Pirates strong showing at Basehor meet

Piper junior Divante Herrig-Brittian ran the anchor leg of the boys’ 4×100-meter relay. The team (Macon, Griffin, Lynch, Herrig-Brittian) finished first with a time of 44.92 seconds and the Pirates won the team competition. (Photo copyright 2021 by Brian Turrel)

by Brian Turrel

Basehor-Linwood High School held the Bobcat Relays track and field meet on Friday evening, including athletes from Bonner Springs, Piper, Turner and Washington high schools.

The Piper boys took home the team trophy, notching wins in several events. On the girls’ side, Piper took second, just behind the host team.

Bonner Springs placed fifth in both the girls’ and boys’ team scoring. The Turner Golden Bears placed eighth on the boys’ side and tenth on the girls’. Washington placed ninth on the girls’ and boys’ standings.

Piper’s boys’ relay teams took first in the 4×100, 4×400, and 4×800-meter relays. Divante Herrig-Brittian was first in the boys’ 100-meter dash and triple jump.

Grant Lockwood and Davis Capps won the boys’ 400- and 800-meter races. Tony Cobbs won the shot put, and Logan Ladish won the javelin throw.

Piper got a standout performance from senior Kinley Brown, who won the girls’ 100-, 200- and 400-meter distances. Grace Hanson continued the Lady Pirates’ domination into the longer races by winning the 800- and 1600-meter runs.

For Bonner Springs, Emmalee Foya won the 3200-meter run, and the girls’ 4×800-meter relay team took first place.

Turner’s evening ended on a high note, with the boys’ 4×400-meter relay team taking third place in the meet’s final event. Cyra Chronister finished second in the girls’ 1600-meter run, and David Taylor placed second in the boys’ 800-meter run.

For Washington, Jessica Robinson earned fourth in the girls’ 100-meter dash, and Hendre Benton took fourth in the boys’ 300-meter hurdles. The girls’ and boys’ 4×100-meter relay teams placed fifth and sixth.

The well-attended meet started bright and warm, but took a chilly turn midway as clouds, wind and light rain moved through.

Piper senior Kinley Brown hit her stride in the opening turn of the girls’ 400-meter dash. Brown won the event with a time of 1 minute, 2.76 seconds. (Photo copyright 2021 by Brian Turrel)
Piper senior Davis Capps raced out to the lead in the boys’ 4×800-meter relay. The team (Capps, Huisman, Thomas, Lockwood) won the event with a time of 8 minutes, 52.15 seconds. (Photo copyright 2021 by Brian Turrel)
Piper sophomore Grace Hanson led the pack in the girls’ 800-meter run. (Photo copyright 2021 by Brian Turrel)
Bonner Springs sophomore Amanda Hill celebrated as she crossed the finish line in the girls’ 4×800-meter relay. The team (Herron, Knight, Foya, Hill) finished first with a time of 11 minutes, 13.10 seconds. (Photo copyright 2021 by Brian Turrel)
Bonner Springs freshman Emmalee Foya had a big lead as she ran down the final straightaway of the girls’ 3200-meter run. Foya finished first with a time of 13 minutes, 28.15 seconds. (Photo copyright 2021 by Brian Turrel)
Bonner Springs junior Noah Doss ran the first leg of the boys’ 4×100-meter relay. The team (Doss, Hervey, McWilliams, Andrewjeski) finished fourth with a time of 46.67 seconds. (Photo copyright 2021 by Brian Turrel)
Turner junior Tyzhaun Cole, foreground, raced against senior teammate Mareyion Holmes in the boys’ 100-meter dash. (Photo copyright 2021 by Brian Turrel)
Turner junior David Taylor bided his time in the field before making a strong move to finish second in the boys’ 800-meter run with a time of 2 minutes, 9.29 seconds. (Photo copyright 2021 by Brian Turrel)
Turner junior Ma’Liyah Anderson sprinted around the first turn of the girls’ 400-meter dash. (Photo copyright 2021 by Brian Turrel)
Washington sophomore Sharis Rush burst out of the blocks at the start of the girls’ 400-meter dash. (Photo copyright 2021 by Brian Turrel)
Washington freshman Michael Lee raced in the boys’ 100-meter dash. Lee finished eighth with a time of 12.03 seconds. (Photo copyright 2021 by Brian Turrel)
Washington senior Alvin Dupree crossed the finish line in the boys’ 100-meter dash. (Photo copyright 2021 by Brian Turrel)

