Piper High School – bowling
– Varsity Girls 2nd: 1st Baylee Crowe 471 series, 5th Madison Carr 407 series
– Varsity Boys 2nd: 2nd Justin Johnson 584 series, 3rd Matthew Romero 582 Series, 5th Tristen McEachron 567 series
– Junior varsity Girls 1st: Toni Vogel 388
– Junior Varsity Boys 2nd: Joshua Talkin 495, Jacob Dielhl 459
Piper High School – boys basketball
– Junior varsity defeated Topeka West 64-51 (play at 11:45 a.m. in Leavenworth on Saturday)
– 9th defeated 43-27 (play at 12:45 p.m. in Lansing on Saturday)
– From Doug Key, Piper High School activities director
Kansas Court of Appeals Judge Karen Arnold-Burger
Kansas Court of Appeals Judge Karen Arnold-Burger has been selected by the American Bar Association Judicial Division Lawyers Conference to receive the Burnham “Hod” Greeley Award for her work to increase public awareness of the need for a fair and impartial judiciary.
Arnold-Burger said she is looking forward to receiving the award Friday, Feb. 6, during the American Bar Association’s midyear meeting in Houston, Texas.
“I’m thrilled and honored to be selected by a panel of my peers to receive this award for doing what I can to help people understand why it’s so important that we have fair and impartial courts,” Arnold-Burger said.
Arnold-Burger was nominated for the award Chief Justice Lawton R. Nuss, who noted the judge’s work with the Informed Voter Project developed and promoted by the National Association of Women Judges and for serving as chair of the Kansas Supreme Court’s Court Budget Advisory Council.
“Judge Arnold-Burger consistently devotes considerable personal time to civic initiatives that help people understand the role of the judiciary and the critical importance of fair and impartial courts,” Nuss said. “Her work with the Informed Voter Project has taken her to communities all across Kansas to speak to groups on these topics in general and retention elections in particular.”
Nuss also noted Arnold-Burger’s work as chair of the Court Budget Advisory Council, which the Supreme Court formed in 2013 to develop and prioritize recommendations if the 2014
Legislature did not supplement the approved fiscal year 2015 judicial branch budget. The council met its challenge within the six weeks it was allotted, but Arnold-Burger’s work didn’t end there. She went on to appear before House and Senate subcommittees to report the council’s findings.
In a letter of support, Marc E. Elkins, vice president and general counsel to Cerner Corp., reflected on his interactions with Arnold-Burger beginning with their time together attending law school, to when she was a municipal court judge, then in her capacity as judge of the Court of Appeals, and finally as chair of the Court Budget Advisory Council on which he served.
“Judge Arnold-Burger did an extraordinary job of leading this group in a thoughtful and sensitive way,” Elkins wrote. “She was able to lead our discussions that included radically different perspectives on sometimes highly emotional issues in a fashion that minimized the rhetoric and left each member feeling that their views were heard.”
A Court of Appeals colleague, Judge Steve Leben, also provided a letter supporting Arnold-Burger’s nomination.
“When I saw the criteria for the award and read about Mr. Greeley’s strong commitment to promoting public trust and confidence in the judicial system, I thought that Karen was the perfect choice,” Leben wrote. “Still a junior member of our court, she does more public presentations (to lawyers, judges, and the public) than anyone else, and she also does the work of an appellate judge at 100 percent.”
Before she was appointed to the Court of Appeals in 2011, Arnold-Burger was municipal court judge and then presiding municipal court judge in Overland Park, assistant U.S. attorney in Kansas City, Kan., and first assistant city attorney for the city of Overland Park. She is a graduate of the University of Kansas School of Law, where she serves on the Board of Governors.
Her professional accomplishments include serving as president of the Johnson County Bar Association, the Kansas Municipal Judges Association, and the Earl E. O’Connor Inn of Court. She has been an adjunct faculty member at the National Judicial College since 2000 and was elected by fellow faculty to serve on the Faculty Council beginning in 2010. She is a graduate of the Institute for Faculty Excellence in Judicial Education at the University of Memphis and is a frequent presenter at judicial education programs nationwide.
She’s received many awards, including the Justinian Award for Professional Excellence by the Johnson County Bar Association, which is given annually to an attorney who exemplifies integrity, service to the community, and service to the legal profession. Others include the Outstanding Service Award from the Kansas Bar Association; the Kay McFarland Award from the Women Attorneys Association of Topeka; and the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration National Public Safety Award.
She designed a judicial outreach project, “A Wrong of Passage,” that is used by judges all over the country and has grown into an organization that focuses community support on the issue of underage drinking. She was awarded the Regional Prevention Center Founder’s Award in 2008 and a scholarship was named after her.
Staff at the KCKCC Campus Childcare Center spend part of each day with students engaged in active playtime. This includes time outside or inside doing activities such as movement exercises or dancing. (KCKCC photo) by Kelly Rogge
Only months after establishing a new Wellness Policy, the Kansas City Kansas Community College Campus Childcare Center is reaping the benefits.
The new Wellness Policy was adopted in March 2014 and focuses on teaching children how to make healthy choices about food and physical activity as part of their daily lives. In addition, staff models the same healthy eating and physical activity.
“The change was made after an examination of our former menu when we discovered that we were not serving our children the healthiest foods,” said Doris Holleman, director of the KCKCC Campus Childcare Center. “For example, we served chicken nuggets, chicken strips and French fries quite often. Although we did not have a whole lot of foods that were not healthy, we did feel that it is important to serve our children a wider variety of healthy options for breakfast, lunch and snack. Our previous menu had been approved through the Child and Adult Care Food Program, but we felt it important to adhere to the standards set forth by the American Heart Association, which were much higher.”
With funding provided by the William G. McGowan Charitable Fun, the American Heart Association and Nemours, launched Healthy Way to Grow in Fall 2013. The program is geared toward child care centers throughout the United States and aimed toward decreasing childhood obesity among those birth to five-years-old. In addition to direct, hands-on assistance, the Healthy Way to Grow program offers customized training, resources and tools to support healthy lifestyles within child care environments.
Rhonda Erpelding, the KCKCC Campus Child Care consultant from the American Heart Association as well as one of the trustees from the William G. McGowan Charitable Fund visited the center Monday to get an update on the center’s progress with its new Wellness Policy as well as to hear about the successes and future plans.
“The students and staff have adjusted to the changes quite well,” Holleman said. “There was a small adjustment period for the children, however, they have been enjoying the roasted chicken, roasted potatoes and sweet potato fries.”
One of the components of the child care center’s Wellness Policy is physical activity. Preschool children at the center are provided at least 120 minutes of active playtime each day, which includes 60 minutes of teacher- led physical activity and at least 60 minute of active play time. Toddlers are provided between 60 and 90 minutes of active play time every day, and screen time is limited to no more than 10 minutes a week per child. Children younger than two do not have any screen time.
Holleman said no fried or pre-fried meats, such as chicken nuggets or fish sticks, are served. Instead, meats are prepared by grilling, broiling, poaching or roasting. The rest of the menu is full of whole grains and fresh fruits and vegetables, some of which are grown in raised planter boxes by the playground. Fresh drinking water is also available throughout the day both outside and in the classrooms.
For parties and celebrations, food includes fruits, vegetables and other healthy snacks. Families are provided a list of approved healthy foods and beverages as well as suggestions for non-food activities.
“The children are excited when they are asked to bring a healthy treat,” Holleman said. “They love to help their parents choose a healthy snack for parties and birthdays. The children and staff are enjoying the increased independence provided by the keeping of water in individual classrooms at a child’s level.”
Holleman said the biggest benefit that she has seen with the changes is the increased consciousness from the staff ensuring that children get their daily dose of active playtime. She said many of the staff as well as some of the children have also reported weight loss and increased health benefits from the healthier menu and increase activity.
“The staff are coming to work more energized, and the children are gaining better learning, better self-regulation and are resting much better at nap times giving their brains and bodies a chance to grow,” she said. “Another benefit I see is the children becoming more comfortable sharing the information they are learning with their parents and asking for the healthier options when they visit the grocery store. The children are beginning to enjoy the cooking projects a lot better and wanting to try them at home. The last benefit I see is a change in the culture of the college as a whole. The upcoming Staff Health and Wellness Day were inspired by the changes that the center has made since implementing the Wellness Policy.”
For more information on the KCKCC Campus Child Care Center’s Wellness Policy, contact Doris Holleman at 913-288-7615 or by email at [email protected].
Kelly Rogge is the public information supervisor at Kansas City Kansas Community College. Staff at the KCKCC Campus Childcare Center spend part of each day with students engaged in active playtime. This includes time outside or inside doing activities such as movement exercises or dancing. (KCKCC photo) Staff at the KCKCC Campus Childcare Center spend part of each day with students engaged in active playtime. This includes time outside or inside doing activities such as movement exercises or dancing. (KCKCC photo)
