New Age Industrial Corp. celebrates a successful unveiling of its award-winning Flavor Station Mobile Condiment Carts at the 2024 School Nutrition Association (SNA) Annual National Conference held in Boston, MA on July 15, 2024.
Former Lawrence High School students say school board members ignored their concerns with privacy, free speech and intellectual property rights by extending the district’s contract with AI surveillance company Gaggle.
Twenty registered nurses were recently honored at HaysMed for graduating from the American Nurses Credentialing Center (ANCC) Registered Nurse (RN) Residency Program. The program included a year-long practice introduction that was filled with many accomplishments along the way.
In the July 3 edition of the Hays Daily News, an article was released detailing the Hays City Commission meeting from June 27, surrounding a presentation by the Hays Lion Club in reference to current name of Daniel G. Rupp Park.
It’s a busy day in town. The manager at the snack shop is offering a special, the mayor has scheduled a meeting, and the doctor is checking on her patients. But there’s something unusual about the people in this town: They are all grade-schoolers. They are participating in Young AmeriTowne, an educational experience providing hands-on learning about business and daily life. Kelli Hueneke is executive director of Nex-Generation Round Up for Youth, Inc., known as Nex-Generation. She grew up in Phillipsburg and earned business and elementary education degrees at Fort Hays State. She worked for Nex-Tech, a northwest Kansas telecommunications company, before becoming a full-time schoolteacher. Nex-Generation began as an internship and career development project of Nex-Tech in 2011. It was so successful that it became its own separate 501(c)3 organization in 2013. In 2024 Hueneke became executive director, succeeding founding director Jacque Beckman. Nex-Generation serves 28 counties in northwest and north central Kansas. Nex-Generation operates through four programs: career development, entrepreneurship, internships, and Young AmeriTowne of Kansas. Specifically, Nex-Generation sponsors virtual career fairs and expos for high school age students, plus life skills training and sessions on resume writing and interviewing. The organization facilitates youth business plan workshops, summer internships, work study programs and more. Young AmeriTowne of Kansas in the northwest Kansas area is being administered by Nex-Generation Round Up for Youth, Inc., under a license from Young Americans Center for Financial Education in Denver. "Young AmeriTowne" and "Young Americans Center for Financial Education" are registered trademarks of Young Americans Center for Financial Education in Denver, and the Young AmeriTowne logo is a trademark of Young Americans Center for Financial Education, also located in Denver. The program provides a hands-on experiential program for financial literacy education in participating schools. Aimed at fourth through eighth graders, it begins with 4-6 weeks of school lessons on the basics of economics and citizenship. It culminates in a one-day field trip to Young AmeriTowne of Kansas where the students practice their skills in a real-life type setting. AmeriTowne takes place at the former high school in the rural community of Lenora, population 207 people. Now, that’s rural. All students are part of one of 10 entities in AmeriTowne: A bank, town hall, snack shop, container shop, digital media agency, energy resource business, nex-great idea entrepreneurship shop, television station, radio station or medical center. After taking a brief quiz to identify their interests, students apply for mock jobs in those entities. They might be an accountant, technician, manager, doctor, police officer or something else. They also have the opportunity to run for office, or become town mayor or judge. Those are exciting campaigns. When the students arrive at AmeriTowne, they receive a mock paycheck, business loan, and individual bank account and step into their professional roles. The shop operators have to manage their businesses and repay their debts. Sometimes the medical center calls people away for appointments. Everyone has the opportunity to make purchases with their paychecks. In addition to business, students learn about philanthropy. AmeriTowne includes a donation station where students can drop off funds to support actual charitable organizations. Then private donors will donate real money to those organizations to match the student donations. Ultimately, teachers evaluate their work. Hueneke observed the power of this program first-hand when she participated as a teacher. “The kids feel like rock stars; it’s just incredible,” Hueneke said. “It’s an experience they will remember for a lifetime, and it lets them know there are good careers right here (in their hometown).” Since 2018, 82 schools and more than 3,000 students have participated in AmeriTowne. “This teaches students how to be contributing members of society, to help everyone to prosper, and to care for their community,” Hueneke said. For more information, see www.nex-generation.org. It’s a busy day in town, as these students practice their business and citizenship skills. We salute Kelli Hueneke and all those involved with Nex-Generation for making a difference with these initiatives to help students explore careers. They are truly learning lessons for life.
Chair Nathan Leiker and fellow Commissioners Michael Leiker and Neal Younger devoted nearly half an hour during the July 9, 2024 County Commission meeting to discussing with Sheriff Scott Braun and County Administrator Meyers the 27-page “Ellis County Jail Needs Assessment & Feasibility Study Draft Report” from Justice Planners.” Due to effects of Hurricane Beryl, Justice Planners consultants were unable to appear in person and have rescheduled to present the company’s final report to the Commission on August 13, 2024. The draft report of the study’s findings is available online as an attachment to the July 9, 2024 Ellis County Commissioners Meeting Agenda.
County Commissioners voted unanimously on July 9, 2024 to formally hire Melinda Fross as the Fairground Rental Manager. In addition to approving the management contract, Commissioners also approved updated rental contracts for the Schenk and Unrein building to assist with offsetting operating and maintenance costs.
President Joe Biden faced perhaps the most consequential day yet for his ailing reelection campaign Thursday, with a press conference at the NATO annual meeting scheduled for late afternoon, as private talks among Democrats on Capitol Hill about his fitness for office extended and calls for him to withdraw from the race spread.
The U.S. House on Thursday passed a measure to reverse an Education Department rule seeking to extend federal discrimination protections for LGBTQ+ students, though President Joe Biden has vowed to veto the legislation should it land on his desk.
The Kansas State Board of Education plans to finalize in August parameters of a 30-member task force that would be formed to develop policy recommendations on non-academic use of cellular telephones by prekindergarten through 12th-grade students while at school.