Superintendent Message 12-17-2021
Dear Parents, Patrons and Staff;
On behalf of the USD 434 Board of Education, I want to wish each and every one a very Merry Christmas and a Joyous New Year!
Next Tuesday, December 21st is the last day of school before winter break and the end of the first semester. The first semester has flown by. There have been challenges for everyone but we have met those and through hard work and dedication to excellence there have been many successes. Let’s finish strong and make the last two days rewarding for everyone. This is the season to be thankful for all of our blessing, enjoy time with families and friends, and get some well-deserved rest.
Congratulations to:
Girls and Boys Varsity Basketball both won over Prairie View Tuesday, as well as JV Boys, C Boys, and C Girls.
Varsity Boys wrestling picked up a win over Ottawa Thursday, and our girls won 7 out of 9 matches, along with our JV winning 5 out of 7 matches.
Monday's Fine and Practical Art show was a great success.
Monday's Band concert was outstanding!
Wednesday our student's attended an assembly titled "Think Before You Post". A great message was delivered, as well as our students given great compliments for their attentiveness toward the speaker. Good job SFTHS!!
Congrats to Brett Schwartz signing with Nebraska today.
Good luck to our girls and JV wrestlers at Council Grove tonight, as well as our varsity wrestlers in Abilene tomorrow.
Shout Outs
Shout Out and Congratulations are due to Denise Bahner for receiving a huge promotion...RETIREMENT!
Denise will be retiring at the end of December following 22 years of service. Denise started in the district office in 2000 as the District Office Assistant. She also served as the Curriculum/Fastlane Director's Assistant with many responsibilities from publishing brochures like the "TrailTalk" taking the photos, writing articles and publishing it. She managed PDC points for teachers, published the district wide calendar that was distributed to patrons of the Santa Fe Trail Community. Denise took on the additional role as Webmaster in 2002, she then became one of our PowerSchool Admins. In 2010 Denise transferred to the Technology Department as District Tech, PowerSchool Administrator, Webmaster, and all other technology hats thrown at her.
Denise, Thank you for your years of dedication, service and technical support, ~Sean Nelson
I would like to recognize Regan Erickson and Melissa Strother for their efforts putting together the JV/Girls’ Wrestling Tournament last Friday. SFT hosted 18 schools and used 5 wrestling mats to run the event. It was a lot of work but a great night of wrestling! Great job!!
A huge shout out to Rory Ewing. His extra efforts are keeping the high school clean while we are short-staffed. Thank you!
A special shout out to senior Blake Blood. His last day of high school will be Tuesday, December 22nd as he has earned all of his credits. On Monday, January 3rd, he will be leaving for basic training in San Diego as he has enlisted to serve our county in the Marine Corps. Thank you for your upcoming service.
Here is a shout out to Trisha Graham. She received another grant to supply our high school students and staff with a new set of games and workout equipment. This is the third time that she has received this grant. Great job
~Patrick Graham
Fun times have been had with our door decorating contest sponsored by our KAY club. Students and staff designed, created, and hung incredible handmade decorations varying from Christmas trees, the solar system, and the Grinch. We will share pictures on Facebook in the coming days. Enjoy!
With the second quarter grading period ending, students and staff are working to finish up projects, correct assignments, and turn in any late assignments. Parents are encouraged check in with their children to be sure all school work is completed and turned in.
~Jodi Testa
We have had a quiet week on the trail for Carbondale. Our 6th grade band and choir concert was rescheduled to Monday, December 20th at 7pm due to inclement weather this week. We have all been enjoying a Christmas Spirit week where we dress up in our ugly sweaters, Christmas socks and ties, or all the flannel we can find. Next week are looking forward to our Christmas Sing assembly and a day of fun on Tuesday, December 21st before we all take a much deserved break for the holidays.
~Lari Jarrett
A big thank you to Cheyenne Gassman and Janice Zwink for working so hard in Miss Donna's preschool classroom. We appreciate all you do for kids!
~Faith Flory
COVID Update
Parents, please remember that if your student is participating in Test to Stay they must wear a mask to all district events.
SFTHS
3 Positive
2 Test to Stay
1 Quarantine at Home
1 Home due to Household Positive
1 Pending Test Results
CAC
2 Positives
12 Test to Stay
7 Quarantine at Home
4 Home due to Household Positive
OAC
5 Positives
12 Test to Stay
3 Quarantine at Home
5 Home due to Household Positive
SAC
4 Positives
5 Test to Stay
4 Quarantine at Home
6 Home due to Household Positive
Quote for the Week
“Surround yourself with people who are optimistic and caring. It’s one time when being “surrounded” is a good thing.”
~Al Lucia
Have a Great Weekend and a Restful Winter Break!!
Jim Lentz, Superintendent of Schools