions before late March.Affected employees will continue working through the academic year. And it’s likely that some laid off could be recalled.Yet for now, administrators said they must begin planning to preserve instruction.They acknowledged that it means some talented employees will have to look for work elsewhere. But they wanted to giveemployees as much notice as possible. And the district must start planning for a much-reduced budget.Board President Gloria Willis voted against the proposal, saying morale was already low.Administrators acknowledged that using stimulus money could solve some of the problem, but it was too soon to say whether themoney would be released before contract deadlines were up.Looking toward next year, if the state cuts 6 percent, the district expects to lose as much as $16 million. In that case, the districtcould be forced to cut 151 staff members, including teachers. If the state cuts 10 percent, the district expects to lose as much as$21.8 million. In that case, the district could be forced to cut 185 staff positions. The district employs about 3,450 people.Still, the cuts are subject to dramatic changes before anything is final.To reach Dawn Bormann, call 816-234-5992 or send e-mail to dbormann@kcstar.com.© 2009 Kansas City Star and wire service sources. All Rights Reserved. http://www.kansascity.comWednesday, Mar 11, 2

Star – March 11, 2009NEWS ABOUT SCHOOLS AND YOUTHSilver City Elementary SchoolReading night: Students, parents, teachers and staff will participate in Dr. Seuss Family Reading Night from 6to 7 p.m. on Thursday.Dr. Seuss activities will take place throughout the building at 2515 Lawrence in Kansas City, Kan.Central Middle SchoolDictionary donation: The Kansas City, Kansas, Rotary Club last month presented 380 dictionaries to CentralMiddle School.The donation was a literacy and community service project of the club. The project was funded by the club witha matching grant from Rotary District 5710 of Northeast Kansas. A focus of Rotary International is to promoteworld literacy.Please send your school news to The Kansas City Star, “School Notebook,” 701 Minnesota Ave., Suite 506,Kansas City, KS 66101. Include a telephone number for verification.| Compiled by Su Bacon

Star – March 11, 2009Obama favors merit pay for excellent teachersBy JOE ROBERTSONThe Kansas City StarPhoto by Keith MyersAt Central Middle School in Kansas City, Kan., on Tuesday, teacher John Lazzo led his seventh-gradestudents in a review for the state reading test.Seven years in the classroom have given John Lazzo enough experience to see the hard truths about PresidentBarack Obama’s desire to financially reward top teachers.“I personally would love to see it,” said the seventh-grade reading teacher in Kansas City, Kan. “Some teacherswork harder than others.”But …“Who would make the analysis? Every class is different. Every student is different. I don’t know how you wouldimplement it fairly.”More school systems are trying to find a way. And more are expected to after Obama strengthened his callTuesday for reform efforts that he said were critical to make American schools competitive in the globaleconomy.

“Too many supporters of my party have resisted the idea of rewarding excellence in teaching with extra pay,even though we know it can make a difference in the classroom,” Obama said in a speech to the U.S. HispanicChamber of Commerce, his first major address on education.He called for “treating teachers like the professionals they are while also holding them more accountable.” Goodteachers would get more money and “be asked to accept more responsibility for lifting up their schools.”At the same time, he said, it’s up to school districts “to move bad teachers out of the classroom.”“Let me be clear: If a teacher is given a chance but still does not improve, there is no excuse for that person tocontinue teaching,” Obama said. “I reject a system that rewards failure and protects a person from consequences.”He also called for reducing limits on public charter schools and for lengthening the school day and the schoolyear, among other steps.None of his pillars is more problematic than the notion of merit pay.Many players in the movement avoid the term. The words “merit pay” attach themselves to numerous failedattempts over the years.“It’s a red flag,” said Ben Simmons, executive director of the Missouri National Education Association.“Traditionally it was tied to test scores, which was unfair for a lot of reasons.”The Missouri teachers union, the Kansas National Education Association and the American Federation ofTeachers praised Obama’s approach to pursuing extra pay for top teachers.But they urged a bottom-up process that would work with teachers and their unions at the local level innegotiating such pay enhancements.Almost no pay-for-performance policies are in effect in Kansas or Missouri.“There are a lot of obstacles,” said Margo Quiriconi, the director of education research and policy at the EwingMarion Kauffman Foundation.“We’re talking about changing a system that has been in place for many, many years. But the system is outdatedand not meeting the needs of the time.”Under the current system, most school districts pay teachers based on their years of experience and postgraduatedegrees.The Kauffman Foundation sponsored research by the Center for Teaching Quality that worked with Kansaseducators to form a framework for what it called “strategic compensation.”

