Each month, Eagle Radio in Great Bend is recognizing groups or individuals that make a big impact on our community. This Appreciation Month is highlighting farmers.

By COLE REIF Great Bend Post

“Things just have a way of working out.” 
 
A quote from Jed Fleske as he described how he went from studying agriculture
business to owning his own farm near Larned. 
 
“When you’re young, you just think you know it all,” said Fleske. “You come out
of college with all this information but then realize you still have a lot to
learn.” 
 
Jed, and his four siblings, grew up in Great Bend on Eisenhower Street and
within walking distance of Lincoln Elementary School. With his dad farming just
north of Larned, the Fleskes moved to Larned when Jed started middle school. 
 
“After Larned High School, I went to Pratt Community College,” said Fleske. “Then
I transferred to Fort Hays State University and graduated in 2007 with an ag
business degree.” 
 
Fleske enjoyed working with numbers and with a farming background, felt an agriculture
finance career would best fit his interests. 
 
“I just didn’t think there was a place for me on the farm but still wanted to
be in touch with the ag world,” said Fleske. “After college, I was able to help
my aunt and uncle farm their land. Things took off from there. I never did work
in the ag finance world.” 
 
While helping his aunt and uncle, Fleske worked part-time with Monsanto Company
as a field claims specialist. 
 
“Jumping right into farming, you quickly realize the expense that goes into it,”
said Fleske. “It’s tough. It’s not an easy job, but hard work and determination
pay off.” 
 
After three years helping his aunt and uncle, Fleske started expanding on his
own with former CRP ground and irrigated land. 
 
“Unfortunately one of my uncles passed away in 2015,” said Fleske. “My wife and
I decided to buy the farm from my aunt and then moved out to the farm.” 
 
Jed still farms with his dad but also has a full-time employee that works for
him along with part-time help during the summer. The crew farms wheat, corn,
milo, soybeans and alfalfa in Pawnee, Barton and Rush counties. 
 
Conservation is something Fleske has taken very seriously since starting his
own farm. In 2014, he was put on the Pawnee County Conservation District board. 
 
“When I came back from college, we didn’t no-till at all,” said Fleske. “Very
few acres were sprayed. Now, we’re real close to 100% no-till. We use a lot of
cover crops. If we take care of the soil it will take care of us.” 
 
For Fleske, it has never been about being as big as possible. He’s always
wanted to be the best he can with what he has. 
 
“You always want to grow, but you have to sit back and do the best you can with
what you have,” said Fleske. “People see that. Then you get calls asking you to
farm their land.” 
 
Fleske noted there is nothing like being your own boss. 
 
“I can’t stand sitting around in the house,” said Fleske. “I’m always on the
go. If there is something that needs done, I’m going to go do it. I can walk
out the front door and go to work.” 
 
Fleske’s wife is a teacher at Larned Elementary School but still helps out on
the farm. That help is something Jed is hopeful that will also eventually
come from his three daughters, with the oldest one being 11 years old. 
 
“I told my wife, we’re going to need to have more kids because I’m going to
need more help,” joked Fleske. 
While his degree in agriculture business has helped Fleske, he stated there is
no way he could anything but farm. 
 
“I’m hooked,” said Fleske. “I’m busy enough that there is no way I could ever
do something like that. I just don’t have enough time to do something else
besides farm.” 
 
Things just have a way of working out.

Read the previous Appreciation Month stories by clicking&nbsp;<a href="https://greatbendpost.com/category/appreciation-month" target="_blank">HERE</a>.&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp;

Each month, Eagle Radio in Great Bend is recognizing groups or individuals that make a big impact on our community. This Appreciation Month is highlighting farmers.<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2021/10/1635442779234.jpeg" alt="Jed and Danielle Fleske and their three daughters" />
 <figcaption>Jed and Danielle Fleske and their three daughters</figcaption>
 </figure>By COLE REIF Great Bend Post“Things just have a way of working out.” 
 
A quote from Jed Fleske as he described how he went from studying agriculture
business to owning his own farm near Larned. 
 
“When you’re young, you just think you know it all,” said Fleske. “You come out
of college with all this information but then realize you still have a lot to
learn.” 
 
Jed, and his four siblings, grew up in Great Bend on Eisenhower Street and
within walking distance of Lincoln Elementary School. With his dad farming just
north of Larned, the Fleskes moved to Larned when Jed started middle school. 
 
“After Larned High School, I went to Pratt Community College,” said Fleske. “Then
I transferred to Fort Hays State University and graduated in 2007 with an ag
business degree.” 
 
Fleske enjoyed working with numbers and with a farming background, felt an agriculture
finance career would best fit his interests. 
 
“I just didn’t think there was a place for me on the farm but still wanted to
be in touch with the ag world,” said Fleske. “After college, I was able to help
my aunt and uncle farm their land. Things took off from there. I never did work
in the ag finance world.” 
 
While helping his aunt and uncle, Fleske worked part-time with Monsanto Company
as a field claims specialist. 
 
“Jumping right into farming, you quickly realize the expense that goes into it,”
said Fleske. “It’s tough. It’s not an easy job, but hard work and determination
pay off.” 
 
After three years helping his aunt and uncle, Fleske started expanding on his
own with former CRP ground and irrigated land. 
 
“Unfortunately one of my uncles passed away in 2015,” said Fleske. “My wife and
I decided to buy the farm from my aunt and then moved out to the farm.” 
 
Jed still farms with his dad but also has a full-time employee that works for
him along with part-time help during the summer. The crew farms wheat, corn,
milo, soybeans and alfalfa in Pawnee, Barton and Rush counties. 
 
Conservation is something Fleske has taken very seriously since starting his
own farm. In 2014, he was put on the Pawnee County Conservation District board. 
 
“When I came back from college, we didn’t no-till at all,” said Fleske. “Very
few acres were sprayed. Now, we’re real close to 100% no-till. We use a lot of
cover crops. If we take care of the soil it will take care of us.” 
 
For Fleske, it has never been about being as big as possible. He’s always
wanted to be the best he can with what he has. 
 
“You always want to grow, but you have to sit back and do the best you can with
what you have,” said Fleske. “People see that. Then you get calls asking you to
farm their land.” 
 
Fleske noted there is nothing like being your own boss. 
 
“I can’t stand sitting around in the house,” said Fleske. “I’m always on the
go. If there is something that needs done, I’m going to go do it. I can walk
out the front door and go to work.” 
 
Fleske’s wife is a teacher at Larned Elementary School but still helps out on
the farm. That help is something Jed is hopeful that will also eventually
come from his three daughters, with the oldest one being 11 years old. 
 
“I told my wife, we’re going to need to have more kids because I’m going to
need more help,” joked Fleske. 
While his degree in agriculture business has helped Fleske, he stated there is
no way he could anything but farm. 
 
“I’m hooked,” said Fleske. “I’m busy enough that there is no way I could ever
do something like that. I just don’t have enough time to do something else
besides farm.” 
 
Things just have a way of working out.Read the previous Appreciation Month stories by clicking&nbsp;<a href="https://greatbendpost.com/category/appreciation-month" target="_blank">HERE</a>.&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp;

Appreciation Month: Farming - Jed Fleske

Each month, Eagle Radio in Great Bend is recognizing groups or individuals that make a big impact on our community. This Appreciation Month is highlighting farming.&nbsp;

The fourth generation of the Milton family is now in charge of Milton Farms near Hudson. Brothers Bill and Ivan Milton grow crops and raise livestock on about&nbsp;3500 acres of land near Hudson.&nbsp;Eagle Radio spoke to Ivan and his wife Lisa for this story&nbsp;about what it is like to farm in&nbsp;central Kansas&nbsp;in 2021.&nbsp;

According to Lisa, the relationship between the two Milton brothers&nbsp;is an important factor in the farm’s success.&nbsp;

"Bill and Ivan are complementary of each other," Lisa observed. "I just am amazed&nbsp;at how well Bill and Ivan can work together. They know what each other’s&nbsp;needs are and they can help each other&nbsp;without even knowing they’re doing it.”&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;

For Ivan, farming has always been a way of life.&nbsp;

“I had to go out and bottle-feed about 20 baby calves every morning and then go to school," Ivan recalled. "That was my job. And then after school, whenever I got home, my brother and I, not just me, we would bottle-feed calves, feed cows.&nbsp;From when we were able to walk, we’ve always worked. I had a good bringing up.”&nbsp;

Ivan graduated from St. John High School in 1984 and continued his work on the farm.&nbsp;

Lisa was raised in Great Bend&nbsp;and graduated from Great Bend High School, also in 1984. Lisa’s&nbsp;parents&nbsp;were from a farming family&nbsp;near&nbsp;Hudson.&nbsp;In the spring of 1986, she attended a pig feed at the Hudson Community Hall with some of her family members.&nbsp;&nbsp;

“My cousin came and told me, ‘Hey, this guy is asking about you,’” Lisa remembered.&nbsp;

That guy turned out to be Ivan. Her cousin introduced them.&nbsp;

“That is how we met," she said. "I thought he had a pretty smile.”&nbsp;

They were married&nbsp;a little over&nbsp;two years later.&nbsp;They now have two grown children, Christa and Jacob.&nbsp;

Lisa now shares Ivan’s love for farming. She is in charge of&nbsp;the&nbsp;farm’s bookkeeping but enjoys helping with the other farm work as well.&nbsp;

“Swathing is my favorite&nbsp;and raking hay, but I can run the combine, tractor&nbsp;and&nbsp;disc," she noted. "I can drive the trucks.”&nbsp;

Both Ivan and Lisa say&nbsp;the fortunes of a family farm can fluctuate significantly from year to year.&nbsp;They are pleased&nbsp;with this year’s growing season, thanks in part to the amount of moisture the farm has received.&nbsp;

“We put up a little over 1200 acres of alfalfa, and alfalfa has really been a good product for us, and we’re going to come out pretty good on it,” Ivan said.&nbsp;&nbsp;

But the livestock business has had some unique challenges,&nbsp;especially&nbsp;during the worst of the COVID-19 pandemic.&nbsp;

"Meatpacking plants were closing," Ivan said. "Because of COVID, they couldn’t keep workers in there.&nbsp;It hammered us pretty good there for a while.”&nbsp;

Bad weather also brings some of the worst problems farmers have to face.&nbsp;

“Last winter when it got so brittle cold out, we were 24-7 with our cattle&nbsp;because we were calving at that time.”&nbsp;&nbsp;

Keeping the farm going has always been a family enterprise. Ivan and Lisa’s son Jacob and Bill and his wife&nbsp;Tammy’s son Billy are&nbsp;now&nbsp;part of the&nbsp;fifth&nbsp;generation of the Milton family to&nbsp;farm&nbsp;the land.&nbsp;

Lisa explained why life on the farm is so rewarding.&nbsp;

"Some of the most enjoyable times is when we’re out baling hay." she recalled. "A couple of us are raking hay&nbsp;and then all the guys&nbsp;are baling hay, and&nbsp;we're all out there working together. When I joined the farm, I told my husband, ‘You don’t realize how fortunate you are to be able to work alongside your family.’”&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;

Read the previous Appreciation Month stories by clicking&nbsp;<a href="https://greatbendpost.com/category/appreciation-month" target="_blank">HERE</a>.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;

Each month, Eagle Radio in Great Bend is recognizing groups or individuals that make a big impact on our community. This Appreciation Month is highlighting farming.&nbsp;<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2021/10/1634819315359.jpeg" alt="Farming is a family affair for the extended Milton family" />
 <figcaption>Farming is a family affair for the extended Milton family</figcaption>
 </figure>The fourth generation of the Milton family is now in charge of Milton Farms near Hudson. Brothers Bill and Ivan Milton grow crops and raise livestock on about&nbsp;3500 acres of land near Hudson.&nbsp;Eagle Radio spoke to Ivan and his wife Lisa for this story&nbsp;about what it is like to farm in&nbsp;central Kansas&nbsp;in 2021.&nbsp;According to Lisa, the relationship between the two Milton brothers&nbsp;is an important factor in the farm’s success.&nbsp;"Bill and Ivan are complementary of each other," Lisa observed. "I just am amazed&nbsp;at how well Bill and Ivan can work together. They know what each other’s&nbsp;needs are and they can help each other&nbsp;without even knowing they’re doing it.”&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2021/10/1634819372989.jpeg" alt="Bill (right) is 14 months older than his brother Ivan" />
 <figcaption>Bill (right) is 14 months older than his brother Ivan</figcaption>
 </figure>For Ivan, farming has always been a way of life.&nbsp;“I had to go out and bottle-feed about 20 baby calves every morning and then go to school," Ivan recalled. "That was my job. And then after school, whenever I got home, my brother and I, not just me, we would bottle-feed calves, feed cows.&nbsp;From when we were able to walk, we’ve always worked. I had a good bringing up.”&nbsp;Ivan graduated from St. John High School in 1984 and continued his work on the farm.&nbsp;Lisa was raised in Great Bend&nbsp;and graduated from Great Bend High School, also in 1984. Lisa’s&nbsp;parents&nbsp;were from a farming family&nbsp;near&nbsp;Hudson.&nbsp;In the spring of 1986, she attended a pig feed at the Hudson Community Hall with some of her family members.&nbsp;&nbsp;“My cousin came and told me, ‘Hey, this guy is asking about you,’” Lisa remembered.&nbsp;That guy turned out to be Ivan. Her cousin introduced them.&nbsp;“That is how we met," she said. "I thought he had a pretty smile.”&nbsp;They were married&nbsp;a little over&nbsp;two years later.&nbsp;They now have two grown children, Christa and Jacob.&nbsp;<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2021/10/1634819467371.jpeg" alt="Jacob, Christa, Lisa &amp; Ivan Milton" />
 <figcaption>Jacob, Christa, Lisa &amp; Ivan Milton</figcaption>
 </figure>Lisa now shares Ivan’s love for farming. She is in charge of&nbsp;the&nbsp;farm’s bookkeeping but enjoys helping with the other farm work as well.&nbsp;“Swathing is my favorite&nbsp;and raking hay, but I can run the combine, tractor&nbsp;and&nbsp;disc," she noted. "I can drive the trucks.”&nbsp;Both Ivan and Lisa say&nbsp;the fortunes of a family farm can fluctuate significantly from year to year.&nbsp;They are pleased&nbsp;with this year’s growing season, thanks in part to the amount of moisture the farm has received.&nbsp;“We put up a little over 1200 acres of alfalfa, and alfalfa has really been a good product for us, and we’re going to come out pretty good on it,” Ivan said.&nbsp;&nbsp;But the livestock business has had some unique challenges,&nbsp;especially&nbsp;during the worst of the COVID-19 pandemic.&nbsp;"Meatpacking plants were closing," Ivan said. "Because of COVID, they couldn’t keep workers in there.&nbsp;It hammered us pretty good there for a while.”&nbsp;Bad weather also brings some of the worst problems farmers have to face.&nbsp;“Last winter when it got so brittle cold out, we were 24-7 with our cattle&nbsp;because we were calving at that time.”&nbsp;&nbsp;<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2021/10/1634819684124.png" alt="A calf gets a nutritious drink from Ivan Milton on a very cold winter day" />
 <figcaption>A calf gets a nutritious drink from Ivan Milton on a very cold winter day</figcaption>
 </figure>Keeping the farm going has always been a family enterprise. Ivan and Lisa’s son Jacob and Bill and his wife&nbsp;Tammy’s son Billy are&nbsp;now&nbsp;part of the&nbsp;fifth&nbsp;generation of the Milton family to&nbsp;farm&nbsp;the land.&nbsp;Lisa explained why life on the farm is so rewarding.&nbsp;"Some of the most enjoyable times is when we’re out baling hay." she recalled. "A couple of us are raking hay&nbsp;and then all the guys&nbsp;are baling hay, and&nbsp;we're all out there working together. When I joined the farm, I told my husband, ‘You don’t realize how fortunate you are to be able to work alongside your family.’”&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Read the previous Appreciation Month stories by clicking&nbsp;<a href="https://greatbendpost.com/category/appreciation-month" target="_blank">HERE</a>.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;

Appreciation Month: Farming – Milton Farms 

Each month, Eagle Radio in Great Bend is recognizing groups or individuals that make a big impact on our community. This Appreciation Month is highlighting farming.

