In a final farewell to Burlingame High School, class of 2019 graduates throw their hats in the air. Photo by Keri Welch.

Life is the result of changes, the Burlingame High School class of 2019 heard from their valedictorian and salutatorian during graduation ceremonies on May 11, 2019.

In the elementary school gymnasium filled with friends and family, 2019 BHS salutatorian Seth Greenwood talked about his last-minute realization that graduation was going to change his life significantly.

“I realized that we are about to go into a whole new environment,” Greenwood said, “with new people, and stepping into another level of responsibility and stress.

“But I also realized the potentials of moving on. You get a whole new setting to change what you want to change,” he said. “You have countless opportunities that are begging for you to give them a shot.”

He offered a challenge to his classmates, “I challenge you to change the parts of you that you don’t like for this fresh start.I challenge you to take the leap of faith and pursue the opportunity that you feel strongly pulled towards.”

The 2019 BHS valedictorian Kelsie Quaney asked her classmates to consider how words alone can change them.

“It’s funny how words affect people,” Quaney said. “We never think that the things we say could completely change someone’s life but I know they can, because they changed me.”

Marais des Cygnes Valley High School Class of 2019. Photo by Kramer Photos.

Spring showers brought May flowers and also sprouted a new crop of graduates at Marais des Cygnes Valley High School. At the first graduation honors in Osage County for 2019, friends, family, faculty, administrators, and the USD 456 Board of Education gathered May 4 at the MdCV High School gymnasium to wish well to this year’s dozen MdCV High School graduates.

MdCV’s 2019 salutatorian Chloe Volkman recognized the crowd gathered for the ceremony.

“Thank you all again for coming to help us celebrate this special day in our lives,” Volkman said. “We are very grateful to have such an amazing community who supports us. I would just like to make one last thank you to all of the staff at school, because none of this would be possible without you guys.”

To her classmates, Volkman noted they would be going forward, but remembering their high school years not by class periods and school days they spent at MdCV.

“We only arrived here four short years ago, and its already time for us to leave,” Volkman said. “I know that as I look out to all of you that I will measure my time much differently. I will measure it in the friendships that I have created with all of you and when many of our high school memories will begin to fade, that’s how we will ultimately measure the time we spent here. It won’t be in periods or semesters, but the friendships we made and the times that we all spent together. So congratulations to the class of 2019, and wherever we go and whatever we do, may we always be friends when we meet again.”

MdCV 2019 valedictorian Kathryn Vaught echoed Volkman’s appreciation of their parents’ sacrifices, and the impressions left upon students by teachers and school staff.

“[You] can’t be thanked enough,” Vaught said. “You had an impact in our lives and left lasting impressions … we learned many things from you guys – to be ourselves, be kind, follow our dreams, and not be afraid of failure.”

“Well guys, we made it,” Vaught told her fellow graduates. “It’s been one heck of journey – one we won’t be forgetting anytime soon.”

But, she said, “Today is a milestone, it tells you how far you have come, we aren’t the kids we used to be, even though we sure don’t feel like adults.”

She offered advice she had received from a mentor: “Keep playing the game.”

“There’s a feeling all of you should have – pride, accomplishment, happiness – whatever it is, take it and use it. Years from now when we look back we’ll be more disappointed by the things we didn’t do rather than the ones we did. So have that courage, find your dream, chase after it with all you got, you won’t get another chance. Go out there believing in your dreams, believe in yourself.”

With Principal Ben Gordon presenting the Marais des Cygnes Valley High School Class of 2019, board of education members presented diplomas to the following graduates: Nocona Renae Brinkley, Ethan Alexander Cannon, Kayla Louise Garber, Brookelyn Shae Janssen, Alaina Hollyann Marsh, Destiny Hope Massey, Gannon Austin Isiah Schimmel, Tannar Ray Smith, Aniyah Marie Sypher, Kathryn Elizabeth Vaught, Cloe Elizabeth Volkman, and Morgan Sue Williams.

Accepting the Challenge Award from Kansas State Board of Education Member Ann Mah, left, are Osage City Elementary School teachers Jessi Kirkpatrick, Amie Parsons, and Brian Stromgren.