An evaluation of teachers needs to gather factors beyond test scores, the center’s report said. It called fornumerous measurements of knowledge and skills, student growth, demonstration of leadership and teaching insubjects or in schools with higher needs.From this work, Kansas is working toward a state regulation that would create a “teacher leader license,” saidKansas Education Commissioner Alexa Posny.It’s not merit pay, but it would give teachers a chance to earn a salary more akin to an administrator, Posny said.“But they would stay in the classroom,” she said.The road is clear statutorily if Kansas school boards want to develop pay-for-performance plans, Posny said.Missouri might not be as open. State statute requires that districts abide by a “salary schedule adopted by theboard of education applicable to all teachers.”That doesn’t necessarily mean a district couldn’t negotiate a process to provide extra pay in addition to the salaryschedule, said Jacquie Shipma, an attorney for the Missouri National Education Association. But unionsprobably would challenge plans that don’t give teachers equal opportunities for the benefits.In 2005, the Missouri Court of Appeals in Kansas City ruled that the Sherwood Cass School District broke thelaw when it offered signing bonuses to seven teachers if they committed to stay at least two years.Other programs in other states have run into problems when the pool of money for extra pay was limited.Performance pay invites trouble if teachers feel as if they are competing with each other for the rewards, saidMark Desetti, director of legislative advocacy for the Kansas education association.“What we need isn’t competition but collaboration,” he said.School systems in New York and Chicago are giving the staffs of entire schools the chance to collectively earnbonuses based on school performance.Denver Public Schools have advanced to the third year in an ambitious performance pay plan that was backedby a voter-approved $25 million levy to support increased teacher salaries.The district was widely praised by teachers unions for spending several years working with educators on anelaborate evaluation process and getting broad support before going to the public.In St. Louis County, a merit-pay system has been part of the Ladue School District for more than 50 years andpredates the Missouri statute with which it would appear to conflict.The process remains popular with teachers, administrators and community members who have reviewed it inrecent years, said district spokeswoman Kathy Reznikov.

But there are concerns. The principals who have to monitor the complicated evaluating system may not haveenough time to lead academic instruction in their buildings, Reznikov said.“The principal doesn’t want to be just an evaluator, but a mentor,” she said. “We’re trying to find the right balance.”Obama’s ideas• Recruit a new generation of teachers. Give extra pay to top teachers. Move bad teachers out of the classroom.• Improve early childhood education by expanding Head Start, increasing access to child care and doing more forchildren with special needs.• Challenge states to adopt uniform, world-class academic achievement standards and assessments.• Open more charter schools.• Lengthen the school day and the school year, ending a competitive disadvantage with other countries.• Reduce dropout rates.• Increase the number of Americans with a college education or career training.Charter schools popular in KCOne-fifth of the public schoolchildren who live in the Kansas City School District are enrolled in a charterschool.Missouri law allows charter schools —public schools governed by independent boards —within the Kansas Cityand St. Louis school districts. Charters must be sponsored by a higher education institution within the city or anadjacent county.Recently proposed legislation would let charters open outside those two districts’ boundaries and would allowsponsors to come from farther away.Neither Missouri nor Kansas limits the number of charters.Kansas City has 18 charter schools. On the Kansas side, the Kansas City, Kan., district has one, and the SpringHill district has a charter virtual high school.

Back to web versionPosted on Tue, Mar. 10, 2009Strings attached to stimulus funds put Kansas lawmakers in a bindWednesday, Mar 11, 2By DAVID KLEPPERThe Star’s Topeka correspondentTOPEKA | Kansas’ $1.75 billion share of the federal stimulus package will build roads, repair university buildings, pay medical billsfor the poor and keep teachers on the payroll. It also will help erase the state’s $650 million budget deficit.So why are schools still slashing budgets? And why are lawmakers still voting to close correctional facilities and cut funding for thestate’s colleges?Because there are strings attached to that federal money, and even $1.75 billion runs out eventually. And because manylawmakers argue that using the money to avoid cutbacks now just delays the pain of future belt-tightening.Still, the Republican-led Legislature is looking for ways to use the stimulus money to avoid the deep spending cuts that many wereexpecting. That is a reversal of sorts from just two months ago, when many lawmakers vowed not to rely on the federal funds tosolve the state’s fiscal problems.“A lot of us feel that it may not be the best way to get us out of this fiscal crisis,” said Rep. Kevin Yoder, an Overland ParkRepublican who leads the House budget committee. “But if Kansas doesn’t take its share, somebody else will. But we can’t takethis federal money and go on a spending spree.”Indeed, lawmakers face a quandary: Cut spending too much and risk losing stimulus money. Don’t cut enough and face evenharder decisions in two years when the federal money runs out.Here is the latest proposal on how Kansas would spend its share, and what lawmakers must do to get the money:•$367 million would help public schools and universities avoid budget cuts and layoffs for two years — but only if lawmakers agreenot to slash spending below the current year’s funding level. An additional $107 million would go toward special-educationprograms.•$440 million would offset the state’s Medicaid bills for three years. Some lawmakers want to use some of the money to build thestate’s reserves, but disability groups contend that is not what Congress intended.•$377 million would pay for highway projects and transit programs. Most important to the Kansas City area: widening U.S. 69 inJohnson County.•$95 million would go toward weatherization programs, renewable energy and energy efficiency.•$81 million would help the general state budget. This is the closest thing in the stimulus package to a blank check.•$68 million in additional benefits for the unemployed. To use the money, however, lawmakers must approve permanent changesto the state’s unemployment laws.•More than $200 million for assorted programs, including law enforcement grants, drinking water and sewer projects, elderlynutrition, child-care subsidies, public housing, aid for the homeless and other community programs.Overall, the $787 billion stimulus contains more than $300 billion in aid to state governments, said Chris Whatley, the Washingtondirector for the Council of State Governments.“It’s already having an impact in terms of stopping the bleeding in state budgets — preventing teacher layoffs and prisonfurloughs,” Whatley said of the stimulus money.In Kansas, those receiving unemployment benefits will get $25 extra each week thanks to the stimulus money; those receivingfood assistance also will see their benefits increase.Still, many Republican lawmakers are concerned that accepting all that money now could force them to spend more later. Theysay that the federal stimulus, with all of its strings attached, is like a coupon book that promises $100 in savings, but only if youspend $125.“We need more flexibility, not less, to deal with the budget problems we have,” said Senate President Steve Morris, a HugotonRepublican.Democrats, however, are more enthusiastic. “To me, this is money that’s on the table,” said House Minority Leader Paul Davis ofLawrence. “We’re crazy not to utilize it.”Still, no one sees the stimulus as a cure-all. Gov. Kathleen Sebelius, a Democrat, recently proposed $600 million in budget cutsfor next year’s budget. But to ensure the state gets its full share of stimulus money, she is insisting that lawmakers not cut schools

