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Kensington Community News
August 24, 2009
227 Enrolled at
Thunder Ridge Schools
Unofficially a total of 227 students are
enrolled in Kindergarten thru Grade 12
at Thunder Ridge Schools for the
2009-2010 school year with an additional
20 students enrolled at Pre-Kindergarten
at the Agra Attendance Center. These
numbers are divided with 74 students in
K-3 at the Elementary School in
Kensington; 93 students in Grades 4-8 in
the Middle School at Agra; and 60
students in the High School at
Kensington.
There will be 14 students attending
their first full time classes in
Kindergarten this year. They will also
have a new teacher, Mrs. Dana Gering.
Enrollments in the other grades at the
Elementary School in Kensington are 21
in Grade 1; 18 in Grade 2; and 19 in
Grade 3.
Enrollments at the Middle School in Agra
are 17students in Grade 4; 15 students
in Grade 5; 14 students in Grade 6; 22
students in Grade 7; and 25 students in
Grade 8.
There will be 13 Freshmen, 19
Sophomores, 11 Juniors, and 17 Seniors
attending High School at the Kensington
location.
Full time classes began Monday, August
24, with the anticipation of a great
second year as Thunder Ridge Longhorns!
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Meet the New
Teachers
Mr. Troy Schirmer will begin his first
year as a business and computer teacher
at Thunder Ridge High School. Mr.
Schirmer grew up in Ravenna, Neb., and
graduated from high school there in
1991. He attended the University of
Nebraska at Kearney and received his BA
in Education with endorsements in
Business and Physical Education in 1996.
He substituted in the Kearney area for a
year before taking a job in southwestern
Nebraska where he has been the past 12
years. He taught business and computer
classes and coached in some form most of
that time including eight years as a
head basketball and track coach.
Mr. Schirmer states that he loves
working with students and getting to
know them. Education gives him a chance
to be a part of their lives and, most
importantly, an opportunity to help them
develop into great people. That is his
huge reason for wanting to be involved
in activities, as this is a tremendous
opportunity for them to learn a great
deal of life's lessons.
Most of his family is in the Kearney,
Neb., area. His brother and sister are
also teachers and teach at Ravenna High
School currently. He considers himself a
big "sports nut." Naturally being from
Nebraska, Husker Football is a big thing
for him; however, his favorite sport
would be basketball, and he has always
been a fan of Kansas basketball. He also
really enjoys golfing, but never seems
to get out to play.
Dana Gering--Mrs. Gering is the new
Kindergarten teacher at Thunder Ridge.
She grew up in Smith Center and
graduated from Smith Center High School.
She is the daughter of Don and Jeanette
Owen of Smith Center. She attended Fort
Hays State University and moved to Texas
after getting her degree in elementary
education. She taught Kindergarten for 6
years in Texas. She moved back to her
home state of Kansas in 1992 and lived
in Kerby for 16 years. She taught
Kindergarten in Wichita for three of
those years. When her first child was
born she stopped teaching for 12 years
and stayed home while working part-time
in the evenings in the children's
department of the Derby Public Library
and home schooled her children.
In the fall of 2007 she and her children
moved back to Smith Center to be closer
to family and she began working as a
para for Kensington elementary. She
co-taught sixth grade last year with
Chris Kirchhoff at Thunder Ridge Middle
School and had a great year teaching
with Mrs. Kirchhoff. This will be her
eleventh year of teaching; her tenth at
the Kindergarten level. She is very
excited to meet her students and get
started!
Mrs. Gering has three sons. Taylor is 14
and an eighth grader. Jordan will be 13
very soon and is a sixth grader. Landon
is 9 and a second grader. Although they
live in Smith Center the boys go to
school at Thunder Ridge. They like the
rural, small town atmosphere and
friendliness.
Mrs. Kindra Hrabe will be taking on a
new role at the Thunder Ridge Elementary
School as the Title I teacher. She has
been teaching Kindergarten for the past
ten years in the Kensington and Thunder
Ridge Elementary School . She received
her BS in Elementary Education from
Kansas State University in Manhattan.
Mrs. Hrabe is looking forward to the
Title I program which works with all
students with a focus on remedial math
and reading skills. She will be working
within each classroom to assist the
classroom teacher as well as doing some
pullout in the Title I room. Her
position is one of support to the
teachers and to the students who need
remediation in math and reading.
Mrs. Hrabe and her husband Joel both
grew up and graduated from Kensington
High School. They together with their
sons, Blane and Benton, live in
Kensington.
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TR Class of 2009
Off to Future Endeavors
It's always interesting to review where
the graduates from the previous year are
attending college or pursuing other
interests. This report is from the
latest update. (Parents, if there are
corrections, please contact your
correspondent.)
Rachelle Bose, Lakota Bohl, and Katie
Larson are attending the University of
Nebraska at Kearney; Matraca Forell,
Katie Powell, and Jenaya Scheuerman are
attending Fort Hays State University;
Alia Rice, Blake Kirchhoff and Taylor
Kuhlmann are attending Kansas State
University at Manhattan; Blayne Bienhoff
is attending Central Community College
in Hastings, Neb.; Jessica Adams is
attending Colby Community College;
Kellie Henderson is attending Barton
County Community College in Great Bend;
Drake Reynolds is attending Butler
County Community College in El Dorado;
Matt Teselle is attending Dodge City
Community College; Clarke Pennington is
attending North Central Kansas Technical
College in Beloit; Kelly Wells is
attending the American Academy of
Cosmetology and Message Therapy in
Manhattan.
Good luck to all our students pursuing
further education!
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Books Are Fun at Library
Books Are Fun didn't waste any time
getting to the local library and setting
up a new display. Please place orders
and leave payment by Friday, August 28
as orders will be filled on Monday,
August 31. There are lots of books for
kids and for food preparations, and
miscellaneous items which would make
nice Christmas gifts. Come in and see!
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Veterans Day
Disappointment
Shortly after the Ft. Riley First
Division Army Band performed at the
Smith County Arts Council last spring,
application was made for their Marching
Band to come to Kensington for the
annual Veterans' Day Celebration on
November 14, 2009, to lead the parade
and also give a concert immediately
following the barbecue in the school
gym. Correspondence with Andrew Massanet
in charge of USAG Public Affairs stated
that there were many demands for
appearances for Memorial Day and Fourth
of July events and verification would
come after that time. Late in July
notification was received from Massanet
that the legal aspects had been approved
and the request would be referred to
Divisions headquarters.
Hopes were dashed, however, when a
letter was received from Massanet on
August 5 reading as follows: "I'm afraid
the Band is unable to fill your request
for the Veterans Day celebration and BBQ
in Kensington on 14 Nov. 09. Pursuant to
the impending deployment of the Division
HQ, those Soldiers will be assigned to a
Block Leave status that will allow them
to spend time with their families before
leaving the country. From there they
will be engaged in a number of training
activities that will prepare them
further for that deployment."
The Sons of the American Legion are
continuing to plan for Kensington's
Veterans' Day, and, although
disappointed, wish these Soldiers a safe
deployment in early 2010.
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USD-110
Monday, August 31--Lifetouch Pictures in
K-ton at 9 a.m.
Tuesday, Sept. 1--HS VB Triangular at
Northern Valley (Western Plains, N
Valley), 4 p.m.
Wednesday, Sept. 2--Class meetings, 3:15
p.m.
Thursday, Sept. 3--Middle School VB, 4
pm. FB, 6 p.m., at Osborne
HS VB Tri at Plainville (Palco,
Plainville), 4 p.m.
Cross Country, 4:30 p.m. at Concordia
Friday, Sept. 4--HS FB with Hanover at
Kensington, 7 p.m.
USD-110 menus @ Kensington
Monday, August 31--Taco salad, refried
beans, Spanish rice, fruit
Tuesday, Sept. 1--Hoagie boy sandwich,
lettuce salad, crackers, oven fries,
spicy pears
Wednesday, Sept. 2--Frito pie, potato
triangles, cinnamon rolls, grapes
Thursday, Sept. 3--Corndogs, tater tots,
vegetable relishes, apple crisp
Friday, Sept. 4--Hamburger pizza,
lettuce salad, corn, diced peaches
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Senior Center
Notes
The Board of Directors of the Kensington
Senior/Community Center met Wednesday,
August 19, with six members and manager
Armi McPherson present. After the
secretary's and treasurer's were
approved, the meeting was turned over to
Armi to lead the discussion on grant
filing. A request will be filed to
purchase and install a handicapped door
opener and a handrail along the sidewalk
into the south entrance of the Center.
Criteria was discussed and members were
assigned certain tasks so that grant
applications are filed on time. The
Board requests letters of support for
this project. Contact Armi for more
information. The next meeting of the
Board will be Sept. 9.
Eight men and women gathered Monday
afternoon, August 14 to play double-deck
pinochle. The group has a lot of fun and
would like more to come and learn the
game which they say is not difficult.
Armi's daughter, Janette learned to play
and did quite well and caught on
quickly.
August birthdays were celebrated last
Thursday with twenty-three present for
the noon meal. Celebrants present ere
Donna Westbrook and Elvyn Slavil who
received cards with many signatures
wishing them a "Happy Birthday" and a
small gift in a bag. The lunch was
supplemented with tomatoes and cucumbers
which were fresh from gardens of
members. These always help to enhance
the meal. Some folks stayed to play
double-pinochle after the meal.
Menus
Monday, August
31--Spanish rice w/hamburger,
Scandinavian blend vegs, peaches, bread,
pudding
Tuesday, Sept. 1--BBQ chicken, potato
wedges, cole slaw w/carrots, bread,
watermelon
Wednesday, Sept. 2--Taco salad, cook's
choice fruit, chips, cake
Thursday, Sept. 3--Roast pork, mashed
potatoes/gravy, green beans, rolls,
apricots
Friday, Sept. 4--Chicken & rice
casserole, carrots, citrus slices,
bread, cookie
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Middle Cedar Brunch
Eight members of the Middle Cedar Club
gathered at the Community Center for a
morning brunch hosted by Armi McPherson.
A short business meeting and lots of
visiting was on the agenda. The group
will be touring Ft. Bissell in
Phillipsburg for their September outing.
Watch of date and time!
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Around the Community
Friends last week received the great
news concerning the test results of
Jerry Brine of Ft. Worth, Tex. The three
cyberknife radiation treatments in May
for the three tumors in Jerry's brain
were all gone with nothing showing up of
the cancer tumors. Jerry's family is so
happy to have this past them for the
moment and it is hoped that the news in
the next few years will continue to be
good. Jerry's sister, Mary Lattin of
Hays, was in Ft. Worth for almost a week
to help Jerry's wife Barbara while her
mother had a massive stroke. She died
the morning that Jerry got his good news
in the afternoon. It was a very
emotional day for all. Jerry graduated
from Kensington High School in 1965 and
they hope to be in this area for
Veterans' Day in November. Mail may be
sent to 117 Yuchi Trail North, Ft.
Worth, TX 76108.
Neal Miller and his mother, Martha
Sandness of Kansas City, were Tuesday
visitors of Neal's grandparents, Leland
and Audrey Miller in Phillipsburg. Neal
was home on leave from the Marines
stationed at La Juene, N.C. He is the
son of the late Roger Miller.
Sky Davis has completed her course study
for elementary education at Ft. Hays
State University and will be doing her
student teaching at the Smith Center and
Phillipsburg Elementary Schools during
this fall semester.
Trina Hrabe is a speech clinician
dividing her time between the Thunder
Ridge Middle School and Northern Valley
Schools. She and her husband, Dan, and
children Raini and Owen recently moved
to Kensington from Great Bend.
Midwest Energy had lots of equipment and
a large crew in Kensington last week as
they replaced gas lines in some of the
alleys in Kensington.
Employees of Prairie Land Electric are
also painting the light poles on Main
Street this week. All of these crew
members seem to enjoy the good food at
the Kensington Community Store at noon.
Diane Mills and her son, Mark, of Denver
spent the weekend with their sister and
aunt, Pastor Patsy Koeneke.
Friday visitors of Dean and Darlene
Miller were their daughter, Janese
Erickson of North Platte, Neb., and
their granddaughters, Heather Erickson
of Boston, Mass., and Sara Nachtigal,
Isabelle and Samuel of Kearney, Neb.
The weather last week gave a hint of
fall with very cool night time
temperatures and comfortable daytime
readings being recorded with shorter
days being evident. . Some of the milo
is showing a tinge of color, and the
corn also shows maturation. Very little
rain was reported. A return to average
temperatures this week will be a
reminder that it is August and still
summertime.
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Prairie Haven
Notes
The residents and staff welcome four
local admissions to Prairie Haven. They
are Ann Ferguson and Helen Ferguson of
rural Kensington, Mary Anthony of
Kensington and Isa Kienzle of Agra.
The week began as usual with greetings
and exercises on Monday. The beauty shop
was open and manicures were given.
One-one sessions are held daily. Facts
about a certain year were discussed.
Bingo was played Tuesday afternoon.
Cooking and favorite foods always spark
lively conversation.
The United Church had the Thursday
morning Bible class with fellowship
following. Nautical trivia and new words
were afternoon discussions. The local
news was read Friday morning and bingo
was played in the afternoon. Television
movies and the Lawrence Welk Show are
always Saturday favorites.
Dorine Kuhlman attended the Zabel cousin
reunion in Smith Center Saturday
afternoon.
St. John Lutheran Church had the Sunday
afternoon worship and communion service.
Pastor Koeneke was assisted by Linda
Miller, and Darold and Joyce Grauerholz
were welcome guests.
Visitors signing the guest register were
Norma Larson with Pearl Ratliff; Leora
Smith and Darold and Joyce Grauerholz
with Lorraine Grauerholz. Melba Kuhlmann
with Dorine Kuhlmann; Rita and Rob Bowen
and Verda Gillock with Lois Roller;
Curtis and Mary Beach with Isa Kienzle;
Roy Ferguson and his daughter Connie
from Minnesota, Kerry Ferguson family,
Steve Ferguson family, Carolyn Billings
and Jenny Reilley with Helen Ferguson;
Maria Seemann and Esther Norden with
friends; Ann Abbott with Doris Berg;
Vernon Cullman with Doris Cullman;
Gilbert Cullman with friends; Pat
Bienhoff with Mae Donovan, Louie
Bienhoff and Mantra and Mary Jones; Oar
Elliott with Zelda Elliott; Arnold Smith
with Ruth Smith; Mary Sweat with Martha
Curry.
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Kensington Community News Archives |
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2007 Archives |
March 29, 2010 |
July 12,
2010 |
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2008 Archives |
April 5, 2010 |
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2009 Archives |
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July 26,
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