Finding child care in Ellis County has become harder than
ever as the number of providers continues to decline — but the need grows.

And a new effort from the Hays Chamber is working to
identify causes and solutions to the growing problem.

The seriousness of the issue was highlighted in the
ChildCare Aware of Kansas' annual point-in-time report earlier this year.

"ChildCare Aware of Kansas is a chamber member,"
said Hays Chamber President and CEO Sarah Wasinger. "They work across the
state to help connect resources to childcare providers. But also they try to
connect families with child care providers who are looking for them."

According to the report, in 2020, only 63 percent of
child care needs were being met.

"The other alarming fact is that we've lost 16
child care providers since that same point in time count," Wasinger said. "So,
obviously, this problem isn't going anywhere, so there's the daunting question,
well, where do we start.”

To address the problem, she said a group of locally
interested parties have joined together to create the Childcare Taskforce for
Ellis County.

"This is just the discussion that we're having on how
do we start to address the needs for child care in our community because we know
they're vast."

She said various interested parties are a part of the
conversation, including ChildCare Aware of Kansas, early childhood education
providers, the Kansas Department of Health and Environment, Heartland Community
Foundation, the Hays Area Children's Center, the city of Hays and Grow Hays.

"And we have Barb Wasinger, our representative from the
111th district,” Wasinger said. "(She) has started to be a part of that
conversation too, from the get-go. And she's taking notes during these meetings
and trying to very much listen to the challenges that are shared from a daycare
provider standpoint.”

She said having a legislator included in the conversation is
essential as many believe at least a portion of the problem can be attributed
to regulatory hurdles on child care providers by the state.

"You can't have things like shampoo or conditioner
within 5-feet reach of children," Wasinger said. "And those are
just some of the things that you scratch your head at. ... If you have your own
kids in your home, you're not going to put the shampoo and conditioner out of
reach.

"If you have a pet dog or a cat, you can't have the pet
food on the ground for the pet to eat during the day. So these are just some
things that make you scratch your head. And for our child care providers, I
can't imagine what they must be going through when they share some of their
concerns on the issues that they face. And, that probably adds to the fact of
why people don't want to be in that industry in the first place."

Those regulations hamper the ability to for childcare
centers to become profitable, removing what is typically a requirement for
providers, according to Grow Hays Executive Director Doug Williams.

"Kansas is pretty archaic in our regulatory
requirements, which makes it very difficult for a child care provider to operate
a profitable business, particularly when you talk about infant care,"
Williams said. "Kansas is one of two states in the United States that has
this three-to-one ratio, one provider only taking care of three infants, and
other states have been far more progressive than Kansas in that regard.

"We just have to cut through some of this regulation
and try and get some of those kinds of things taken care of so we can incent
more people to become child care providers."

Further, the lack of available child care is likely
contributing to the area's workforce shortage.

"In some cases, for an entry-level job, if it's not
paying enough, it makes no sense for them to pay to have their kids taken to
child care," Williams said. "In other cases, people can maybe afford
it, but they just can't find it. There are insufficient providers in the
community."

And as Ellis County struggles with enough providers, there
are impacts to the entire region.

"When we talk about workforce and how we as a chamber
can support workforce, we know that there are parents out there who are
actually paying for child care before they even have a child in the womb,"
Wasinger said. "We also have families that are driving from Stockton to
bring their kids to Hays for child care, and then they're going back and working
a full day. And then they're coming back to Hays again, to pick up their
children. So, this is such a huge issue for … our whole entire region."

The first step for the committee is underway; a survey that
will fully identify the depth of the issue.

"As a committee, we've been working with Bradford Wiles
from the Kansas State Research and Extension agency," Wasinger said.
"They have done community-based surveys all across Kansas, and he's
working with our committee to put together survey questions specific to Ellis
County. … The biggest thing that people need to keep in mind with this survey,
we know that everybody's time is precious, however, we're not going to address
this issue if we don't get some concrete data for what our true needs are as a
county. With that data, then that gives us the flexibility and puts us in a
position as a county to start applying for grants and things of that nature
that we could possibly use to start incentivizing child care.

"So, this is a huge, huge opportunity for us. And if we
don't start finding ways to make the finances work for these folks, we're going to struggle."

The survey is expected to be ready this week and will be
available through the Hays Chamber.

"So, we will be doing this survey digitally, we will
have essentially a QR code attached," Wasinger said. "And of course,
we'll do a media release. ...&nbsp; But all
the agencies that I shared will also be sharing that data in that survey across
their communication channels. And then, ideally, we'll have that survey wrapped
up by the end of December."

She said once the data has been compiled, the committee is
ready to take action to secure funds that will be used to address the problem.

"The Dane G. Hansen Foundation has a significant amount
of funding right now available to give to communities for child care purposes,
as well as USDA," Wasinger said. "And then I believe there are still
some ARPA funds that are set aside for child care for communities. So bringing
that back to our workforce, if we can start getting child care addressed, you
know, maybe that flexes some people who aren't currently in our workforce, it
puts them in a position to where they can come back and work again."

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2021/11/1637009451193.jpg" alt="Photo courtesy Pixabay." />
 <figcaption>Photo courtesy Pixabay.</figcaption>
 </figure>By JAMES BELL Hays PostFinding child care in Ellis County has become harder than
ever as the number of providers continues to decline — but the need grows.And a new effort from the Hays Chamber is working to
identify causes and solutions to the growing problem.The seriousness of the issue was highlighted in the
ChildCare Aware of Kansas' annual point-in-time report earlier this year."ChildCare Aware of Kansas is a chamber member,"
said Hays Chamber President and CEO Sarah Wasinger. "They work across the
state to help connect resources to childcare providers. But also they try to
connect families with child care providers who are looking for them."According to the report, in 2020, only 63 percent of
child care needs were being met.<div><iframe title="Hays Chamber working to find solutions to lack of child care in Ellis County" allowtransparency="true" height="300" width="100%" style="border: none; min-width: min(100%, 430px);" scrolling="no" data-name="pb-iframe-player" src="https://www.podbean.com/player-v2/?i=agpws-1131718-pb&from=pb6admin&square=1&share=1&download=1&rtl=0&fonts=Arial&skin=3267a3&font-color=auto&btn-skin=3267a3&size=300" allowfullscreen=""></iframe></div>"The other alarming fact is that we've lost 16
child care providers since that same point in time count," Wasinger said. "So,
obviously, this problem isn't going anywhere, so there's the daunting question,
well, where do we start.”To address the problem, she said a group of locally
interested parties have joined together to create the Childcare Taskforce for
Ellis County."This is just the discussion that we're having on how
do we start to address the needs for child care in our community because we know
they're vast."She said various interested parties are a part of the
conversation, including ChildCare Aware of Kansas, early childhood education
providers, the Kansas Department of Health and Environment, Heartland Community
Foundation, the Hays Area Children's Center, the city of Hays and Grow Hays."And we have Barb Wasinger, our representative from the
111th district,” Wasinger said. "(She) has started to be a part of that
conversation too, from the get-go. And she's taking notes during these meetings
and trying to very much listen to the challenges that are shared from a daycare
provider standpoint.”She said having a legislator included in the conversation is
essential as many believe at least a portion of the problem can be attributed
to regulatory hurdles on child care providers by the state."You can't have things like shampoo or conditioner
within 5-feet reach of children," Wasinger said. "And those are
just some of the things that you scratch your head at. ... If you have your own
kids in your home, you're not going to put the shampoo and conditioner out of
reach."If you have a pet dog or a cat, you can't have the pet
food on the ground for the pet to eat during the day. So these are just some
things that make you scratch your head. And for our child care providers, I
can't imagine what they must be going through when they share some of their
concerns on the issues that they face. And, that probably adds to the fact of
why people don't want to be in that industry in the first place."Those regulations hamper the ability to for childcare
centers to become profitable, removing what is typically a requirement for
providers, according to Grow Hays Executive Director Doug Williams."Kansas is pretty archaic in our regulatory
requirements, which makes it very difficult for a child care provider to operate
a profitable business, particularly when you talk about infant care,"
Williams said. "Kansas is one of two states in the United States that has
this three-to-one ratio, one provider only taking care of three infants, and
other states have been far more progressive than Kansas in that regard."We just have to cut through some of this regulation
and try and get some of those kinds of things taken care of so we can incent
more people to become child care providers."Further, the lack of available child care is likely
contributing to the area's workforce shortage."In some cases, for an entry-level job, if it's not
paying enough, it makes no sense for them to pay to have their kids taken to
child care," Williams said. "In other cases, people can maybe afford
it, but they just can't find it. There are insufficient providers in the
community."And as Ellis County struggles with enough providers, there
are impacts to the entire region."When we talk about workforce and how we as a chamber
can support workforce, we know that there are parents out there who are
actually paying for child care before they even have a child in the womb,"
Wasinger said. "We also have families that are driving from Stockton to
bring their kids to Hays for child care, and then they're going back and working
a full day. And then they're coming back to Hays again, to pick up their
children. So, this is such a huge issue for … our whole entire region."The first step for the committee is underway; a survey that
will fully identify the depth of the issue."As a committee, we've been working with Bradford Wiles
from the Kansas State Research and Extension agency," Wasinger said.
"They have done community-based surveys all across Kansas, and he's
working with our committee to put together survey questions specific to Ellis
County. … The biggest thing that people need to keep in mind with this survey,
we know that everybody's time is precious, however, we're not going to address
this issue if we don't get some concrete data for what our true needs are as a
county. With that data, then that gives us the flexibility and puts us in a
position as a county to start applying for grants and things of that nature
that we could possibly use to start incentivizing child care."So, this is a huge, huge opportunity for us. And if we
don't start finding ways to make the finances work for these folks, we're going to struggle."The survey is expected to be ready this week and will be
available through the Hays Chamber.The survey will be anonymous."So, we will be doing this survey digitally, we will
have essentially a QR code attached," Wasinger said. "And of course,
we'll do a media release. ...&nbsp; But all
the agencies that I shared will also be sharing that data in that survey across
their communication channels. And then, ideally, we'll have that survey wrapped
up by the end of December."She said once the data has been compiled, the committee is
ready to take action to secure funds that will be used to address the problem."The Dane G. Hansen Foundation has a significant amount
of funding right now available to give to communities for child care purposes,
as well as USDA," Wasinger said. "And then I believe there are still
some ARPA funds that are set aside for child care for communities. So bringing
that back to our workforce, if we can start getting child care addressed, you
know, maybe that flexes some people who aren't currently in our workforce, it
puts them in a position to where they can come back and work again."

🎙 As lack of child care plagues Ellis County, new task force looks for solutions

As the debate continues across the U.S. about the legality and need for federal vaccine mandates, Fort Hays State University is not planning on implementing a mandate for students or staff at this time.

Unlike larger universities in Kansas, FHSU President Tisa Mason said the university does not have federal government contracts that would cause a mandate to be put in place.

"What happened recently is the federal government said that they were going to put language in federal contracts," Mason said. "So research institutions are particularly going to have to make decisions about a vaccine mandate whether they wanted to do one or not, and turning down contracts from the federal government."

She said a thorough review of FHSU contracts did not include the stipulation.

"At this point, we reviewed all of them. Not one of them includes the language," Mason said. "So we are watching, we are studying. If we get a contract that hasn't, we'll have a conversation about whether we turn it down or move forward."

Overall, she said the hope is FHSU will remain mandate-free.

"It's really unfortunate, quite frankly, that we've been put in this position, but so far we're holding strong we do not have to mandate," Mason said.

Even before any mandates were put in place, she said FHSU has seen only a minor impact from COVID.

 "We are going to continue with our excellent success on mitigating the spread of the virus on our campus," Mason said.