elow this year’s funding levels.Without the federal money, schools were contemplating cuts of more than 10 percent. Now, they are cautiously optimistic. Butthey warn they will have to make cuts anyway, because while funding may be flat, there are more students.The Olathe district, for example, expects an increase of 375 students or more this fall.“Just holding funding levels at the reduced level of this year is going to require reductions because there are rising operationalcosts that are going to occur over the next two years we’ve got to plan for,” said Olathe Superintendent Pat All.@ For all politics all the time, go to KansasCity.com and click on Prime Buzz.The Star’s Jim Sullinger contributed to this report. To reach David Klepper, call 785-354-1388 or send e-mail to dklepper@kcstar.com.© 2009 Kansas City Star and wire service sources. All Rights Reserved. http://www.kansascity.com

Wyandotte West – March 11, 2009BUDGET CUTS...Cindy Lane, assistant superintendent for budget and instructional support services, gives a presentationoutlining budget cuts at the Kansas City, Kansas, Public Schools’ Board of Education meeting March 10. (Photoby Bob Evans)USD 500 readies ax as budget forces cuts; 150-180 jobs may beeliminated by Julyby Bob EvansAnother sign of the economic crisis pervaded the Kansas City, Kansas, District 500 school board meetingMarch 10 as it conducted a budget hearing to publicly hear the dire forecast for the 2009-2010 year where $16-21 million in budgeting cuts loom and jobs losses await.Imagine riding a wild stallion, holding on with one hand and trying to aim a gun at a continually movingtarget with the free hand. That’s similar to the task faced by the board and the administrators as they try to tamethe runaway crisis facing the district. According to Cindy Lane, assistant superintendent for business andinstructional support services, the finances change daily, sometimes hourly and the task of finding ways to savethe most jobs yet continue to deliver the best education for students poses a major problem.In one scenario, District 500 needs to cut about 6 percent of its overall budget as the best of all possibilities.In the worst scenario, District 500 needs to cut about 16 percent. Both situations cause pain for the board andthe central administrators. Bottom line, jobs are on the line.“It’s hard. It’s very painful. These are faces, people we know,” Lane said.Pink slips to about 40 central office personnel begin arriving this week as the first phase of the reductionswith more to follow. The school board hopes for something to change and that as many jobs as possible can besaved or personnel recalled as the forecast changes. Severed workers continue through the contract year, but thecentral office needs to take a proactive approach, knowing what’s in store with the new budget, J. D. Rios, HR

director said when asking the board for its approval to begin the regretful process.To make a bad situation even worse, board members saw the numbers of staff cuts necessary to meet a 6 anda 10 percent budget reduction. No numbers were presented for the 16 percent reduction.“We don’t believe it will be that extreme,” Lane said during her presentation. Lane presented what is called theGovernor’s Budget Amendment Plan A and Plan B which means reducing the budget even with the use ofstimulus monies. In Plan A, about 150 jobs face the ax; in Plan B, over 180. Shaking heads, frowns, downturnedeyes showed the boards disdain for the numbers.Gov. Kathleen Sebelius recently took some action to provide some stimulus monies to help school districts,knowing the grim forecast for schools. Those monies and allocations help districts navigate the tumultuouswaters facing all Kansas school districts. Administrators state- wide knew of the budget crisis so plans to savemoney and jobs percolated for months. Some districts explored longer days and shorter weeks to save a day ofutilities each week. Many options statewide may develop.Toward the end of the meeting, the board took action directing J.D. Rios, human resources director, to beginthe process of identifying and notifying workers whose jobs may be cut. While several members of the boarddid not like the situation or the motion, they face a deadline with contract negotiations looming and the fiscalyear ending. The new fiscal year begins in July, necessitating budget decisions now.To begin the budget-cutting process, a zero-based budget provided a starting point. From that, the districtlearned that health insurance costs increase by about 14 percent, which means an almost $3 million increase inexpenses. Areas expecting cuts include: business services, cabinet, public relations, human resources,alternative programs, assistant principals and others. These cuts reflect the 6 percent reduction. The bleedingworsens with Plan B.Lane explained cost-cutting measures like delaying purchase of new books and curriculum to minimize theoverall effect, using a contingency fund, using a workman’s compensation fund for one year, yet, still, reductionof staff looms as the only solution to the budget puzzle.