OSAGE CITY, Kan. – Kansas State Board of Education Member Ann Mah recognized students and teachers at Osage City Elementary School for making differences in student achievement over the past year, during a presentation April 30, 2019, at the school.

“I’m here today to present your school an award called the Challenge Award,” Mah told students gathered in the school gymnasium for the early morning assembly. “Last year you scored great on tests in reading and in math, and in coming to school – in your attendance.”

The Challenge Awards program, administered by the Confidence in Education Task Force, recognizes Kansas schools that are making a notable difference in student achievement despite facing significant challenges in their school population.

“We believe in you,” Mah said. “Confidence in Public Education believes in Osage City Elementary School.”

“How many of you try to come to school every day? And why do you do that? Because it’s so important to be in school every day, you can’t learn if you’re not here. You also study and you do well and you excel, and you met the challenge last year of being one of the top schools in Kansas.

“How many knew Osage City Elementary School was a great school?” Mah asked the crowd. “Now the rest of the state of Kansas knows that as well.”

MdCV officers, new and retiring, front from left, Chloe Volkman, Alaina Marsh, State FFA Sentinel Garrett Craig, Kaelin Criqui, Kathryn Vaught, back, Danny Rice, MdCV FFA advisor, Bayleigh Lacey, Sadie McGowin, Koby Vanderpool, Wyatt Lingenfelter, and Frank Warner. MdCV FFA photo.

The annual Marias des Cygnes Valley FFA Chapter Banquet was held on Friday April 11, 2019. Approximately 100 people, including members, families, and friends, gathered in the Melvern Community Center for pork chops and a potluck meal, awards and the installation of the 2019-2020 chapter officers.

An invocation from Frank Warner was followed by the dinner consisting of pork chops, sponsored by Don and Janise Hook, and side dishes and desserts brought by our members and their families. Following the dinner and chapter scrapbook video produced by Kathryn Vaught, the chapter officers president Chloe Volkman, vice-president Brookelyn Janssen, secretary Kathryn Vaught, treasurer Bayleigh Lacey, reporter Frank Warner, sentinel Alaina Marsh, and advisor and KSU student intern Cassandra Ebert began with opening ceremonies. KobyVanderpool, chapter student-council representative, introduced special guest speaker Garrett Craig, Kansas FFA Sentinel, with his speech “Focusing and Committing to Your Talents and Passion”.

Other guests included members of the USD 456 Board of Education, Marais des Cygnes Valley High School Principal Ben Gordon, members of the MdCV Ag Education Advisory Board, Joe and Shirley Litchtenauer, Dale and Peggy McCurdy, Jeff and Merrilyn Casten, Jennifer and Peter Roy, Janae and Caleb McNally, Jarah and Mike Hauger, and Joe and Shirley Lichtenauer.

A young chef carefully turns in her entry for Kids-Q to KCBS reps, from left, Dave and Peg Rogers, Linda and Dennis Polson, Mark Collier, and not pictured, Kim Collier, as local judges wait in anticipation. Jan Williams photo.

It’s a part of Smoke in the Spring that most folks don’t know is going on Friday evening, but you can bet there are some young cooks that have a watchful eye on their smokers for about three hours while everyone else is out enjoying the community barbecue party.

In the annual Kids-Q Competition, kid chefs compete in two age divisions, 10 and younger, and 11 and older. The cooks must be sponsored by one of the competition teams and cook their entries on site. At the cook’s meeting, the cooks are each given one pound of ground beef, donated this year by Allen Meat Processing, Allen, Kan., to cook however they choose.

Others who make Kids-Q possible are 24 local celebrity judges, who are instructed on the Kansas City Barbeque Society judging process before the kids’ turn-in time of 8 p.m. The kids contest is not a KCBS sanctioned part of Smoke in the Spring, but it is conducted according to KCBS rules and scoring. Judges are sequestered in the community building during the judging process.

At turn-in, the chefs bring their samples to the turn-in window at the community building, where the judging is conducted. The samples go to one of four tables of six judges each, where they are scored according to appearance, taste, and texture or tenderness. The judging process is the same as the sanctioned contest the next day.

Here are placing and payout results for the Smoke in the Spring Kids-Q held April 12, 2019: