SFTHS Newsletter
Santa Fe Trail High School
September 2023
Newsletter
KSHSAA BOARD OF DIRECTORS MEETING
On Wednesday, September 13th, Patrick Graham, the HS Principal, will be traveling to Topeka to serve on the KSHSAA Board of Directors. The agenda will discuss the upcoming proposed changes for KSHSAA for future school years.
HISTORY OF SFT ATHLETICS/ACTIVITES
After hundreds of hours of work on over the past few years, the high school has put on display the “History of SFT Athletic/Activities.” The 2x3 poster boards are hanging in the main entrance to the high school for all to view. If you get a chance to take a look, please do. Feedback so far has been pretty amazing!!
HOMECOMING 2023
The 2023 Homecoming Parade will be in Overbrook this year. The parade begins at 1:00 pm. The pep rally will begin at the conclusion of the parade at the softball field at Jones Park on the east side of Overbrook.
The varsity football game will kickoff at 7:00 pm at SFTHS. The Chargers will host Osawatomie.
At 9:00 pm, the Homecoming Dance will begin inside the high school sponsored by Student Council.
SENIOR BANNERS
The SFT Spirit Club is in year two of creating banners that will be hung in the main gym for all seniors involved in all activities not just sports. The pictures were taken on the first day of school in the t-shirt that Mr. Graham gave all of the students and staff of the high school.
ART DEPARTMENT
Welcome to the SFTHS 2023-24 academic year! Each fall brings a new wave of excitement and fresh ideas, and this year is no exception. I hope that everyone enjoyed a summer filled with relaxation and fun with family, and friends.
ART CALENDAR OF EVENTS FOR 23-24
- Parent-teacher conferences this semester are: Oct 18th, 4-7 pm & Oct. 19th, 8-7 pm.
- National Portfolio Day, Saturday, September 23, 2023, hosted by the Kansas City Art Institute on. This is a great opportunity for students to meet with representatives from 22 colleges offering programs in art and design for individual portfolio reviews. Location Details: Kansas City Art Institute, 4415 Warwick Blvd, Kansas City, MO 64111, Event Schedule: 8:30 a.m. - 2:30 p.m. Student Check-in 8:45 a.m. - 10 a.m., Optional Campus Tours 11 a.m. - 3:00 p.m., Portfolio Reviews
- End of Semester Fine & Practical Arts Show
Dec. 14th from 6-7:00 pm in Art room 120
ONLINE
Maintaining the SFTHS ART DEPARTMENT FACEBOOK page (If you haven’t already please like and follow us at
ARTSONIA (Artsonia is the world's largest collection of student art, published by teachers and students from around the world. Parents and family can view the art online, leave comments, and order keepsakes featuring the artwork.) You can order special items from Artsonia as gifts. A portion of the purchases goes to the Art Department. https://www.artsonia.com/
Please feel free to contact me via email with any questions.
Here’s to a great year CHARGERS Create ON!!!
SFTHS LIBRARY NEWS
Welcome back to school from the high school library! We are hitting the ground running and are excited to see students back in the building.
September is Library Card Sign Up Month! Be sure to visit our local city libraries.
Popular Subjects- What are kids reading?
Students are lining up requesting books about True Crimes and Criminal Biographies. Documentaries and recently released mini-series on Hulu, Netflix and Amazon Prime, along with classes being taught at the high school: “Crimes and Criminals,” (Mr. Staab) and “Psychology,” (Mr. Gonzalez) have generated a large student interest in these subjects.
This Month’s Display
Have you seen the Barbie Movie? If you haven’t you may very well be in the minority as it has recently become “Warner Bros highest grossing global release ever,” (CNN, 2023). To summarize the sub-plot, Ken travels from Barbie Land and finds out the Real World is quite different. Looking for answers, Ken visits a school library and learns about a little thing called “patriarchy.” Outlandish shenanigans and role reversals commence, while the movie characters struggle to understand who they really are and who they want to be. To celebrate Ken’s trip to the library that provided enough material for the Barbie movie’s creation, our first Library Display of the Year celebrates Ken’s trip to
the library.
HS ENGLISH
In all sophomore English II classes, the students are studying dystopian fiction. We are preparing to read the novel Lord of the Flies by William Golding. Throughout this unit, we will be discussing human nature and topics like why some people follow and some people lead and why people do what they do when in a group. To introduce the unit we did an activity where the students came into class and there was a box of supplies on the table with instructions to divide into groups and build the tallest tower. However, it also stated that the students were on their own to figure this out and the teacher was not going to help them. This activity proved to be a great lesson in what happens when there are no set rules and the students must figure it out. I witnessed some awesome creativity, students leading their groups and working together, and also things plots to sabotage other groups. It made for a great opening to our topic of human nature.
YEARBOOK AND FBLA
Yearbook staff are off and running photographing school events and pitching ad sales to community members. If you're interested in purchasing an ad reach out to Julie Smith at jsmith@usd434.us, and she'll send a Yearbook staffer your way. 2024 Yearbooks are on sale now. You can visit jostens.com to order and pay online, or you can get a paper form from Mrs. Smith and send in cash or check with your student. Now is the best time to buy a yearbook for two reasons... 1) They are the cheapest they'll be all year, at $50 a copy (plus tax) and 2) If you purchase by November 24 you can enter the drawing for a $25 VISA giftcard.
