MdCV FFA members work on a service project during the FFA convention, packing meals for hunger programs, from left, Bayleigh Lacey, Grace Bradley, Koby Vanderpool, Alaina Marsh, and Frank Warner. Courtesy photo.

By Grace Bradley
MdCV FFA Reporter

The Marais des Cygnes Valley FFA officer team attended the 90th annual Kansas State FFA Convention in Manhattan, Kan., May 30 through June 1, 2018. This year’s convention theme was titled “I Can, We Will.” The Kansas FFA had around 2,000 members in attendance from 199 chapters for the convention.

The officer team attended leadership workshops, convention sessions, and a career fair to help get them inspired and motivated for the coming school year. MdCV FFA President Chloe Volkman and Vice-President Brookelyn Janssen also served as delegates at the convention.

State delegates Chloe Volkman and Brookelyn Janssen represent MdCV FFA.

The members were able to speak with each other and bounce around ideas for things their chapter can do to grow their membership numbers. There were many speakers at the convention sessions including the state officers and motivational speakers from across the country including Sonny Perdue, U.S. Secretary of Agriculture, Dr. Randy Watson, Kansas Education Commissioner, and past state officer Melissa Hildebrand-Reed, of Hildebrand Farms Dairy.

MdCV FFA members also participated in the national program “Something to Eat-Food Packaging Event” which members packed healthy, easy-to-prepare meals to be given out to hunger relief groups across Kansas.  

Standing shoulder to shoulder, the OCHS class of 2018 gathers together one last time. Photo by Tony Heward.

In one of the never ending cycles of life, graduation season wound down in Osage County with the commencement ceremony for the Osage City High School class of 2018 on Sunday, May 20.

This year’s class of 34 graduates recognized two of their fellow classmates as honor students, Weston Littrell and Georgia Hutton, who encouraged them to overcome obstacles and live their dreams.

Hutton told the class that she wasn’t going to dwell on their memories in her speech, or the future.

“There’s been good times, bad times, and even really super weird times, but I’m not going to do that today,” Hutton said. She noted she had spent much time worrying about her future.

“As time went by and I evolved from one thing to the next, I soon came to realize that I was putting in so much time thinking about the future,” she said. “I was forgetting to just relax and live in the now.”

She urged her classmates to not forget their roots, but to live for their dreams.

“So what I’m trying to say, is that even though the stress of the scary impending doom we have thinking about how our life is going to go, we can’t forget to be who we are in the process,” she said. “In this world, we have so many opportunities, so whatever dream you have, either big or little, follow it. Nothing is stopping you from accomplishing your dreams, except your own mind.”

Hutton ended her speech by sharing one of her dreams, reciting a verse she had written specially for graduation.

Littrell pointed out, “It’s been a long road to get to this point, and yet the drive sure went by fast.

“Now, here we are, at the end of our school careers, about to begin the next journey of our lives and enter into the real world – Lord help us all,” he said.

He noted the class had already faced a lot of adversity.

“It’s no secret that our class loves sports, and there are many lessons on adversity that can be taught from them,” he said, comparing different sports to life’s struggles.

“Sometimes, life is like the game of football. It’s rough, yet fun, and you learn to tough it out by playing it.

“Life is like running a race. It’s not always a sprint or a long-distance race, but a lot of times it’s a mix of both. You have to know when to sprint and when to slow down to save your energy …  just get to that point and then I’m done suffering.

“Life is like baseball. It’s all about being patient and knowing what to do at all times. You always have to have a plan for every situation, and you need to be ready for action at any moment.

He challenged his classmates to work through adversity to find their success.

“No matter how many times you make a mistake or strikeout, you immediately put it in the back of your mind and get ready for the next play or step back up to the plate,” Littrell said. “There will always be hardships in your way, but the important thing is to forget about mistakes and never be afraid to step up to the plate. Always remember to keep an eye on the finish line, and if you ever get knocked down, get right back up again and get ready for the next play.”

Osage City High School Principal Tony Heward presented the class for graduation, and USD 420 Board of Education members Jay Bailey and Todd Peterson presented diplomas. Graduating as the OCHS class of 2018 were Whitney Dawn Camell, Jarrett Alan Combes, Ean Kyle Couch, Justin Scott Davis Jr., Timberly Kay Dunham, Cherokee Alexis Rose Everhart, Cole Eddward Fillmore, Cameron Allen Grass, McKenna Rose, Kacey Lee Hill, Faith Nicole Holmberg, Jordan Kay Hon, Jonathon Tomarcus Hutcheson, Georgia Shae Hutton, Cassandra Hope Jenkins, Brianna Elise Jones, Tucker John Kimball, Aiden Hongxuan Liang, Weston Cole Littrell, Faith Elizabeth Long, Robert Arlen McDaniel, Brayden Lee McDowell, Jordan Christine Middleton, Courtney Mae Mitchell, Rider Tristen Todd Nettleton, Peyton James Pearson, Molly Michelle Plinsky, Zoe Alexis Schmitendorf, Dalton Reid Shaffer, Jasmine Michelle Stevens, Brayton Scott Stromgren, Carter Alan Swindale, Emma-Lee Elane Taylor, Tyson Dean Wilkins.

