By KALEY CONNER

kconner@dailynews.net

LOGAN -- "Trojans, Trojans, who's the best? LHS!"

From the sidelines, the Logan High School cheerleading squad rooted for its home team.

And from the bleachers, 6-year-old Haylee Tien was crafting cheer routines of her own.

"Go Trojan team!" Tien chanted, bundled up in her mother's coat.

Under the blaze of the Friday night lights and the glow of a full moon, the Logan Trojans were fighting hard for a win against Natoma.

Despite temperatures dipping below 50 degrees, the most loyal high school football fans would not be deterred.

Many were bundled in sweaters, coats and blankets, prepared to weather the coldest game of the season so far.

Among them was Joan Long, who was there to watch her daughter perform on the Crimsons dance team and in band.

"What else are you going to do on a Friday night when you live in a small town?" she asked with a laugh.

Other spectators opted not to stray from the warmth of their cars. Many vehicles were parked on top of a small hill overlooking the playing field.

Thelma Bushnell-- who stayed in the car with two friends -- was not there to cheer for any relatives, but she doesn't miss the opportunity to watch "small-town football," she said.

"It's better than last week," she said of the weather. "It was driving rain last week. I got pretty wet."

Supporting the kids

The football season began with a downtown pep rally, where community members gathered to encourage their team.

But, not surprisingly, town support continues far beyond that, said Coach Logan Robinson, who moved to Logan this year to begin coaching and teaching high school science.

"The community has been amazing," he said. "The community has been wonderful; the school atmosphere has been great. We couldn't be happier with where we are right now."

Robinson grew up in Agra, and his wife is a native of Kensington. After attending college at Kansas State University, they were looking to raise their children closer to home.

The opportunity presented itself in Logan, and his wife accepted a teaching job in nearby Phillipsburg, said Robinson, who played offensive line at K-State for five years.

The Trojan's season got off to a rough start, with a 1-4 record so far. But the team is working hard, and Robinson seems optimistic statistics will improve.

"My team is, they're working real hard. They really are," Robinson said. "Like I said before, I couldn't be happier with the attitude of the boys. ... It's nice to come to a place where the majority of the kids really do care about doing well and do want to do things right."

Despite a few losses, the community's long-standing support is evident. One of the town's two restaurants is appropriately dubbed "Trojan Cafe." The tradition of community support predates at least the past two owners. Kathy Pabst said the restaurant had its name before she bought it.

Pabst was keeping busy during the noon hour, serving up homemade entrees and creamy peanut-butter pie for dessert.

Near the entrance, customers could buy raffle tickets to support the Sideliners Club, which helps raise money to support the football program.

Pabst also was sporting a red-and-white team shirt, her son Tyson's football picture displayed on her pin. Tyson is her youngest and will graduate this year.

"My oldest is 30, so I've been in the school for about 25 years now," she said. "I want to stay involved and continue to support the kids."

Ahead of the game

Community support is not limited to football, said Bob Jackson, K-12 principal and district superintendent.

Jackson is a Logan native and graduated from the school district he now administers. He's been working in the district for about 34 years but didn't originally intend to stay so long, he said.

"One thing led to another," and he and his wife decided to raise their children in his hometown, then decided not to leave, he said.

The district has an enrollment of 182 students, an increase of 15 from last year. That increase is a welcome surprise, and it marks the first rise in enrollment the district has seen in about a decade, Jackson said.

The school also is beginning its fifth year of preschool curriculum, which has given the district another boost, he said.

"It's been kind of a good thing for us. We feel like maybe that has attracted some kids to our school that ordinarily wouldn't have been here," Jackson said. "We're doing everything we can, because that's what we need is more kids."

There are 24 children, ages 3 and 4, signed up for part-time preschool classes.

High school enrollment, however, has dropped to an all-time low of 45 students in grades 9 to 12. That's partly due to small classes of 10 students each at the sophomore and freshman level. There are larger classes coming up in seventh and eighth grades, he said.

"It hasn't been all that long ago, I remember when we had well over 100 kids in the high school. Of course, when you're here as long as I am, you remember stuff like that," he said with a smile.

Times have changed, and continuing business as usual is getting difficult. The district lost $80,000 this year in state budget cuts, and Jackson hopes that will be the worst of it.

But despite the adversity, the district -- and the community -- is continuing efforts to forge ahead. And, in several ways, this small-town school district is ahead of the game.

The high school introduced distance learning in the early 1990s and is part of a nine-school consortium that offers a variety of virtual education courses. Logan is able to bring in options such as psychology and sociology, and offers concurrent credit options through Colby Community College.

The district recently launched a school-centered cable television channel. And for the past two years, Logan USD 326 has been ranked one of the nation's best schools by U.S. News and World Report.

"We've got to have a progressive community if we're going to be a progressive school, and vice versa," Jackson said. "I really believe that everybody here understands that."

Bienvenidos a Logan (Welcome to Logan)

The district also is one of few in the state to offer elementary Spanish classes.

With the help of the Dane G. Hansen Foundation, Logan schools are able to participate in a visiting teachers from Spain program, recruiting European professionals to teach bilingual education.

Fatima Montero arrived in Logan in January and teaches Spanish at every grade level from preschool to 12th grade.

It is best to begin learning a foreign tongue at a young age, Montero said, noting her students absorb new information quickly.

And with Spanish becoming increasingly popular in the United States, it's hoped these early classes will make these small-town students world-ready.

"If you are bilingual, it's easier to get a job," Montero said.

Montero said she's been enjoying her time in northwest Kansas. Born in the city of Seville, Spain, she grew up in a rural town of about 3,200 people, she said.

"It was very similar. We had a lot of fields," she said. "Not as many cows as Kansas has."

The move still was a culture shock. She spent the two previous years teaching in Paris. She arrived during a snow storm, but said she was touched by local hospitality.

"They helped me to feel comfortable," Montero said. "They helped me a lot in school and out of school."

This year, Montero also has the opportunity to enjoy her first high school football season. There is football, or fútbol, in Europe -- in America, that sport is known as soccer.

Montero also is familiar with rugby, but American football is new to her.

"Oh yes," she said when asked if she planned to attend the evening game. "I always go. I really enjoy the football games ... and the popcorn and hot dogs. That's a lot of fun."

Building for the future

Logan is home to the Dane G. Hansen Memorial Museum, which helps bring visitors to the small northwest Kansas town, population less than 550.

The Hansen foundation also operates out of Logan, and those entities have helped the district in several ways through the years. It helped fund a new track, and the museum strives to provide special programs and traveling exhibits the students will enjoy, said museum director Shirley Henrickson.

"That's what keeps a small town going is having a school system, because kids are our future," she said. "When a small town loses its school, why, it's pretty hard on it."

The facility offers continuing education classes, and the foundation provides a scholarship opportunity for area high school students. All of the events help draw people to the community, and attendees are encouraged to dine -- and even lodge -- in Logan, Henrickson said.

In other progress, a community development foundation was formed about two years ago and works closely with the city council, said Mayor Max Lowry.

The group has established a scholarship fund and distributes up to $8,000 annually to graduating seniors who plan to move back to the area after earning a degree.

The foundation also helped start ABC Daycare. Until recently, the community was without a daycare facility, which proved an obstacle for young families, Lowry said.

The facility staffs two full-time employees, plus other part-time helpers. Enrollment has been high, with more than 20 children signed up to receive services, he said.

"We feel like it's been a real benefit to our community to have it available, because when we started it up, there was nobody in town that was doing it," Lowry said.

The city also is working to abate some old, run-down homes that are no longer inhabitable, and has some vacant lots available at a "reasonable" rate for anyone looking to build a home in Logan, he said.

"We try to be progressive, not just sit back and let things kind of go," Lowry said. "We try to keep things up and identify things that we need to work on."

Preserving the past

Even as the community moves into its future, people here continue to embrace local history.

The Hansen museum features several permanent displays of historical artifacts, and, in 1991, a grassroots group of residents founded the Logan Area Historical Museum.

That attraction relocated to a renovated 1905 storefront about four years ago and is funded by local donations and various grants, said Museum Curator Pat Ruff. There is no admission fee.

The sprawling museum features various "hometown treasures," including antique automobiles, military attire and an upper level furnished similar to early 20th century home.

Ironically, the historic building also is home to the town's only elevator, Ruff said.

"It's the small town environment, if you like it," Ruff said of the Logan community. "And many people do for raising children. Kind of a quiet existence."

The historical museum also attracts many children and serves as a field trip destination for the school district. Children always are eager to view items from the town's past, no matter how many times they might have seen them, Ruff said.

"It may be their 100th tour," she said.

The three Zeiters siblings are no exception. Friday after school, Tawana, Shamya and Cheyenne rushed to the museum for yet another tour.

"I like the upstairs," 7-year-old Cheyenne Zeiters said, pointing above his head.

Pre-game preparations

"Caleb, are you going to the game tonight?" Michelle Tien asked from across the restaurant.

"Yep," 2-year-old Caleb Sparks answered promptly. "Yes I am."

It's dinnertime at Main Street Pizza, and several football fans were stopping in for a quick dinner before kickoff.

Behind the counter, Christy Pool was preparing for what could be a busy night. The pizza shop often gets a flurry of orders at halftime or right after the game, she said, noting the community is "majorly" supportive of its schools.

"They're real good about supporting them, and that's all you ever hear them talk about," Pool said with a laugh.

A few blocks away, Caleb's brother, Ian, sat in the big desk chair at his great-grandfather's office, playing on the computer. His grandpa, John Sullivan, is owner and publisher of the Logan Republican and recently retired after serving 32 years on the district's school board.

"In a town this size, the community can't survive without the school, and the school can't survive without the community," Sullivan said. "They have to get along with each other. That's all there is to it."

During the past three decades, Sullivan said he still is impressed with the fact that the district has been able to keep up with the times.

The community also has taken a progressive stance and has begun advertising in an effort to recruit more people to Logan, he said.

"Move to Logan," Sullivan said. "Put your kids in school."

Ian also is recovering nicely from a black eye he suffered earlier in the football season.

"Boys that age -- they don't watch the game," Sullivan said with a laugh. "They go have their own. Pretty rough, actually."

Rooting them on

Back at the football field, Leamarie Edwards, Jennifer Ortiz and Crystal Bliss had started their own mini-game.

The three girls, all students at Logan, stood on the sidelines tossing a football back and forth. They come to most of the games and were hoping their team would prove victorious.

"We hope Logan wins," said 10-year-old Leamarie. "Let's just put it that way."

The girls had another motive for playing catch Friday night -- they wanted to keep moving to stay warm, she said.

Logan came up short Friday, with Natoma winning 36-6.

Perched on the bleachers, Lloyd and Deloris Becker were bundled up for the event. They attend every game to cheer on their grandson, Charlie Becker.

"We've got to root him on, you know," Lloyd Becker said.

They also attend volleyball games and other activities to support the kids.

The couple has lived in Logan nearly all of their lives and wouldn't have it any other way. Deloris is quick to point out all the amenities the small northwest Kansas town has to offer: two restaurants, two banks, two layers, two museums, plus a hardware and grocery store.

"It's a great place to live ... and we love it," she said.

"I wouldn't trade it for any big city," her husband agreed. "I'll tell you that."