Kansan – March 12, 2009A further stats breakdown on Sumner-Haydenby Nick SloanWhile Sumner Academy's cold shooting (4-22 from three and 32 percent overall) is gettingthe attention, it may have been the team's defense that led to Sumner's breakdown in thegame.The Sabres allowed Hayden to shoot 59 percent in the game, with the Wildcats shooting 52 percent in the firsthalf and a whopping 68.8 percent in the second half.Part of that can be attributed to foul trouble. Neil Watson and Davonte Chaney each earned their third foul bythe end of the first half. Chaney, in particular, is Sumner's best defender. Hayden's Jeff Reid and Kurt Walkerwere able to drive inside by taking advantage of Sumner's foul situation.With Watson and Chaney in foul trouble, Sumner was unable to play their aggressive style. This season,Sumner was able to play aggressive defense, causing steals which resulted in easy transition baskets. OnWednesday, that could not happen.Sumner only had four steals, but did force 15 Wildcat turnovers.

Kansan – March 12, 2009Hayden ends Sumner's seasonby Nick SloanReese Holliday, left, led the Sabres in scoring with 27 points. Jeff Reid scored a team-high 21 points forHayden.The Hayden Wildcats closed the door on Sumner Academy's title run with a 66-57 victory Wednesday inSalina, Kan.Jeff Reid led the Wildcats in scoring with 21 points, with TJ McGreevy and Kurt Walker adding 18 points each.Sumner Academy was led by Reese Holliday's 27 points and eight rebounds.In his last game in a Sabre uniform, Neil Watson finished 3-20 from the field, scoring nine points.A back and forth first quarter featured four lead changes and three ties. Reid scored six points early in thequarter and Hayden led 16-13. Hayden's zone defense frustrated Sumner throughout the game.

"Our game plan was the slow them down," said Ted Schuler, Hayden head coach. "We knew they averaged 77points a game and our kids executed the game plan. It's as good as we have played this season."Sumner was plagued by early foul trouble. Davonte Chaney and Watson were each called for two fouls early inthe game. Early foul trouble took away Sumner's aggressiveness on the defensive side away."We were unable to do some of the things we should have been doing," said Dan Parra, Sumner head coach. "Hayden's a very good team and they executed."Sumner was able to score just eight points in the second quarter, while Hayden scored 17. The Wildcats built a13-point lead during the quarter.Hayden used two key runs during the game to add cushion to their lead. During the first half, the Wildcats wenton a 17-2 run to push their lead to 26-13 after Sumner gained an early 11-9 advantage. To start the second half,Hayden began with a 16-6 run to build a 19-point lead.Holliday led a comeback charge for Sumner in the second half. After the Wildcats padded their lead to 19points, Holliday led the Sabres back and Sumner cut the lead to 10 in the middle of the fourth quarter. Hescored 23 second half points.But Hayden responded with easy buckets in the third quarter, with Walker and McGreevy driving inside duringthe second half.Holliday hit two late three-point shots to cut the lead back down to nine after Hayden led a majority of the halfby double-figures.After shooting well from behind the line this year, Watson shot 1-11 from behind the arc. The Sabres shot just32 percent from the field, including 4-22 from three. Hayden shot nearly 60 percent from the field.

"I told him one game does not define a season or career," Parra said. "Without Neil we wouldn't have won twotournaments or the (Kansas City, Kan.) league."Sumner finishes the season with a 21-3 record. Hayden advances and will play Girard in the second round onFriday.

Kansan – March 12, 2009KCK students on award-winning KSU Black Student Union teamby Nick SloanTwo students from Kansas City, Kan., are included in Kansas State University Black Student Union, which wasawarded the best in the Big 12 for the third time in four years."This is monumental for our Black Student Union," said Carmen Ellis, senior in elementary education, KansasCity, Kan., and president of K-State's Black Student Union. "K-State should be very proud to have the bestBlack Student Union in the Big 12. It means we are doing such positive things, like helping to retain minoritystudents at K-State, enhancing diversity and promoting leadership and education."Kansas State's council has 45 members. Along with Ellis, KCK native Gernae Roland – a senior majoring inpsychology – is part of the union.KSU's Black Student Union also received the award in 2006 and 2008. Its responsibilities include organizingthe university's Black History Month programs, a Kwanzaa celebration and the "Welcome Back Barbecue"celebration for students.

Kansan – March 12, 2009KCK League Coach of the Yearby Nick SloanNote: The Kansas City Kansan will be releasing its individual awards for the Kansas City, Kan., Leaguethis week. Today's award is KCK Coach of the Year Award.This year's KCK League Coach of the Year Award was without a doubt the toughest to award this season. Alook at each coach in the league and what they accomplished, in order of their team's finish:• Dan Parra, Sumner Academy: Led the Sabres to a 21-3 record, including an 8-0 record in the KCK Leaguefor the second straight year. Sumner advanced to state this year after going through a tough schedule.• Heath Cooper, Harmon: After years of losing seasons, Harmon finished 15-6 this year with a 5-3 record inthe league, its best in years. Although a disappointing sub-state loss awaited the Hawks, it was a fantastic yearcompared to recent history for Harmon.• Eric King, Washington: The Wildcats were one game away from going to state, eventually losing toLansing. Washington also defeated a Top 10 team (Harmon) during the season.• Dave Gonzales, Schlagle: With the losses of Tyrone Wallace and Rozell Nunn to injury, perhaps no coach inthe entire Kansas City Metro area was given a harder hand than Gonzales. Still, although finishing 7-14 on theseason, the Stallions were within 15 points of ending the league 5-3, with five-point losses to Harmon,Wyandotte and Washington. Gonzales kept the team together and the Stallions nearly pulled off a number ofupsets. With Nunn and Wallace in the lineup, Schlagle may have ended the season with a winning record.• Tracy Dyer, Wyandotte: Wyandotte became the giant-killer this year, giving Sumner its two closest marginsin KCK League play. The Bulldogs were within five points of defeating Sumner at home and Dyer led the