High C Farms near Radium is a family farm with roots going back to the late 19th century. Jason Pinkston is the 5th generation in his family to work on that farm. He is following in the footsteps of his grandfather Bud and his father Chris. And he is a good representative of what it takes to be a farmer in 2021 and why today's farmers should be appreciated.&nbsp;

Jason and his family grow wheat, corn, milo, and soybeans on the farm that encompasses about 2,000 acres. The diversity that is required in agriculture is one of the things he likes best.&nbsp;

"By the time you get tired of doing something, whether it’s planting in the spring or harvesting in the fall, it’s over and you move on to something different. The freedom of getting to be your own boss...a lot of responsibility with that, but you get the freedom, the flexibility."&nbsp;

Farmers find out how each year if they've made the right decisions, if they're getting the best results. Jason likes that, too.&nbsp;&nbsp;

"When harvest comes around, you get to find out how good you did. Mother nature plays a big role in that. In a lot of businesses, in a lot of things you do, you don’t get that objective report card that the yield is at the end of every season. So that’s always intriguing to see...if you’ve done better, if you’ve stepped forward or not. Every year's a little different.”&nbsp;

Technology has become an important part of agriculture in the 21st century. And that presents challenges for today's farmers.&nbsp;

"It’s just not just as simple as going out and pulling something behind you in a tractor and turning dirt. About everything we do anymore has a lot of technology in it.&nbsp;&nbsp;

"If you’re not pretty competent with GPS and computers, it’s going to be a struggle anymore which makes it hard to find qualified help. Grabbing a high school kid, 16,17 years old&nbsp;out of school on weekends or after school and put him in something to get a few extra hours is difficult to do anymore because of where things have gone technologically.”&nbsp;

A 1996 graduate of&nbsp;Macksville&nbsp;High School, Jason went to Fort Hays State University where he earned a degree in Ag Business in 2000. He also met his wife Beth there. She grew up in the Bison area and graduated with a degree in Ag Business a year after he did. They have a 13-year-old son Grady who helps around the farm.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;

Does Jason want his son to take over the family farm someday?&nbsp;

“Well, if that’s what he wants to do, that would be great. I guess my goal is to keep doing what I am so that the opportunity will be there for him. I want him to do what he enjoys doing. If this ends up being what he enjoys, that’s great.&nbsp;So&nbsp;my hope would be that when he gets old enough to make those decisions the opportunity is still there if he wants it.”&nbsp;

Jason's attitude towards farming reflects the sentiment that family farmers have expressed for generations in central Kansas.&nbsp;

Read the previous Appreciation Month stories by clicking&nbsp;<a href="https://greatbendpost.com/category/appreciation-month" target="_blank">HERE</a>.&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2021/9/1631542101952.jpeg" alt="" />
 <figcaption></figcaption>
 </figure>Each month, Eagle Radio in Great Bend is recognizing groups or individuals that make a big impact on our community. This Appreciation Month is highlighting farming.High C Farms near Radium is a family farm with roots going back to the late 19th century. Jason Pinkston is the 5th generation in his family to work on that farm. He is following in the footsteps of his grandfather Bud and his father Chris. And he is a good representative of what it takes to be a farmer in 2021 and why today's farmers should be appreciated.&nbsp;Jason and his family grow wheat, corn, milo, and soybeans on the farm that encompasses about 2,000 acres. The diversity that is required in agriculture is one of the things he likes best.&nbsp;"By the time you get tired of doing something, whether it’s planting in the spring or harvesting in the fall, it’s over and you move on to something different. The freedom of getting to be your own boss...a lot of responsibility with that, but you get the freedom, the flexibility."&nbsp;Farmers find out how each year if they've made the right decisions, if they're getting the best results. Jason likes that, too.&nbsp;&nbsp;"When harvest comes around, you get to find out how good you did. Mother nature plays a big role in that. In a lot of businesses, in a lot of things you do, you don’t get that objective report card that the yield is at the end of every season. So that’s always intriguing to see...if you’ve done better, if you’ve stepped forward or not. Every year's a little different.”&nbsp;Technology has become an important part of agriculture in the 21st century. And that presents challenges for today's farmers.&nbsp;"It’s just not just as simple as going out and pulling something behind you in a tractor and turning dirt. About everything we do anymore has a lot of technology in it.&nbsp;&nbsp;"If you’re not pretty competent with GPS and computers, it’s going to be a struggle anymore which makes it hard to find qualified help. Grabbing a high school kid, 16,17 years old&nbsp;out of school on weekends or after school and put him in something to get a few extra hours is difficult to do anymore because of where things have gone technologically.”&nbsp;A 1996 graduate of&nbsp;Macksville&nbsp;High School, Jason went to Fort Hays State University where he earned a degree in Ag Business in 2000. He also met his wife Beth there. She grew up in the Bison area and graduated with a degree in Ag Business a year after he did. They have a 13-year-old son Grady who helps around the farm.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Does Jason want his son to take over the family farm someday?&nbsp;“Well, if that’s what he wants to do, that would be great. I guess my goal is to keep doing what I am so that the opportunity will be there for him. I want him to do what he enjoys doing. If this ends up being what he enjoys, that’s great.&nbsp;So&nbsp;my hope would be that when he gets old enough to make those decisions the opportunity is still there if he wants it.”&nbsp;Jason's attitude towards farming reflects the sentiment that family farmers have expressed for generations in central Kansas.&nbsp;Read the previous Appreciation Month stories by clicking&nbsp;<a href="https://greatbendpost.com/category/appreciation-month" target="_blank">HERE</a>.&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp;

Appreciation Month: Farming – Jason Pinkston

Almost every day growing up on a farm near Olmitz, Kevin Bahr was with
his mother or father riding around in the pickup, tractor or combine wanting to
help whenever he could. 
“Once we were able to be out and about as children, you were involved on the
farm,” said Bahr. “It might not have been the biggest job, but they wanted your
help and needed your help.” 
With three older siblings, Bahr attended Otis-Bison High School. Following
graduation, he wanted to start working on the family farm. His mother convinced
him of the importance of continuing his education instead. 
“My mom told me with the way farm life is, you need to get an education,” said
Bahr. “She wanted me to have something to fall back on if times got hard.” 
Luckily for Bahr, he was a good football player and received a scholarship to
play at Fort Hays State University where he obtained a teaching degree. 
“I’m proud that I received a college degree,” said Bahr. “It certainly helped
me. I came back to help my dad farm but I taught in school for nine years.” 
After graduating college, the Bahr farm wasn’t as big to support two families.
The nine years serving as a substitute and sometimes long-term sub helped provide
for his family. 
“I did a lot of teaching at Great Bend High School,” said Bahr. “They threw me
in about any place they could. Anywhere from industrial arts to upper-level
math classes.” 
Bahr enjoyed teaching, but his true passion was still the farm. 
“Whenever you finished up working at the school, you just jumped into the
tractor,” said Bahr. “There is only so many hours in a day, so working on the
farm fulltime was great because that was always what I wanted to do.” 
Like most central Kansas farms, Bahr’s land is diversified, handling wheat,
milo, corn, soybeans, alfalfa and a cow calf herd. 
“I’ve been lucky enough that I’ve been able to expand over the years,” said
Bahr. “I’ve acquired some land but also good landlords that had faith in me to
farm their ground. Just trying to work hard and do a good job has been the
goal.” 
Bahr enjoys the thrill of seeing a project from start to finish and mentioned
farming has to be “in your blood.” 
“You don’t get a pat on the back every day for doing a good job,” said Bahr. “It’s
a commitment that you want to see things through.” 
Bahr credits his work ethic from his parents, but also gleaned information from
different sources. 
“I’ve learned a lot from neighbors,” said Bahr. “I watch what successful
farmers have done over the years. If it works for them, it’ll probably work for
me. Not everyone’s farm is the same, but you try to get little bits that will
help you. You just try to learn every day.” 
Bahr has received a lot of support from his wife Jennifer and their three
children. Their oldest is a senior in college, and the middle child is a
freshman, both attending Fort Hays State. The youngest daughter is an eighth grader. 
Kevin is a fourth-generation farmer farming on the same land he grew up on. He said there is no pressure for one of
his children to follow his family’s path in farming. 
“I just want them (children) to do what makes them happy,” said Bahr. “If they
do choose to come back, I’ll be more than willing to let them come and help me.” 
Bahr noted farming is a good life but not an easy life. 
“I think all farmers are facing the same thing that labor is going to become an
increasing issue in the years to come,” said Bahr. “I think the people in it now
are doing a great job. But, as the older generation is getting out, I don’t
feel like there is as many people getting into it. It will be a challenge to
farm all the ground at some point.” 
Bahr usually has a full-time employee with him and will bring a handful of
workers onboard during harvest. His wife and kids help out when needed too.
Luckily for his family and help, Bahr does not ask them to clean the chicken coop. 
“That was the bottom of the barrel of chores we had to do as kids,” joked Bahr.
“Nobody enjoyed that very much.”

Read the previous Appreciation Month stories by clicking&nbsp;<a href="https://greatbendpost.com/category/appreciation-month" target="_blank">HERE</a>.&nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp;

Each month, Eagle Radio in Great Bend is recognizing groups or individuals that make a big impact on our community. This Appreciation Month is highlighting farmers.<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2021/10/1634321495520.jpeg" alt="Jennifer and Kevin Bahr pictured with their dog Gizmo." />
 <figcaption>Jennifer and Kevin Bahr pictured with their dog Gizmo.</figcaption>
 </figure>By COLE REIF Great Bend PostAlmost every day growing up on a farm near Olmitz, Kevin Bahr was with
his mother or father riding around in the pickup, tractor or combine wanting to
help whenever he could. 
“Once we were able to be out and about as children, you were involved on the
farm,” said Bahr. “It might not have been the biggest job, but they wanted your
help and needed your help.” 
With three older siblings, Bahr attended Otis-Bison High School. Following
graduation, he wanted to start working on the family farm. His mother convinced
him of the importance of continuing his education instead. 
“My mom told me with the way farm life is, you need to get an education,” said
Bahr. “She wanted me to have something to fall back on if times got hard.” 
Luckily for Bahr, he was a good football player and received a scholarship to
play at Fort Hays State University where he obtained a teaching degree. 
“I’m proud that I received a college degree,” said Bahr. “It certainly helped
me. I came back to help my dad farm but I taught in school for nine years.” 
After graduating college, the Bahr farm wasn’t as big to support two families.
The nine years serving as a substitute and sometimes long-term sub helped provide
for his family. 
“I did a lot of teaching at Great Bend High School,” said Bahr. “They threw me
in about any place they could. Anywhere from industrial arts to upper-level
math classes.” 
Bahr enjoyed teaching, but his true passion was still the farm. 
“Whenever you finished up working at the school, you just jumped into the
tractor,” said Bahr. “There is only so many hours in a day, so working on the
farm fulltime was great because that was always what I wanted to do.” 
Like most central Kansas farms, Bahr’s land is diversified, handling wheat,
milo, corn, soybeans, alfalfa and a cow calf herd. 
“I’ve been lucky enough that I’ve been able to expand over the years,” said
Bahr. “I’ve acquired some land but also good landlords that had faith in me to
farm their ground. Just trying to work hard and do a good job has been the
goal.” 
Bahr enjoys the thrill of seeing a project from start to finish and mentioned
farming has to be “in your blood.” 
“You don’t get a pat on the back every day for doing a good job,” said Bahr. “It’s
a commitment that you want to see things through.” 
Bahr credits his work ethic from his parents, but also gleaned information from
different sources. 
“I’ve learned a lot from neighbors,” said Bahr. “I watch what successful
farmers have done over the years. If it works for them, it’ll probably work for
me. Not everyone’s farm is the same, but you try to get little bits that will
help you. You just try to learn every day.” 
Bahr has received a lot of support from his wife Jennifer and their three
children. Their oldest is a senior in college, and the middle child is a
freshman, both attending Fort Hays State. The youngest daughter is an eighth grader. 
Kevin is a fourth-generation farmer farming on the same land he grew up on. He said there is no pressure for one of
his children to follow his family’s path in farming. 
“I just want them (children) to do what makes them happy,” said Bahr. “If they
do choose to come back, I’ll be more than willing to let them come and help me.” 
Bahr noted farming is a good life but not an easy life. 
“I think all farmers are facing the same thing that labor is going to become an
increasing issue in the years to come,” said Bahr. “I think the people in it now
are doing a great job. But, as the older generation is getting out, I don’t
feel like there is as many people getting into it. It will be a challenge to
farm all the ground at some point.” 
Bahr usually has a full-time employee with him and will bring a handful of
workers onboard during harvest. His wife and kids help out when needed too.
Luckily for his family and help, Bahr does not ask them to clean the chicken coop. 
“That was the bottom of the barrel of chores we had to do as kids,” joked Bahr.
“Nobody enjoyed that very much.”Read the previous Appreciation Month stories by clicking&nbsp;<a href="https://greatbendpost.com/category/appreciation-month" target="_blank">HERE</a>.&nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp;

Appreciation Month: Farming - Kevin Bahr & family

Each month, Eagle Radio in Great Bend is recognizing groups or individuals that make a big impact on our community. This Appreciation Month is highlighting teachers.

Shelly Hanzlick had a piece of advice while raising three
sons that she shares with her fourth grade class each year. 
 
“Always do what you love,” said Hanzlick. “That’s all that a mother and teacher
can ask. Just be happy in life.” 
 
Hanzlick followed that advice as she eventually arrived in Hoisington to teach at
Lincoln Elementary School. 
 
Hanzlick grew up in Longford, Kansas where she was among 10 students in her
eighth grade class. 
 
“I like the small classes because we were all close together,” said
Hanzlick. “My dad grew up in a one-room school and reminds that’s how it should
be. Not sure I’ll go that far, but I did like the small class sizes to make
more connections."

Becoming a teacher was not the natural route for Hanzlick initially. She went
to Barton Community College on a dance scholarship and then attended Kansas
State University for a year. 
 
“I was going to be the first girl of my family to graduate from college, but I
had no idea what I wanted to do,” said Hanzlick. “I called my mom and told her
I was going to quit.” 
 
Hanzlick got married and put her husband through school as he obtained his
degree from Kansas State. As a game warden, her husband took a job in Sedan,
Kansas where Hanzlick worked in banking for 10 years.

“One night I had dream and the thought of becoming a teacher came to me,” said
Hanzlick. “I had all my general education courses.” 
 
With a child in kindergarten and another three years old at the time, Hanzlick
drove an hour one way to Southwestern College to get her teaching degree which
she obtained in two years. 
 
Hanzlick’s husband was able to relocate to Barton County as a game warden. Her
husband lived with her sister's family in Great Bend until they could find a rental
house to move their family.

Hanzlick and the two boys moved to Barton County in January 2001 where she was
scheduled to do her student teaching at Roosevelt Elementary School in
Hoisington. The Hanzlicks arrived to Hoisington just months before a
devastating tornado hit the town in April. 
 
“I was getting my teaching degree in May of that year,” said Hanzlick. “My
portfolio that I was to turn in, was destroyed by the Hoisington tornado.
Luckily my professor said ‘you have a 4.0 GPA, we have a cap and gown, show up
for graduation.’ That was nice.”

Hanzlick was hired for a job teaching fourth grade at Lincoln in the fall of
2001 and has been teaching in Hoisington since. 
 
“Going into that first year teaching, I remember thinking I was going to change
the world,” said Hanzlick. “Looking back, I just hung on that first year. It’s
a whirlwind. You have so much to learn that they can’t teach you.” 
 
Now with 20 years of experience, Hanzlick claims most of her teaching style
comes from the kids. 
 
“Stopping and talking with them, and asking them which did you like better,”
said Hanzlick. “You want the end results for everybody to be those moments when
they get it and are proud of their scores.” 
 
The biggest challenge for Hanzlick has always been knowing she cannot solve all
her students’ problems. 
 
“I have to make them feel as safe and inspired as I can with the time that I
have,” said Hanzlick. “A lot of it I leave to God. There are times that I’m
stressed and I’ll say ‘give me the right words’ and it will just happen. That
goes back to my dream in that this is what I should be doing.”

Hanzlick was able to teach all three of her sons. 
 
“Hagen didn’t talk a lot in class, but he did get after a few that were talking
about his mom as a teacher,” joked Hanzlick. “Hunter was quiet, methodical and
competitive.” 
 
It was her youngest son Holt, which graduated high school in 2021, that went
rounds with his mom/teacher while in grade school. 
 
“Holt would get so mad at me when I took away his recess because he would keep
talking,” said Hanzlick. “He would yell ‘why did you take my recess away’ and
told him he had to stop talking during class.” 
 
It’s a competitive Hanzlick household, even with all three of her sons out of
high school. 
 
“The boys have had 100-yard dashes to see who still has it,” said Hanzlick. “Now
it might be who catches the biggest fish or shoots the first bird while
hunting.”

Hanzlick has enjoyed teaching in the new Lincoln school building, the close
family of teachers within and what the district is able to provide students. 
 
At the end of the day, it all comes down to her dream she had before becoming a
teacher and the advice she gives to her sons and students. 
 
“We want the school to be that happy place, somewhere you love and want to go
to everyday,” said Hanzlick. “Kids can sense that, if you don’t have it. We
have to make it happen.”

Read the previous Appreciation Month stories by clicking&nbsp;<a href="https://greatbendpost.com/category/appreciation-month" target="_blank">HERE</a>.&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;

Each month, Eagle Radio in Great Bend is recognizing groups or individuals that make a big impact on our community. This Appreciation Month is highlighting teachers.<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2021/9/1632834789299.jpeg" alt="Shelly Hanzlick, 4th grade teacher at Lincoln Elementary School in Hoisington." />
 <figcaption>Shelly Hanzlick, 4th grade teacher at Lincoln Elementary School in Hoisington.</figcaption>
 </figure>By COLE REIF Great Bend PostShelly Hanzlick had a piece of advice while raising three
sons that she shares with her fourth grade class each year. 
 