Along with the efforts of faculty and staff, including the student health center, she said an incentive program that gave direct payments to students and staff have helped mitigate COVID on campus.&nbsp;

"I think we are a little above
approximately 80 percent of our faculty and staff (vaccinated,)" Mason said. "I don't recall the
percentage off the top of my head for the students, but I know that it's over 50
percent of our students as well."

While the impact has been low so far, she said care is being taken to ensure impacts remain low.

"Most importantly, we have to be careful of our
residential students, and isolation and our high has been well, it was three
students till the other day, we're up to four students," Mason said. "But it's been very
minimal. We've really done really well with people making local decisions."&nbsp;

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2020/1/1578077978142.jpeg" alt="" />
 <figcaption></figcaption>
 </figure>By JAMES BELL Hays PostAs the debate continues across the U.S. about the legality and need for federal vaccine mandates, Fort Hays State University is not planning on implementing a mandate for students or staff at this time.Unlike larger universities in Kansas, FHSU President Tisa Mason said the university does not have federal government contracts that would cause a mandate to be put in place."What happened recently is the federal government said that they were going to put language in federal contracts," Mason said. "So research institutions are particularly going to have to make decisions about a vaccine mandate whether they wanted to do one or not, and turning down contracts from the federal government."She said a thorough review of FHSU contracts did not include the stipulation."At this point, we reviewed all of them. Not one of them includes the language," Mason said. "So we are watching, we are studying. If we get a contract that hasn't, we'll have a conversation about whether we turn it down or move forward."<div><iframe title="FHSU set to celebrate veterans during Military Appreciation Week" allowtransparency="true" height="150" width="100%" style="border: none; min-width: min(100%, 430px);" scrolling="no" data-name="pb-iframe-player" src="https://www.podbean.com/player-v2/?i=iere8-11238ce-pb&from=pb6admin&share=1&download=1&rtl=0&fonts=Arial&skin=3267a3&font-color=auto&btn-skin=3267a3"></iframe></div>Overall, she said the hope is FHSU will remain mandate-free."It's really unfortunate, quite frankly, that we've been put in this position, but so far we're holding strong we do not have to mandate," Mason said.Even before any mandates were put in place, she said FHSU has seen only a minor impact from COVID. "We are going to continue with our excellent success on mitigating the spread of the virus on our campus," Mason said.Along with the efforts of faculty and staff, including the student health center, she said an incentive program that gave direct payments to students and staff have helped mitigate COVID on campus.&nbsp;"I think we are a little above
approximately 80 percent of our faculty and staff (vaccinated,)" Mason said. "I don't recall the
percentage off the top of my head for the students, but I know that it's over 50
percent of our students as well."While the impact has been low so far, she said care is being taken to ensure impacts remain low."Most importantly, we have to be careful of our
residential students, and isolation and our high has been well, it was three
students till the other day, we're up to four students," Mason said. "But it's been very
minimal. We've really done really well with people making local decisions."&nbsp;

Fort Hays State University remains free of COVID vaccine mandate 

Next week students and families from Lincoln Elementary school are set to celebrate veterans.

From 6 to 7 p.m. Tuesday on the school playground, participants will gather to hear music, enjoy refreshments and, perhaps most importantly, support the Fort Dodge Soldier's Home.

"It's really going to be a fun time," said Lincoln Elementary principal Kerri Lacy. "We are also at that time taking
donations for the Fort Dodge Soldiers Home. They greatly appreciate those
donations that are needed, you know nonperishable food items and things like
that."

She said the home is a place for soldiers to seek assistance.

"It
is, I want to say, kind of a place where soldiers can go and
get help if they need it," Lacy said. "Their families can get help if they need it."

With area soldiers so far removed from an active base, she said having a place to seek help when needed is a blessing.

"You
know, we are not close to a commissary  type (place) on base," Lacy said. "So they have a place where soldiers can reach out and get help for
their families."

Requested donations include food and clothing items, she said.

"Things like non-perishable food
items," Lacy said. "Kleenex, toilet paper, dish soap, laundry soap, T-shirts and
sweatpants, usually large, extra-large, double extra-large, those can be
brought that night or if you can't come that night. You can also drop those
donations for the soldier house at Lincoln at any time."

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2021/11/1636141608023.jpg" alt="Photo courtesy Pixabay" />
 <figcaption>Photo courtesy Pixabay</figcaption>
 </figure><div><iframe title="Lincoln Elementary plans Veteran‘s Day Celebration" allowtransparency="true" height="300" width="100%" style="border: none; min-width: min(100%, 430px);" scrolling="no" data-name="pb-iframe-player" src="https://www.podbean.com/player-v2/?i=t7ua8-112388b-pb&from=pb6admin&square=1&share=1&download=1&rtl=0&fonts=Arial&skin=3267a3&font-color=auto&btn-skin=3267a3&size=300" allowfullscreen=""></iframe></div>By JAMES BELL Hays PostNext week students and families from Lincoln Elementary school are set to celebrate veterans.From 6 to 7 p.m. Tuesday on the school playground, participants will gather to hear music, enjoy refreshments and, perhaps most importantly, support the Fort Dodge Soldier's Home."It's really going to be a fun time," said Lincoln Elementary principal Kerri Lacy. "We are also at that time taking
donations for the Fort Dodge Soldiers Home. They greatly appreciate those
donations that are needed, you know nonperishable food items and things like
that."She said the home is a place for soldiers to seek assistance."It
is, I want to say, kind of a place where soldiers can go and
get help if they need it," Lacy said. "Their families can get help if they need it."With area soldiers so far removed from an active base, she said having a place to seek help when needed is a blessing."You
know, we are not close to a commissary type (place) on base," Lacy said. "So they have a place where soldiers can reach out and get help for
their families."Requested donations include food and clothing items, she said."Things like non-perishable food
items," Lacy said. "Kleenex, toilet paper, dish soap, laundry soap, T-shirts and
sweatpants, usually large, extra-large, double extra-large, those can be
brought that night or if you can't come that night. You can also drop those
donations for the soldier house at Lincoln at any time."<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2021/11/1636141560586.png" alt="" />
 <figcaption></figcaption>
 </figure>

🎙Lincoln Elementary plans Veterans Day Celebration

Fort Hays State University is set to honor and celebrate active duty military and veterans during Military Appreciation Week Nov. 8-12.

"I love the opportunity to say thank you to our military and of course, Veterans Day gives us the ability to do that, especially for those who are serving now," said Fort Hays State University President Tisa Mason.

Throughout the week a variety of activities are planned.

"Participants can see a flag and poster display that celebrates our heritage with the connection to the military," Mason said. "That will happen in both the Memorial Union and Fishchli Wills Center for Student Success."

"We also have an opportunity to folks to leave messages in recognition of family members who have answered the call to duty," she said.

As the daughter and sister of a veteran, she said honoring veterans hits home, especially on Veterans Day.&nbsp;

"On Thursday at 11 o'clock we're going to host our annual Veterans Day ceremony on the quad side of the Memorial Union," she said.

During that event, Cpt. Lonnie McIntyre will address the crowd.

"And then at our outstanding, we're going to win, football game on Saturday, we will have a Military Appreciation and a Senior Day," Mason said. "I understand from Matt Cook will be managing horses, people and motorcycles for that game so it should be a fun football game."&nbsp;

While Veterans Day is an important time for everyone to remember those who have served, the FHSU-military connection makes celebrating them even more relevant for the university.

"We have a strong connection with the military, military programs, and other ways that we work with our service members of whom we, for whom we are very, very grateful," Mason said.

<a href="https://fhsu.edu/transfer-military-center/maw">For a full listing of events visit the FHSU website.&nbsp;</a>

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2021/11/1636143604964.jpeg" alt="" />
 <figcaption></figcaption>
 </figure><div><iframe title="FHSU set to celebrate veterans during Military Appreciation Week" allowtransparency="true" height="300" width="100%" style="border: none; min-width: min(100%, 430px);" scrolling="no" data-name="pb-iframe-player" src="https://www.podbean.com/player-v2/?i=iere8-11238ce-pb&from=pb6admin&square=1&share=1&download=1&rtl=0&fonts=Arial&skin=3267a3&font-color=auto&btn-skin=3267a3&size=300" allowfullscreen=""></iframe></div>By JAMES BELL Hays PostFort Hays State University is set to honor and celebrate active duty military and veterans during Military Appreciation Week Nov. 8-12."I love the opportunity to say thank you to our military and of course, Veterans Day gives us the ability to do that, especially for those who are serving now," said Fort Hays State University President Tisa Mason.Throughout the week a variety of activities are planned."Participants can see a flag and poster display that celebrates our heritage with the connection to the military," Mason said. "That will happen in both the Memorial Union and Fishchli Wills Center for Student Success.""We also have an opportunity to folks to leave messages in recognition of family members who have answered the call to duty," she said.As the daughter and sister of a veteran, she said honoring veterans hits home, especially on Veterans Day.&nbsp;"On Thursday at 11 o'clock we're going to host our annual Veterans Day ceremony on the quad side of the Memorial Union," she said.During that event, Cpt. Lonnie McIntyre will address the crowd."And then at our outstanding, we're going to win, football game on Saturday, we will have a Military Appreciation and a Senior Day," Mason said. "I understand from Matt Cook will be managing horses, people and motorcycles for that game so it should be a fun football game."&nbsp;While Veterans Day is an important time for everyone to remember those who have served, the FHSU-military connection makes celebrating them even more relevant for the university."We have a strong connection with the military, military programs, and other ways that we work with our service members of whom we, for whom we are very, very grateful," Mason said.<a href="https://fhsu.edu/transfer-military-center/maw">For a full listing of events visit the FHSU website.&nbsp;</a>

🎙 FHSU to celebrate veterans during Military Appreciation Week

The latest Business Showcase is currently underway in Hays offering area residents an opportunity to explore local businesses, while at the same time offering the chance to win prizes from participating locations as well as from the Hays Chamber.

"It just started last week Friday, so from Oct. 29 to Nov. 19," said Hays Chamber President and CEO Sarah Wasinger. 

While this is not a new event for the chamber, she said this showcase features two premier sponsors, giving more opportunities to win prizes in time for the holidays.

"We are very excited because Adams Brown and Sunflower Bank are actually our sponsors, our premier sponsors for the events that we get to we have to this time," Wasinger said. "So we figured with it being Christmas time, it would be nice to give away more money."

With the two sponsors, she said the chamber will have additional Chamber Check prizes given out.

"We'll be drawing for four $100 Chamber Check prizes, and then two $50 Chamber Check prizes on Nov. 22."

Anyone interested in participating can visit any of the locations, or the Chamber office, 2700 Vine, to pick up a card that lists the participating businesses and relevant information for the showcase.

"This card has all the locations listed as well as the addresses for the participating businesses, and of course, their hours of operation," Wasinger said. "So we take the guesswork out for you, you know exactly where to go and when to go."

She said many of the businesses will also be offering their own prize drawings or discounts.

And while the chance to win prizes or save money is important, the aim of the program is to entice area residents to explore area businesses.

"So why we love Business Showcase so much is ... there may be a business that you're not familiar with, you wouldn't normally have the opportunity to go in there or wouldn't perhaps think of that depending on what you're in the market for, for purchasing yourself or for your family," Wasinger said. "So these businesses would love to have folks come in."

With the selection of participating buisnesses, she said the time required to complete the showcase is minimal.

"If you have some extra time, it'll literally take you probably no more than an hour and a half to go visit all these nine different locations," Wasinger said. "And within that time, you're going to get a lot of different promotions and offerings, a chance to win extra prizes when you go to their locations, as well as just a great opportunity to do some early Christmas shopping."

And the participants also offer a diverse representation of operations in the area.

"So ABC Seamless, I know they're going to be having some discounts on their items in store so they are located at 1507 East 27th Street," Wasinger said. "Diamond R Jewelry is another one of our businesses this go around and they are going to be offering 20 percent off jewelry repair services through Jan. 1 with a presentation of (the) card."

"HaysMed is one that I am very excited to go to because, with COVID, they of course have been limited on who and how they're letting people into the hospital. But their gift shop is back up and running. So the HaysMed volunteer corner gift shop, they have such a wonderful variety of different items in there."

In conjunction with the Business Showcase, they also have an open house planned on Nov. 11 and 12.

&nbsp;"So you can go in there and actually register for a gift card while you're doing the business showcase too," Wasinger said.

"And Nex-Tech Wireless is another one. ... They're gonna have some special promotions on the Samsung S 21 and iPhone 13. And they're going to also have some in-store giveaways for participants. So they're located, of course, at 1101 East 43rd Street.

After celebrating a special anniversary at Rohr's Carpet Cleaning recently, she said she is excited they participated in the showcase as well.

"They're gonna have a lot of different sales on in-stock items and different promotions," Wasinger said. "Plus, they're doing a drawing for a mop kit that can be used to keep your house clean during the holidays. ... They're located at 722 East 7th Street."

"And then Sunflower Bank, their north location.&nbsp; ... So you'll visit the North Branch at 4720 Ross Avenue and they're going to be actually doing a special drawing for different branded items, as well as doing different chamber check giveaways. I think they're doing a $25 giveaway, a $20 giveaway. And customers can also get $100 if they open up their first personal checking account and get rewarded with extra perks."

Thirsty's Brew Pub and Grill is also featured, in both the showcase, as well as on the chamber's Hot Deals.

"They are always great about having a Hot Deal every month," Wasinger said. "And I believe this month it includes a very tasty steak with some sides. So you'll have to go check out Hayschamber.com and hit the Hot Deals and you'll be able to see that special."

Rounding out the businesses is Vyve Broadband.

They're going to be doing an in-store drawing for branded products valued at $50," Wasinger said. "So they're, of course, located at 1007 West 27th Street and are open Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. to 5:30 p.m."

"But United Way of Ellis County is also going to be joining us this go around and this is a special one because the end of the year is really such an important time for them. So they'll be doing some different raffle tickets for purchase and for their dine-out day. So visit them at 205 East 27th Street, Suite 111."

Once participants receive the stamp at each location, they can then return the filled-out cards to the chamber office.

"You'll have to make sure that you do that by Nov. 19," Wasinger said. "And then, of course, on Monday, Nov. 22, we're going to be doing that chamber check drawing on via Facebook Live."

For more information, visit the Hays Chamber website<a href="https://hayschamber.com/">&nbsp;hayschamber.com</a>.

<div><iframe title="Showcase offers opportunity to explore local businesses" allowtransparency="true" height="300" width="100%" style="border: none; min-width: min(100%, 430px);" scrolling="no" data-name="pb-iframe-player" src="https://www.podbean.com/player-v2/?i=wxgt5-111e8fe-pb&from=pb6admin&square=1&share=1&download=1&rtl=0&fonts=Arial&skin=3267a3&font-color=auto&btn-skin=3267a3&size=300" allowfullscreen=""></iframe></div>By JAMES BELL Hays PostThe latest Business Showcase is currently underway in Hays offering area residents an opportunity to explore local businesses, while at the same time offering the chance to win prizes from participating locations as well as from the Hays Chamber."It just started last week Friday, so from Oct. 29 to Nov. 19," said Hays Chamber President and CEO Sarah Wasinger. While this is not a new event for the chamber, she said this showcase features two premier sponsors, giving more opportunities to win prizes in time for the holidays."We are very excited because Adams Brown and Sunflower Bank are actually our sponsors, our premier sponsors for the events that we get to we have to this time," Wasinger said. "So we figured with it being Christmas time, it would be nice to give away more money."With the two sponsors, she said the chamber will have additional Chamber Check prizes given out."We'll be drawing for four $100 Chamber Check prizes, and then two $50 Chamber Check prizes on Nov. 22."Anyone interested in participating can visit any of the locations, or the Chamber office, 2700 Vine, to pick up a card that lists the participating businesses and relevant information for the showcase."This card has all the locations listed as well as the addresses for the participating businesses, and of course, their hours of operation," Wasinger said. "So we take the guesswork out for you, you know exactly where to go and when to go."She said many of the businesses will also be offering their own prize drawings or discounts.And while the chance to win prizes or save money is important, the aim of the program is to entice area residents to explore area businesses."So why we love Business Showcase so much is ... there may be a business that you're not familiar with, you wouldn't normally have the opportunity to go in there or wouldn't perhaps think of that depending on what you're in the market for, for purchasing yourself or for your family," Wasinger said. "So these businesses would love to have folks come in."With the selection of participating buisnesses, she said the time required to complete the showcase is minimal."If you have some extra time, it'll literally take you probably no more than an hour and a half to go visit all these nine different locations," Wasinger said. "And within that time, you're going to get a lot of different promotions and offerings, a chance to win extra prizes when you go to their locations, as well as just a great opportunity to do some early Christmas shopping."And the participants also offer a diverse representation of operations in the area."So ABC Seamless, I know they're going to be having some discounts on their items in store so they are located at 1507 East 27th Street," Wasinger said. "Diamond R Jewelry is another one of our businesses this go around and they are going to be offering 20 percent off jewelry repair services through Jan. 1 with a presentation of (the) card.""HaysMed is one that I am very excited to go to because, with COVID, they of course have been limited on who and how they're letting people into the hospital. But their gift shop is back up and running. So the HaysMed volunteer corner gift shop, they have such a wonderful variety of different items in there."In conjunction with the Business Showcase, they also have an open house planned on Nov. 11 and 12.&nbsp;"So you can go in there and actually register for a gift card while you're doing the business showcase too," Wasinger said."And Nex-Tech Wireless is another one. ... They're gonna have some special promotions on the Samsung S 21 and iPhone 13. And they're going to also have some in-store giveaways for participants. So they're located, of course, at 1101 East 43rd Street.After celebrating a special anniversary at Rohr's Carpet Cleaning recently, she said she is excited they participated in the showcase as well."They're gonna have a lot of different sales on in-stock items and different promotions," Wasinger said. "Plus, they're doing a drawing for a mop kit that can be used to keep your house clean during the holidays. ... They're located at 722 East 7th Street.""And then Sunflower Bank, their north location.&nbsp; ... So you'll visit the North Branch at 4720 Ross Avenue and they're going to be actually doing a special drawing for different branded items, as well as doing different chamber check giveaways. I think they're doing a $25 giveaway, a $20 giveaway. And customers can also get $100 if they open up their first personal checking account and get rewarded with extra perks."Thirsty's Brew Pub and Grill is also featured, in both the showcase, as well as on the chamber's Hot Deals."They are always great about having a Hot Deal every month," Wasinger said. "And I believe this month it includes a very tasty steak with some sides. So you'll have to go check out Hayschamber.com and hit the Hot Deals and you'll be able to see that special."Rounding out the businesses is Vyve Broadband.They're going to be doing an in-store drawing for branded products valued at $50," Wasinger said. "So they're, of course, located at 1007 West 27th Street and are open Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. to 5:30 p.m.""But United Way of Ellis County is also going to be joining us this go around and this is a special one because the end of the year is really such an important time for them. So they'll be doing some different raffle tickets for purchase and for their dine-out day. So visit them at 205 East 27th Street, Suite 111."Once participants receive the stamp at each location, they can then return the filled-out cards to the chamber office."You'll have to make sure that you do that by Nov. 19," Wasinger said. "And then, of course, on Monday, Nov. 22, we're going to be doing that chamber check drawing on via Facebook Live."For more information, visit the Hays Chamber website<a href="https://hayschamber.com/">&nbsp;hayschamber.com</a>.Cover photo courtesy&nbsp;Pixabay

🎙 Showcase offers opportunity to explore Hays businesses

<a href="https://hayspost.com/posts/5dd2f46c897d147ad4bb104b">To find out more about The Post Podcast, or subscribe to mobile&nbsp;</a><a href="https://hayspost.com/posts/5dd2f46c897d147ad4bb104b">notifications click here.</a>

James Bell &nbsp; The Imagine Ellis County committee recently benefited from a large donation from the Schmidt Foundation, Grow Hays, Executive Director, Doug Williams talks to us a little bit about that, and more on this episode of the post podcast.

Grow Hays executive director Doug Williams &nbsp; Well, it's a committee that was formed out of the strategic doing initiative that is kind of town meetings sponsored by the danger Hansen Foundation, where people in the community come together for kind of a town hall meeting and talk about things that they'd like to see happen in their community, whether it be parks, you know, recreational type things, business type things, all types of things. And then out of that, committees are formed. And they kind of work on these initiatives. And so one of the things that came out of this strategic doing session was imagined Ellis County, you know, what, what do we want Ellis County to look like, five years from now 10 years from now, 30 years from now. And so that's kind of what this committee has been working on. We started and then boom, the pandemic hit. And so we kind of lost our momentum for the committee. But as of late, we have, we have kind of picked up the momentum again, and we're starting to work on some things, and we've got some direction. And I think we're making good headway.

James Bell &nbsp; Excellent. Yeah, it seems like, you know, when it comes to planning, you have to think so far in advance that and I wonder if you want to speak a little bit to like, is there a lot of differing opinions? Or are we kind of seeing some consensus? And some, you know, cuz, I don't know, some general ideas moving forward.

Grow Hays executive director Doug Williams &nbsp; I think, you know, we, we interviewed, we had all a number of business leaders come forward, you know, business owners come forward and give us a five minute presentation as to what their plans were and what their challenges are. And, obviously, they're all a little bit different. But there's certainly some recurring themes among all of their discussions and things like housing, things like child care, you know, those kinds of things continually come up workforces a huge one, which is kind of tied to childcare and housing as well. So while each organization has some specifics, the underlying themes are very much, you know, you hear the same things again, and again.

James Bell &nbsp; You know, I wonder going forward how, how do these committees or these groups, you know, after I problems have been identified, how do they affect change?

Grow Hays executive director Doug Williams &nbsp; Well, you know, you, you identify the problem, and then you work the problem. So it's, you know, housing is been a problem in Hays, I've, we talked about it all the time, you and I, and I talked about it with lots of people. But at some point in time, you have to quit talking and start doing and that's what we're trying to do with the project, the tall grass project out of 22nd. Wheatland with the retiree. project that we envision north at the hospital, as well as trying to help some people with some construction of apartments and that type of thing. The project analysis for the 40 lots in south Ellis, you know, those are the type of things that you have to start doing and then childcare the same way you've got to, okay, identify the problem, and what can we do about it?

James Bell &nbsp; Okay, it's feeding on the housing. No, real quick, we might have talked about this yesterday that we just had the Hays City Commission folks in with us, but they passed the RHID public meeting date was speaking of the housing piece, how does that kind of work into how this committee is getting put together? You know, if they want to help, I don't know, spread the word for that or become available, I guess you might say, for the community that wants to talk about this project. Well, that's

Grow Hays executive director Doug Williams &nbsp; That's the type of project that this committee would support. And go to the City Commission and the commissioners individually and indicate the support for those types of projects for the city to approve, you know, those type of incentives for the developer. Because the the reality is, in some cases, the marketplace, we'd all like to think that the open market always meets a need, but it doesn't. And it doesn't always meet it in a timeframe that is that the community needs it to meet it in childcare would be a good example of that as well. So that this committee will focus on. Okay, what what type of housing do we need? How do we help get that done? How do we encourage the city to award incentives to potential developers to make it attractive for them to develop in Hays instead of someplace else? And so that's the type of work that we would do on housing initiatives. And that's what this committee will be focused on things along those lines, along with many others, you know, that could be parks, it could be retail recruitment, you know, they're just this good go a lot of different directions as we, as we try and figure out what we really want a Hays to look like one of the things we're going to do is a community survey. You know, we, while we have a broad representation of the community, we believe on our committee, and we've talked to lots of business people who have a broad understanding of what's going on in the community, at some point time, you need to go out and ask the citizens, what they would like to see. And so we've got a quote from the Docking Institute, and we're attempting to raise some funds. So we can conduct that survey and ask the public what they'd like to see in the community, what kind of community they want to do, what they want the community to look like, in 5, 10 or 20 years.

James Bell &nbsp; How do you deal with all the folks and not to disparage any particular business? I know one of the things that I hear a lot come to Hays is target. Everybody wants to target here, and it would be great. But how do you kind of temper those expectations when you have a survey like that, and and you get responses that say 60, 70 80 percent want that, but it's really not feasible for the Hays market?

Grow Hays executive director Doug Williams &nbsp; Well, I think you have to temper it with the understanding of what these companies requirements are in terms of population in a community, you know, they require 40,000 people in a community and we have 28, we really can't spend a lot of time talking to them. Now, yes, we want to, we would like to think we're a little bit different than we are from a trade area standpoint, we have a larger trade area, then then a lot of communities and we have pull factor that a lot of communities don't have, you know, where people come from outlying areas to shop. But these companies study very closely. Excuse me, the the market conditions that exist, the population, the amount of dollars that are spent, they know, I would guess the target knows very well what Walmart sales are here. And so they know what level of sales they would be able to attract here. And so we have to have realistic expectations and think that okay, target may not be a good fit, but who is and then we go focus on that particular company to recruit as opposed to a target, just as an example. Okay.

James Bell &nbsp; Well, the one thing that I think all of these efforts require a little bit of capital. And this donation is probably going to help you with that. I would imagine when I talk first, a little bit about the gift from the Schmidt Foundation,

Grow Hays executive director Doug Williams &nbsp; Yes, well, we, the Schmidt Foundation was good enough to recognize that the this is an important initiative in the community to to get this going. And obviously, if we're going to recruit people, and figure out what we need to be doing, it does take some dollars. And the Schmidt Foundation was good enough to give imagine Ellis County a $50,000 donation to be used for the projects that we're envisioning. One would be the Community Survey. Another would be we produce some videos of our community, we've got, I think, four or five different videos are short, one minute videos about our quality of life, basically, why people live here, we've targeted different types of people in the community in terms of younger people, retired people, people who move back here, people who moved here and bought a business. And so we're trying to tell the story in a lot of different ways about why Ellis County is such a great place to live. And the next step with once you produce these videos, and they're great videos, we'll get them out there so people can see them in the very near future. But we got to get enough people in the right places to see him. So we've gotten some proposals from some marketing organizations as to, we can do these types of social media marketing and things in the eastern slope of Colorado, which is kind of a ripe area for people who are wanting to relocate.&nbsp;

James Bell &nbsp; Can't imagine why prices, you want to read one bedroom apartment, it's four or $5,000 a month, very

Grow Hays executive director Doug Williams &nbsp; Expensive to live in very, the traffic is horrible. And in a lot of people out there looking for a simpler life and a more cost effective life. And we think housing prices are high here. Just go out there. Yeah. But so we're going to be targeting those marketplaces and trying to get our story told in the right places, and you need funding to do that. It's it doesn't come for free. And so the Schmidt Foundation, which is terrific. I mean, they're wonderful organization, very supportive of our community and always have been very supportive of grow Hayes, was good enough to step forward and give this $50,000 donation. We're seeking some other grants for the same type of thing so we can expand our efforts in this marketing of Ellis County, and that's a great start with what the Schmidt Foundation was willing to step up and give us.

James Bell &nbsp; Yeah, that's very cool. And you know, it does really, I think, impact those that recruitment has But also, you know, the piece on this that I think maybe people don't realize is how quickly those dollars get eaten up. When you're talking about marketing, it's so expensive.

Grow Hays executive director Doug Williams &nbsp; It really is, I mean, the production of the videos, you know, doesn't seem too bad. But then you've got, and I'm not, I'm far from an expert on these things, but geo fencing and all of these terms that come up and, and Google search engines to optimize those. So your Sir, your information comes up when a search is done, just on and on and on. It's very expensive. And, but we're looking at a combination of social marketing, even some billboards, different types of ways to reach people, because we know not everybody's walking around with a smartphone, we recognize one demographic that we think we offer a lot to our retirees, with the health care facilities we have here, as well as a safe community and a lot of the other amenities we have. And so we we have to figure out ways are our marketing people have to figure out ways to target that audience, make sure they know who we are and what we have to offer. So, but it all costs money. And that's the that's for sure.

James Bell &nbsp; Is there going to be any of it set aside to help spread the word locally? About the committee?

Grow Hays executive director Doug Williams &nbsp; Yeah, we're, we're we're doing we're hoping we're doing some of that by talking to people like you. And we have set up a Facebook page, we haven't done much with it, but we will be setting up a Facebook or a meta page, whatever he called today. And in some other efforts will be done for local marketing as well. You know, we'll try and, and spread the word locally, because you know, word of mouth is the best advertising you can have. And obviously, the people in Ellis County, if they can talk to the people they know outside of Ellis County, tell our story. Tell people where to go to watch these videos, or to see what imagine Ellis County's doing. At the Imagine Ellis County website, which will be developed it isn't there yet. But it will be. So that's that's another way where we'll reach out to people and and you bring up a good point. I mean, the best salespeople, for any community are the people that live in the community.

James Bell &nbsp; Absolutely. The Shifting gears a little bit. We always like talking about what's going on down there. aggro Hayes, we've got just a few minutes left. I want to pretend like I don't know what's going on. But you have had the Ice House series entrepreneurship class that's wrapping up next Wednesday.

Grow Hays executive director Doug Williams &nbsp; Yes.

James Bell &nbsp; Cool class, because I'm in it. You know, cuz I'm in it. I'm a it's a I know, it's a cool class, because when you can get the points to graduate, we're not sure about you.&nbsp;

Grow Hays executive director Doug Williams &nbsp; Yeah, it's if I throw a real stick in the mud, I think a lot of times because I'm not the business entrepreneur, you know, I'm not out there trying to launch into a successful enterprise, you know, what might happen? Well, that's exactly the thing. And that's one of the things I really appreciate about this is it's not it's not what I was expecting going in, which was that real that you know, concrete, Do this, do this, do this. It's more about opening your eyes to possibilities, A little bit more theoretical, I think, probably and covering the, the traits of an entrepreneur and the things that an entrepreneur needs to think about. We are next week, it'll wrap up, that'll be week seven. We've got I think, 12 or 13 participants. So it's a couple online, so I you know, I've done online attendance. So I'm, I get a little fuzzy, I see the people in the room, but I forget about the ones that are online, and spent a good class different than the class we did a year and a half ago, you know, a different set of people kind of a different dynamic in the class. And that's okay, that's good. And I you know, we typically try and bring in a speaker from outside last week, we had Chris Munch come in and give his sticks presentation, which is always good and powerful. Presentation. And they've, they've talked me into giving a little talk next week, which should be interesting. It's, I'll keep it a top secret topic. But all I'll be there to wrap the whole thing up and then you guys will be graduated and we'll be on to the next one. But it's it's a really good class. I think it it makes you think, and hopefully get you thinking outside the box. And if you have some entrepreneurial, yearnings, it is an opportunity to understand what it might be all about and the things he maybe need to put in place in order to fulfill those dreams or yearnings or whatever they are. Absolutely.

James Bell &nbsp; And you know, to I think in a lot of ways, it just it also kind of opened your eyes to the realities in the marketplace now, because it's quite a bit different than for a lot of folks than it was 3040 years ago where you went on a career path and that was the expectation and that's just not necessarily the case anymore.&nbsp;

Grow Hays executive director Doug Williams &nbsp; Oh, absolutely. I mean, if you look at the trends and the number of job changes, people entering the workforce today will have over their career, you know, used to be you go to work for the railroad or IBM or somebody and you stay with them for life. That's just not the way it works. Now, it's people changing all the time. And I've, I've noticed that you know, another topic we talked about, we're we're currently we accepted applications for Director of Recruitment and retainment. And we cut those applications off last Friday, but if you look at some of the end, we've had 19 and all of them good people and that kind of thing. But if you look at the work history, people change a lot. It's amazing how often a lot of people change. And I'm not saying that's bad, it's just the way our world works right now is there's a lot of movement that goes on in careers.

James Bell &nbsp; Absolutely. Well, Doug, we've got just about a minute left anything else going on down there you want to share with us

Grow Hays executive director Doug Williams &nbsp; We've got one thing I would mention, you know, advanced real estate had sold their location on East 27th street and are now full time officing out of brief space so it's cool it's kind of interesting turned down there you know, we we have always said that we believe that it can be an alternative office space and most people we have are individuals and that that come in there at certain times and off and on and on the road salespeople or what have you, but this is a case where a business has looked at our environment and said hey, you know, we can carve out this little spot for ourselves. It works for us we have access to the high speed internet to the meeting rooms and copier, scanner all of those kinds of resources and so at a fraction of the cost that it was where they were located before So that's been an interesting development down there we welcome that we welcome others and it's kind of cool to see that happen.

James Bell &nbsp; Yeah, I you know, I love about brief space down there is a you you kind of get that environment I imagine if you're working on your own you know, your sole proprietorship you know you don't get that interaction with other business professionals or you can do that it brief space, you can go in and get in amount of interaction that you want, whether it be a little bit or a lot, you hang out there all day or hang out there for 20 minutes, make your do your whatever and then go.

Grow Hays executive director Doug Williams &nbsp; Yeah, it it's whatever. It's what you make of it really and but but there is interaction with others. I think that's an important part of it. It's just been interesting to see that kind of evolution in the facility to have somebody in there grow. Hays has always been in there but now we've got another full time scenario as well as multiple people so I have a cool trend.

<div><iframe title="Foundation donation to benefit Imagine Ellis County" allowtransparency="true" height="300" width="100%" style="border: none; min-width: min(100%, 430px);" scrolling="no" data-name="pb-iframe-player" src="https://www.podbean.com/player-v2/?i=wmu5b-111ce45-pb&from=pb6admin&square=1&share=1&download=1&rtl=0&fonts=Arial&skin=3267a3&font-color=auto&btn-skin=3267a3&size=300" allowfullscreen=""></iframe></div><a href="https://hayspost.com/posts/5dd2f46c897d147ad4bb104b">To find out more about The Post Podcast, or subscribe to mobile&nbsp;</a><a href="https://hayspost.com/posts/5dd2f46c897d147ad4bb104b">notifications click here.</a>TRANSCRIPTJames Bell &nbsp; The Imagine Ellis County committee recently benefited from a large donation from the Schmidt Foundation, Grow Hays, Executive Director, Doug Williams talks to us a little bit about that, and more on this episode of the post podcast.Grow Hays executive director Doug Williams &nbsp; Well, it's a committee that was formed out of the strategic doing initiative that is kind of town meetings sponsored by the danger Hansen Foundation, where people in the community come together for kind of a town hall meeting and talk about things that they'd like to see happen in their community, whether it be parks, you know, recreational type things, business type things, all types of things. And then out of that, committees are formed. And they kind of work on these initiatives. And so one of the things that came out of this strategic doing session was imagined Ellis County, you know, what, what do we want Ellis County to look like, five years from now 10 years from now, 30 years from now. And so that's kind of what this committee has been working on. We started and then boom, the pandemic hit. And so we kind of lost our momentum for the committee. But as of late, we have, we have kind of picked up the momentum again, and we're starting to work on some things, and we've got some direction. And I think we're making good headway.James Bell &nbsp; Excellent. Yeah, it seems like, you know, when it comes to planning, you have to think so far in advance that and I wonder if you want to speak a little bit to like, is there a lot of differing opinions? Or are we kind of seeing some consensus? And some, you know, cuz, I don't know, some general ideas moving forward.Grow Hays executive director Doug Williams &nbsp; I think, you know, we, we interviewed, we had all a number of business leaders come forward, you know, business owners come forward and give us a five minute presentation as to what their plans were and what their challenges are. And, obviously, they're all a little bit different. But there's certainly some recurring themes among all of their discussions and things like housing, things like child care, you know, those kinds of things continually come up workforces a huge one, which is kind of tied to childcare and housing as well. So while each organization has some specifics, the underlying themes are very much, you know, you hear the same things again, and again.James Bell &nbsp; You know, I wonder going forward how, how do these committees or these groups, you know, after I problems have been identified, how do they affect change?Grow Hays executive director Doug Williams &nbsp; Well, you know, you, you identify the problem, and then you work the problem. So it's, you know, housing is been a problem in Hays, I've, we talked about it all the time, you and I, and I talked about it with lots of people. But at some point in time, you have to quit talking and start doing and that's what we're trying to do with the project, the tall grass project out of 22nd. Wheatland with the retiree. project that we envision north at the hospital, as well as trying to help some people with some construction of apartments and that type of thing. The project analysis for the 40 lots in south Ellis, you know, those are the type of things that you have to start doing and then childcare the same way you've got to, okay, identify the problem, and what can we do about it?James Bell &nbsp; Okay, it's feeding on the housing. No, real quick, we might have talked about this yesterday that we just had the Hays City Commission folks in with us, but they passed the RHID public meeting date was speaking of the housing piece, how does that kind of work into how this committee is getting put together? You know, if they want to help, I don't know, spread the word for that or become available, I guess you might say, for the community that wants to talk about this project. Well, that'sGrow Hays executive director Doug Williams &nbsp; That's the type of project that this committee would support. And go to the City Commission and the commissioners individually and indicate the support for those types of projects for the city to approve, you know, those type of incentives for the developer. Because the the reality is, in some cases, the marketplace, we'd all like to think that the open market always meets a need, but it doesn't. And it doesn't always meet it in a timeframe that is that the community needs it to meet it in childcare would be a good example of that as well. So that this committee will focus on. Okay, what what type of housing do we need? How do we help get that done? How do we encourage the city to award incentives to potential developers to make it attractive for them to develop in Hays instead of someplace else? And so that's the type of work that we would do on housing initiatives. And that's what this committee will be focused on things along those lines, along with many others, you know, that could be parks, it could be retail recruitment, you know, they're just this good go a lot of different directions as we, as we try and figure out what we really want a Hays to look like one of the things we're going to do is a community survey. You know, we, while we have a broad representation of the community, we believe on our committee, and we've talked to lots of business people who have a broad understanding of what's going on in the community, at some point time, you need to go out and ask the citizens, what they would like to see. And so we've got a quote from the Docking Institute, and we're attempting to raise some funds. So we can conduct that survey and ask the public what they'd like to see in the community, what kind of community they want to do, what they want the community to look like, in 5, 10 or 20 years.James Bell &nbsp; How do you deal with all the folks and not to disparage any particular business? I know one of the things that I hear a lot come to Hays is target. Everybody wants to target here, and it would be great. But how do you kind of temper those expectations when you have a survey like that, and and you get responses that say 60, 70 80 percent want that, but it's really not feasible for the Hays market?Grow Hays executive director Doug Williams &nbsp; Well, I think you have to temper it with the understanding of what these companies requirements are in terms of population in a community, you know, they require 40,000 people in a community and we have 28, we really can't spend a lot of time talking to them. Now, yes, we want to, we would like to think we're a little bit different than we are from a trade area standpoint, we have a larger trade area, then then a lot of communities and we have pull factor that a lot of communities don't have, you know, where people come from outlying areas to shop. But these companies study very closely. Excuse me, the the market conditions that exist, the population, the amount of dollars that are spent, they know, I would guess the target knows very well what Walmart sales are here. And so they know what level of sales they would be able to attract here. And so we have to have realistic expectations and think that okay, target may not be a good fit, but who is and then we go focus on that particular company to recruit as opposed to a target, just as an example. Okay.James Bell &nbsp; Well, the one thing that I think all of these efforts require a little bit of capital. And this donation is probably going to help you with that. I would imagine when I talk first, a little bit about the gift from the Schmidt Foundation,Grow Hays executive director Doug Williams &nbsp; Yes, well, we, the Schmidt Foundation was good enough to recognize that the this is an important initiative in the community to to get this going. And obviously, if we're going to recruit people, and figure out what we need to be doing, it does take some dollars. And the Schmidt Foundation was good enough to give imagine Ellis County a $50,000 donation to be used for the projects that we're envisioning. One would be the Community Survey. Another would be we produce some videos of our community, we've got, I think, four or five different videos are short, one minute videos about our quality of life, basically, why people live here, we've targeted different types of people in the community in terms of younger people, retired people, people who move back here, people who moved here and bought a business. And so we're trying to tell the story in a lot of different ways about why Ellis County is such a great place to live. And the next step with once you produce these videos, and they're great videos, we'll get them out there so people can see them in the very near future. But we got to get enough people in the right places to see him. So we've gotten some proposals from some marketing organizations as to, we can do these types of social media marketing and things in the eastern slope of Colorado, which is kind of a ripe area for people who are wanting to relocate.&nbsp;James Bell &nbsp; Can't imagine why prices, you want to read one bedroom apartment, it's four or $5,000 a month, veryGrow Hays executive director Doug Williams &nbsp; Expensive to live in very, the traffic is horrible. And in a lot of people out there looking for a simpler life and a more cost effective life. And we think housing prices are high here. Just go out there. Yeah. But so we're going to be targeting those marketplaces and trying to get our story told in the right places, and you need funding to do that. It's it doesn't come for free. And so the Schmidt Foundation, which is terrific. I mean, they're wonderful organization, very supportive of our community and always have been very supportive of grow Hayes, was good enough to step forward and give this $50,000 donation. We're seeking some other grants for the same type of thing so we can expand our efforts in this marketing of Ellis County, and that's a great start with what the Schmidt Foundation was willing to step up and give us.James Bell &nbsp; Yeah, that's very cool. And you know, it does really, I think, impact those that recruitment has But also, you know, the piece on this that I think maybe people don't realize is how quickly those dollars get eaten up. When you're talking about marketing, it's so expensive.Grow Hays executive director Doug Williams &nbsp; It really is, I mean, the production of the videos, you know, doesn't seem too bad. But then you've got, and I'm not, I'm far from an expert on these things, but geo fencing and all of these terms that come up and, and Google search engines to optimize those. So your Sir, your information comes up when a search is done, just on and on and on. It's very expensive. And, but we're looking at a combination of social marketing, even some billboards, different types of ways to reach people, because we know not everybody's walking around with a smartphone, we recognize one demographic that we think we offer a lot to our retirees, with the health care facilities we have here, as well as a safe community and a lot of the other amenities we have. And so we we have to figure out ways are our marketing people have to figure out ways to target that audience, make sure they know who we are and what we have to offer. So, but it all costs money. And that's the that's for sure.James Bell &nbsp; Is there going to be any of it set aside to help spread the word locally? About the committee?Grow Hays executive director Doug Williams &nbsp; Yeah, we're, we're we're doing we're hoping we're doing some of that by talking to people like you. And we have set up a Facebook page, we haven't done much with it, but we will be setting up a Facebook or a meta page, whatever he called today. And in some other efforts will be done for local marketing as well. You know, we'll try and, and spread the word locally, because you know, word of mouth is the best advertising you can have. And obviously, the people in Ellis County, if they can talk to the people they know outside of Ellis County, tell our story. Tell people where to go to watch these videos, or to see what imagine Ellis County's doing. At the Imagine Ellis County website, which will be developed it isn't there yet. But it will be. So that's that's another way where we'll reach out to people and and you bring up a good point. I mean, the best salespeople, for any community are the people that live in the community.James Bell &nbsp; Absolutely. The Shifting gears a little bit. We always like talking about what's going on down there. aggro Hayes, we've got just a few minutes left. I want to pretend like I don't know what's going on. But you have had the Ice House series entrepreneurship class that's wrapping up next Wednesday.Grow Hays executive director Doug Williams &nbsp; Yes.James Bell &nbsp; Cool class, because I'm in it. You know, cuz I'm in it. I'm a it's a I know, it's a cool class, because when you can get the points to graduate, we're not sure about you.&nbsp;Grow Hays executive director Doug Williams &nbsp; Yeah, it's if I throw a real stick in the mud, I think a lot of times because I'm not the business entrepreneur, you know, I'm not out there trying to launch into a successful enterprise, you know, what might happen? Well, that's exactly the thing. And that's one of the things I really appreciate about this is it's not it's not what I was expecting going in, which was that real that you know, concrete, Do this, do this, do this. It's more about opening your eyes to possibilities, A little bit more theoretical, I think, probably and covering the, the traits of an entrepreneur and the things that an entrepreneur needs to think about. We are next week, it'll wrap up, that'll be week seven. We've got I think, 12 or 13 participants. So it's a couple online, so I you know, I've done online attendance. So I'm, I get a little fuzzy, I see the people in the room, but I forget about the ones that are online, and spent a good class different than the class we did a year and a half ago, you know, a different set of people kind of a different dynamic in the class. And that's okay, that's good. And I you know, we typically try and bring in a speaker from outside last week, we had Chris Munch come in and give his sticks presentation, which is always good and powerful. Presentation. And they've, they've talked me into giving a little talk next week, which should be interesting. It's, I'll keep it a top secret topic. But all I'll be there to wrap the whole thing up and then you guys will be graduated and we'll be on to the next one. But it's it's a really good class. I think it it makes you think, and hopefully get you thinking outside the box. And if you have some entrepreneurial, yearnings, it is an opportunity to understand what it might be all about and the things he maybe need to put in place in order to fulfill those dreams or yearnings or whatever they are. Absolutely.James Bell &nbsp; And you know, to I think in a lot of ways, it just it also kind of opened your eyes to the realities in the marketplace now, because it's quite a bit different than for a lot of folks than it was 3040 years ago where you went on a career path and that was the expectation and that's just not necessarily the case anymore.&nbsp;Grow Hays executive director Doug Williams &nbsp; Oh, absolutely. I mean, if you look at the trends and the number of job changes, people entering the workforce today will have over their career, you know, used to be you go to work for the railroad or IBM or somebody and you stay with them for life. That's just not the way it works. Now, it's people changing all the time. And I've, I've noticed that you know, another topic we talked about, we're we're currently we accepted applications for Director of Recruitment and retainment. And we cut those applications off last Friday, but if you look at some of the end, we've had 19 and all of them good people and that kind of thing. But if you look at the work history, people change a lot. It's amazing how often a lot of people change. And I'm not saying that's bad, it's just the way our world works right now is there's a lot of movement that goes on in careers.James Bell &nbsp; Absolutely. Well, Doug, we've got just about a minute left anything else going on down there you want to share with usGrow Hays executive director Doug Williams &nbsp; We've got one thing I would mention, you know, advanced real estate had sold their location on East 27th street and are now full time officing out of brief space so it's cool it's kind of interesting turned down there you know, we we have always said that we believe that it can be an alternative office space and most people we have are individuals and that that come in there at certain times and off and on and on the road salespeople or what have you, but this is a case where a business has looked at our environment and said hey, you know, we can carve out this little spot for ourselves. It works for us we have access to the high speed internet to the meeting rooms and copier, scanner all of those kinds of resources and so at a fraction of the cost that it was where they were located before So that's been an interesting development down there we welcome that we welcome others and it's kind of cool to see that happen.James Bell &nbsp; Yeah, I you know, I love about brief space down there is a you you kind of get that environment I imagine if you're working on your own you know, your sole proprietorship you know you don't get that interaction with other business professionals or you can do that it brief space, you can go in and get in amount of interaction that you want, whether it be a little bit or a lot, you hang out there all day or hang out there for 20 minutes, make your do your whatever and then go.Grow Hays executive director Doug Williams &nbsp; Yeah, it it's whatever. It's what you make of it really and but but there is interaction with others. I think that's an important part of it. It's just been interesting to see that kind of evolution in the facility to have somebody in there grow. Hays has always been in there but now we've got another full time scenario as well as multiple people so I have a cool trend.