Bulldogs to a huge upset victory over Harmon in sub-state play. Wyandotte was two controversial calls awayfrom pulling off another upset against St. Thomas Aquinas.In a close decision, we will present Cooper with the award.Reasons:• Harmon won six more regular season gamesthan it did last year, representing the highestincrease in victories among teams inWyandotte County. While transfers helped,inserting a handful of new players into a lineupcould cause chemistry problems. Very little ofthat happened.• Harmon snapped long losing streaks againstWyandotte and Schlagle this season,completing regular season sweeps of the twoteams for the first time in decades.• After finishing 1-7 the past two seasons andwith several winless seasons in KCK Leagueplay, Harmon earned a 5-3 league record thisseason, its best league record in over a decade.• Because of eligibility or health issues, Harmon did not play one game with a full bench.• Harmon won its first tournament of any kind since the late 1980s after the team earned the 2008 Paola

Invitational title.• The 15-6 record represented Harmon's first winning season in the past 15.Consider the award a coronation of the past three years, rather than just one year. In three years, Harmon wentfrom being the worst basketball program in the Kansas City area to being a winning program. Coaching has alot to do with it.For the first time in years, Harmon basketball is relevant in Wyandotte County.

Kansan – March 12, 2009KCK League Defensive Player of the Yearby Nick SloanOur choice for the Kansas City, Kan., League Defensive Player of the Year is Sumner Academy'sDavonte Chaney.Chaney, who was Sumner Academy's best defensive player over the course of the 2008-09 season, was oftenresponsible for shutting down the opposing team's best scorer. Specifically in KCK League play, Chaney shutdown or at least contained some key scorers from rival teams across the league.He was a part Sumner's aggressive defense that forced turnovers on the other side. When he was in foul trouble,the team's defense took a hit, most notably in yesterday's defeat against Topeka-Hayden.Just a junior, Chaney will lead the Sabres along with teammate Reese Holliday next year.

Kansan – March 12, 2009KCK League Freshman of the Yearby Nick SloanNote: The Kansas City Kansan will be releasing its individual awards for the Kansas City, Kan., Leaguethis week. Today's award is KCK League Freshman of the Year.Our selection for KCK League Freshman of the Year is Sumner Academy's Benny Parker. The choice may bethe easiest choice in the history of awards.While the stat sheet may not jump out right away, once Parker was inserted into the lineup, Sumner's offensiveclicked on a whole new level. The Sabres averaged more points once Parker received more playing time.Sumner's defense became more aggressive and Parker had his share of steals for the Sabres. Parker's defensehelped him and his teammates score easy baskets off the fast break. Parker's coming out party was againstRaytown.

Just a freshman, Parker should be a great point guard for three more years. He may be the school's bestfreshman player since Jeff Hawkins, who was a part of two Sumner state championship runs.

Kansan – March 12, 2009Newman wins $1,500 scholarshipby Nick SloanWyandotte High School's Jerome Newman was awarded the Jeffery C. Wicina Wrestling scholarshipWednesday night.The scholarship, worth $1,500, was presented to Newman at the Mo-Kan Metro Classic Wrestling Dual.Newman was one of three finalists for the award. This year, he earned sixth place in the Kansas 5A tournamentin the 215-lb bracket.Newman committed to Baker University earlier this year.

Kansan – March 12, 2009Piper to increase eligibility policy?by Nick SloanEarlier this week, the Piper Board of Education held its monthly meeting.While it was not formally on their agenda, the school district briefly spoke about the possibility of the schooldistrict increasing its eligibility regarding student participation in extracurricular activities.Board member Rick Kaminski brought up the discussion, suggesting the school district would address it toincrease academic success. He also suggested that some student-athletes from the Kansas City, Kan., PublicSchools District are transferring to Piper because of the district's eligibility policy.Last year, KCKPS increased the district's eligibility standards.Still, Piper Athletic Director Richard Tatro dismissed the notion of increasing standards just because KCKPSdid."District 500 may have done it because they have a real problem with expectations," he said.An item about extracurricular participation is not expected to be on next month's agenda.

Back to web versionPosted on Wed, Mar. 11, 2009Kansas wins Metro Classic Wrestling DualBy JEFF GELSKISpecial to The StarThe farewell wrestling match of Olathe East’s Jake Woten clinched the 17th annual Metro Classic Wrestling Dual title for Kansason Wednesday at Kansas City Kansas Community College.Woten won 3-2 against Excelsior Springs’ Aaron Sinclair in the 285-pound class. His victory gave Kansas a 27-23 team victoryover Missouri.The event featured top high school seniors, nine of whom recently won state championships and others who also hope to wrestlein college.Woten will play football at Butler County Community College in El Dorado, Kan.“Talk about a way to go out,” Woten said. “The stands were wild. That was probably the greatest sports feeling I’ve ever had.”Woten placed sixth in the 215-pound class at the Kansas 6A state meet this year.Jacob Nowak of St. Thomas Aquinas, however, got the nod to wrestle at 215 pounds Wednesday.Nowak won 7-1 against Oak Park’s Austin Baske, who subbed for injured Center senior Zack Williams, a Missouri state champion.Nowak’s victory gave Kansas a 24-23 lead entering the final match.Woten, wrestling at 210 pounds, took a 1-0 lead over the heavier Sinclair after two periods. Sinclair got an escape to tie the scoreearly in the third period.With a little more than a minute left, Woten brought the Kansas fans to their feet with a two-point takedown.“I just heard it when I got that takedown,” Woten said. “I was just, ‘Yes.’ ”Sinclair came up with a one-point escape in the final minute, but Woten hung on for the victory.Two Kansas wrestlers upended Missouri state champions. At 119 pounds, Washington’s James Wauer took a 6-3 decisionagainst Clinton’s Andy Skaggs, who went 47-1 and won a Missouri Class 2 state title.At 152 pounds, Olathe East’s David Lalo won 9-6 against Platte County’s Colin Wittmeyer, a two-time Missouri Class 2 champ.The 125-pound match featured two state champions in Olathe South’s Chaz Lawrence and Blue Springs’ Luke Greco. A one-pointescape early in the second period gave Greco a 1-0 victory.@ Go to KansasCity.com for a wrestling photo gallery.© 2009 Kansas City Star and wire service sources. All Rights Reserved. http://www.kansascity.comFriday, Mar 13, 2