“Always do what you love,” said Hanzlick. “That’s all that a mother and teacher
can ask. Just be happy in life.” 
 
Hanzlick followed that advice as she eventually arrived in Hoisington to teach at
Lincoln Elementary School. 
 
Hanzlick grew up in Longford, Kansas where she was among 10 students in her
eighth grade class. 
 
“I like the small classes because we were all close together,” said
Hanzlick. “My dad grew up in a one-room school and reminds that’s how it should
be. Not sure I’ll go that far, but I did like the small class sizes to make
more connections."<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2021/9/1632834850634.jpeg" alt="" />
 <figcaption></figcaption>
 </figure>Becoming a teacher was not the natural route for Hanzlick initially. She went
to Barton Community College on a dance scholarship and then attended Kansas
State University for a year. 
 
“I was going to be the first girl of my family to graduate from college, but I
had no idea what I wanted to do,” said Hanzlick. “I called my mom and told her
I was going to quit.” 
 
Hanzlick got married and put her husband through school as he obtained his
degree from Kansas State. As a game warden, her husband took a job in Sedan,
Kansas where Hanzlick worked in banking for 10 years.“One night I had dream and the thought of becoming a teacher came to me,” said
Hanzlick. “I had all my general education courses.” 
 
With a child in kindergarten and another three years old at the time, Hanzlick
drove an hour one way to Southwestern College to get her teaching degree which
she obtained in two years. 
 
Hanzlick’s husband was able to relocate to Barton County as a game warden. Her
husband lived with her sister's family in Great Bend until they could find a rental
house to move their family.<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2021/9/1632834923569.jpeg" alt="" />
 <figcaption></figcaption>
 </figure>Hanzlick and the two boys moved to Barton County in January 2001 where she was
scheduled to do her student teaching at Roosevelt Elementary School in
Hoisington. The Hanzlicks arrived to Hoisington just months before a
devastating tornado hit the town in April. 
 
“I was getting my teaching degree in May of that year,” said Hanzlick. “My
portfolio that I was to turn in, was destroyed by the Hoisington tornado.
Luckily my professor said ‘you have a 4.0 GPA, we have a cap and gown, show up
for graduation.’ That was nice.”Hanzlick was hired for a job teaching fourth grade at Lincoln in the fall of
2001 and has been teaching in Hoisington since. 
 
“Going into that first year teaching, I remember thinking I was going to change
the world,” said Hanzlick. “Looking back, I just hung on that first year. It’s
a whirlwind. You have so much to learn that they can’t teach you.” 
 
Now with 20 years of experience, Hanzlick claims most of her teaching style
comes from the kids. 
 
“Stopping and talking with them, and asking them which did you like better,”
said Hanzlick. “You want the end results for everybody to be those moments when
they get it and are proud of their scores.” 
 
The biggest challenge for Hanzlick has always been knowing she cannot solve all
her students’ problems. 
 
“I have to make them feel as safe and inspired as I can with the time that I
have,” said Hanzlick. “A lot of it I leave to God. There are times that I’m
stressed and I’ll say ‘give me the right words’ and it will just happen. That
goes back to my dream in that this is what I should be doing.”<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2021/9/1632834965480.jpeg" alt="" />
 <figcaption></figcaption>
 </figure>Hanzlick was able to teach all three of her sons. 
 
“Hagen didn’t talk a lot in class, but he did get after a few that were talking
about his mom as a teacher,” joked Hanzlick. “Hunter was quiet, methodical and
competitive.” 
 
It was her youngest son Holt, which graduated high school in 2021, that went
rounds with his mom/teacher while in grade school. 
 
“Holt would get so mad at me when I took away his recess because he would keep
talking,” said Hanzlick. “He would yell ‘why did you take my recess away’ and
told him he had to stop talking during class.” 
 
It’s a competitive Hanzlick household, even with all three of her sons out of
high school. 
 
“The boys have had 100-yard dashes to see who still has it,” said Hanzlick. “Now
it might be who catches the biggest fish or shoots the first bird while
hunting.”<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2021/9/1632882957873.jpeg" alt="The Hanzlick family: Brian, Shelly, Holt, Hunter, Hagen" />
 <figcaption>The Hanzlick family: Brian, Shelly, Holt, Hunter, Hagen</figcaption>
 </figure>Hanzlick has enjoyed teaching in the new Lincoln school building, the close
family of teachers within and what the district is able to provide students. 
 
At the end of the day, it all comes down to her dream she had before becoming a
teacher and the advice she gives to her sons and students. 
 
“We want the school to be that happy place, somewhere you love and want to go
to everyday,” said Hanzlick. “Kids can sense that, if you don’t have it. We
have to make it happen.”Read the previous Appreciation Month stories by clicking&nbsp;<a href="https://greatbendpost.com/category/appreciation-month" target="_blank">HERE</a>.&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;

Appreciation Month: Teachers – Shelly Hanzlick

Each month, Eagle Radio in Great Bend is recognizing groups or individuals that make a big impact on our community. This Appreciation Month is highlighting teachers.&nbsp;

By KEN CARPENTER Great Bend Post

Teaching music during a pandemic is not an easy job. But for Stephanie Goering, music teacher at Ellinwood Grade School, it has&nbsp;not only&nbsp;been worth the extra effort&nbsp;but essential to the growth of her students.&nbsp;

Goering began playing the piano when she was six years old, and her&nbsp;childhood love&nbsp;for music&nbsp;led to a career as&nbsp;a&nbsp;music teacher.&nbsp;Goering has been teaching children from kindergarten&nbsp;through sixth grade in Ellinwood for the past four years.&nbsp;&nbsp;

“I get to see every student in our school every single day,” Goering&nbsp;said. “I see every class for 25 minutes a day. We do a lot of instrument playing, a lot of music creation. We play drums, we play egg shakers, rhythm sticks. Mostly things are structured. It’s&nbsp;structured chaos some days, but overall, we just love to make music together.&nbsp;&nbsp;

“And I love that I have a room where kids can come and they feel safe to express themselves creatively and make music together,&nbsp;and we all encourage each other to step out of our comfort zones.”&nbsp;

Goering was raised in Ellinwood&nbsp;where she&nbsp;took piano lessons&nbsp;from her elementary music teacher. She was a percussionist in the&nbsp;Ellinwood High&nbsp;School band&nbsp;and&nbsp;also&nbsp;participated in choir.&nbsp;She graduated from high school in 2013.&nbsp;

After spending&nbsp;one year at Barton Community College, she headed off&nbsp;to Kansas State University where she earned a&nbsp;bachelor’s&nbsp;degree&nbsp;and certification to&nbsp;teach K-12&nbsp;band and&nbsp;vocal&nbsp;music&nbsp;in 2017.&nbsp;At K-State, she learned to play a number of&nbsp;brass, woodwind and string&nbsp;instruments well enough to be able to teach students how to play them.&nbsp;&nbsp;

Goering doesn’t hesitate in explaining why she loves teaching music at the elementary school level.&nbsp;

“I think music, in general, is just based in creativity and self-expression,” Goering said. “It’s so fun with my kindergarten through sixth-graders to see how their own individual musicianship kind of blossoms over their time at the grade school. When they come&nbsp;to school&nbsp;in kindergarten,&nbsp;we’re just learning about a steady beat and having fun and how&nbsp;to&nbsp;be&nbsp;creative.&nbsp;By the time they get into sixth grade,&nbsp;we’re reading music and we’re playing melodies and rhythms.&nbsp;I love the progression of it and seeing how kids grow as they keep doing music.”&nbsp;

Goering has&nbsp;particularly&nbsp;enjoyed&nbsp;observing the growth of the kindergarten students she taught when she arrived at Ellinwood Grade School four years ago.&nbsp;Those children are now in third grade.&nbsp;

“My first year of teaching and I’m trying to figure it all out and they’re trying to figure it all out, too,” Goering recalled. “The relationships that I have now with those kids. They know my expectations. They know every day when we come in here this is a safe place for them where we can have fun, but we also have to work hard.”&nbsp;

The COVID-19 pandemic brought&nbsp;unique&nbsp;challenges&nbsp;for teaching music.&nbsp;Goering could no longer teach in her classroom when schools closed in March of 2020.&nbsp;And when the schools reopened in the fall of 2020, she had to adjust her way of teaching.&nbsp;

“When we came back last year, we were so blessed to be in school, fully masked, everything six feet apart,” Goering explained. “So much of what we did in here is team-building kind of activities. We’re close together, we’re listening to each other, we’re sharing instruments, so I just really changed a lot of the things that I had to do. I had to make things more individualized, not so much team-building focused.”&nbsp;

“It was hard but we did it. All day long you’re saying ‘pull up your mask, pull up your mask.’ It was not easy, but I think it was worth it to be able to see them every day,&nbsp;because once you do remote learning and once you do the online learning, you realize how hard that really is and you’d rather just push through and be in school.”&nbsp;

Goering is still taking precautions to protect&nbsp;her students&nbsp;from the virus. She is still not using&nbsp;musical&nbsp;instruments that require blowing, and she spends a lot of time cleaning&nbsp;the other&nbsp;instruments.&nbsp;&nbsp;

“This year we’re just kind of trying to find the balance between what can we do that still comes back to us working as one big group but still keeping our kids safe,” said&nbsp;Goering. “Because at the end of the day,&nbsp;that is the most important thing...to keep our kids safe and keep our kids at school.”&nbsp;

She credits her family’s support over the years&nbsp;for helping her find a career she loves.&nbsp;

“I think they’ve missed one concert...from my attending&nbsp;kindergarten through graduating college,” Goering&nbsp;remembered. “Everybody has just always been supportive of me and my education, pushing me to go farther, take opportunities when sometimes I thought maybe I didn’t want to, but those opportunities turned out to be big blessings in my life.”&nbsp;

Goering gets the same kind of support from her husband, Ian. They met when his family moved to Ellinwood&nbsp;when he was in eighth grade. She was&nbsp;a&nbsp;seventh-grader. They started dating in high school.&nbsp;They&nbsp;now have&nbsp;a 5-month-old son.&nbsp;

So&nbsp;what kind of music does Goering teach?&nbsp;

“We do everything from country to folk music to rock music, all sorts of things,” Goering&nbsp;said. “My&nbsp;fifth-graders just finished a unit on reggae music. We pretty much cover it all.”&nbsp;

“I love Ellinwood,” Goering remarked. “I love the Ellinwood school district. It’s home to me. It’s home to us. I don’t plan on leaving anytime soon.”&nbsp;

Each month, Eagle Radio in Great Bend is recognizing groups or individuals that make a big impact on our community. This Appreciation Month is highlighting teachers.&nbsp;<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2021/9/1632440570730.jpeg" alt="Stephanie Goering and husband, Ian, with their 5-month-old son" />
 <figcaption>Stephanie Goering and husband, Ian, with their 5-month-old son</figcaption>
 </figure>By KEN CARPENTER Great Bend PostTeaching music during a pandemic is not an easy job. But for Stephanie Goering, music teacher at Ellinwood Grade School, it has&nbsp;not only&nbsp;been worth the extra effort&nbsp;but essential to the growth of her students.&nbsp;Goering began playing the piano when she was six years old, and her&nbsp;childhood love&nbsp;for music&nbsp;led to a career as&nbsp;a&nbsp;music teacher.&nbsp;Goering has been teaching children from kindergarten&nbsp;through sixth grade in Ellinwood for the past four years.&nbsp;&nbsp;“I get to see every student in our school every single day,” Goering&nbsp;said. “I see every class for 25 minutes a day. We do a lot of instrument playing, a lot of music creation. We play drums, we play egg shakers, rhythm sticks. Mostly things are structured. It’s&nbsp;structured chaos some days, but overall, we just love to make music together.&nbsp;&nbsp;“And I love that I have a room where kids can come and they feel safe to express themselves creatively and make music together,&nbsp;and we all encourage each other to step out of our comfort zones.”&nbsp;<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2021/9/1632440536098.jpeg" alt="" />
 <figcaption></figcaption>
 </figure>Goering was raised in Ellinwood&nbsp;where she&nbsp;took piano lessons&nbsp;from her elementary music teacher. She was a percussionist in the&nbsp;Ellinwood High&nbsp;School band&nbsp;and&nbsp;also&nbsp;participated in choir.&nbsp;She graduated from high school in 2013.&nbsp;After spending&nbsp;one year at Barton Community College, she headed off&nbsp;to Kansas State University where she earned a&nbsp;bachelor’s&nbsp;degree&nbsp;and certification to&nbsp;teach K-12&nbsp;band and&nbsp;vocal&nbsp;music&nbsp;in 2017.&nbsp;At K-State, she learned to play a number of&nbsp;brass, woodwind and string&nbsp;instruments well enough to be able to teach students how to play them.&nbsp;&nbsp;Goering doesn’t hesitate in explaining why she loves teaching music at the elementary school level.&nbsp;“I think music, in general, is just based in creativity and self-expression,” Goering said. “It’s so fun with my kindergarten through sixth-graders to see how their own individual musicianship kind of blossoms over their time at the grade school. When they come&nbsp;to school&nbsp;in kindergarten,&nbsp;we’re just learning about a steady beat and having fun and how&nbsp;to&nbsp;be&nbsp;creative.&nbsp;By the time they get into sixth grade,&nbsp;we’re reading music and we’re playing melodies and rhythms.&nbsp;I love the progression of it and seeing how kids grow as they keep doing music.”&nbsp;Goering has&nbsp;particularly&nbsp;enjoyed&nbsp;observing the growth of the kindergarten students she taught when she arrived at Ellinwood Grade School four years ago.&nbsp;Those children are now in third grade.&nbsp;“My first year of teaching and I’m trying to figure it all out and they’re trying to figure it all out, too,” Goering recalled. “The relationships that I have now with those kids. They know my expectations. They know every day when we come in here this is a safe place for them where we can have fun, but we also have to work hard.”&nbsp;The COVID-19 pandemic brought&nbsp;unique&nbsp;challenges&nbsp;for teaching music.&nbsp;Goering could no longer teach in her classroom when schools closed in March of 2020.&nbsp;And when the schools reopened in the fall of 2020, she had to adjust her way of teaching.&nbsp;“When we came back last year, we were so blessed to be in school, fully masked, everything six feet apart,” Goering explained. “So much of what we did in here is team-building kind of activities. We’re close together, we’re listening to each other, we’re sharing instruments, so I just really changed a lot of the things that I had to do. I had to make things more individualized, not so much team-building focused.”&nbsp;“It was hard but we did it. All day long you’re saying ‘pull up your mask, pull up your mask.’ It was not easy, but I think it was worth it to be able to see them every day,&nbsp;because once you do remote learning and once you do the online learning, you realize how hard that really is and you’d rather just push through and be in school.”&nbsp;Goering is still taking precautions to protect&nbsp;her students&nbsp;from the virus. She is still not using&nbsp;musical&nbsp;instruments that require blowing, and she spends a lot of time cleaning&nbsp;the other&nbsp;instruments.&nbsp;&nbsp;“This year we’re just kind of trying to find the balance between what can we do that still comes back to us working as one big group but still keeping our kids safe,” said&nbsp;Goering. “Because at the end of the day,&nbsp;that is the most important thing...to keep our kids safe and keep our kids at school.”&nbsp;She credits her family’s support over the years&nbsp;for helping her find a career she loves.&nbsp;“I think they’ve missed one concert...from my attending&nbsp;kindergarten through graduating college,” Goering&nbsp;remembered. “Everybody has just always been supportive of me and my education, pushing me to go farther, take opportunities when sometimes I thought maybe I didn’t want to, but those opportunities turned out to be big blessings in my life.”&nbsp;Goering gets the same kind of support from her husband, Ian. They met when his family moved to Ellinwood&nbsp;when he was in eighth grade. She was&nbsp;a&nbsp;seventh-grader. They started dating in high school.&nbsp;They&nbsp;now have&nbsp;a 5-month-old son.&nbsp;So&nbsp;what kind of music does Goering teach?&nbsp;“We do everything from country to folk music to rock music, all sorts of things,” Goering&nbsp;said. “My&nbsp;fifth-graders just finished a unit on reggae music. We pretty much cover it all.”&nbsp;And what does her future hold?&nbsp;“I love Ellinwood,” Goering remarked. “I love the Ellinwood school district. It’s home to me. It’s home to us. I don’t plan on leaving anytime soon.”&nbsp;Read the previous Appreciation Month stories by clicking&nbsp;<a href="https://greatbendpost.com/category/appreciation-month" target="_blank">HERE</a>.&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;

Appreciation Month: Teachers - Stephanie Goering

When Roxann Keenan was attending St. Patrick’s Elementary School as a
child, she remembers you had to have encyclopedia books if you wanted to do any
research. The once student is teaching at the Great Bend elementary school, now
known as Holy Family School, and says a lot has changed. 
“We use so much technology now,” said Keenan. “Back then, you had to read books
and encyclopedias." 
Before she made the switch in resources, Keenan and her family moved from Hays
to Great Bend when she was in the third grade because her dad was transferred
by the oil field company in which he was employed. 
Growing up, Keenan always enjoyed working with children. She took jobs
babysitting and at a daycare. 
“When I graduated from Great Bend High School, I thought I wanted to be a
secretary,” said Keenan. “I just didn’t like it. I couldn’t keep up with the
typing.” 
Changing her mind to become a teacher, Keenan went to Barton Community College
and then Fort Hays State University. 
“With one of my teachers, everything had to be neat,” said Keenan. “He would
actually get out his credit card to make sure your slants were correct for
cursive writing.” 
Keenan still gets to practice her meticulous cursive writing by introducing it
to her third grade class she teaches at Holy Family School. 
“I have teachers that come in and say how beautiful my cursive handwriting is,”
joked Keenan. “If they had the teacher I had, they would know how to make these
letters too.” 
Keenan was married in 1983 and graduated from Fort Hays State in 1984. Her
first job was in Hoisington’s Catholic school where she taught for three years. 
“I remember having to make my own reading charts back then because we didn’t
have computers,” said Keenan. “I remember coming home several nights and
getting a big tablet to write everything out for the kids.” 
Wanting to be in Great Bend, Keenan accepted a job at the former St. Rose
Elementary School. Once St. Rose and St. Patrick’s combined to form Holy
Family, Keenan came along to the school at the Broadway and McKinley
intersection. She has been teaching at a Catholic school her entire career,
spanning 37 years. 
“Graduating college it was just about getting a job,” said Keenan. “Then I
found it was nice to be able to go to church and watch the kids grow
spiritually.” 
Keenan said there is nothing like seeing a child grow, in many facets, from the
first day of school to the end of the year. 
“By the end of the year, to see them blossom is the most rewarding,” said
Keenan. “I enjoy working with the kids. Sometimes you have to act like a kid.
Having fun is important in learning…be one of them.” 
Handling 20 or more young-aged children every day at work takes a lot of
patience, something Keenan felt she learned from her dad. 
“My dad was strict and expected a lot of respect,” said Keenan. “I’m that way.
Patience can run thin, but I feel like my patience is better now that I’m in
third grade where the students are more independent. I think that patience also
comes from raising my two boys with my husband.” 
Along with friendliness among teachers and parents, Keenan noted she
appreciates the expectations that come from Holy Family. 
“We expect a lot around here,” said Keenan. “When the kids leave here, we
always hear great things about them when they get to middle school and beyond.”

