& Bird City Times $125 8 Pages Thursday, November 19, 2020 136th Year, Number 47 Holiday event being planned By Amanda Moberly [email protected] Several St. Francis residents are working together to make sure there is a parade, Santa Claus and Christmas fun planned this year. The three local banks, along with some help from local businesses, have planned a Holidaze 2020 celebration for Thursday, Dec. SENIOR INDIAN SHADRYON BLANKA, 12, pushes his way through the Bluejay defenders with the help of teammates in 10! There will be a parade that both the above and below pictures. Photos by Rian Zimbal evening, complete with Santa and Mrs. Claus, followed by a Christ- mas Cruise down Main Street. Look for more information Bankwest, FNB Bank, and on the upcoming event in The Western State Bank are working St. Francis Herald and Bird City Indians blow away Bluejays, together with other local Times. businesses and organizations If thereto is anyone willing to bring the Christmas eventsdonate towardsto the event, please the community. The Christmas contact one of the banks. celebration this year, which they Everyone else, please mark advancing team to sub-state! are calling Holidaze 2020, will down Holidaze in St. Francis on be unlike in past years. This year, your calendars for Dec. 10 for By Adam Krien expect something different! some Christmas cheer! The wind did not slow down the Indians in their Saturday af- ternoon game played against the Caldwell Bluejays. The Indians started on defense and was able to get a quick three and out to get the ball and march down the field to score. The Indians never Sainty players looked back either and in the second quarter they stepped on the gas to score 36 straight points going into halftime. Sophomore Ben Busse intercepted a touchdown saving pass. “The quarterback was watching the receiver the whole time and selected for All- I stayed back and when he threw it I made a play on the ball to intercept it,” said Busse. Senior Kobe Tice scooped the ball up and ran it back for a touchdown before halftime. State Volleyball “I just grabbed the ball and ran thanks to my teammate for strip- ping it,” said Tice. The Kansas Volleyball Associa- Shadryon Blanka, senior, said the wind was blowing very hard. Blanka said, “The wind was blowing harder than hurricane Ka- tion has announced their final list trina, but we made the best of it.” of Kansas High School honors for The Indians got the ball after halftime to punch it in after a long the 2020 season. St. Francis High School has two Lady Indians that possession to advance to the sub-state game. They have only won the sub-state game a couple of times in school history and are made the list! The Lady Indian Volleyball looking forward to another victory. The substate game will be against the Victoria Knights on Fri- team continues to make headlines as two more players have been se- day, November 20 at 6 p.m. at Victoria. lected for the All-State Volleyball Morrow Johnson Team. This team is voted upon by coaches in the 1A DII Class across honor that Morrow was awarded the entire state. last week, which was based on St. Francis junior high choir competes Mia Morrow earned First Team State Tournament performance). honors and Emma Johnson earned This is a huge honor, as there are Second Team honors. Morrow is a 51 schools in the high school’s junior and Johnson is a senior at class and only 21 athletes can be St. Francis High School. chosen for the All-State list (7 on This list is for seasonal perfor- First Team, 7 on Second Team, mance and any athlete in 1A DII and 7 on Honorable Mention). class is eligible (*different from Congratulations to both of you the All-State Tournament Team for a job well done! Silva Robbins Helton Hingst Lohr Siegfried Penka Penka High school honor By Amanda Moberly being selected. The following students are to be [email protected] St. Francis music instructor Talley commended for being chosen to be a Nine members of the St. Francis Ju- Morrow said that although the experi- part of this Honor Choir: Cris Silva, nior High were selected to the North- ence was significantly different from Asher Robbins, Brayden Helton, Mag- choir is selected west Kansas Music Educators Asso- what they are used to attending in gie Hingst, Breck Lohr, Madison Sieg- ciation Junior High Honor Choir. OnHays, the students still had a good timefried, Kierstyn Penka, Kierra Penka, Saturday morning, the students partici- together learning from their clinician in and Cheyenne LaBarge. pated in a virtual mini-convention after a webinar. LaBarge Matching funds Sainty and Cheylin discuss Hilt Robbins Neitzel Easter go toward 202 combining football teams By Amanda Moberly Band (which [email protected] includes class- The Triple Matching Fund