Back to web versionPosted on Wed, Mar. 11, 2009Topeka Hayden knocks out Sumner 66-57By RICK DEANSpecial to The StarSALINA, Kan. | Sumner Academy picked the worst possible time to have what coach Dan Parra called his team’s worst shootingnight of the year.The fourth-seeded Sabres, struggling to shoot over a Topeka Hayden zone, hit a tepid 31 percent of their 66 field-goal attemptsand fell 66-57 to the defending champions in a quarterfinal game of the Class 4A boys state tournament at the BicentennialCenter.“We were four of 22 on three-pointers, and normally we’re a better shooting team than that,” Parra said.Hayden’s rarely shown zone limited the Sabres to five of 16 shots in the first quarter, and eight of 27 for the first half. Hayden useda 17-2 run beginning late in the first quarter to turn an 11-9 deficit into a 26-13 lead, and Sumner spent the rest of the afternoontrying to catch up. In vain, as it turned out.Sumner was led by Reese Holliday’s 27 points. The Sabres never got closer than nine, that coming on Holliday’s final threepointerjust before the buzzer. Hayden was led by 21 points from senior Jeff Reid, who will play at St. Louis next year. Sophomoreguard Kurt Walker made only four turnovers in the face of Sumner’s pressure defense and generally controlled the pace of thegame to Hayden’s liking.“If there was a big difference in the game, it was him,” Parra said of Walker. “He played beyond his years.”Basehor-Linwood 61, Wichita Trinity 53Ryan Murphy had 15 points and twin brother Colin added 13 as Basehor-Linwood pulled off an upset in the evening session,handing third-seeded Trinity only its second loss of the season. Basehor-Linwood, making its first state tournament appearancesince 1995, fell in a 12-4 hole early, then battled back, leading 35-28 at halftime.Ryan Murphy had 11 points in the first half.© 2009 Kansas City Star and wire service sources. All Rights Reserved. http://www.kansascity.comFriday, Mar 13, 2

Wyandotte West – March 12, 2009Candidates disagree on building programs followingteacher budget cutsby Mary RupertMarch 12 – A challenger for the Kansas City, Kansas, School Board said March 11 at a forum that he wouldnot support building new projects in the district as long as teachers are being cut.“No new projects, no new programs,” said Sam Stilwell, candidate for the school board. “We have qualityteachers doing wonderful jobs.”It was just one day after the school board announced possible budget cuts of 120 to 150 employees, includingteachers. The district is facing cuts of perhaps $16 million to $21 million from the state, although the cuts arenot final yet.Stillwell made his remarks at the Wednesday evening candidates’ forum at Kansas City Kansas CommunityCollege.Incumbent Linda Pendleton said that if the district continues its construction projects, such as building a newpreschool, funding would be from its capital outlay fund, and the money in that fund can be used only forbuilding projects, not for teacher salaries.“We are not just cutting teachers,” she said. “We are cutting from the cabinet, clear on down.”Asked if she had to prioritize the projects, she said she would place the project for a new building for thechildren at Indian Springs first.“We have a deadline to move all those children out of there,” she said.Incumbent Vicki Meyer said more than 80 percent of the district’s budget goes to staff and salaries. If thedistrict doesn’t cut staff, it would have to cut more from programs such as art, music and sports, she said.She said the district layoffs started with 20 percent of the administration, then included 10 percent of the restof the staff, including teachers.“Capital outlay cannot be used for salaries,” she noted.If she had to prioritize capital projects, she would put the preschool and Indian Springs offices first, becausethe district has no choice but to find new places for them, she said. The current space is part of a revitalizationproject, with plans to tear down the mall and rebuild.Challenger Evelyn Hudson said she would like to have more information before she set any priorities fordistrict facilities.Stillwell said his top goals would be to protect the classroom, decrease classroom sizes, and support teachersas best as possible.He said he supported more restructuring in administrative offices, perhaps heavy restructuring.“I’d start at the top and work my way down before letting teachers go,” Stillwell said. “I’d exhaust everyother resource before looking at that.”Meyer said the district had to start the process now because the district is under strict guidelines of notifyingpeople about their jobs, and also it allows employees more time to look for jobs. She said in any of the differentoptions, the district is looking at cutting some teachers as well as administrators and other staff.Pendleton said it was a very difficult decision, and the board looked at each option. She said she realizes it isdifficult to look for a job when there are none out there, but the district was forced to look at the situation March10. It is a courtesy to let employees know as early as possible about the potential jobs cuts, she added.Hudson, a challenger, said there are some difficult decisions that have to be made, and sometimes boardmembers must do what they do not want to do.“This is a tough season to be on the Board of Education,” Hudson said.

Wyandotte West – March 12, 2009State bowling notebookSmith secures state championshipSumner boys, girls finish in top fiveby Donovan CorriganSumner Academy’s boys’ bowling program is still in search of its first team state championship, but theSabres now have their first individual champion.Christian Smith performed well in bowling a three-game score of 777 in capturing the Kansas Class 5A-1Astate crown last weekend in Wichita.Smith’s strong showing helped Sumner finish third in the team standings with a combined score of 2,590.Bishop Carroll won the state title at 2,686, followed by Topeka Seaman (2,663). Nathan Kriss was next forSumner with a score of 621, which was good enough for 31st. Cedric Phillips (42nd), Christopher Cole (46th)and Bryan Watson (53rd) competed at state for Sumner, who is coached by Ed Gunter.Washington boysWashington, who is coached by Dennis Bobbitt, finished seventh at state with a score of 2,432. Jarvis Fordbowled a combined score of 627 in finishing 27th, which was the highest finish for the Wildcats. Zach Winkler(38th), Greg Fears (43rd) and Jimmy Carter (44th) placed in the top 50 at state.Sumner girlsSumner entered the girls’ 5A-1A state bowling tournament looking for a three-peat as the two-time defendingchampions. The Sabres returned home without a third straight title, but they did finish a respectable fifth with ateam score of 2,134. Bishop Carroll claimed the state crown at 2,409.Senior standout Morgan Benton, a key member of the past championship teams, placed 13th in earning a statemedal with a score of 578. Sophomore Santana Reed also earned a state medal by placing 18th at 544.Turner girlsThe Turner girls finished eighth at the 5A-1A state meet with a score of 1,796. Junior Samantha Leatherburyearned a state medal by finishing 17th with a score of 546. Kelsey Nigh finished 41st with a score of 479 forTurner, which is coached by George Walden.

Wyandotte West – March 12, 2009State basketballSumner Outlasts St. James in Substate Championship GameState-bound Sabres seeking titleby Donovan CorriganSumner Academy coach Dan Parra had a simple game plan in the second half of the Sabres’ substate titlegame against St. James last weekend—get the ball into the hands of their hulking power forward.Parra knew that Reese Holliday would either score himself or set up his teammates by drawing double-teams,which would leave open shooters. Holliday, a junior, didn’t disappoint. Holliday responded by scoring the bulkof his game-best 26 points in the second half.Holliday scored 11 points in the fourth quarter as Sumner staved off an upset-minded St. James team inearning a 68-51 victory. The hard-fought win secured a Class 4A substate championship, and a spot in the statetournament. Holliday added 18 rebounds, five assists and a steal.“Reese really carried us in the second half,” Parra said. “We were making sure that he touched the ball onevery possession. He would either create a shot for a teammate, or score himself. Reese and Eli (Alexander,who grabbed seven boards) were rebounding every missed shot.”Sumner’s aggressive and attacking defensive style and depth started to wear on St. James in the fourth quarter.The Sabres’ pressure defense turned into easy transition offensive opportunities that helped break open whatwas a 45-43 game heading into the fourth quarter. Sumner outscored St. James 23-8 down the stretch.“I felt our pressure really wore them down,” Parra said. “Our guards were relentless in the fourth quarter. Itwas a great game that even for three quarters, but we played (great defense) when it really counted, in the fourthquarter.”Senior point guard Neil Watson had a solid all-around game with 15 points, nine assists and four steals. Juniorguard Davonte Chaney finished with 14 points, three steals, three rebounds and two assists. Freshman guardBenny Parker added four points, four rebounds, three assists and three steals.“Davonte had the biggest basket, I felt,” Parra said. “We were up three points with six minutes left, whenBenny (Parker) found Davonte for an open three-pointer that put us up six. Davonte and Neil really stepped upand played great defense. I thought it was Neil’s best game defensively.”Sumner (21-2) is the No. 4 seed and will play fifth-seeded Topeka Hayden (20-3) in the first round of the statetournament. The Sabres are returning to state for a second straight season aiming for the program’s third 4Astate title since 1998.“We worked really hard to get to this point,” Parra said. “I think the experience from last year will pay off. Atthis point every game, and opponent, is tough, so we might as well start with the defending state champs.”