Read the previous Appreciation Month stories by clicking&nbsp;<a href="https://greatbendpost.com/category/appreciation-month" target="_blank">HERE</a>.&nbsp; &nbsp;

Each month, Eagle Radio in Great Bend is recognizing groups or individuals that make a big impact on our community. This Appreciation Month is highlighting teachers.<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2021/9/1632336220608.jpeg" alt="Roxann Keenan, 3rd grade teacher at Holy Family School in Great Bend." />
 <figcaption>Roxann Keenan, 3rd grade teacher at Holy Family School in Great Bend.</figcaption>
 </figure>By COLE REIF Great Bend PostWhen Roxann Keenan was attending St. Patrick’s Elementary School as a
child, she remembers you had to have encyclopedia books if you wanted to do any
research. The once student is teaching at the Great Bend elementary school, now
known as Holy Family School, and says a lot has changed. 
“We use so much technology now,” said Keenan. “Back then, you had to read books
and encyclopedias." 
Before she made the switch in resources, Keenan and her family moved from Hays
to Great Bend when she was in the third grade because her dad was transferred
by the oil field company in which he was employed. 
Growing up, Keenan always enjoyed working with children. She took jobs
babysitting and at a daycare. 
“When I graduated from Great Bend High School, I thought I wanted to be a
secretary,” said Keenan. “I just didn’t like it. I couldn’t keep up with the
typing.” 
Changing her mind to become a teacher, Keenan went to Barton Community College
and then Fort Hays State University. 
“With one of my teachers, everything had to be neat,” said Keenan. “He would
actually get out his credit card to make sure your slants were correct for
cursive writing.” 
Keenan still gets to practice her meticulous cursive writing by introducing it
to her third grade class she teaches at Holy Family School. 
“I have teachers that come in and say how beautiful my cursive handwriting is,”
joked Keenan. “If they had the teacher I had, they would know how to make these
letters too.” 
Keenan was married in 1983 and graduated from Fort Hays State in 1984. Her
first job was in Hoisington’s Catholic school where she taught for three years. 
“I remember having to make my own reading charts back then because we didn’t
have computers,” said Keenan. “I remember coming home several nights and
getting a big tablet to write everything out for the kids.” 
Wanting to be in Great Bend, Keenan accepted a job at the former St. Rose
Elementary School. Once St. Rose and St. Patrick’s combined to form Holy
Family, Keenan came along to the school at the Broadway and McKinley
intersection. She has been teaching at a Catholic school her entire career,
spanning 37 years. 
“Graduating college it was just about getting a job,” said Keenan. “Then I
found it was nice to be able to go to church and watch the kids grow
spiritually.” 
Keenan said there is nothing like seeing a child grow, in many facets, from the
first day of school to the end of the year. 
“By the end of the year, to see them blossom is the most rewarding,” said
Keenan. “I enjoy working with the kids. Sometimes you have to act like a kid.
Having fun is important in learning…be one of them.” 
Handling 20 or more young-aged children every day at work takes a lot of
patience, something Keenan felt she learned from her dad. 
“My dad was strict and expected a lot of respect,” said Keenan. “I’m that way.
Patience can run thin, but I feel like my patience is better now that I’m in
third grade where the students are more independent. I think that patience also
comes from raising my two boys with my husband.” 
Along with friendliness among teachers and parents, Keenan noted she
appreciates the expectations that come from Holy Family. 
“We expect a lot around here,” said Keenan. “When the kids leave here, we
always hear great things about them when they get to middle school and beyond.”Read the previous Appreciation Month stories by clicking&nbsp;<a href="https://greatbendpost.com/category/appreciation-month" target="_blank">HERE</a>.&nbsp; &nbsp;

Appreciation Month: Teachers - Roxann Keenan

Lisa Beckwith was surrounded by agriculture growing up as
child in Sylvia, Kansas. Her grandfather lived just outside of town in Stafford
County on a farm, her uncle farmed and her dad managed the local co-op. 
 
“I would pedal my bike down to the co-op and hangout with my dad,” said Beckwith. “As
I got older, I helped with harvest and pumped gas at the co-op.” 
 
Despite a family enriched in agriculture, Beckwith knew at a young age she was
going in a different career direction as she played teacher at home. 
 
“I would take the old school books home and I would practice being a teacher,”
said Beckwith. “I knew by fourth or fifth grade that I wanted to be a teacher.” 
 
After graduation from Fairfield High School in Langdon, KS, Beckwith attended
Emporia State University for her teaching degree. 
 
“I got involved with intramural sports at Emporia and joined some clubs,”
said Beckwith. “The professors were awesome. You could go talk to them and they’d
help you out. I felt very comfortable doing that.” 
 
Beckwith’s student teaching assignment was with first grade, but her first job
following college took her to Sharon, KS to teach fifth grade. 
 
“I remember that first year, before school started, walking around my classroom
and thinking ‘what should I do?’” joked Beckwith. “Luckily there was a teacher
that had taught for over 30 years right next to my classroom. I would ask her ‘what
are you doing?’ and she would tell me she’s putting up a bulletin board. I went
back to my room and put up a bulletin board. That’s how I started.” 
 
Starting in Sharon felt right at home for Beckwith. 
 
“It was part of the Medicine Lodge school district but it was a little, bitty
town,” said Beckwith. “I was very comfortable with that because that’s what I
grew up in. The people were wonderful taking me in as a first-year teacher.” 
 
Beckwith had her first of three children while teaching in Sharon, and the
cooks at the school made sure she was comfortable during her pregnancy. 
 
“I would go in during the mornings and not feel very good,” said Beckwith. “The
cooks would bring me into the kitchen and give me a glass of juice and a piece
of toast.” 
 
The school in Sharon closed after Beckwith’s fifth year teaching, so she began
teaching 10 miles east on U.S. 160 Highway in Attica. After spending three
years in Attica, Beckwith took four years away from teaching to “start the
family” while their family moved to Hudson, KS and her husband began working in
Great Bend. 
 
“After four years, I decided I wanted to get back into teaching,” said
Beckwith. “Central Kansas Christian Academy, at that time it was called Grace
Academy, had a half-time position available in Great Bend. I was able to still
be home in the afternoons with my youngest child.” 
 
Beckwith eventually worked into a fulltime position at Central Kansas Christian
Academy (CKCA) on McKinley Street and has worked there since 1999. 
 
“I can share the word of God here and that is so vitally important to me in my
faith and being able to share it with the kids” said Beckwith. “I also enjoy
CKCA because of the smaller class size. It reminds me of what I had in Sharon
where we are a close-knit community of teachers and parents.” 
 
Beckwith said teaching brings so many rewards and it all starts with the kids. 
 
“I love visiting with each one of them and getting to know them,” said
Beckwith. “It’s awesome watching them grow and learn. When the light goes on
and they finally figure out what the teacher was talking about…it’s a lot of
fun.” 
 
Beckwith said the most difficult thing about teaching is maintaining discipline
to make sure everyone has an opportunity to learn. 
 
“You don’t want a chaotic room,” said Beckwith. “You want to make sure everyone
is under control so all children have the chance to learn.” 
 
A new, good form of chaos is coming to the Beckwith family in February 2022 as
Lisa and her husband will get to see what being grandparents is all about. 
 
“Our middle daughter is getting ready to have twins,” said Beckwith. “I’ll get
the joy of seeing what being a grandparent is like. We’re very excited.”

Each month, Eagle Radio in Great Bend is recognizing groups or individuals that make a big impact on our community. This Appreciation Month is highlighting teachers.&nbsp;<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2021/9/1631735548534.jpeg" alt="Lisa Beckwith (teacher at Central Kansas Christian Academy)" />
 <figcaption>Lisa Beckwith (teacher at Central Kansas Christian Academy)</figcaption>
 </figure>By COLE REIF Great Bend PostLisa Beckwith was surrounded by agriculture growing up as
child in Sylvia, Kansas. Her grandfather lived just outside of town in Stafford
County on a farm, her uncle farmed and her dad managed the local co-op. 
 
“I would pedal my bike down to the co-op and hangout with my dad,” said Beckwith. “As
I got older, I helped with harvest and pumped gas at the co-op.” 
 
Despite a family enriched in agriculture, Beckwith knew at a young age she was
going in a different career direction as she played teacher at home. 
 
“I would take the old school books home and I would practice being a teacher,”
said Beckwith. “I knew by fourth or fifth grade that I wanted to be a teacher.” 
 
After graduation from Fairfield High School in Langdon, KS, Beckwith attended
Emporia State University for her teaching degree. 
 
“I got involved with intramural sports at Emporia and joined some clubs,”
said Beckwith. “The professors were awesome. You could go talk to them and they’d
help you out. I felt very comfortable doing that.” 
 
Beckwith’s student teaching assignment was with first grade, but her first job
following college took her to Sharon, KS to teach fifth grade. 
 
“I remember that first year, before school started, walking around my classroom
and thinking ‘what should I do?’” joked Beckwith. “Luckily there was a teacher
that had taught for over 30 years right next to my classroom. I would ask her ‘what
are you doing?’ and she would tell me she’s putting up a bulletin board. I went
back to my room and put up a bulletin board. That’s how I started.” 
 
Starting in Sharon felt right at home for Beckwith. 
 
“It was part of the Medicine Lodge school district but it was a little, bitty
town,” said Beckwith. “I was very comfortable with that because that’s what I
grew up in. The people were wonderful taking me in as a first-year teacher.” 
 
Beckwith had her first of three children while teaching in Sharon, and the
cooks at the school made sure she was comfortable during her pregnancy. 
 
“I would go in during the mornings and not feel very good,” said Beckwith. “The
cooks would bring me into the kitchen and give me a glass of juice and a piece
of toast.” 
 
The school in Sharon closed after Beckwith’s fifth year teaching, so she began
teaching 10 miles east on U.S. 160 Highway in Attica. After spending three
years in Attica, Beckwith took four years away from teaching to “start the
family” while their family moved to Hudson, KS and her husband began working in
Great Bend. 
 
“After four years, I decided I wanted to get back into teaching,” said
Beckwith. “Central Kansas Christian Academy, at that time it was called Grace
Academy, had a half-time position available in Great Bend. I was able to still
be home in the afternoons with my youngest child.” 
 
Beckwith eventually worked into a fulltime position at Central Kansas Christian
Academy (CKCA) on McKinley Street and has worked there since 1999. 
 
“I can share the word of God here and that is so vitally important to me in my
faith and being able to share it with the kids” said Beckwith. “I also enjoy
CKCA because of the smaller class size. It reminds me of what I had in Sharon
where we are a close-knit community of teachers and parents.” 
 
Beckwith said teaching brings so many rewards and it all starts with the kids. 
 
“I love visiting with each one of them and getting to know them,” said
Beckwith. “It’s awesome watching them grow and learn. When the light goes on
and they finally figure out what the teacher was talking about…it’s a lot of
fun.” 
 
Beckwith said the most difficult thing about teaching is maintaining discipline
to make sure everyone has an opportunity to learn. 
 
“You don’t want a chaotic room,” said Beckwith. “You want to make sure everyone
is under control so all children have the chance to learn.” 
 
A new, good form of chaos is coming to the Beckwith family in February 2022 as
Lisa and her husband will get to see what being grandparents is all about. 
 
“Our middle daughter is getting ready to have twins,” said Beckwith. “I’ll get
the joy of seeing what being a grandparent is like. We’re very excited.”Read the previous Appreciation Month stories by clicking&nbsp;<a href="https://greatbendpost.com/category/appreciation-month" target="_blank">HERE</a>.&nbsp; &nbsp;

Appreciation Month: Teachers - Lisa Beckwith

Each month, Eagle Radio in Great Bend is recognizing groups or individuals that make a big impact on our community. This Appreciation Month is highlighting coaches.&nbsp;

By KEN CARPENTER Great Bend Post

If anyone could be called a coaching legend at Hoisington High School, it would be girls golf coach Bruce Cooper.&nbsp;He took over the&nbsp;girls'&nbsp;golf program in 1980. Six years later he was named the Kansas Coach&nbsp;of&nbsp;the Year.&nbsp;In 2017, he was chosen as the top girls'&nbsp;golf coach in the nation.&nbsp;

Cooper went to Fort Hays State University&nbsp;(FHSU)&nbsp;in the early 1970s to become a&nbsp;biology and science&nbsp;teacher. 