Campaign met and By Amanda Moberly good idea to proceed with discussions. mate McKenna [email protected] Superintendent Penka reported that some There were five St. Francis exceeded its goal of raising $20,202! Stanion High School students selected to Poling). These Electric (Bill and Cindy Keller) and the Chey- The St. Francis Community Board of schools were discussing making snow days participate in the Northwest Dis- recordings will enne County Kansas Community Foundation Education met on Thursday, Nov. 12. Thevirtual. However, with the requirement of - be combined to board accepted the resignation of a parapro- - trict KMEA Honor Choir in De (CCKCF) each donated $20,202, and issued a meals to be served, the Superintendent rec cember! create a virtual challenge to match their donations. The funds fessional, and also discussed combining the ommended NOT making snow days virtual. The following music students choir and band from this Triple Matching Campaign are being St. Francis and Cheylin junior and senior The consensus of the school board was the were selected by judges to partici- performance Hunt put to work to restore the historic Danielson- high school football teams in the future. same. - which will be The meeting started with all board mem- pate: Juniors Hadleigh Hilt, Hai Faulkender Building at 202 on Washington. The Superintendent then went over a ley Robbins, and Cutter Neitzel; released to the Cheyenne Center for Creativity and the 202 bers present except Danielle McAtee. The fleet summary of the school district 297 ve- Seniors Doyle Easter and Jasper public sometime in January. Project Teams thank Stanion Electric, CCKCF, consent calendar moved forward, and the hicles. The school board agreed it is best “We are looking forward to - board did not accept any gift offers this to allow the school to continue updating Hunt. These students were chosen and everyone who donated to make this cam through a difficult blind-auditionlearning more about this process paign successful. Thanks also to Steve Haynes month. Board members briefly reviewed thevehicles on a regular basis (one or two perprocess singing two portions of for donating the quarter page newspaper ads. year), as needed. in music technology and are very Audit Report for fiscal year 2020 completed - proud to have six SFCHS students by Adams, Brown, Beran & Ball. Following Superintendent Penka requested per- college-level music, by three dif In addition to the Triple Campaign, the 202 ferent judges each. involved in the virtual KMEA on Washington Project has been awarded sev- review, the Audit Report was accepted as mission to have a half-day of school on production,” Mrs. Morrow said. eral other grants this year. Cheyenne Center for presented. “These five have been working Jan. 14, 2021. The school will be hostingon difficult audition music for the These five students are also Creativity and the 202 Project Teams are grate- Superintendent Mark Penka told the board a junior high girls’ basketball tournament. eligible to qualify for the All- ful to the Cheyenne County Kansas Community last 2 months and their work paid that a resignation had been received from Both buildings will be used, with seven off,” teacher Talley Morrow said. State Honor Choir. Their audition Foundation for two Hansen Community Grants Ashlee Orth as a high school paraprofession - teams participating. The board approved The students will participate in scores from District will be used al. Superintendent Penka will be contacting the motion to dismiss school on Jan. 14 af- amounting to $20,000, two New Generation a virtual clinic on Dec. 12 instead to determine their participation in Grants for $13,000, and the Midwest Energy the area’s Educational Service Center to help ter lunch. of rehearsing and performing with the All-State Choir, which will be Next, Superintendent Penka conducted Impact Grant for $5,000. find a replacement. other selected students from 22 released in late December or early These funds move the 202 Project forward Next, Superintendent Penka requested an annual review of the St. Francis Educa- counties in northwest Kansas. Af- January. To be selected for the All- with the goal of creating a community event cen- permission from the school board to start tional Foundation Fund. Currently, the bal- - State Choir is to be chosen from ter, an expanded art gallery, and a commercial discussions with Cheylin about the possibil- ter the virtual clinic, student-mu ance of the fund is $141,450.73. sicians will be given several days all choral students in the entire kitchen that will be housed in this 100-year-old ity of Junior High and High School football The next regular Board of Education to record a special arrangement of state, and is a great honor.