FBLA students kicked off the school year with a Back to School Bash and are working hard at membership recruitment. FBLA seeks to provide experiences as well as business knowledge and skills, so members understand they can choose to: enter the world of work, join the military, continue on with a Business Education Program in college, or select another focus for further education. If your student wants to join, there's still time. Send them to Mrs. Smith's room for a membership form.
Athletics and Activities at Santa Fe Trail High School
All Fall Sports and some activities are well underway for the 2023-24 school year. Practices started August 14 and our student athletes have been working hard and preparing for this season. We are all excited for the opportunity to represent our school and communities in a positive way. The district webpage is a great resource to find schedules and up to date information. We encourage everyone to come out and support all Chargers home or away. Prior to the first home football game, the 2023 Spring Sports recognition was held with the Baseball team, Softball team, Charger Boys Golfer Lane Workman and the Girls State Qualifying 4x800 meter relay team. It was a very nice way to recognize these teams and individuals.
Football
The 2023 Charger Football Team has 41 members this year. The Boys in Red and Blue along with the coaches have been preparing for the first game vs Burlington. Friday’s game was the home opener and the place was packed with fans. The football game was very entertaining and a hard fought contest. The team and coaches can be very proud of the efforts given. The team lost a tough contest 44-50. Much can be learned from the first game and we are gearing up for a successful season. Next action for the varsity will be Friday, September 8 at Prairie View. Game time is scheduled for a 7pm kickoff.
Volleyball
Girls Volleyball started their season with a Volleyball Jamboree hosted by Mission Valley High School. The jamboree was played on Wednesday, August 23. The other teams involved in the jamboree were Mission Valley, Burlingame and Cair Paravel. The girls competed and played very well in a very fun and exciting atmosphere. The Lady Chargers begin the regular season with a home match on Thursday, August 31 vs Osage City. The Varsity went 1-1 and JV went 2-0 on the night. That was followed up with a Saturday tournament at Jeff West. The team came away with a 4th place finish at the Jeff West Tournament. Next home action for the volleyball team will be on Tuesday, September 12 when SFT hosts Pioneer League opponents Osawatomie, Anderson Co, and Wellsville. Game time is 4:30. The team consists of 21 players and will play both Varsity and JV this season.
Girls Golf
Charger Lady Golf is off to a great start. They have competed in two 9-hole varsity tournaments so far. We have had ladies medal in each of these tournaments. The first tournament was held at Village Greens which consisted of 44 players. Braegan Buessing shot 44 which was good for 3rd place and Bailey Anshutz carded a 45 which finished 6th. The second tournament was hosted by Ottawa at the Ottawa Golf Course. This tournament had 53 competitors and Bailey Anshutz placed third with a score of 39 and Braegan Buessing placed 6th shooting 42. The Lady Charger Golf team is made up of 11 girls and will compete in both Varsity and JV meets this season.
Cross Country
The Cross Country is off and running, looking to start the year getting better each meet. The first meet of the Cross Country season was held on Thursday, August 31 at Anderson County. The team had one medalist for the girls - Maria Ham finished 20th with a time of 23:37. The boys had 3 medalists - Josh Wessel was 30th running time of 20:13, Rylan Roberts time of 19:30 was good for 19th place and finishing in third place with a time of 17:31 was Bryce Roberts. Great start to the Cross County season! The team consists of 12 boys and 8 girls for this year. The second meet of the season will be held on Thursday, September 7 at Holton with a start of 4:00. Get out and support the Cross Country team as they are blazing a Trail!
Dance Team
The 2023-24 Chargerettes consist of 13 members. The Chargerettes are preparing for the upcoming season and working hard on their performances. They will perform at halftime of all home varsity football and basketball games and during pep assemblies. They will also be competing in the State Competition to be held in November at the Stormont Vail Event Center.
Cheerleading
The Cheerleading squad consists of 15 members. The cheerleaders have been working hard and did a great job for the first pep assembly and home football game! They held the Little Charger Cheer Clinic on Saturday, August 26 which consisted of 70 future cheerleaders. Little Charger Cheer Night was held on the first football game, September 1. The cheer squad will also be competing in the State Competition in November at Stormont Vail Event Center.
Band
The Charger Band has been working extremely hard since early August. They marched and played in the Osage County Fair Parade which was held in Overbrook. Everyone is excited to watch the Band perform before and at halftime of all the home varsity football games.
Musical
This year's musical will be "Shrek The Musical"! Students have had a fun time learning all of the music as they geared up for auditions. Auditions for "Shrek" have started and Mrs. Holbert is eager to cast such a fun show with lots of incredibly talented students. Auditions are after school all week and the cast list will be announced on Friday 9/8 in the evening! Rehearsals will start the following week, and students will rehearse all the way up until the performances, which are November 10th @ 7 pm, November 11th @ 7 pm, and November 12th @ 2 pm. Come check it out later this fall, don't miss it before it's "ogre"!
Exciting things are happening at The Palace on the Prairie! We all look forward to seeing you and supporting our students, athletes, coaches and sponsors. Go Chargers!!!