“Teaching was first,”&nbsp;Cooper recounts. “I didn’t really have aspirations to coach. I just wanted to teach.”&nbsp;&nbsp;

When the time came for&nbsp;him to find a student teaching position in 1974, Hoisington wasn’t his first choice.&nbsp;He and a friend decided they wanted to&nbsp;student teach together.&nbsp;In those days, they were allowed to apply to three high schools.&nbsp;

“We both put down Russell for our number one pick,” Cooper said. “We both put down Colby second because I’m from Hoxie. We could have lived at my mom’s house and driven to Colby every day. Then he brought up Hoisington. I said ‘Why do you want to put Hoisington for our third place to student teach?’ He says ‘I don’t know. We don’t know anybody there and it would be a good place to go,&nbsp;not knowing anybody.&nbsp;So&nbsp;we did that. Well, he gets Colby, and&nbsp;he&nbsp;student teaches there. I get Hoisington and I student taught here.”&nbsp;

A student teaching position&nbsp;at&nbsp;Hoisington&nbsp;High&nbsp;had one big advantage that year.&nbsp;The&nbsp;high&nbsp;school principal, Harlan Boye,&nbsp;told&nbsp;Cooper&nbsp;he would only be accepted as a student teacher if he agreed to stay on full-time after he graduated from FHSU.&nbsp;&nbsp;Cooper&nbsp;liked the idea and&nbsp;has&nbsp;been&nbsp;teaching&nbsp;at Hoisington High ever since.&nbsp;

It didn’t take long before Cooper ended up&nbsp;on&nbsp;the sidelines as a Hoisington coach.&nbsp;Boye&nbsp;and Hoisington Schools Superintendent&nbsp;Walt&nbsp;Smith needed an assistant boys’ basketball coach&nbsp;in 1974.&nbsp;

“They&nbsp;said we’ll pay you $400 to be assistant&nbsp;boys’&nbsp;basketball coach.&nbsp; And I was so naïve and green, I asked ‘Is that $400 a month?’ They said ‘No, that’s $400 a year.’ I was embarrassed. I didn’t know any better. I thought ‘I don’t know what you pay coaches. Obviously not very much. $400 a year.’ And I took it.”&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;

Cooper stayed with the boys’ basketball program until 2004, serving as head coach for two of those years.&nbsp;However,&nbsp;he didn’t leave basketball behind. In 2006, he was asked to be an assistant coach for&nbsp;the&nbsp;girls’ basketball&nbsp;team, a position he still holds.&nbsp;But Cooper has made his biggest mark in&nbsp;the&nbsp;Hoisington sports&nbsp;world&nbsp;as a&nbsp;golf&nbsp;coach.&nbsp;&nbsp;

Not many children in western Kansas get the opportunity to play&nbsp;much&nbsp;golf.&nbsp;Cooper, however,&nbsp;was raised on a farm near Hoxie, Kansas&nbsp;that was&nbsp;next to a golf course.&nbsp;

“I think&nbsp;the&nbsp;number nine hole was right by our pasture when I grew up as a kid,” Cooper recalled. “So&nbsp;we actually made some wooden clubs and went out there as youngsters and hit a rubber ball. We didn’t even have a real golf ball. Then as we got a little older, I had two brothers, so all three of us ordered a set of golf clubs to share. Then we got to playing all the time out there.”&nbsp;

That experience came in handy when Hoisington High needed help with its golf programs.&nbsp;

“In 1980, both golf coaches quit, girls and boys,” Cooper said. “The AD [Athletic Director] came up to me and said ‘Would you coach girls golf?’ and I said ‘Yeah, I’ll do it,’ because I liked it. And then he said ‘how about boys golf?’ And I said ‘well, I can do both of them. They probably ought to be the same guy.’&nbsp;So&nbsp;I took both the girls’ golf program in the fall and the boys’ golf program in the spring.”&nbsp;&nbsp;

Since then,&nbsp;Hoisington’s&nbsp;girls’ golf teams have won four state titles, finished 2nd&nbsp;twice and&nbsp;come in 3rd five times.&nbsp;&nbsp;

However, it&nbsp;was a 4th place finish in 2017 that&nbsp;Cooper&nbsp;can’t get out of his mind. He&nbsp;believed&nbsp;his team that year had an excellent chance to win a state title.&nbsp;But it didn’t work out that way.&nbsp;

“I’m still now just getting over it,” Cooper commented. “I keep track of my averages on all the years that we went to state and we had the best average ever.”&nbsp;

There were other good teams in the state tournament that year, but Cooper hoped for the best.&nbsp;

“Syracuse ended up winning it, but we should have gotten second. We didn’t. We tied, so you go to the next girl to break the tie.&nbsp;We go to the fifth girl and we’re still tied.”&nbsp;

It was the&nbsp;sixth girl on the Hoisington team that came up short by one stroke.&nbsp;&nbsp;

“So&nbsp;we missed taking a trophy,” Cooper lamented. “Of all the years, one of the best teams I’ve ever had,&nbsp;and we ended up taking fourth.”&nbsp;

What came after that&nbsp;was as surprising to Cooper as anyone else.&nbsp;He was named the Kansas Coach of the Year for girls' golf for the second time in his career.&nbsp;But that’s not the most surprising part of the story. As Kansas Coach of the Year, Cooper&nbsp;was eligible to be considered&nbsp;National Coach of the Year.&nbsp;&nbsp;

A computer glitch almost put a stop to Cooper’s chances of achieving that honor.&nbsp;

“They give you this opportunity to fill out online a whole bunch of stuff to enter National Coach of the Year,” Cooper&nbsp;explained. “So&nbsp;I’m online during my ‘plan period’ typing this stuff up. They wanted to know some of your community services, some of your background, how you got started. They wanted to know your philosophy. It was long. I got maybe three-fourths done and my&nbsp;‘plan period’&nbsp;was over. I had to teach. I forgot to save it.”&nbsp;

When Cooper got back to his computer later that day, everything had been erased.&nbsp;&nbsp;

“So&nbsp;I did it again, and this time I saved it,” Cooper said. “Well, that didn’t work. Save didn’t work. I went home to my wife&nbsp;[Jerree]&nbsp;and I said ‘I’m not going to register or give my background in coaching because I’ll never get national coach of the year. You kidding me? That’s all 50 states. I’m wasting my time.&nbsp;&nbsp;

“She said, 'You're making it way too hard. Just go in there and keep it simple and fill it out.’”&nbsp;

“Well, that’s the third time I did it. I know I typed different stuff, out of order, probably didn’t make sense. But I did mention my wife really helped me in coaching because she kept telling me, ‘Not everybody’s addicted to this sport like you are. Don’t expect your athletes to love it as much as you do and put that much work into it.’”&nbsp;

“And I put that in my letter to the&nbsp;national committee,” Cooper said. “And then I found out later in January of 2018 I won&nbsp;National&nbsp;Coach of the&nbsp;Year.”&nbsp;

The honor was commemorated by a plaque presented to him by the National Federation of State High School Associations.&nbsp;

As&nbsp;the&nbsp;Hoisington girls’ golf season gets underway this fall, you’ll&nbsp;still be able to find Cooper leading team practices at the Lake Barton Golf Club.&nbsp;He is optimistic about his team of six girls.&nbsp;

“We’re pretty good,” Cooper commented. “I have four very experienced girls coming back.”&nbsp;

After&nbsp;47 years as a high school coach, Cooper&nbsp;describes&nbsp;how coaching has helped him be a mentor to hundreds of Hoisington High School students.&nbsp;&nbsp;

“You get to know the kids really well,” Cooper said. “You get to know them on a level that nobody else gets to know them, not even a teacher. You get to know them when they’re stressed. You get to know them when they’re excited.”&nbsp;

From student teacher to National Coach of the Year and beyond, Cooper is&nbsp;satisfied with the way things turned out for him.&nbsp;

“Hoisington has been tremendous for me,” Cooper&nbsp;said. “I told my wife there are a lot of things that you don’t have control over, but I was sure lucky to meet her and come here to Hoisington and teach. It’s been really good.&nbsp;They've been good to me. They still are. I guess one of these days it’s&nbsp;going to be over and I’ll just have memories, but I enjoy the kids&nbsp;coming back. It’s still exciting.”&nbsp;

Read the previous Appreciation Month stories by clicking&nbsp;<a href="https://greatbendpost.com/category/appreciation-month" target="_blank">HERE</a>.&nbsp;

Each month, Eagle Radio in Great Bend is recognizing groups or individuals that make a big impact on our community. This Appreciation Month is highlighting coaches.&nbsp;<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2021/8/1630352707454.jpeg" alt="Bruce Cooper" />
 <figcaption>Bruce Cooper</figcaption>
 </figure>By KEN CARPENTER Great Bend PostIf anyone could be called a coaching legend at Hoisington High School, it would be girls golf coach Bruce Cooper.&nbsp;He took over the&nbsp;girls'&nbsp;golf program in 1980. Six years later he was named the Kansas Coach&nbsp;of&nbsp;the Year.&nbsp;In 2017, he was chosen as the top girls'&nbsp;golf coach in the nation.&nbsp;Cooper went to Fort Hays State University&nbsp;(FHSU)&nbsp;in the early 1970s to become a&nbsp;biology and science&nbsp;teacher. “Teaching was first,”&nbsp;Cooper recounts. “I didn’t really have aspirations to coach. I just wanted to teach.”&nbsp;&nbsp;When the time came for&nbsp;him to find a student teaching position in 1974, Hoisington wasn’t his first choice.&nbsp;He and a friend decided they wanted to&nbsp;student teach together.&nbsp;In those days, they were allowed to apply to three high schools.&nbsp;“We both put down Russell for our number one pick,” Cooper said. “We both put down Colby second because I’m from Hoxie. We could have lived at my mom’s house and driven to Colby every day. Then he brought up Hoisington. I said ‘Why do you want to put Hoisington for our third place to student teach?’ He says ‘I don’t know. We don’t know anybody there and it would be a good place to go,&nbsp;not knowing anybody.&nbsp;So&nbsp;we did that. Well, he gets Colby, and&nbsp;he&nbsp;student teaches there. I get Hoisington and I student taught here.”&nbsp;A student teaching position&nbsp;at&nbsp;Hoisington&nbsp;High&nbsp;had one big advantage that year.&nbsp;The&nbsp;high&nbsp;school principal, Harlan Boye,&nbsp;told&nbsp;Cooper&nbsp;he would only be accepted as a student teacher if he agreed to stay on full-time after he graduated from FHSU.&nbsp;&nbsp;Cooper&nbsp;liked the idea and&nbsp;has&nbsp;been&nbsp;teaching&nbsp;at Hoisington High ever since.&nbsp;It didn’t take long before Cooper ended up&nbsp;on&nbsp;the sidelines as a Hoisington coach.&nbsp;Boye&nbsp;and Hoisington Schools Superintendent&nbsp;Walt&nbsp;Smith needed an assistant boys’ basketball coach&nbsp;in 1974.&nbsp;“They&nbsp;said we’ll pay you $400 to be assistant&nbsp;boys’&nbsp;basketball coach.&nbsp; And I was so naïve and green, I asked ‘Is that $400 a month?’ They said ‘No, that’s $400 a year.’ I was embarrassed. I didn’t know any better. I thought ‘I don’t know what you pay coaches. Obviously not very much. $400 a year.’ And I took it.”&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Cooper stayed with the boys’ basketball program until 2004, serving as head coach for two of those years.&nbsp;However,&nbsp;he didn’t leave basketball behind. In 2006, he was asked to be an assistant coach for&nbsp;the&nbsp;girls’ basketball&nbsp;team, a position he still holds.&nbsp;But Cooper has made his biggest mark in&nbsp;the&nbsp;Hoisington sports&nbsp;world&nbsp;as a&nbsp;golf&nbsp;coach.&nbsp;&nbsp;Not many children in western Kansas get the opportunity to play&nbsp;much&nbsp;golf.&nbsp;Cooper, however,&nbsp;was raised on a farm near Hoxie, Kansas&nbsp;that was&nbsp;next to a golf course.&nbsp;“I think&nbsp;the&nbsp;number nine hole was right by our pasture when I grew up as a kid,” Cooper recalled. “So&nbsp;we actually made some wooden clubs and went out there as youngsters and hit a rubber ball. We didn’t even have a real golf ball. Then as we got a little older, I had two brothers, so all three of us ordered a set of golf clubs to share. Then we got to playing all the time out there.”&nbsp;That experience came in handy when Hoisington High needed help with its golf programs.&nbsp;“In 1980, both golf coaches quit, girls and boys,” Cooper said. “The AD [Athletic Director] came up to me and said ‘Would you coach girls golf?’ and I said ‘Yeah, I’ll do it,’ because I liked it. And then he said ‘how about boys golf?’ And I said ‘well, I can do both of them. They probably ought to be the same guy.’&nbsp;So&nbsp;I took both the girls’ golf program in the fall and the boys’ golf program in the spring.”&nbsp;&nbsp;Since then,&nbsp;Hoisington’s&nbsp;girls’ golf teams have won four state titles, finished 2nd&nbsp;twice and&nbsp;come in 3rd five times.&nbsp;&nbsp;However, it&nbsp;was a 4th place finish in 2017 that&nbsp;Cooper&nbsp;can’t get out of his mind. He&nbsp;believed&nbsp;his team that year had an excellent chance to win a state title.&nbsp;But it didn’t work out that way.&nbsp;“I’m still now just getting over it,” Cooper commented. “I keep track of my averages on all the years that we went to state and we had the best average ever.”&nbsp;There were other good teams in the state tournament that year, but Cooper hoped for the best.&nbsp;“Syracuse ended up winning it, but we should have gotten second. We didn’t. We tied, so you go to the next girl to break the tie.&nbsp;We go to the fifth girl and we’re still tied.”&nbsp;It was the&nbsp;sixth girl on the Hoisington team that came up short by one stroke.&nbsp;&nbsp;“So&nbsp;we missed taking a trophy,” Cooper lamented. “Of all the years, one of the best teams I’ve ever had,&nbsp;and we ended up taking fourth.”&nbsp;What came after that&nbsp;was as surprising to Cooper as anyone else.&nbsp;He was named the Kansas Coach of the Year for girls' golf for the second time in his career.&nbsp;But that’s not the most surprising part of the story. As Kansas Coach of the Year, Cooper&nbsp;was eligible to be considered&nbsp;National Coach of the Year.&nbsp;&nbsp;A computer glitch almost put a stop to Cooper’s chances of achieving that honor.&nbsp;“They give you this opportunity to fill out online a whole bunch of stuff to enter National Coach of the Year,” Cooper&nbsp;explained. “So&nbsp;I’m online during my ‘plan period’ typing this stuff up. They wanted to know some of your community services, some of your background, how you got started. They wanted to know your philosophy. It was long. I got maybe three-fourths done and my&nbsp;‘plan period’&nbsp;was over. I had to teach. I forgot to save it.”&nbsp;When Cooper got back to his computer later that day, everything had been erased.&nbsp;&nbsp;“So&nbsp;I did it again, and this time I saved it,” Cooper said. “Well, that didn’t work. Save didn’t work. I went home to my wife&nbsp;[Jerree]&nbsp;and I said ‘I’m not going to register or give my background in coaching because I’ll never get national coach of the year. You kidding me? That’s all 50 states. I’m wasting my time.&nbsp;&nbsp;“She said, 'You're making it way too hard. Just go in there and keep it simple and fill it out.’”&nbsp;“Well, that’s the third time I did it. I know I typed different stuff, out of order, probably didn’t make sense. But I did mention my wife really helped me in coaching because she kept telling me, ‘Not everybody’s addicted to this sport like you are. Don’t expect your athletes to love it as much as you do and put that much work into it.’”&nbsp;“And I put that in my letter to the&nbsp;national committee,” Cooper said. “And then I found out later in January of 2018 I won&nbsp;National&nbsp;Coach of the&nbsp;Year.”&nbsp;The honor was commemorated by a plaque presented to him by the National Federation of State High School Associations.&nbsp;As&nbsp;the&nbsp;Hoisington girls’ golf season gets underway this fall, you’ll&nbsp;still be able to find Cooper leading team practices at the Lake Barton Golf Club.&nbsp;He is optimistic about his team of six girls.&nbsp;“We’re pretty good,” Cooper commented. “I have four very experienced girls coming back.”&nbsp;After&nbsp;47 years as a high school coach, Cooper&nbsp;describes&nbsp;how coaching has helped him be a mentor to hundreds of Hoisington High School students.&nbsp;&nbsp;“You get to know the kids really well,” Cooper said. “You get to know them on a level that nobody else gets to know them, not even a teacher. You get to know them when they’re stressed. You get to know them when they’re excited.”&nbsp;From student teacher to National Coach of the Year and beyond, Cooper is&nbsp;satisfied with the way things turned out for him.&nbsp;“Hoisington has been tremendous for me,” Cooper&nbsp;said. “I told my wife there are a lot of things that you don’t have control over, but I was sure lucky to meet her and come here to Hoisington and teach. It’s been really good.&nbsp;They've been good to me. They still are. I guess one of these days it’s&nbsp;going to be over and I’ll just have memories, but I enjoy the kids&nbsp;coming back. It’s still exciting.”&nbsp;Read the previous Appreciation Month stories by clicking&nbsp;<a href="https://greatbendpost.com/category/appreciation-month" target="_blank">HERE</a>.&nbsp;

Appreciation Month: Coaches - Bruce Cooper

Each month, Eagle Radio in Great Bend is recognizing groups or individuals that make a big impact on our community. This Appreciation Month is highlighting coaches.

Enjoying the mountain life in Leadville, Colorado, Greg Maxwell grew up
fishing and hunting all the time. He was able to express his love for the
outdoors through another one of his passions…drawing. 
“Art has been a passion of mine since I was a kid and it’s a way I connect with the outdoors,” said Maxwell. “I do a lot of outdoor paintings that reflect on
experiences and anticipation of hunts.” 
Maxwell also strongly enjoys sports and used to draw and paint sports scenes
but found a different outlet to appreciate athletics. Maxwell has served as an
art teacher at Ellinwood High School and a coach for nearly 25 years. 
“As a coach, I get so much sports in my life, I like the outlet of the outdoors
when I paint or draw,” said Maxwell. 
Maxwell made his journey to Kansas following high school as he played football
at Bethany College in Lindsborg, Kansas. Maxwell’s sister played basketball at
Bethany and he noted he enjoyed the Kansas lifestyle mentality. 
“I played for Hall of Fame coach Ted Kessinger,” said Maxwell. “We won four
conference championships. That gave me my confidence moving into my own
coaching career.” 
After Bethany, Maxwell accepted the art teaching position in Ellinwood in 1997
and has been there since. He currently coaches high school volleyball, golf and
middle school girls basketball. 
“I was attracted to the Ellinwood job because of the art and coaching
positions, but also the outdoors aspect,” said Maxwell. “I was a big waterfowl
hunter coming out of college so that fit well.” 
The volleyball team at Ellinwood High School has experienced a lot of success
under Maxwell, finishing 31-5 and as the Central Prairie League champions this
past season. Despite the success, volleyball is the newest coaching endeavor for
Maxwell.