Wearing Lyndon Tigers’ traditional colors, the LHS class of 2018 said their goodbyes to high school life. Photo by Bill Patterson.

Graduation season highlights the efforts of young students to learn all they could in 13 years of school, and the expectation they will use those lessons learned to confront the world as adults. Lyndon High School science and math teacher Anne Bichel addressed the graduates and their family and friends gathered in the gymnasium for the LHS commencement on May 13, 2018, telling them about watching the students grow into young adults.

“I’ve loved watching you make your plans for the future,” Bichel said. “Getting text messages from you about receiving a full ride scholarship is very exciting. Getting wedding invitations in the mail is also very exciting. No matter what you plan to do, whether you are going to the military, tech school, a four-year college, or joining the work force, we teachers are proud of you and all that you’ve accomplished. It gives me great joy to be here with you on this
day, as you close one chapter of your life and begin a new chapter. This is why we adults get so excited about graduation. You are at a point in your life that we have all passed. You are young and fresh and get to choose any path you want.”

Lyndon High School’s two valedictorians and the salutatorian reminded this year’s 35 graduates of their years of hard work and accomplishments, and encouraged them to take their gained knowledge and determine their own successes.

Salutatorian Michaela Forkenburg spoke about all of the lessons learned at Lyndon schools.

“We have made most of our decisions here and each one of those decisions has come with a consequence,” Forkenburg said. “Some were bad decisions resulting in bad consequences, while others were great decisions resulting in great consequences. Each one of those decisions that came with a consequence resulted in a lesson learned.

“Through sports, clubs, extracurriculars, and attending classes every day, we have been exposed to an abundance of opportunities to make decisions, which all led to consequences, and then to a life lesson,” she said.

“Whether we look at the positive aspect of the lesson, or the negative, each one benefitted us in some way. Every single lesson we have learned has shaped our class into who we are today,” Forkenburg said.

Forkenburg encouraged her classmates to keep learning. “Continue to make decisions and gain knowledge from their consequences,” she said, “but remember – always stay humble and kind.”

Valedictorian Lauren Volkman urged her classmates to use their learned lessons and personal growth to fulfill their dreams.

The 2018 graduates of Burlingame High School toss their hats in celebration. Photo by Keri Welch.

Attending graduation ceremonies at Burlingame High School is almost like hanging out with your family, as pointed out by the 2018 salutatorian Fallon Tyson.

Tyson joined with her two fellow valedictorians, Dalton Sporing and Tristan Lee, in good conversation and good company as they gathered with graduates and their families and well wishers, Saturday afternoon, May 12, 2018, at the elementary school gymnasium.

In her salutatorian speech, Tyson pointed out how her school family and good memories developed over the years.

“For most of us, we have grown up here in this building together,” Tyson said. “This has been like a second home to us, and my classmates have become like my family.”

“I would never wish these years away, and honestly my only wish is that they wouldn’t have went by so fast,” she said. “However, I am beyond grateful that we made the most out of our time together, and created memories that will last a lifetime.”

She spoke about the fun and enjoyment of school, along with personal stories that each student collected over the years.

“[E]veryone has their own unique story to tell,” she said. “I’m excited to see how each of you experience the rest of your journeys, and how amazing your stories will end.”

She advised her classmates to continue their lives by creating “new friendships, and experience new adventures and opportunities. Make the most of these moments, and face them head on. My advice to you is to make an impact in everything that you do. Be a voice, make a change, always persevere.”

In his speech, Lee warned about the struggles his classmates would face as they reached for success.

“Going through life is not easy, it is not fair, it never was and it never will be,” Lee said. “Accept it and get on with it, we are going to go through struggles. Whether it is going to college, your job, in anything you do, there will be a struggle, but that is why succeeding is worth it, you have finally accomplished something. The harder the road was to get there, the better you feel about achieving it – it is that simple.”

Throwing their caps, SFTHS grads celebrate their accomplishment. Photos by Brad Shaffer, allsportsdigital.com

In what might have been the most concise valedictorian speech delivered at Santa Fe Trail High School, 2018 valedictorian Xavier Ard bid his classmates farewell and encouraged them to reach for their potential in life.

During the commencement ceremony Saturday, May 12, 2018, Ard thanked the staff at SFTHS “from our big scary principal to the friendly custodians,” and noted the class’ appreciation for them helping to make “the past four years of our lives great, but they have also helped develop us into who we are today.”