🎙Post Podcast: Foundation donation to benefit Imagine Ellis County committee

As October draws to an end, so does family history month.

But Susan Schlichting, Cottonwood Extension District agent, said as the holidays approach, now is a perfect time to consider learning and recording those histories as families gather together.

"Now is the time to kind of be thinking about how you lay that groundwork for getting together and making purposeful conversations around family history as you gather with grandparents and aunts and uncles and cousins and to learn more about that history of your family," she said.

And with cellphones, she said documenting those histories is easier than ever.

"Hopefully people take time to write down the stories or record the stories," Schlichting said. "We all carry phones with us. They all have recording devices in them. You could record those stories and share them on digitally if writing it down is not your thing."

And while it may not seem a pressing issue, she said as time passes, treasured family memories and stories can be lost forever if care is not taken to document them.

"Get it documented, because those stories get lost over time if you don't," Schlichting said. "It happens so often in families and, and no one seems to have the interest in taking it on and running with it after they're gone. And so it does just go away."

While she said studying family history can help bring families closer together, evidence shows tangible benefits for youth.

"There's a group out of Emory University that's been doing a bunch of research about family stories and how important they are to teen development and helping kids to learn," she said. "Not only just the good stories about your family, but the challenges your family faced in the past, or maybe how they went through some up and down times and how they came through those in a good way.

"It helps the teens to become more resilient themselves because they've heard the stories of their great grandparents and the struggles they had along the way. ... If you can help instill those kinds of things in kids, they can learn that they have that strength in them as well."

Schlichting said from her past, she has seen first-hand how powerful learning family histories can be.

"I think about that as I grew up, just down the road from the family farm where we started in this country and always heard those stories about how great-great-grandma came over here with two small children by herself because she had no place to be over in the old country," she said. "Her husband had died and they were living in a house owned by a collective farm. And so he passed away and she and the kids were out on the out on the road.

"So they had to find someplace to be and they came to this country and started and formed a farm and went forward from there and in a good way, you know, so our family still has that farm in the family to this day. And (with) those kinds of stories, if you can help instill those kinds of things in kids, they can learn that they have that strength in them as well."

Along with various internet resources to document family histories available, Schlichting said 4-H could also be an asset.

"There are several 4-H project books that are out there that help kids to learn that process of telling the stories, documenting the stories and researching their family history," she said. "And they can get those through your local extension office."

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2021/10/1635533106495.jpg" alt="Photo courtesy Pixabay" />
 <figcaption>Photo courtesy Pixabay</figcaption>
 </figure><div><iframe title="Holidays present a perfect time to document family histories" allowtransparency="true" height="300" width="100%" style="border: none; min-width: min(100%, 430px);" scrolling="no" data-name="pb-iframe-player" src="https://www.podbean.com/player-v2/?i=x5uxw-111ab7b-pb&from=pb6admin&square=1&share=1&download=1&rtl=0&fonts=Arial&skin=3267a3&font-color=auto&btn-skin=3267a3&size=300" allowfullscreen=""></iframe></div>By JAMES BELL Hays PostAs October draws to an end, so does family history month.But Susan Schlichting, Cottonwood Extension District agent, said as the holidays approach, now is a perfect time to consider learning and recording those histories as families gather together."Now is the time to kind of be thinking about how you lay that groundwork for getting together and making purposeful conversations around family history as you gather with grandparents and aunts and uncles and cousins and to learn more about that history of your family," she said.And with cellphones, she said documenting those histories is easier than ever."Hopefully people take time to write down the stories or record the stories," Schlichting said. "We all carry phones with us. They all have recording devices in them. You could record those stories and share them on digitally if writing it down is not your thing."And while it may not seem a pressing issue, she said as time passes, treasured family memories and stories can be lost forever if care is not taken to document them."Get it documented, because those stories get lost over time if you don't," Schlichting said. "It happens so often in families and, and no one seems to have the interest in taking it on and running with it after they're gone. And so it does just go away."While she said studying family history can help bring families closer together, evidence shows tangible benefits for youth."There's a group out of Emory University that's been doing a bunch of research about family stories and how important they are to teen development and helping kids to learn," she said. "Not only just the good stories about your family, but the challenges your family faced in the past, or maybe how they went through some up and down times and how they came through those in a good way."It helps the teens to become more resilient themselves because they've heard the stories of their great grandparents and the struggles they had along the way. ... If you can help instill those kinds of things in kids, they can learn that they have that strength in them as well."Schlichting said from her past, she has seen first-hand how powerful learning family histories can be."I think about that as I grew up, just down the road from the family farm where we started in this country and always heard those stories about how great-great-grandma came over here with two small children by herself because she had no place to be over in the old country," she said. "Her husband had died and they were living in a house owned by a collective farm. And so he passed away and she and the kids were out on the out on the road."So they had to find someplace to be and they came to this country and started and formed a farm and went forward from there and in a good way, you know, so our family still has that farm in the family to this day. And (with) those kinds of stories, if you can help instill those kinds of things in kids, they can learn that they have that strength in them as well."Along with various internet resources to document family histories available, Schlichting said 4-H could also be an asset."There are several 4-H project books that are out there that help kids to learn that process of telling the stories, documenting the stories and researching their family history," she said. "And they can get those through your local extension office."

Holidays present a perfect time to document family histories

The
first quarter for USD 489 has been completed. Wilson elementary principal Anita
Schieve stops by to talk about that and more on this episode of the Post
Podcast.

One thing
that we always look at at the end of each quarter is student attendance. And so
I mentioned to you like, I have some sticks if you want them about student
attendance, because it is correlated to student success, or lack of success
later in school. Yeah, as early as kindergarten.

Wow,
interesting. So is it you don't let's get into the the facts and figures here.
But is it? You know, the parents really, I feel like at that age of students
are kind of the drivers of being there. And it's kind of on them. Right, right.
Well,

And I
think there's kind of this attitude that it doesn't matter so much when they're
young. And the problem is, you're laying a pattern for habits, but it's also
just that students end up with learning gaps, that kind of snowball, when
they're missing days. And what's considered to be chronically absent is even
missing just 10% of school days, which in a school year is less than two days
per month. Wow. And that could be I mean, you know, obviously, there's some
times there are really good reasons kids miss because they are sick and COVID
has complicated that for

Sure, I
was gonna say, because the last thing you want to do right now is send them to
school, if they are, you know, exhibiting any sort of illness

Exactly.
But it can also be, well, we took the day off, because we're going out of town
or, or, you know, we're kind of sick, but we're feeling a little anxious about
school, and we just decided to stay home, or we took a week of family vacation
to and and it wasn't during spring break, like, and unfortunately, those things
add up over time and really do make a difference. And what's concerning is a
student that's chronically absent in kindergarten, is significantly significantly
at risk for not being on grade level in third grade for reading. And a student
who's not reading at grade level in third grade and reading is significantly
more at risk of not completing high school. So and because people study that,
but it is it is concerning, especially on the proficient in reading by third
grade, and there are some states who've taken pretty drastic measures to
address that, like not allowing students to move on until they are proficient
in third grade. Kansas, thankfully hasn't gone that far. But we are at USC 49
We are putting into place. It's called multi tiered systems of support a system
of interventions to try to provide more instruction to students who aren't on
grade level. So they will be on grade level by third grade in reading,
especially what's concerned, that works as long as students are in school.

Yeah,
absolutely. You know, I like that initiative. It's kind of a clunky name,
though. It is. Right. So, so really well, you know, you just need the kiddos
need to be there is really the kind of overall message I'm hearing.

Right.
Right. Well, and, and like I said, when they're in school, it improves their
chances of being on grade level academically, and which increases their their
prospects of graduating.

Okay.
Interesting stuff. Yeah, cuz you mean, you're right, I wouldn't even thought of
it for those little kiddos because, like, really think about it, you know,
kindergarten first aid gauge child, like, really? What are they going to learn
this day? You know, it's you might in your head, because you're you're you're
so far past it don't really remember how that builds up.

Right?
Well, it's a little frightening, like if you look at the data, and actually 8
million students in the US are considered chronically absent each year, meaning
they miss more than 10% of school days. Wow. So and attendance is reported to
waste for us, like we report how many students are in school every day, which
is always for us, at or above 95%. Typically, COVID has changed that again, a
little bit. But then if you start digging in and looking at, well, how many
students are missing more than 10% of their days in the school year, we do have
a large amount, you know, we'll have 20 to 40 students a year, who, who we are
concerned about because they're regularly missing days. And obviously, then we
dig in and look at why that is, you know, if a student's had to have surgery,
or has something major going on, that's very different than a student who every
year, misses 10% or more of days.

I'm
curious, you know, with everything in the last couple years and the shift to
online education, is there any information? I don't know if you'd have this
readily available, but how does that kind of shake into that,

right? I
don't know. Studies yet to look at that. But

these
things take forever to really pin them down.

The nice
part about virtual learning is it does change. You know, learning becomes the constant
and time becomes the variable. We're in school. Time is the con Instant and
learning is the variable. So that's kind of flipped that. But But the nice part
about virtual learning then is it does kind of work around some of those
situations that might make a student chronically absent in traditional school.
Okay.

Well,
shifting gears a little bit, there was another thing we want to hit on. And
that's, you know, it's a big topic of conversation right now we've we've talked
about it here on the go morning, show a few times with different
representatives in the community. But there's a bond issue again, kind of
popping up in in in the community. And I don't know if you want to maybe share
with some of the stories or some of the needs there at Wilson. Because I've
been in Wilson, I know there are some pretty pressing concerns

well,
and the issue is the age of the the original part of the building we are adding
on we are excited, we have safe and secure entrance being added. We're we're in
the same boat, as many people who've tried construction during COVID. Were
waiting on on backordered construction items like windows and doors. But
commercial builders has done an awesome job trying to keep us apprised and keep
the project moving forward. So we're hopeful to be in that by by the end of
this semester, hopefully. And that will give us a safe and secure entrance.
That's a double entry.

Yeah,
cuz if I remember right in your building, you really the way it used to be, you
could get into the school and you'd be right in classrooms before anybody even
noticed you were there,

Right?
Because the office had somewhat of a line of sight. But once you walk in, you
have access to all hallways, correct. We but the original part of the building
that that safe and secure entrance is the fifth addition to the building since
1959. But the original part of the building was built in 1959. And we still
have the original boiler from 1959, which gives us trouble about every year and
you have to order parts and weighed on and it's hard to find part I was gonna
say

That's,
you know, when I when when I hear about to the H vac systems in the schools
here and in analysts because they're doing the same thing right now. It's
that's what the message is, it's not that these systems are not working
necessarily. It's just literally something breaks, you're out of luck. It's
just broken.

Well,
and and I feel like we've been good stewards of what we've had. And we've done
a good job maintaining it for as long as we can. But it's at the point where
maintenance is no longer an option and replacements where we're at. So that's a
big thing at Wilson, our other big issue space, we are 19,000 square feet smaller
than Roosevelt with almost identical enrollment. We have 388 students right
now. And I think roll Roosevelt has about 395.