“I have two daughters and one of them was playing in a recreation commission
match,” said Maxwell. “I told my wife if our daughter was going to choose
volleyball, I was going to have to coach it. Anything my kids do, I expect them
to do at the highest level. In order for that to happen, I knew I had to get
involved.”

Maxwell started coaching volleyball at the rec level, then a club team, became
the middle school coach, spent one year as the assistant at Ellinwood High
School before taking over as head coach. 
Maxwell’s oldest daughter now plays volleyball at Barton Community College and
the youngest is a sixth grader. 
“I love coaching my own daughters,” said Maxwell. “The ability to see
confidence building in your own daughter is phenomenal. “That confidence
carries off the court and takes her in other aspects of life.” 
Coming into the sport of volleyball as a baseline learner, Maxwell said he’s
very open-minded to feedback and advice to improve as a coach. 
“I try to learn from references and people at any level that understand the
game,” said Maxwell. “Wichita State University has played a big part. Coach
Alan Segal at Barton has been tremendously helpful and other coaches we’ve seen
at camps.” 
Maxwell claims to be a better coach in volleyball because he learned the sport
from the ground up. 
“I understand volleyball from a much deeper level,” said Maxwell. “In
everything else that I coach, I played. I find myself being a little more
close-minded in some of those sports because it’s just the way I know it and
the way I did it.” 
Like all coaches, Maxwell understands the time sacrifice but also recognizes
the importance of what he does. 
“I knew when our kids got into this, that’s what we’d be doing for the next 15
years,” said Maxwell. “Our kids have one chance to experience this and they
deserve our very best. We’ll find our time later on.” 
Maxwell’s successes have seen several individual golfers qualify for the state
tournament and the Eagles volleyball team advancing to the state tournament in
2018, ending a 21-year drought in state appearances. 
“When those kids commit to you and truly trust in the credibility you have and
they get to see those rewards…that’s pretty cool.”&nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp;

Read the previous Appreciation Month stories by clicking&nbsp;<a href="https://greatbendpost.com/category/appreciation-month">HERE</a>.

Each month, Eagle Radio in Great Bend is recognizing groups or individuals that make a big impact on our community. This Appreciation Month is highlighting coaches.<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2021/8/1630008061649.jpeg" alt="Greg Maxwell" />
 <figcaption>Greg Maxwell</figcaption>
 </figure>By COLE REIF Great Bend PostEnjoying the mountain life in Leadville, Colorado, Greg Maxwell grew up
fishing and hunting all the time. He was able to express his love for the
outdoors through another one of his passions…drawing. 
“Art has been a passion of mine since I was a kid and it’s a way I connect with the outdoors,” said Maxwell. “I do a lot of outdoor paintings that reflect on
experiences and anticipation of hunts.” 
Maxwell also strongly enjoys sports and used to draw and paint sports scenes
but found a different outlet to appreciate athletics. Maxwell has served as an
art teacher at Ellinwood High School and a coach for nearly 25 years. 
“As a coach, I get so much sports in my life, I like the outlet of the outdoors
when I paint or draw,” said Maxwell. 
Maxwell made his journey to Kansas following high school as he played football
at Bethany College in Lindsborg, Kansas. Maxwell’s sister played basketball at
Bethany and he noted he enjoyed the Kansas lifestyle mentality. 
“I played for Hall of Fame coach Ted Kessinger,” said Maxwell. “We won four
conference championships. That gave me my confidence moving into my own
coaching career.” 
After Bethany, Maxwell accepted the art teaching position in Ellinwood in 1997
and has been there since. He currently coaches high school volleyball, golf and
middle school girls basketball. 
“I was attracted to the Ellinwood job because of the art and coaching
positions, but also the outdoors aspect,” said Maxwell. “I was a big waterfowl
hunter coming out of college so that fit well.” 
The volleyball team at Ellinwood High School has experienced a lot of success
under Maxwell, finishing 31-5 and as the Central Prairie League champions this
past season. Despite the success, volleyball is the newest coaching endeavor for
Maxwell. 
“I have two daughters and one of them was playing in a recreation commission
match,” said Maxwell. “I told my wife if our daughter was going to choose
volleyball, I was going to have to coach it. Anything my kids do, I expect them
to do at the highest level. In order for that to happen, I knew I had to get
involved.”<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2021/8/1630008144655.jpeg" alt="" />
 <figcaption></figcaption>
 </figure>Maxwell started coaching volleyball at the rec level, then a club team, became
the middle school coach, spent one year as the assistant at Ellinwood High
School before taking over as head coach. 
Maxwell’s oldest daughter now plays volleyball at Barton Community College and
the youngest is a sixth grader. 
“I love coaching my own daughters,” said Maxwell. “The ability to see
confidence building in your own daughter is phenomenal. “That confidence
carries off the court and takes her in other aspects of life.” 
Coming into the sport of volleyball as a baseline learner, Maxwell said he’s
very open-minded to feedback and advice to improve as a coach. 
“I try to learn from references and people at any level that understand the
game,” said Maxwell. “Wichita State University has played a big part. Coach
Alan Segal at Barton has been tremendously helpful and other coaches we’ve seen
at camps.” 
Maxwell claims to be a better coach in volleyball because he learned the sport
from the ground up. 
“I understand volleyball from a much deeper level,” said Maxwell. “In
everything else that I coach, I played. I find myself being a little more
close-minded in some of those sports because it’s just the way I know it and
the way I did it.” 
Like all coaches, Maxwell understands the time sacrifice but also recognizes
the importance of what he does. 
“I knew when our kids got into this, that’s what we’d be doing for the next 15
years,” said Maxwell. “Our kids have one chance to experience this and they
deserve our very best. We’ll find our time later on.” 
Maxwell’s successes have seen several individual golfers qualify for the state
tournament and the Eagles volleyball team advancing to the state tournament in
2018, ending a 21-year drought in state appearances. 
“When those kids commit to you and truly trust in the credibility you have and
they get to see those rewards…that’s pretty cool.”&nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp;Read the previous Appreciation Month stories by clicking&nbsp;<a href="https://greatbendpost.com/category/appreciation-month">HERE</a>.

Appreciation Month: Coaches – Greg Maxwell

Great Bend High School teacher and coach Bill Maddy
remembers a coach he had in high school while growing up in Stockton, Kansas.
Phil Wilson arrived to Stockton High School to coach the football team going
into Maddy’s senior year. Stockton won two total games over the three years
combined prior to Wilson’s arrival. 
 
“I remember on the first day coach Wilson came in and said ‘I haven’t had a
losing season since my sophomore year in college and I’m not starting now,’”
said Maddy. “Basically, losing wasn’t an option. We all bought in.” 
 
From winning one game his junior year, Maddy’s senior year saw the Stockton
Tigers make it to the state championship game.

What Wilson preached
and did stuck with Maddy as he went to Fort Hays State University to compete on
the football team. After breaking his thumb during the summer following his
freshman year at FHSU, Maddy decided to quit playing and concentrate on his
math education degree. After graduating college, it was another former coach
that came to his aid. 
“Mark Altman went to Lebo after coaching at Stockton,” said Maddy. “When I
graduated from Fort Hays, he called me and said he was leaving and thought he
could get me a job at Lebo High School.” 
The 23-year-old Maddy, right out of college, started teaching math and coaching
in Lebo. 
“I was blessed with some really good talent in Lebo,” said Maddy. “I remember
starting the basketball season 11-0 and thought this is easy. It also helped
that our kids were learning the same system I had. They had my coach, Altman,
and I had the same philosophy.” 
Maddy spent four years in Lebo doing anything and everything in what he
described as a family atmosphere. 
“I painted the football field and I don’t think I got paid anything extra for
it…it just needed to be done,” said Maddy. “I put in a lot of work and got home
late. It’s a good think I did it when I was young.” 
Maddy is very familiar with the Great Bend and Hays rivalry but said the Lebo
versus Waverly rivalry is right up there. 
“Waverly and Lebo are 15 minutes apart and both share the same district and
superintendent,” said Maddy. “I wish everyone could be part of it. In the movie
Hoosiers, when the whole town packed up to watch the game…that’s exactly what
it was while I was in Lebo.”

Maddy met his wife, from Great Bend, in college. Wanting to get back closer to
family, Maddy accepted a teaching position in Ellinwood in the mid-1990s. The
only coaching positions Ellinwood had open at the time were junior high girls
basketball and assistant football. 
“I was told we didn’t have a strong group at the junior high level and we
probably wouldn’t win a game,” said Maddy. “We took second in the league tournament
that year and won it the next year. They couldn’t always do what I wanted but
they always tried to do what you told them.” 
Two years later, Maddy became the head girls basketball coach at Ellinwood High
School and eventually took the Eagles to their first state tournament in 2005.
In his 16 years at Ellinwood, Maddy also spent time coaching football. 
Another coach guided Maddy to his next job. Carrie Minton was an assistant
coach with Maddy for a short time in Ellinwood. Slowing down in his coaching
duties, Maddy received a request from Minton in 2012. 
“She said ‘I think I’m going to be the head girls basketball coach at Great
Bend, do you want to come over?’” said Maddy. “I thought about it for a week
and then said yes.” 
Maddy currently serves as an Individual Learning Center (ILC) teacher at Great
Bend High School and is an assistant coach for the football, girls basketball and
track and field teams. 
“I actually enjoy being an assistant coach more,” said Maddy. “I got to the point
as a head coach where I wasn’t enjoying the winning. It was just a relief not
to lose. Now I can give my two cents and I’m the good cop as the assistant.” 
Listing his favorite moments while at Great Bend, Maddy recalls the 2016
football team that was one game away from the state championship. Maddy enjoyed
the comeback, referred to as the “Miracle on Morton”, in 2019 where the
Panthers beat Andover. The girls basketball team making it to the state tournament
in 2014 is high on the list for Maddy as well. 
“I love when teams or individuals play beyond their capabilities,” said Maddy. “There’s
nothing like seeing kids play to their potential or accomplishing something
they were not expected to achieve.”

Each month, Eagle Radio in Great Bend is recognizing groups or individuals that make a big impact on our community. This Appreciation Month is highlighting coaches.<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2021/8/1629321240149.jpeg" alt="Bill Maddy (USD 428 photo)" />
 <figcaption>Bill Maddy (USD 428 photo)</figcaption>
 </figure>By COLE REIF Great Bend PostGreat Bend High School teacher and coach Bill Maddy
remembers a coach he had in high school while growing up in Stockton, Kansas.
Phil Wilson arrived to Stockton High School to coach the football team going
into Maddy’s senior year. Stockton won two total games over the three years
combined prior to Wilson’s arrival. 
 
“I remember on the first day coach Wilson came in and said ‘I haven’t had a
losing season since my sophomore year in college and I’m not starting now,’”
said Maddy. “Basically, losing wasn’t an option. We all bought in.” 
 
From winning one game his junior year, Maddy’s senior year saw the Stockton
Tigers make it to the state championship game. What Wilson preached
and did stuck with Maddy as he went to Fort Hays State University to compete on
the football team. After breaking his thumb during the summer following his
freshman year at FHSU, Maddy decided to quit playing and concentrate on his
math education degree. After graduating college, it was another former coach
that came to his aid. 
“Mark Altman went to Lebo after coaching at Stockton,” said Maddy. “When I
graduated from Fort Hays, he called me and said he was leaving and thought he
could get me a job at Lebo High School.” 
The 23-year-old Maddy, right out of college, started teaching math and coaching
in Lebo. 
“I was blessed with some really good talent in Lebo,” said Maddy. “I remember
starting the basketball season 11-0 and thought this is easy. It also helped
that our kids were learning the same system I had. They had my coach, Altman,
and I had the same philosophy.” 
Maddy spent four years in Lebo doing anything and everything in what he
described as a family atmosphere. 
“I painted the football field and I don’t think I got paid anything extra for
it…it just needed to be done,” said Maddy. “I put in a lot of work and got home
late. It’s a good think I did it when I was young.” 
Maddy is very familiar with the Great Bend and Hays rivalry but said the Lebo
versus Waverly rivalry is right up there. 
“Waverly and Lebo are 15 minutes apart and both share the same district and
superintendent,” said Maddy. “I wish everyone could be part of it. In the movie
Hoosiers, when the whole town packed up to watch the game…that’s exactly what
it was while I was in Lebo.”<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2021/8/1629380684336.jpeg" alt="" />
 <figcaption></figcaption>
 </figure>Maddy met his wife, from Great Bend, in college. Wanting to get back closer to
family, Maddy accepted a teaching position in Ellinwood in the mid-1990s. The
only coaching positions Ellinwood had open at the time were junior high girls
basketball and assistant football. 
“I was told we didn’t have a strong group at the junior high level and we
probably wouldn’t win a game,” said Maddy. “We took second in the league tournament
that year and won it the next year. They couldn’t always do what I wanted but
they always tried to do what you told them.” 
Two years later, Maddy became the head girls basketball coach at Ellinwood High
School and eventually took the Eagles to their first state tournament in 2005.
In his 16 years at Ellinwood, Maddy also spent time coaching football. 
Another coach guided Maddy to his next job. Carrie Minton was an assistant
coach with Maddy for a short time in Ellinwood. Slowing down in his coaching
duties, Maddy received a request from Minton in 2012. 
“She said ‘I think I’m going to be the head girls basketball coach at Great
Bend, do you want to come over?’” said Maddy. “I thought about it for a week
and then said yes.” 
Maddy currently serves as an Individual Learning Center (ILC) teacher at Great
Bend High School and is an assistant coach for the football, girls basketball and
track and field teams. 
“I actually enjoy being an assistant coach more,” said Maddy. “I got to the point
as a head coach where I wasn’t enjoying the winning. It was just a relief not
to lose. Now I can give my two cents and I’m the good cop as the assistant.” 
Listing his favorite moments while at Great Bend, Maddy recalls the 2016
football team that was one game away from the state championship. Maddy enjoyed
the comeback, referred to as the “Miracle on Morton”, in 2019 where the
Panthers beat Andover. The girls basketball team making it to the state tournament
in 2014 is high on the list for Maddy as well. 
“I love when teams or individuals play beyond their capabilities,” said Maddy. “There’s
nothing like seeing kids play to their potential or accomplishing something
they were not expected to achieve.”Read the previous Appreciation Month stories by clicking&nbsp;<a href="https://greatbendpost.com/category/appreciation-month">HERE</a>.

Appreciation Month: Coaches – Bill Maddy

Central Plains High School girls basketball coach Pat Stiles
tells his players each year there are two things you can control. Your choice
of attitude and how hard you play. 
 
“You can’t control whether you turn the ball over, miss a shot or lose a game,”
said Stiles. “You can always control your attitude and how hard you play.” 
 
Those are two qualities Stiles has been instilling into the minds of student athletes for decades. Stiles has spent the past 40 years at Central
Plains and the former Claflin High School, nearly his entire career outside of
one year in Kansas City. 
 
“My wife and I grew up in Wilson, Kansas,” said Stiles. “I had a junior high
coach, Darrell Thrasher, who just passed away this year. I idolized him and
that’s who I wanted to be. I wanted to be a science teacher and a coach.” 
 
Sports was everything to Stiles in high school. He continued his playing career
at St. Mary of the Plains College in Dodge City, now closed. Stiles played four
years of basketball in college and two years of football. 
 
“I was a pretty mediocre basketball player,” joked Stiles. “I enjoyed being on the
team. Our teams were pretty average in college.” 
 
Stiles and his wife got married while attending college. His wife worked as a
bank teller which helped put Pat through school. Upon Pat’s graduation, his
wife went to Kansas City to finish her nursing degree. Pat accepted his first
job at St. Joseph school in Kansas City where he taught science and was the
assistant football and basketball coach. 
 
“That was a trying year,” said Stiles. “I’ve always been at a small school and
then all of a sudden I was at a 4A school. I was teaching four sections of
biology and one section of chemistry. It was so busy.”

Following one year in Kansas City, Stiles and his wife wanted to get closer to
family. Stiles accepted a science teaching position at Claflin High School in
the early 1980s. 

For decades, Stiles coached multiple sports at the junior high
and high school levels. When Quivira Heights and Claflin consolidated schools
to become Central Plains High School in 2011, Stiles decided to focus on girls
basketball. 
 
“When we consolidated, there seemed to be a surplus of coaches,” said Stiles. “I
thought that was a good time to step down and do just one sport.” &nbsp; 
 
It has been a productive run for Stiles leading the Lady Oilers. Central Plains
has won seven straight state basketball championships and set the state record
with 138 straight wins during that stretch. 
 
“I’ll look back at the success later,” said Stiles. “You want to live in the moment.
You win that state championship and you’re already thinking about next year.
One of these days, when they’re tired of having me around, I can look back at
what we’ve accomplished.” 
 
Stiles credits his passion to learn and attending clinics on how he has grown
and improved as a coach in his 41 years. He has also been around a lot of great
coaches in the Claflin area during his time. 
 
“You think about all the coaches we’ve had here,” said Stiles. “Starting with
coach Randy Clark, Greg Webb, Toby Holmes, Chris Steiner and Jim Ryan. I’ve
been so fortunate to be around so many great coaches.”