“I look out and I do not see just people,” Ard said. “I do not see only peers. I do not see matchless friends. I see much more than that. I see unlimited potential and I am beyond excited to see all of the amazing things it accomplishes.”

Ard’s speech echoed SFTHS salutatorian Madelyn Foster’s sentiments as she noted her classmates were “an extremely competitive group” that will impact the future.

“It is time for us to aspire beyond the cement walls of our high school, and reach out to greatness,” Foster said.

“I know our class, our entire generation, can do incredible things,” she said. “Now is the time when we are supposed to make waves and transform the ways of the world, and we are doing exactly that.

“We have raised the bar for those here at SFT, we have shown the community that we are not just rebellious teens, but we are powerful, impactful young people,” Foster said. “While our time here at Santa Fe Trail may be coming to an end, the revolution is only just beginning.”

The class of 76 graduates ended their high school years with SFTHS Assistant Principal Keith Johnson presenting the class of 2018 for graduation; USD 434 Board of Education President Randy Boudeman recognizing the class; and SFTHS Principal Patrick Graham announcing graduates as they accepted diplomas from members of the USD 434 Board of Education.

Most cowboys, especially bull riders, have long stopped competing when they pass 70 years of age. Ron Snoddy just can’t get the adrenalin out and proved it a few years ago when he entered the bull riding at Club Rodeo in Wichita. Snoddy, 76, will mount another bucking bull at the 48th annual Burlingame Rodeo, May 18-19, in honor and memory of Burlingame Saddle Club members.

By Frank J. Buchman

It’s just impossible to take the boy out of a cowboy.

Living proof is lifetime cowboy Ron Snoddy, active member of the Burlingame Saddle Club.

He’ll be 77 years old in just a few weeks, but age is no detriment for a real cowboy.

Snoddy is entered in the bull riding in the first performance of the 48th annual Burlingame Rodeo Friday evening, May 18, 2018, at Burlingame.

“I’m doing it in memory and honor of the Burlingame Saddle Club members who started and have continued sponsoring the rodeo,” Snoddy said.

“Ron was one of the saddle club members when the Burlingame Rodeo began,” said Pat Rusher, active club leader now.

“I can’t begin to name everybody who has helped through the years,” Rusher admitted. “Ron along with Pete Stout and John Pickett are the only ones left from when the rodeo started. Paul Lang had been heavily involved from the beginning, but he passed away about a year ago.”

“I competed in lots of rodeos in the late ’50s and early ‘60s,” Snoddy reflected. “Just the bull riding, no other events, always loved the bull riding.”

Collecting a number of payback checks, Snoddy claimed, “I paid for lots of gas for the other cowboys, but I had as much fun as anybody going up and down the road. There’s nothing like being a rodeo bull rider.”

Like many, after getting married and starting a family, Snoddy was forced to step away from rodeo. “I had to make a living and wasn’t able to do that with rodeo. I became a carpenter as my profession,” Snoddy said.

Living in Topeka, Snoddy was always in the bleachers at rodeos in driving distance throughout the years. “Watching those other cowboys ride just doesn’t compare to getting down on the bull and nodding for the gate yourself,” he insisted.

The 2018 graduating class of Marais des Cygnes Valley High School. Photo by Jerry Kramer, Kramer Photos.

Springtime marks the beginning of new life, but also the end of another school year. With graduation season here, 19 Trojans led the way in collecting their hard-earned diplomas May 6, 2018, at Marais des Cygnes Valley High School, at Melvern, Kan.

In his address to family, friends and well-wishers at the ceremony Sunday, MdCV  salutatorian Kaden Armbrister noted the finality of graduating, but also the promise of the future.

“High school graduation finds itself among a very short list of life milestones that serve to mark both an end and a beginning,” Armbrister said. “This way-point is the end of our official childhood, and the beginning to our years as adults.”

The salutatorian recognized everyone present at the graduation and their roles in the graduates’ childhoods and “paving the way to make us better, more prepared adults.”

He noted that memories will remain but the graduates will face new paths toward the future.

“What is important is not what exactly each of us is going to do, but the knowledge that there are so many possibilities within our reach,” he said. “My sincere wish is that each of us
chooses the path that is best for us, and a great future waits.”

MdCV valedictorian Kali Holt encouraged her classmates to take a break and pause before jumping off into the future.

“Graduation is one of those awkward times in our lives when we are torn between the joy of our memories and the excitement of our future,” Holt said. “Should we look back on what were the greatest four years of our lives, or instead, should we focus on the next stage in our journey?”

Holt noted the graduates’ lives had been forever altered from their time at MdCV and “after we toss our caps into the air.”

“This town being where we made all of our memories together, we can’t forget where we come from,” she said.