And it's
not like Roosevelt is got a plethora of space either.

Exactly,
exactly. We got right, it's we also we both share a cafeteria and gym, their
gym is just bigger than ours, that that would be another huge need for us
because the the lack of space completely drives our entire schedule for the
day. So space is an issue. Our classroom space is also very limited. Our
average, the average square footage for that original space, the original area
that was built in 1959 Our classrooms are about 650 to 700 square feet, which
is not enough space when you have 23 to 25 students in classes. Yeah, they're really
and just not not enough space to do what we would like to do instructionally
with the curriculum that we have in the standards that we have right now we
asked we want to pull kids into small groups give them space to go back and
work and really we're we're limited because with desks that takes up all of
this space. Oh absolutely space space. H back windows I think are on on slated
to be replaced this summer. They're taking bids using some COVID money, which
has been helpful those extra funds, but but we still have some some significant
needs at Wilson that will need to be addressed in some way in the near future.

You
know, you mentioned the space issue and one of the things that I remember when
I was in it was why wasn't in Wilson, I believe it was in Laughlin elementary
here but I imagine you probably had the same concerns. You know, when you're
trying to move all those children around and especially during like lunchtime,
so let me ask you this when is when is your first lunch period

Right
lunch begins in our building at 1112 and we end at 1245 we we have a rolling
schedule and we're rotating in and out classes all the time like every a new
grade level comes in every 12 to 14 minutes. yeah other than we try to let kindergarten
eat on their own because they're a little overwhelmed with that many people in
the lunchroom. It's the first time and really it's it's an unusual there's
nowhere else where you would that you would go that you would have 130 people
in one large room eating I mean that's it's kind of a it's a unique setting and
it's tough, but our cooks are troopers they do a great job working students
through quickly and and students get 20 minutes to go through the line sit and
eat and dump their trays and line up to go it's it's it's efficient. but it's a
little bit crazy.

So yeah,
and that's what I mean, like I've seen like the the the ordered chaos that just
has to happen right. But you know a little bit after 11 isn't too bad I've
heard of, I believe schools here in Hays, maybe not currently. But in the last
few years middle

School
starts, I used to be the first class and we ate it, it was either 1059 or 1101.
And that was when the enrollment was about 600. And now they're at 750. In the
same space, so I know that middle school, I think is, is very intense.

Yeah,
yeah. And that's it. It's written, it's just, it's literally a function of the
space. It's not like you can do anything else there to speed that along at 20 minutes.
I feel like that's probably the bare minimum to give those kids time to eat.
Well, hopefully that, you know, works out for you. Is there any other major
concerns there at Wilson that we should talk about? In terms of facilities?

The
those are the big three? Yeah, this space, our H back system? Definitely. And
having adequate space for cafeteria and gymnasium. We, I mean, obviously,
because it's 1959. The plumbing is all also a big issue. We've had lots of
broken pipes lately. And those are things again, like in your home, you just at
some point you go beyond maintenance and have to go into replacement. So and
that's where we're at lights, we need LED lighting or lights or the original
from 1959. And I mentioned Windows need replace but yeah, those are the big
things playground, our playground, asphalt is cracking our parking asphalt is
is in disrepair. So those will be big, big issues coming.

<div><iframe title="School attendance important for learning" allowtransparency="true" height="300" width="100%" style="border: none; min-width: min(100%, 430px);" scrolling="no" data-name="pb-iframe-player" src="https://www.podbean.com/player-v2/?i=haukq-111ab89-pb&from=pb6admin&square=1&share=1&download=1&rtl=0&fonts=Arial&skin=3267a3&font-color=auto&btn-skin=3267a3&size=300" allowfullscreen=""></iframe></div><a href="https://hayspost.com/posts/5dd2f46c897d147ad4bb104b">To find out more about The Post Podcast, or subscribe to mobile&nbsp;</a><a href="https://hayspost.com/posts/5dd2f46c897d147ad4bb104b">notifications click here.</a>TRANSCRIPTJames Bell&nbsp;
The
first quarter for USD 489 has been completed. Wilson elementary principal Anita
Schieve stops by to talk about that and more on this episode of the Post
Podcast.Anita Schieve&nbsp;
One thing
that we always look at at the end of each quarter is student attendance. And so
I mentioned to you like, I have some sticks if you want them about student
attendance, because it is correlated to student success, or lack of success
later in school. Yeah, as early as kindergarten.James Bell&nbsp;
Wow,
interesting. So is it you don't let's get into the the facts and figures here.
But is it? You know, the parents really, I feel like at that age of students
are kind of the drivers of being there. And it's kind of on them. Right, right.
Well,Anita Schieve&nbsp;
And I
think there's kind of this attitude that it doesn't matter so much when they're
young. And the problem is, you're laying a pattern for habits, but it's also
just that students end up with learning gaps, that kind of snowball, when
they're missing days. And what's considered to be chronically absent is even
missing just 10% of school days, which in a school year is less than two days
per month. Wow. And that could be I mean, you know, obviously, there's some
times there are really good reasons kids miss because they are sick and COVID
has complicated that forJames Bell&nbsp;
Sure, I
was gonna say, because the last thing you want to do right now is send them to
school, if they are, you know, exhibiting any sort of illnessAnita Schieve&nbsp;
Exactly.
But it can also be, well, we took the day off, because we're going out of town
or, or, you know, we're kind of sick, but we're feeling a little anxious about
school, and we just decided to stay home, or we took a week of family vacation
to and and it wasn't during spring break, like, and unfortunately, those things
add up over time and really do make a difference. And what's concerning is a
student that's chronically absent in kindergarten, is significantly significantly
at risk for not being on grade level in third grade for reading. And a student
who's not reading at grade level in third grade and reading is significantly
more at risk of not completing high school. So and because people study that,
but it is it is concerning, especially on the proficient in reading by third
grade, and there are some states who've taken pretty drastic measures to
address that, like not allowing students to move on until they are proficient
in third grade. Kansas, thankfully hasn't gone that far. But we are at USC 49
We are putting into place. It's called multi tiered systems of support a system
of interventions to try to provide more instruction to students who aren't on
grade level. So they will be on grade level by third grade in reading,
especially what's concerned, that works as long as students are in school.James Bell&nbsp;
Yeah,
absolutely. You know, I like that initiative. It's kind of a clunky name,
though. It is. Right. So, so really well, you know, you just need the kiddos
need to be there is really the kind of overall message I'm hearing.Anita Schieve&nbsp;
Right.
Right. Well, and, and like I said, when they're in school, it improves their
chances of being on grade level academically, and which increases their their
prospects of graduating.James Bell&nbsp;
Okay.
Interesting stuff. Yeah, cuz you mean, you're right, I wouldn't even thought of
it for those little kiddos because, like, really think about it, you know,
kindergarten first aid gauge child, like, really? What are they going to learn
this day? You know, it's you might in your head, because you're you're you're
so far past it don't really remember how that builds up.Anita Schieve&nbsp;
Right?
Well, it's a little frightening, like if you look at the data, and actually 8
million students in the US are considered chronically absent each year, meaning
they miss more than 10% of school days. Wow. So and attendance is reported to
waste for us, like we report how many students are in school every day, which
is always for us, at or above 95%. Typically, COVID has changed that again, a
little bit. But then if you start digging in and looking at, well, how many
students are missing more than 10% of their days in the school year, we do have
a large amount, you know, we'll have 20 to 40 students a year, who, who we are
concerned about because they're regularly missing days. And obviously, then we
dig in and look at why that is, you know, if a student's had to have surgery,
or has something major going on, that's very different than a student who every
year, misses 10% or more of days.James Bell&nbsp;
I'm
curious, you know, with everything in the last couple years and the shift to
online education, is there any information? I don't know if you'd have this
readily available, but how does that kind of shake into that,Anita Schieve&nbsp;
right? I
don't know. Studies yet to look at that. ButJames Bell&nbsp;
these
things take forever to really pin them down.The nice
part about virtual learning is it does change. You know, learning becomes the constant
and time becomes the variable. We're in school. Time is the con Instant and
learning is the variable. So that's kind of flipped that. But But the nice part
about virtual learning then is it does kind of work around some of those
situations that might make a student chronically absent in traditional school.
Okay.James Bell&nbsp;
Well,
shifting gears a little bit, there was another thing we want to hit on. And
that's, you know, it's a big topic of conversation right now we've we've talked
about it here on the go morning, show a few times with different
representatives in the community. But there's a bond issue again, kind of
popping up in in in the community. And I don't know if you want to maybe share
with some of the stories or some of the needs there at Wilson. Because I've
been in Wilson, I know there are some pretty pressing concernsAnita Schieve&nbsp;
well,
and the issue is the age of the the original part of the building we are adding
on we are excited, we have safe and secure entrance being added. We're we're in
the same boat, as many people who've tried construction during COVID. Were
waiting on on backordered construction items like windows and doors. But
commercial builders has done an awesome job trying to keep us apprised and keep
the project moving forward. So we're hopeful to be in that by by the end of
this semester, hopefully. And that will give us a safe and secure entrance.
That's a double entry.James Bell&nbsp;
Yeah,
cuz if I remember right in your building, you really the way it used to be, you
could get into the school and you'd be right in classrooms before anybody even
noticed you were there,Anita Schieve&nbsp;
Right?
Because the office had somewhat of a line of sight. But once you walk in, you
have access to all hallways, correct. We but the original part of the building
that that safe and secure entrance is the fifth addition to the building since
1959. But the original part of the building was built in 1959. And we still
have the original boiler from 1959, which gives us trouble about every year and
you have to order parts and weighed on and it's hard to find part I was gonna
sayJames Bell&nbsp;
That's,
you know, when I when when I hear about to the H vac systems in the schools
here and in analysts because they're doing the same thing right now. It's
that's what the message is, it's not that these systems are not working
necessarily. It's just literally something breaks, you're out of luck. It's
just broken.Anita Schieve&nbsp;
Well,
and and I feel like we've been good stewards of what we've had. And we've done
a good job maintaining it for as long as we can. But it's at the point where
maintenance is no longer an option and replacements where we're at. So that's a
big thing at Wilson, our other big issue space, we are 19,000 square feet smaller
than Roosevelt with almost identical enrollment. We have 388 students right
now. And I think roll Roosevelt has about 395.James Bell&nbsp;
And it's
not like Roosevelt is got a plethora of space either.Anita Schieve&nbsp;
Exactly,
exactly. We got right, it's we also we both share a cafeteria and gym, their
gym is just bigger than ours, that that would be another huge need for us
because the the lack of space completely drives our entire schedule for the
day. So space is an issue. Our classroom space is also very limited. Our
average, the average square footage for that original space, the original area
that was built in 1959 Our classrooms are about 650 to 700 square feet, which
is not enough space when you have 23 to 25 students in classes. Yeah, they're really
and just not not enough space to do what we would like to do instructionally
with the curriculum that we have in the standards that we have right now we
asked we want to pull kids into small groups give them space to go back and
work and really we're we're limited because with desks that takes up all of
this space. Oh absolutely space space. H back windows I think are on on slated
to be replaced this summer. They're taking bids using some COVID money, which
has been helpful those extra funds, but but we still have some some significant
needs at Wilson that will need to be addressed in some way in the near future.James Bell&nbsp;
You
know, you mentioned the space issue and one of the things that I remember when
I was in it was why wasn't in Wilson, I believe it was in Laughlin elementary
here but I imagine you probably had the same concerns. You know, when you're
trying to move all those children around and especially during like lunchtime,
so let me ask you this when is when is your first lunch periodAnita Schieve&nbsp;
Right
lunch begins in our building at 1112 and we end at 1245 we we have a rolling
schedule and we're rotating in and out classes all the time like every a new
grade level comes in every 12 to 14 minutes. yeah other than we try to let kindergarten
eat on their own because they're a little overwhelmed with that many people in
the lunchroom. It's the first time and really it's it's an unusual there's
nowhere else where you would that you would go that you would have 130 people
in one large room eating I mean that's it's kind of a it's a unique setting and
it's tough, but our cooks are troopers they do a great job working students
through quickly and and students get 20 minutes to go through the line sit and
eat and dump their trays and line up to go it's it's it's efficient. but it's a
little bit crazy.James Bell&nbsp;
So yeah,
and that's what I mean, like I've seen like the the the ordered chaos that just
has to happen right. But you know a little bit after 11 isn't too bad I've
heard of, I believe schools here in Hays, maybe not currently. But in the last
few years middleAnita Schieve&nbsp;
School
starts, I used to be the first class and we ate it, it was either 1059 or 1101.
And that was when the enrollment was about 600. And now they're at 750. In the
same space, so I know that middle school, I think is, is very intense.James Bell&nbsp;
Yeah,
yeah. And that's it. It's written, it's just, it's literally a function of the
space. It's not like you can do anything else there to speed that along at 20 minutes.
I feel like that's probably the bare minimum to give those kids time to eat.
Well, hopefully that, you know, works out for you. Is there any other major
concerns there at Wilson that we should talk about? In terms of facilities?Anita Schieve&nbsp;
The
those are the big three? Yeah, this space, our H back system? Definitely. And
having adequate space for cafeteria and gymnasium. We, I mean, obviously,
because it's 1959. The plumbing is all also a big issue. We've had lots of
broken pipes lately. And those are things again, like in your home, you just at
some point you go beyond maintenance and have to go into replacement. So and
that's where we're at lights, we need LED lighting or lights or the original
from 1959. And I mentioned Windows need replace but yeah, those are the big
things playground, our playground, asphalt is cracking our parking asphalt is
is in disrepair. So those will be big, big issues coming.