At the beginning of Stiles’ career, he enjoyed seeing the tremendous
improvement at the junior high level. Now, he said it is amazing to see a bunch
of individuals come together and put the team first. 
 
“When teams play together and play the right way, that is such a high for me to
see,” said Stiles. “I think that is what the kids have developed here at
Central Plains.” 
 
While Stiles did not coach his daughter Jackie, the former WNBA player and
former collegiate coach, he did have a chance to coach his daughter Roxanne to
a state championship in track and field in 2006. 
 
“I remember we started a tradition that if we won a trophy we would carry it all
the way to the top of the stands at Cessna Stadium and back down,” said Stiles. “That
was such a cool moment.” 
 
Also in 2006, Claflin won the girls basketball championship as
Stiles was an assistant to Holmes. 
 
“I look back, and three of the five starters on that 2006 team became doctors,”
said Stiles. “That was a smart group of kids.” 
 
Right up there with his favorite moments of coaching was the first of seven consecutive
state championships in basketball in 2014 as the head coach. 
 
“All the state titles are fun but that first one is special,” said Stiles. “That
was quite a moment, especially when we weren’t picked to win that one. All my
kids were there. It was cool to have all my kids in the stands watching.” 
 
From teaching and coaching immediately after college, Stiles cannot imagine
doing anything else. 
 
“Teaching and coaching has been a rewarding career for me,” said Stiles. “I
know monetarily it’s not always beneficial to teach, but it’s worth it when you
get that letter or note from your past athletes thanking you. That means so
much. Those are things you stick in a drawer and save.”

Each month, Eagle Radio in Great Bend is recognizing groups or individuals that make a big impact on our community. This Appreciation Month is highlighting coaches.<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2021/8/1628887418610.jpeg" alt="Pat Stiles" />
 <figcaption>Pat Stiles</figcaption>
 </figure>By COLE REIF Great Bend PostCentral Plains High School girls basketball coach Pat Stiles
tells his players each year there are two things you can control. Your choice
of attitude and how hard you play. 
 
“You can’t control whether you turn the ball over, miss a shot or lose a game,”
said Stiles. “You can always control your attitude and how hard you play.” 
 
Those are two qualities Stiles has been instilling into the minds of student athletes for decades. Stiles has spent the past 40 years at Central
Plains and the former Claflin High School, nearly his entire career outside of
one year in Kansas City. 
 
“My wife and I grew up in Wilson, Kansas,” said Stiles. “I had a junior high
coach, Darrell Thrasher, who just passed away this year. I idolized him and
that’s who I wanted to be. I wanted to be a science teacher and a coach.” 
 
Sports was everything to Stiles in high school. He continued his playing career
at St. Mary of the Plains College in Dodge City, now closed. Stiles played four
years of basketball in college and two years of football. 
 
“I was a pretty mediocre basketball player,” joked Stiles. “I enjoyed being on the
team. Our teams were pretty average in college.” 
 
Stiles and his wife got married while attending college. His wife worked as a
bank teller which helped put Pat through school. Upon Pat’s graduation, his
wife went to Kansas City to finish her nursing degree. Pat accepted his first
job at St. Joseph school in Kansas City where he taught science and was the
assistant football and basketball coach. 
 
“That was a trying year,” said Stiles. “I’ve always been at a small school and
then all of a sudden I was at a 4A school. I was teaching four sections of
biology and one section of chemistry. It was so busy.”<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2021/8/1628887650609.jpeg" alt="" />
 <figcaption></figcaption>
 </figure>Following one year in Kansas City, Stiles and his wife wanted to get closer to
family. Stiles accepted a science teaching position at Claflin High School in
the early 1980s. For decades, Stiles coached multiple sports at the junior high
and high school levels. When Quivira Heights and Claflin consolidated schools
to become Central Plains High School in 2011, Stiles decided to focus on girls
basketball. 
 
“When we consolidated, there seemed to be a surplus of coaches,” said Stiles. “I
thought that was a good time to step down and do just one sport.” &nbsp; 
 
It has been a productive run for Stiles leading the Lady Oilers. Central Plains
has won seven straight state basketball championships and set the state record
with 138 straight wins during that stretch. 
 
“I’ll look back at the success later,” said Stiles. “You want to live in the moment.
You win that state championship and you’re already thinking about next year.
One of these days, when they’re tired of having me around, I can look back at
what we’ve accomplished.” 
 
Stiles credits his passion to learn and attending clinics on how he has grown
and improved as a coach in his 41 years. He has also been around a lot of great
coaches in the Claflin area during his time. 
 
“You think about all the coaches we’ve had here,” said Stiles. “Starting with
coach Randy Clark, Greg Webb, Toby Holmes, Chris Steiner and Jim Ryan. I’ve
been so fortunate to be around so many great coaches.”<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2021/8/1628887688592.jpeg" alt="" />
 <figcaption></figcaption>
 </figure>At the beginning of Stiles’ career, he enjoyed seeing the tremendous
improvement at the junior high level. Now, he said it is amazing to see a bunch
of individuals come together and put the team first. 
 
“When teams play together and play the right way, that is such a high for me to
see,” said Stiles. “I think that is what the kids have developed here at
Central Plains.” 
 
While Stiles did not coach his daughter Jackie, the former WNBA player and
former collegiate coach, he did have a chance to coach his daughter Roxanne to
a state championship in track and field in 2006. 
 
“I remember we started a tradition that if we won a trophy we would carry it all
the way to the top of the stands at Cessna Stadium and back down,” said Stiles. “That
was such a cool moment.” 
 
Also in 2006, Claflin won the girls basketball championship as
Stiles was an assistant to Holmes. 
 
“I look back, and three of the five starters on that 2006 team became doctors,”
said Stiles. “That was a smart group of kids.” 
 
Right up there with his favorite moments of coaching was the first of seven consecutive
state championships in basketball in 2014 as the head coach. 
 
“All the state titles are fun but that first one is special,” said Stiles. “That
was quite a moment, especially when we weren’t picked to win that one. All my
kids were there. It was cool to have all my kids in the stands watching.” 
 
From teaching and coaching immediately after college, Stiles cannot imagine
doing anything else. 
 
“Teaching and coaching has been a rewarding career for me,” said Stiles. “I
know monetarily it’s not always beneficial to teach, but it’s worth it when you
get that letter or note from your past athletes thanking you. That means so
much. Those are things you stick in a drawer and save.”Read the previous Appreciation Month stories by clicking&nbsp;<a href="https://greatbendpost.com/category/appreciation-month">HERE</a>.

Appreciation Month: Coaches - Pat Stiles

Each month, Eagle Radio in Great Bend will recognize groups or individuals that make a big impact on our community. This Appreciation Month is highlighting volunteers.&nbsp;

Dominican&nbsp;Sister Annette Winter&nbsp;formally&nbsp;dedicated herself to a lifetime of service&nbsp;more than 60&nbsp;years ago.&nbsp;So&nbsp;it&nbsp;is not surprising&nbsp;that&nbsp;she was&nbsp;willing to help when&nbsp;a volunteer&nbsp;was needed&nbsp;to&nbsp;drive&nbsp;local residents to medical appointments.&nbsp;Several&nbsp;years ago, Sister Annette&nbsp;became part of a group of volunteers with&nbsp;RSVP/Volunteers in Action of Central Kansas.&nbsp;In 2017, she was honored as “Volunteer of the Year” with that&nbsp;organization.&nbsp;&nbsp;

Born at St. Francis Hospital in Wichita in 1940, Sister Annette grew up on a farm west of Wichita where she was expected to help around the farm.&nbsp;She learned about hard work&nbsp;by&nbsp;taking care of chickens, sheep and cows.&nbsp;The oldest of eight children&nbsp;(six girls and two boys),&nbsp;she attended a&nbsp;Catholic grade school six miles from her home.&nbsp;When she was finishing eighth grade,&nbsp;Sister Annette remembers how an invitation to visit the prep school&nbsp;at the Immaculate Conception Convent in Great Bend&nbsp;set her on a path to becoming a Catholic nun.&nbsp;&nbsp;

“They&nbsp;were trying to decide where I was going to go to high school,” she remembered. “Was it going to&nbsp;be Goddard, was&nbsp;it going to be Garden Plain or was it going to be Sacred Heart&nbsp;in Wichita?&nbsp;Somehow,&nbsp;we&nbsp;got&nbsp;invited&nbsp;to&nbsp;come&nbsp;up to the Motherhouse to what they called Vocation Day.&nbsp;&nbsp;All the eighth-graders from all the schools that the sisters taught in were invited to go.&nbsp;So&nbsp;all the girls in my class went.&nbsp;My mother drove one of the cars&nbsp;up that day.&nbsp;&nbsp;I don’t know, it just felt right. That’s how I got into prep school and I wanted to continue on. I ended up entering and that was it.”&nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;

It was during her high school years&nbsp;in Great&nbsp;Bend&nbsp;that&nbsp;she&nbsp;chose&nbsp;to take vows to become a Dominican Sister.&nbsp;&nbsp;

In recent years,&nbsp;Sister Annette&nbsp;has dedicated much of her time in helping with Catholic Charities of&nbsp;Southwest Kansas.&nbsp;She recalls&nbsp;that Rebecca Ford&nbsp;with Catholic Charities told her about the need for a&nbsp;volunteer&nbsp;medical transport driver. Sister Annette didn’t hesitate to help out.&nbsp;&nbsp;

As an&nbsp;RSVP volunteer, she has driven people to medical appointments&nbsp;in&nbsp;a number of&nbsp;locations&nbsp;including Wichita, Salina, Hays, Ellinwood and Larned.&nbsp;She used to go into the waiting room with the medical patients. But since the Covid-19 pandemic began, she waits in her vehicle and works on craft projects, usually crocheting.&nbsp;

Sister Annette knows that she is providing an essential service to people she is helping&nbsp;no matter what their medical needs are.&nbsp;

“I think every time I take somebody, it’s important for them, that they get to that medical appointment,” she said. “I think each person is special.”&nbsp;

People who count on Sister Annette&nbsp;for transportation&nbsp;can expect to&nbsp;see her behind the wheel of a car for some time to come.&nbsp;She’s not ready to retire from volunteering.&nbsp;

“I haven’t thought about quitting,” she proclaimed. “As long as I can keep doing it, I intend to try&nbsp;if they’ll accept me. I’ll keep doing it.”&nbsp;

Read the previous Appreciation Month stories by clicking&nbsp;<a href="https://greatbendpost.com/category/appreciation-month" target="_blank">HERE</a>.&nbsp;

Each month, Eagle Radio in Great Bend will recognize groups or individuals that make a big impact on our community. This Appreciation Month is highlighting volunteers.&nbsp;<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2021/7/1627480545754.png" alt="Sister Annette Winter" />
 <figcaption>Sister Annette Winter</figcaption>
 </figure>By KEN CARPENTER Great Bend PostDominican&nbsp;Sister Annette Winter&nbsp;formally&nbsp;dedicated herself to a lifetime of service&nbsp;more than 60&nbsp;years ago.&nbsp;So&nbsp;it&nbsp;is not surprising&nbsp;that&nbsp;she was&nbsp;willing to help when&nbsp;a volunteer&nbsp;was needed&nbsp;to&nbsp;drive&nbsp;local residents to medical appointments.&nbsp;Several&nbsp;years ago, Sister Annette&nbsp;became part of a group of volunteers with&nbsp;RSVP/Volunteers in Action of Central Kansas.&nbsp;In 2017, she was honored as “Volunteer of the Year” with that&nbsp;organization.&nbsp;&nbsp;Born at St. Francis Hospital in Wichita in 1940, Sister Annette grew up on a farm west of Wichita where she was expected to help around the farm.&nbsp;She learned about hard work&nbsp;by&nbsp;taking care of chickens, sheep and cows.&nbsp;The oldest of eight children&nbsp;(six girls and two boys),&nbsp;she attended a&nbsp;Catholic grade school six miles from her home.&nbsp;When she was finishing eighth grade,&nbsp;Sister Annette remembers how an invitation to visit the prep school&nbsp;at the Immaculate Conception Convent in Great Bend&nbsp;set her on a path to becoming a Catholic nun.&nbsp;&nbsp;“They&nbsp;were trying to decide where I was going to go to high school,” she remembered. “Was it going to&nbsp;be Goddard, was&nbsp;it going to be Garden Plain or was it going to be Sacred Heart&nbsp;in Wichita?&nbsp;Somehow,&nbsp;we&nbsp;got&nbsp;invited&nbsp;to&nbsp;come&nbsp;up to the Motherhouse to what they called Vocation Day.&nbsp;&nbsp;All the eighth-graders from all the schools that the sisters taught in were invited to go.&nbsp;So&nbsp;all the girls in my class went.&nbsp;My mother drove one of the cars&nbsp;up that day.&nbsp;&nbsp;I don’t know, it just felt right. That’s how I got into prep school and I wanted to continue on. I ended up entering and that was it.”&nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;It was during her high school years&nbsp;in Great&nbsp;Bend&nbsp;that&nbsp;she&nbsp;chose&nbsp;to take vows to become a Dominican Sister.&nbsp;&nbsp;In recent years,&nbsp;Sister Annette&nbsp;has dedicated much of her time in helping with Catholic Charities of&nbsp;Southwest Kansas.&nbsp;She recalls&nbsp;that Rebecca Ford&nbsp;with Catholic Charities told her about the need for a&nbsp;volunteer&nbsp;medical transport driver. Sister Annette didn’t hesitate to help out.&nbsp;&nbsp;As an&nbsp;RSVP volunteer, she has driven people to medical appointments&nbsp;in&nbsp;a number of&nbsp;locations&nbsp;including Wichita, Salina, Hays, Ellinwood and Larned.&nbsp;She used to go into the waiting room with the medical patients. But since the Covid-19 pandemic began, she waits in her vehicle and works on craft projects, usually crocheting.&nbsp;Sister Annette knows that she is providing an essential service to people she is helping&nbsp;no matter what their medical needs are.&nbsp;“I think every time I take somebody, it’s important for them, that they get to that medical appointment,” she said. “I think each person is special.”&nbsp;People who count on Sister Annette&nbsp;for transportation&nbsp;can expect to&nbsp;see her behind the wheel of a car for some time to come.&nbsp;She’s not ready to retire from volunteering.&nbsp;“I haven’t thought about quitting,” she proclaimed. “As long as I can keep doing it, I intend to try&nbsp;if they’ll accept me. I’ll keep doing it.”&nbsp;Read the previous Appreciation Month stories by clicking&nbsp;<a href="https://greatbendpost.com/category/appreciation-month" target="_blank">HERE</a>.&nbsp;

Appreciation Month: Volunteers - Sister Annette Winter

Until a couple of years ago, helping people with their taxes was a family enterprise for Kathy and Richard Ahlvers. They started volunteering for the AARP Tax-Aide Program in 1998. Richard retired in 2019, but Kathy is continuing as the local coordinator for the program.&nbsp;

Ahlvers grew up on a farm near Galatia as part of the Deines family. She was the oldest of seven children. After graduating from Hoisington High School, she spent two years training with Dr. Clair Cavanaugh at St. Rose Hospital in Great Bend in order to be certified as a radiology technologist.&nbsp;

Her career in radiology continued after she married Richard. They moved to St. Francis, Kansas where they welcomed two daughters into their family. Richard’s job as a school administrator took the family to Mankato and then Courtland in north, central Kansas. Ahlvers worked in radiology throughout that period.&nbsp;

In the&nbsp;early&nbsp;1990s, Ahlvers&nbsp;added something new to her resume. She&nbsp;earned an associate degree in business from Cloud County Community College.&nbsp;&nbsp;

“I didn’t start to do business,” Ahlvers remembered. “I went in because I wanted a college degree. When I was young and my folks couldn’t afford it, I didn’t get one. One thing just kind of led to another.”&nbsp;

After finishing at Cloud County, she earned a bachelor’s degree in business from Benedictine College and finally an M.B.A from Kansas State University&nbsp;in 1996.&nbsp;Benedictine and K-State offered&nbsp;programs within driving distance of Ahlvers home in Courtland.&nbsp;

“When&nbsp;they brought that program out from K-State, I thought, well, I’ll just work on my masters,”&nbsp;Ahlvers said.&nbsp;

Her husband retired not long after that. They moved to Great Bend&nbsp;where her brother lived&nbsp;in 1998; they could also be close to her parents who&nbsp;lived in Otis.&nbsp;&nbsp;

It was an article in the paper that led to a new career as a volunteer.&nbsp;

“I decided not to go back to work because my only grandkid lived in Boise,&nbsp;Idaho&nbsp;and I didn’t want to be tied down to a job.&nbsp;So&nbsp;I saw in the [Great Bend] Tribune they were looking for someone to volunteer to do taxes.&nbsp;I said&nbsp;I’ve got an MBA.&nbsp;Surely&nbsp;I can do taxes. That’s was back when you still did them with paper and a pencil. I didn’t think it would last this long.”&nbsp;