“Here is my advice: I believe this isn’t the time to make hard, fast decisions,” she said. “The moment you cross this stage, be a little reckless and carefree. Go make mistakes … do something out of your comfort zone.

“Admit what your dreams are,” she said. “Don’t beat yourself up if you don’t know what you’re going to do.”

Holt told the graduates that only they could determine their future success.

“I cannot emphasize enough that success is not defined by how much money you make, how big your home is, or how many likes your social media posts arc getting. It is about the amazing people that are a part of your life, the memories you will make along the way, the way that you impact the lives of the ones around you, and the genuine happiness that you will feel when all these attributes come together. That is success,” she said.

After the salutatorian and valedictorian recognition, MdCV counselor Abby Robertson introduced the senior class of 2018, which was then presented for graduation by MdCV Superintendent Ted Hessong.

Members of the USD 456 Board of Education presented diplomas to the following graduates: Kaden Lee Armbrister, William Harrison Booth, Savannah Diann Cannon, Dakota Joe Chapman, Noah James Oren Criqui, Dominik Dylan Crowell, Jevan Scott Gregg, Amya Nicole Hidalgo, Kendra Sue Holloway, Kali Nicole Holt, Dalton Jones Hook, Kylie Jordann Hughes, Brennan Wayne Irey, Garrett Paul Scott Johnson, Samuel Chase Jones, Daniel Adams Siroky, Richard Allen Vest, Makaya Jaquin Weber, Josey Rene Weimer.

Girls in Osage City Girl Scout Troop 30149 voted to take some of the proceeds from their nuts and candy and cookie sales, and purchase hygiene items to donate to Lisa Crettol, nurse for USD 420. The scouts purchased shampoo and conditioner, body wash and deodorant for Mrs. Crettol to have on hand for USD 420 students that need them. The local girl scouts range in ages from kindergarten through third grade.  

New and retiring officers of the MdCV FFA include, front from left, Josey Weimer, Kali Holt, Brookelyn Janssen, Chloe Volkman, Bayleigh Lacey, Kathryn Vaught, Alaina Marsh, Grace Bradely; back, Frank Warner, Dalton Hook, and Koby Vanderpool.

By Grace Bradley

On Thursday, April 12, 2018, the Marais des Cygnes Valley FFA chapter hosted its annual chapter banquet at the Melvern Community Center. Chapter treasurer Kali Holt opened the banquet with the invocation, which was then followed by the yearly potluck dinner.

This year’s president, Josey Weimer, spoke on behalf of the chapter in welcoming everyone to the banquet and thanking the chapter for a year full of achievements and plenty of activities that kept the MdCV chapter busy.

Sharon Thielen was keynote speaker at the MdCV FFA banquet.

Chloe Volkman, MdCV FFA secretary,  introduced this year’s guest speaker, Sharon Thielen, an MdCV graduate and former FFA member. Thielen spoke about how FFA played a major role in influencing the career path she chose to take on and how the lessons she learned through FFA were lessons she will continue to pass on. Thielen’s message not only spoke to the FFA kids in the room but it spoke to the adults in the room as well. Her main lesson to the crowd was, “To never skip a step.” Meaning, do not just jump to the good parts of life, take every step, even the tough ones.

The banquet gives chapter advisor Danny Rice a chance every year to recognize the personal achievements of the FFA students, and announce scholarships awarded to senior members. For the class of 2018, senior Jevan Gregg received the Hometown Agriculture Scholarship. The Don Lichtenauer Family Scholarship was awarded to Dalton Hook, who also received the Marais des Cygnes Valley FFA Scholarship along with Josey Weimer and Kali Holt. Scholarships were also awarded to three sophomores who will be attending the Washington Leadership Conference in June that is held in Washington, D.C. Bayleigh Lacey and Grace Bradley were awarded the Lehning Scholarship, and receiving the Casten Memorial Scholarship was Kaelin Criqui.

Over the course of the year students accumulate points by participating in activities for the sweepstakes award. This year the top five winners were Kali Holt, Bayleigh Lacey, Chloe Volkman, Kaelin Criqui, and Josey Weimer. For the Greenhands, the winners were Colby Vogeler, Izzy Toman, and Sadie McGowin. The Proficiency Award winners for this school year were Dalton Hook in beef production, Josey Weimer in outdoor recreation, and Kali Holt in veterinary science. Each year two Star Greenhands are chosen for the integrity and work they put into excelling in the FFA program – this year Sadie McGowin and Izzy Toman were chosen as the chapter’s star Greenhands.

One of the highest honors in the Kansas FFA Association is the State Degree. Only three percent of the state’s membership are awarded this honor. Three MdCV FFA members were given this honor recognizing their outstanding involvement in the FFA: Josey Weimer, Dalton Hook and Kali Holt.