🎙Post Podcast: School attendance important for learning

The Hays Symphony at Fort Hays State University will be presenting&nbsp;Creepy Classics: A Children’s Halloween Concert, featuring loud noises, creepy sounds and the scary stories music can tell, on Sunday, October 31, 2021, 2:30 p.m. in the FHSU Beach/Schmidt Performing Arts Center. The ensemble is under the direction of Dr. Brian Buckstead, assistant professor of violin and viola at FHSU.

The program features&nbsp;Danse Macabre&nbsp;by Camille Saint-Saens,&nbsp;Night on Bald Mountain, by Modest Mussorgsky,&nbsp;In the Hall of the Mountain King from Peer Gynt Suite No. 1, by Edward Grieg,&nbsp;Suite from Psycho, by Bernard Herrmann,&nbsp;March to the Scaffold from Symphonie Fantastique, by Hector Berlioz, and&nbsp;Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone Suite, by John Williams.

In addition, a host of music and Halloween themed pre-concert activities will be offered starting at 1:30 p.m.

 “We think it’s important for kids to get their hands on instruments and to make connections between the music they’re hearing and how it’s created,” said Buckstead.

Symphony musicians and members of the FHSU Chapter of the National Association for Music Education will assist with pre-concert activities which include:

· &nbsp;Spooky Music Tour—costumed statues come to life playing clips of the scariest sounds and music kids will hear in the concert

· &nbsp;Drumming Circle—bongos, tam-tams, and other rhythm devices for making lots of loud noise

· &nbsp;String Instrument Petting Zoo—hands-on guided experimenting with violins, violas and cellos

· &nbsp;In the Hall of the Mountain King—tiptoe past the troll….run for your life in this retelling of the Mountain King story full of music, story and action

· &nbsp;Meet the Family: Winds &amp; Brass—flutes, trumpets, tubas, clarinets and more. FHSU students demonstrate their instruments from the wind and brass families

· &nbsp;Creepy Arts and Crafts—create a variety of Halloween characters and props with a treasure box of arts supplies

· &nbsp;Halloween Costume Parade—follow the brass leaders as costumed children parade around Beach-Schmidt and into the auditorium for the start of the concert

· &nbsp;Free Trick-or-Treat Bags to the first 250 kids

The concert and treats are sponsored by a generous donation from Werth Wealth Management.

All Hays Symphony concerts are free and open to the public. 

Attendees are encouraged to reserve tickets in advance on the symphony’s web site. Tickets may also be picked up in advance at the Hays Convention Visitors Bureau and the Downtown Hays Development Corporation, or at the symphony table in the lobby 30 minutes before the performance.

<div><iframe title="Creepy Classics concert from the Hays Symphony to celebrate Halloween" allowtransparency="true" height="300" width="100%" style="border: none; min-width: min(100%, 430px);" scrolling="no" data-name="pb-iframe-player" src="https://www.podbean.com/player-v2/?i=6twc4-1118256-pb&from=pb6admin&square=1&share=1&download=1&rtl=0&fonts=Arial&skin=3267a3&font-color=auto&btn-skin=3267a3&size=300" allowfullscreen=""></iframe></div><a href="https://hayspost.com/posts/5dd2f46c897d147ad4bb104b">To find out more about The Post Podcast, or subscribe to mobile&nbsp;</a><a href="https://hayspost.com/posts/5dd2f46c897d147ad4bb104b">notifications click here.</a>SubmittedThe Hays Symphony at Fort Hays State University will be presenting&nbsp;Creepy Classics: A Children’s Halloween Concert, featuring loud noises, creepy sounds and the scary stories music can tell, on Sunday, October 31, 2021, 2:30 p.m. in the FHSU Beach/Schmidt Performing Arts Center. The ensemble is under the direction of Dr. Brian Buckstead, assistant professor of violin and viola at FHSU.The program features&nbsp;Danse Macabre&nbsp;by Camille Saint-Saens,&nbsp;Night on Bald Mountain, by Modest Mussorgsky,&nbsp;In the Hall of the Mountain King from Peer Gynt Suite No. 1, by Edward Grieg,&nbsp;Suite from Psycho, by Bernard Herrmann,&nbsp;March to the Scaffold from Symphonie Fantastique, by Hector Berlioz, and&nbsp;Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone Suite, by John Williams.In addition, a host of music and Halloween themed pre-concert activities will be offered starting at 1:30 p.m. “We think it’s important for kids to get their hands on instruments and to make connections between the music they’re hearing and how it’s created,” said Buckstead.Symphony musicians and members of the FHSU Chapter of the National Association for Music Education will assist with pre-concert activities which include:· &nbsp;Spooky Music Tour—costumed statues come to life playing clips of the scariest sounds and music kids will hear in the concert· &nbsp;Drumming Circle—bongos, tam-tams, and other rhythm devices for making lots of loud noise· &nbsp;String Instrument Petting Zoo—hands-on guided experimenting with violins, violas and cellos· &nbsp;In the Hall of the Mountain King—tiptoe past the troll….run for your life in this retelling of the Mountain King story full of music, story and action· &nbsp;Meet the Family: Winds &amp; Brass—flutes, trumpets, tubas, clarinets and more. FHSU students demonstrate their instruments from the wind and brass families· &nbsp;Creepy Arts and Crafts—create a variety of Halloween characters and props with a treasure box of arts supplies· &nbsp;Halloween Costume Parade—follow the brass leaders as costumed children parade around Beach-Schmidt and into the auditorium for the start of the concert· &nbsp;Free Trick-or-Treat Bags to the first 250 kidsThe concert and treats are sponsored by a generous donation from Werth Wealth Management.All Hays Symphony concerts are free and open to the public. Attendees are encouraged to reserve tickets in advance on the symphony’s web site. Tickets may also be picked up in advance at the Hays Convention Visitors Bureau and the Downtown Hays Development Corporation, or at the symphony table in the lobby 30 minutes before the performance.<figure>
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🎙Post Podcast: Creepy Classics concert from the Hays Symphony to celebrate Halloween 

COVID-19 vaccine boosters are available now in Ellis County, but Ellis County Health Services officer Jason Kennedy said most vaccinated residents in the region remain protected by their earlier shots.

"Late last Friday, they approved booster shots, really kind of for
anybody that was able to get the additional shot," Kennedy said. 

Individuals over 12 can now recive a Pfizer vaccine booster, and those over 18 can receive Moderna and Johnson &amp; Johnson boosters, he said.

While various health organizations at the state and national level have, over recent weeks, sometimes issued conflicting messages, Kennedy said the essential information to know is the boosters are available, but vaccines for children under 12 are not.

<div><iframe title="ECHS COVID-19 update: Oct. 27, 2021" allowtransparency="true" height="450" width="100%" style="border: none; min-width: min(100%, 430px);" scrolling="no" data-name="pb-iframe-player" src="https://www.podbean.com/player-v2/?i=7qbee-1116e3a-pb&from=pb6admin&square=1&share=1&download=1&rtl=0&fonts=Arial&skin=3267a3&font-color=auto&btn-skin=3267a3&size=450" allowfullscreen=""></iframe></div>By JAMES BELL Hays PostCOVID-19 vaccine boosters are available now in Ellis County, but Ellis County Health Services officer Jason Kennedy said most vaccinated residents in the region remain protected by their earlier shots."Late last Friday, they approved booster shots, really kind of for
anybody that was able to get the additional shot," Kennedy said. Individuals over 12 can now recive a Pfizer vaccine booster, and those over 18 can receive Moderna and Johnson &amp; Johnson boosters, he said.While various health organizations at the state and national level have, over recent weeks, sometimes issued conflicting messages, Kennedy said the essential information to know is the boosters are available, but vaccines for children under 12 are not.<a href="https://hayspost.com/posts/cc9f436e-9699-4ee1-9612-1b028fd6e85c">RELATED: 34 new cases of COVID in Ellis County since Monday</a>For those looking to get a booster shot, Kennedy said there are a variety of local options."We posted a couple of different locations or different options for
people in town on our Facebook page," Kennedy said. "But essentially the private pharmacies,
... both Dillons locations, Walgreens, Walmart pharmacy, and then Ellis
County Health Department, we are all providing booster dose vaccines as well as
primary vaccines."Further, he said the health department has each vaccine type."So right now, if
you want a booster dose, come get one," he said.And while he said there are currently rumors about the boosters being circulated, Kennedy said the boosters are safe and contain the same formulation as the original vaccine."I've seen
some misinformation about this, that it's a new formulation or there's new chemical," Kennedy said. "There is nothing different or new about the
booster doses. It is the exact same thing that was given as an
initial primary dose. And so if if you didn't have any issues with the
initial shot, come get your booster shot if you want it."While he said the doses are ready for anyone, residents should not feel a need to immediately sign up."I will say that there
is not a time-critical crunch to getting booster doses done right now," Kennedy said. "We don't see waning immunity with the initial vaccinations, we actually see them
still very highly effective at that reduction in hospitalizations and really
reduction in deaths."He said residents curious if they should get a booster and when should consult their physician, but generally, the booster shots will benefit the public health."Boosters are a good thing," Kennedy said. "It is the
exact same dose, there's nothing different about it, it will increase
your level of immunity. It will hopefully continue to keep us safe
here through the winter."And the evidence is showing that even without boosters, the vaccines are remaining effective, he said."It's working well," Kennedy said. "And we're not seeing any changes to that. So (for) the people that
aren't vaccinated. The vaccines work. The vaccines are safe."But with massive amounts of information and disinformation available, he encouraged speaking with a physician to make the best possible health decision."It's pretty rare that someone just decides like some internet research, and then they're like, 'Oh, you know what, I'm gonna start treatment on my own cancer.' ... We go to the doctor. We trust the doctor to make the best decision because ... that's what they do. That's what they're good at. And so same thing with this. "If you have questions, (call) your doctor."