 

Bonner Springs sophomore Jenna Knight ran in the girls’ 300-meter hurdles. Knight finished second with a time of 50.58 seconds. (Photo copyright 2021 by Brian Turrel)

Medical panel to discuss COVID-19 vaccine

A panel of doctors, including Dr. Lee Norman, secretary of the Kansas Department of Health and Environment, is scheduled to discuss the COVID-19 vaccine in an online program April 21.

The program, “And Here We Are Now: The COVID-19 Vaccine,” is part of a series of library programs about the history of pandemics in the United States. It is in partnership with the public libraries in Atchison, Basehor, Bonner Springs, Lansing, Leavenworth, Linwood and Tonganoxie, and the Northeast Kansas Library System.

The panel will be moderated by Ken Miller, public information officer for the city of Lansing.

Also on the panel will be Dr. Sabato Sisillo, pulmonologist and medical director at Providence Medical Center, Kansas City, Kansas; and Dr. Prashanth Katrapati, cardiologist and medical director at Saint John Hospital, Leavenworth.

The panel will discuss the latest information on the vaccine rollout in Kansas and medical concerns with the virus and the vaccine.

The program will begin at 7 p.m. April 21 on Zoom and on Facebook Live. To register for the meeting, visit .https://tinyurl.com/2kt7hdfp.

Bonner Springs has teacher of the year finalist

Amanda S. Ketterling (Photo from Bonner Springs School District)

A Bonner Springs Elementary School library media specialist has been named a Region 3 finalist for the Kansas Teacher of the Year award.

Amanda Ketterling was one of six semifinalists for the award, and was named one of two Region 3 finalists on March 28.

The other finalist in Region 3 was Natalie Johnson-Berry, an English teacher at Shawnee Mission North High School.

The two finalists are now eligible to be named Kansas Teacher of the Year, which will be announced on Saturday, Sept. 25, in Wichita.

As a finalist Ketterling will receive a $2,000 cash award from Security Benefit, the major corporate partner of the Teacher of the Year program.

The Kansas State Department of Education, sponsor of the Kansas Teacher of the Year program, appoints regional selection panels made up of of teachers, education administrators and higher education representatives to select semifinalists and finalists from each region. The state is divided into four regions.

Other semifinalists were Melissa Donaldson, a 3-5 early childhood, special education teacher at Stanley Elementary School, Blue Valley USD 229; Melissa Hembrey, a first-grade teacher at Riverview Elementary School, De Soto USD 232; Jessica Skoglund, an English teacher at Olathe Northwest High School, Olathe USD 233; and Jennifer Thomas, a science teacher at Turner High School, Turner School District 202.

Each of the semifinalists will receive a red marble apple with a wooden base, compliments of The Master Teacher in Manhattan.

This year, 138 educators across the state were nominated for the Kansas Teacher of the Year distinction.


Each regional panel selects six semifinalists — three elementary teachers and three secondary teachers. From those semifinalists, the panel in each region then selects one elementary finalist and one secondary finalist. The Kansas Teacher of the Year is selected from among the state’s eight regional finalists.

The mission of the Kansas Teacher of the Year program is to build and utilize a network of exemplary teachers who are leaders in the improvement of schools, student performance and the teaching profession, according to KSDE.

The Kansas Teacher of the Year team, made up of the Teacher of the Year and state finalists, serves as an ambassador for education in Kansas, making public appearances across the state promoting education and the teaching profession.

The individual selected as the Kansas Teacher of the Year is eligible for national distinction as National Teacher of the Year.

The National Teacher of the Year program is a project of the Council of Chief State School Officers in partnership with the Voya Foundation.