Wyandotte West – March 12, 2009High school wrestlingWyandotte County Coaches tab top grapplersby Donovan CorriganWashington had a banner year on the mat this season. Wildcats’ wrestlers won championships at theWyandotte County tournament, and their Class 5A regional meet. Washington produced a pair of state-medalwinning grapplers this season among the several wrestlers that represented Washington at state.The coaches at the other eight area high schools took notice as they selected Washington’s DarwynThomlinson as Wyandotte County Coach of the Year. Thomlinson said he was humbled by the award, whichwas voted on by his peers.“It's an honor,” he said. “I view it as recognition for my coaching staff rather than just for me as an individual.We really take a team approach to coaching, each of us putting our points of view out there, and whoever bestfits taking on helping the kid when needed.”Washington had three wrestlers selected to the all-county first team by the coaches. Ronnie Enloe was tabbedat 103 pounds. Seniors James Wauer (119) and Byron Roath (145) were first-team picks. Wauer placed fourthat state in finishing 33-4 this season. Roath (22-12) also finished fourth at state.“I think all of them worked really hard and deserved the recognition,” Thomlinson said. “Especially, mytwo seniors, James Wauer and Byron Roath, who tried to really make something out of this year, and it's nice tosee it pay off.”Turner senior Luciano Gutierrez was voted Wrestler of the Year. Gutierrez placed second at the 5A state meetat 215-pounds, which was the highest finish at state of any area wrestler. Gutierrez finished the season 33-8.2008-2009 All-Wyandotte County Wrestling Teams103 pounds1st Team Ronnie Enloe-Washington2nd Team Tony Arzola-Turner112 pounds1st Team Caleb Seaton-Bonner Springs2nd Team Robert Arzola-TurnerHonorable Mention Russell Brown-Turner119 pounds1st Team James Wauer- Washington2nd Team Nick Coffman- PiperHonorable Mention James Lohman-Turner125 pounds1st Team Derrick Weller- Piper2nd Team Forrest Carrol- TurnerHonorable Mention Brooks Ballou- BonnerSprings130 pounds1st Team Chris John- Turner2nd Team Jermaine Rhone- SchlagleHonorable Mention Aaron Morris135 pounds1st Team Jimeal Glover- Wyandotte2nd Team Devan Sierant- TurnerHonorable Mention Collin Zwart- Piper140 pounds1st Team Jason Langford- Turner2nd Team Demetrius Clay- SchlagleHonorable Mention- Phillip Lewis- Piper145 pounds1st Team Byron Roath- Washington2nd Team Adam Shirley- Bonner SpringsHonorable Mention- Jesse Estrada- Turner

152 pounds1st Team Brian Callahan- Bonner Springs2nd Team Joe Mohler- TurnerHonorable Mention- Jaysson Tansey- SumnerAND Alex Orel- Bishop Ward160 pounds1st Team Gerardo Pena- Turner2nd Team Tyler Coffey- PiperHonorable Mention- German Lira- Washington171 pounds1st Team Herman Ming- Schlagle2nd Team Anthony Ellingsworth- Bonner SpringsHonorable Mention David Selleck-Washington189 pounds1st Team Elijah Ming- Schlagle2nd Team Keith Slowter- WashingtonHonorable Mention Armando Alcantara- Turner215 pounds1st Team Lucianao Gutierrez- Turner2nd Team Jerome Newman- WyandotteHonorable Mention Brandon Nickerson- SchlagleHeavy Weight (285 pounds and above)1st Team Tanner McCleary- Bonner Springs2nd Team Sheron Berry- SumnerHonorable Mention Ervin DeMata- Harmon

Kansan – March 13, 2009KCK League Player of the Yearby Nick SloanThe Kansas City Kansan's Kansas City, Kan., Player of the Year isSumner Academy senior Neil Watson.Watson, Sumner Academy's leading scorer, helped Sumner win anotherKCK League championship in 2008-09. Sumner Academy also claimedthe Spring Hill Invitational and the Blue Valley Shootout.However, Watson saved his best play for league action.He averaged 23.3 points for the Sabres. His three highest league gameswere 33 points against Washington, 26 points against Schlagle and 24 against Harmon, with the final twocoming on the road.In the Washington game, Watson hit eight-straight three-point shots in the first half.His three-point shot was deadly and he took his place in Sumner's history with a great senior season. He wasarguably the best point guard in the State of Kansas this year and led the Sabres to state.Watson committed to Toledo earlier this year.The runner-up for the award is Sumner Academy junior Reese Holliday. He averaged 19.9 points. As a junior,Holliday will be the preseason favorite for the award.

He had the best individual performance I've seen in person this year. He scored 26 points, grabbed 18 reboundsand dished out five assists in Sumner's victory against St. James Academy in the sub-state final.

Kansan – March 13, 2009Wyandotte High School Alumni Center Grand Openingby Beverly MorrisWyandotte High School, 2501 Minnesota Ave, is holding a grand opening of the new Alumni Center at theschool on Friday, April 3rd, 5pm-630pm. All alumni and their families are invited to gather in the Social Hallat 5pm. At 515pm, the Student Ambassadors will direct us to the Alumni Center (room 157) for the ribboncutting ceremony. The Center will be open for your viewing until 630pm,On Saturday, April 4th, the school and Alumni Center will be holding an open house from 1pm-4pm. Guidedtours of the school will be at 1pm, 2pm, and 3pm.The Alumni Center houses donated Wyandotte High School memorabilia from all classes. To donate yourmemorabilia, please contact Craig Delich at craigdelich@yahoo.com.

Star – March 13, 2009Vietnam Veteran shows high school students unique abilitiesDAVID PULLIAM/The Kansas City StarBill Wedekind spoke before demonstrating his pottery making skills Thursday to a group of art students at Washington High School inKansas City, Kan. Wedikind lost his hands and his eysight in a grenade explosion while serving in Vietnam as a Marine. Doctorsseparated the bones of his forearms into two large fingers which work in a pincher-like fashion, allowing him to grasp and feel. Bill saysHenry Ford had it right when he said, ``if you think you can or you think you can't, you are right.'' Wedekind wishes everyone could havea piece of his art and use it as an everyday reminder that you should never quit and give up.