Not long after&nbsp;they moved to Great Bend, she and her husband signed&nbsp;up&nbsp;as volunteers with the AARP Tax-Aide Program&nbsp;which was created&nbsp;to help low to moderate-income people,&nbsp;with an emphasis on the elderly.&nbsp;They began&nbsp;by taking a class&nbsp;to help prepare them&nbsp;as volunteer tax preparers.&nbsp;And then they got to work.&nbsp;

“That year, we went to the library and met clients there, and then we’d bring all their information home and do their taxes and have an appointment to meet them the next week,” Ahlvers recalled. “We each took separate clients.&nbsp;If we had a question, we would work together if we needed to. If one of us had a question, you could bounce it off of the other person and see if they agreed with you, and if they didn’t, we had experts we could call for further instructions or information.”&nbsp;

Going from a paid job to volunteering was an easy step for Ahlvers and her husband.&nbsp;

“Of course&nbsp;where we worked in the hospital and the school system, you’re working and helping people,” she said. “Once I was not working at a full-time job, I just felt like I needed to do volunteer work. One year leads to another.”&nbsp;

And the years have added up. Ahlers&nbsp;has worked for 23 years&nbsp;as a volunteer tax preparer.&nbsp;She&nbsp;said her volunteer work is rewarding because&nbsp;it&nbsp;meets a need for&nbsp;her clients.&nbsp;

“So many of the people we help really can’t afford to pay someone. A lot of them pay more than they get as a refund. The majority really don’t have that much money. And yet they want to do their duty and file their taxes.”&nbsp;

Ahlvers said the AARP program not only&nbsp;saves her clients the money they would&nbsp;be&nbsp;paying an accountant,&nbsp;but&nbsp;it&nbsp;sometimes helps&nbsp;them reduce their tax&nbsp;burden.&nbsp;

“There were some that came in that had been doing their own taxes&nbsp;and&nbsp;did not realize that they could file as head of household or that they could get a child tax credit or all these new things that have come out; they didn’t know it,” Ahlvers commented. “And there were others I did every year&nbsp;who&nbsp;became friends. I’ve had some of them that I’ve done their taxes probably close to 20 years.”&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;

Ahlvers' volunteer work came to a sudden halt in 2020 when the Covid-19 pandemic&nbsp;hit. She remembers that well.&nbsp;

“We were working, and we had appointments set and they closed us down. I think it was on March 14th,” she&nbsp;lamented. “At that point, they told us&nbsp;‘you&nbsp;just quit.’ Anybody who had an appointment after that had to figure out where to get theirs done someplace else.”&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;

The AARP program started up again this year. Ahlvers said she was able to help people with their taxes again, but&nbsp;AARP required everyone to follow a number of special&nbsp;precautions.&nbsp;

“They [the clients] would go into the RSVP office, and there was someone there that would meet them. They were really careful contact. They took all their information, they scanned it into the computer. Everybody was working at home and we’d just download our clients and do them at home. The next week they would come back and pick up their tax returns. I would do all the e-filing.”&nbsp;&nbsp;

Ahlvers has not heard yet if the Covid-19 protocols will be followed again next year.&nbsp;However, she plans to continue&nbsp;helping&nbsp;people&nbsp;even if she can’t meet with them face to face like she used to.&nbsp;&nbsp;

So how long will she continue to volunteer? She jokingly said that she is going to evaluate that after 25 years.&nbsp;

“I was going to quit after 20, but I enjoy working with the people we’re working with.&nbsp; And that makes a lot of difference,”&nbsp;she&nbsp;said. “Volunteer work keeps me busy, keeps my mind active. That’s probably the best thing about it, it keeps your mind active.”&nbsp;

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2021/7/1626807206048.jpeg" alt="Kathy &amp; Richard Ahlers" />
 <figcaption>Kathy &amp; Richard Ahlers</figcaption>
 </figure>By KEN CARPENTER Great Bend PostUntil a couple of years ago, helping people with their taxes was a family enterprise for Kathy and Richard Ahlvers. They started volunteering for the AARP Tax-Aide Program in 1998. Richard retired in 2019, but Kathy is continuing as the local coordinator for the program.&nbsp;Ahlvers grew up on a farm near Galatia as part of the Deines family. She was the oldest of seven children. After graduating from Hoisington High School, she spent two years training with Dr. Clair Cavanaugh at St. Rose Hospital in Great Bend in order to be certified as a radiology technologist.&nbsp;Her career in radiology continued after she married Richard. They moved to St. Francis, Kansas where they welcomed two daughters into their family. Richard’s job as a school administrator took the family to Mankato and then Courtland in north, central Kansas. Ahlvers worked in radiology throughout that period.&nbsp;In the&nbsp;early&nbsp;1990s, Ahlvers&nbsp;added something new to her resume. She&nbsp;earned an associate degree in business from Cloud County Community College.&nbsp;&nbsp;“I didn’t start to do business,” Ahlvers remembered. “I went in because I wanted a college degree. When I was young and my folks couldn’t afford it, I didn’t get one. One thing just kind of led to another.”&nbsp;After finishing at Cloud County, she earned a bachelor’s degree in business from Benedictine College and finally an M.B.A from Kansas State University&nbsp;in 1996.&nbsp;Benedictine and K-State offered&nbsp;programs within driving distance of Ahlvers home in Courtland.&nbsp;“When&nbsp;they brought that program out from K-State, I thought, well, I’ll just work on my masters,”&nbsp;Ahlvers said.&nbsp;Her husband retired not long after that. They moved to Great Bend&nbsp;where her brother lived&nbsp;in 1998; they could also be close to her parents who&nbsp;lived in Otis.&nbsp;&nbsp;It was an article in the paper that led to a new career as a volunteer.&nbsp;“I decided not to go back to work because my only grandkid lived in Boise,&nbsp;Idaho&nbsp;and I didn’t want to be tied down to a job.&nbsp;So&nbsp;I saw in the [Great Bend] Tribune they were looking for someone to volunteer to do taxes.&nbsp;I said&nbsp;I’ve got an MBA.&nbsp;Surely&nbsp;I can do taxes. That’s was back when you still did them with paper and a pencil. I didn’t think it would last this long.”&nbsp;Not long after&nbsp;they moved to Great Bend, she and her husband signed&nbsp;up&nbsp;as volunteers with the AARP Tax-Aide Program&nbsp;which was created&nbsp;to help low to moderate-income people,&nbsp;with an emphasis on the elderly.&nbsp;They began&nbsp;by taking a class&nbsp;to help prepare them&nbsp;as volunteer tax preparers.&nbsp;And then they got to work.&nbsp;“That year, we went to the library and met clients there, and then we’d bring all their information home and do their taxes and have an appointment to meet them the next week,” Ahlvers recalled. “We each took separate clients.&nbsp;If we had a question, we would work together if we needed to. If one of us had a question, you could bounce it off of the other person and see if they agreed with you, and if they didn’t, we had experts we could call for further instructions or information.”&nbsp;Going from a paid job to volunteering was an easy step for Ahlvers and her husband.&nbsp;“Of course&nbsp;where we worked in the hospital and the school system, you’re working and helping people,” she said. “Once I was not working at a full-time job, I just felt like I needed to do volunteer work. One year leads to another.”&nbsp;And the years have added up. Ahlers&nbsp;has worked for 23 years&nbsp;as a volunteer tax preparer.&nbsp;She&nbsp;said her volunteer work is rewarding because&nbsp;it&nbsp;meets a need for&nbsp;her clients.&nbsp;“So many of the people we help really can’t afford to pay someone. A lot of them pay more than they get as a refund. The majority really don’t have that much money. And yet they want to do their duty and file their taxes.”&nbsp;Ahlvers said the AARP program not only&nbsp;saves her clients the money they would&nbsp;be&nbsp;paying an accountant,&nbsp;but&nbsp;it&nbsp;sometimes helps&nbsp;them reduce their tax&nbsp;burden.&nbsp;“There were some that came in that had been doing their own taxes&nbsp;and&nbsp;did not realize that they could file as head of household or that they could get a child tax credit or all these new things that have come out; they didn’t know it,” Ahlvers commented. “And there were others I did every year&nbsp;who&nbsp;became friends. I’ve had some of them that I’ve done their taxes probably close to 20 years.”&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Ahlvers' volunteer work came to a sudden halt in 2020 when the Covid-19 pandemic&nbsp;hit. She remembers that well.&nbsp;“We were working, and we had appointments set and they closed us down. I think it was on March 14th,” she&nbsp;lamented. “At that point, they told us&nbsp;‘you&nbsp;just quit.’ Anybody who had an appointment after that had to figure out where to get theirs done someplace else.”&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;The AARP program started up again this year. Ahlvers said she was able to help people with their taxes again, but&nbsp;AARP required everyone to follow a number of special&nbsp;precautions.&nbsp;“They [the clients] would go into the RSVP office, and there was someone there that would meet them. They were really careful contact. They took all their information, they scanned it into the computer. Everybody was working at home and we’d just download our clients and do them at home. The next week they would come back and pick up their tax returns. I would do all the e-filing.”&nbsp;&nbsp;Ahlvers has not heard yet if the Covid-19 protocols will be followed again next year.&nbsp;However, she plans to continue&nbsp;helping&nbsp;people&nbsp;even if she can’t meet with them face to face like she used to.&nbsp;&nbsp;So how long will she continue to volunteer? She jokingly said that she is going to evaluate that after 25 years.&nbsp;“I was going to quit after 20, but I enjoy working with the people we’re working with.&nbsp; And that makes a lot of difference,”&nbsp;she&nbsp;said. “Volunteer work keeps me busy, keeps my mind active. That’s probably the best thing about it, it keeps your mind active.”&nbsp;Read the previous Appreciation Month stories by clicking&nbsp;<a href="https://greatbendpost.com/category/appreciation-month">HERE</a>.

Appreciation Month: Volunteers - Kathy Ahlvers

Each month, Eagle Radio in Great Bend will recognize groups or individuals that make a big impact on our community. This Appreciation Month is highlighting volunteers.

There are many similarities in the lives of Jim and Kathi
Armatys. Kathi grew up on a farm in northeast Nebraska. Jim grew up on a farm 30
miles south of Kathi in Cedar Rapids, Nebraska. Both of them have seven brothers
and sisters. 
 
“There is a little, bitty town close to where Kathi grew up, called Raeville,
Nebraska,” said Jim Armatys. “It’s basically a Catholic church and parish hall.
They had wedding dances every Saturday. Us guys from Cedar Rapids would come up
to Raeville.” 
 
The two would eventually get married and have three children. Jim started with
Edward Jones as a financial advisor in 1984 and left Columbus, Nebraska to open
an office in Broken Bow, Nebraska. The home office asked Jim and Kathi if they
would be interested in operating a branch in Great Bend. 
 
“Initially, I said no,” noted Jim. “Then we took the kids out of school and came
down to Great Bend and spent the weekend. By Monday we had to make the decision
if we were going to move to Great Bend. We made the decision and here we are.” 
 
The Armatys family settled into Great Bend in 1988. 
 
“It was a little scary,” said Kathi. “This was the first time we had lived so
far away from our families. We found Great Bend to be a very friendly place.
Some of the people our kids met that first summer we were here, we’re still very
good friends with them.” 
 
Kathi started as Jim’s branch office administrator at Edward Jones in Broken
Bow and continued that role in Great Bend. 
 
“Now I am very part-time,” joked Kathi. “I would classify myself more as a
homemaker and travel planner now.” 
 
Financial advisory made its way through the Armatys family with two of three
children working with Edward Jones. Todd Armatys works for Edward Jones in
Great Bend and their daughter Kris has an office in Goodland. Their oldest son
works for Rockwell Collins, and aerospace company in Cedar Rapids, Iowa. This son has a PhD in aerospace engineering and Kathi joked that oftentimes they don’t
truly know what he does. 
 
“For a time, he didn’t tell us what he did because he deals a lot with the
military,” said Jim. “Then he figured out that we didn’t understand what he was
saying anyway so he didn’t tell us.” 
 
Another similarity Jim and Kathi share is their passion to volunteer,
especially with Meals on Wheels through Volunteers In Action. Volunteers In
Action is sponsored by Barton Community College and encourages volunteerism in
all areas of the community as it helps non-profits build their capacity through
utilizing volunteers. 
 
“I was in Pilot Club in the early 1990s and they encouraged us to get involved
with a volunteer project,” said Kathi. “I chose Meals on Wheels and have been
doing it ever since.” 
 
Kathi noted she gets attached to the seniors as she sees them every week
delivering meals. 
 
“It gives people a nutritious meal and it helps them recover at home following
surgeries,” said Kathi. "I think they like it when I bring the grandkids." 
 
Growing up on farms, both Jim and Kathi had experience “volunteering” with
chores but their generous approach continued in each community they lived in. 
 
“We’ve always been active in volunteering,” said Jim. “It’s a push to get out,
meet people and develop relationships. Not growing up here, volunteering was a
way to meet friends.”

Each month, Eagle Radio in Great Bend will recognize groups or individuals that make a big impact on our community. This Appreciation Month is highlighting volunteers.<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2021/7/1626361876120.jpeg" alt="Kathi and Jim Armatys" />
 <figcaption>Kathi and Jim Armatys</figcaption>
 </figure>By COLE REIF Great Bend PostThere are many similarities in the lives of Jim and Kathi
Armatys. Kathi grew up on a farm in northeast Nebraska. Jim grew up on a farm 30
miles south of Kathi in Cedar Rapids, Nebraska. Both of them have seven brothers
and sisters. 
 
“There is a little, bitty town close to where Kathi grew up, called Raeville,
Nebraska,” said Jim Armatys. “It’s basically a Catholic church and parish hall.
They had wedding dances every Saturday. Us guys from Cedar Rapids would come up
to Raeville.” 
 
The two would eventually get married and have three children. Jim started with
Edward Jones as a financial advisor in 1984 and left Columbus, Nebraska to open
an office in Broken Bow, Nebraska. The home office asked Jim and Kathi if they
would be interested in operating a branch in Great Bend. 
 
“Initially, I said no,” noted Jim. “Then we took the kids out of school and came
down to Great Bend and spent the weekend. By Monday we had to make the decision
if we were going to move to Great Bend. We made the decision and here we are.” 
 
The Armatys family settled into Great Bend in 1988. 
 
“It was a little scary,” said Kathi. “This was the first time we had lived so
far away from our families. We found Great Bend to be a very friendly place.
Some of the people our kids met that first summer we were here, we’re still very
good friends with them.” 
 
Kathi started as Jim’s branch office administrator at Edward Jones in Broken
Bow and continued that role in Great Bend. 
 
“Now I am very part-time,” joked Kathi. “I would classify myself more as a
homemaker and travel planner now.” 
 
Financial advisory made its way through the Armatys family with two of three
children working with Edward Jones. Todd Armatys works for Edward Jones in
Great Bend and their daughter Kris has an office in Goodland. Their oldest son
works for Rockwell Collins, and aerospace company in Cedar Rapids, Iowa. This son has a PhD in aerospace engineering and Kathi joked that oftentimes they don’t
truly know what he does. 
 
“For a time, he didn’t tell us what he did because he deals a lot with the
military,” said Jim. “Then he figured out that we didn’t understand what he was
saying anyway so he didn’t tell us.” 
 
Another similarity Jim and Kathi share is their passion to volunteer,
especially with Meals on Wheels through Volunteers In Action. Volunteers In
Action is sponsored by Barton Community College and encourages volunteerism in
all areas of the community as it helps non-profits build their capacity through
utilizing volunteers. 
 
“I was in Pilot Club in the early 1990s and they encouraged us to get involved
with a volunteer project,” said Kathi. “I chose Meals on Wheels and have been
doing it ever since.” 
 
Kathi noted she gets attached to the seniors as she sees them every week
delivering meals. 
 
“It gives people a nutritious meal and it helps them recover at home following
surgeries,” said Kathi. "I think they like it when I bring the grandkids." 
 
Growing up on farms, both Jim and Kathi had experience “volunteering” with
chores but their generous approach continued in each community they lived in. 
 
“We’ve always been active in volunteering,” said Jim. “It’s a push to get out,
meet people and develop relationships. Not growing up here, volunteering was a
way to meet friends.”Read the previous Appreciation Month stories by clicking&nbsp;<a href="https://greatbendpost.com/category/appreciation-month">HERE</a>.

Appreciation Month: Volunteers - Jim & Kathi Armatys

Laura Straub lived on the edge of the Great Bend city limits as a child and her family had all sorts of livestock on their 1.5 acres of land. Straub was an active member of 4-H for 11 years while growing up. Her grandfather, a sheep farmer from Hodgeman County, gave Laura her first sheep for competition.&nbsp; Volunteering was something she grew up with being part of 4-H but was never given much thought as a child. 
“Volunteering was always part of a requirement through 4-H,” said Straub. “As a
kid, I did not make that connection of the importance of helping experience
more kindness.” 
Straub now fully gets the importance of volunteering as she is part of the Volunteers In Action Advisory Council in Barton County. Volunteers In Action is
sponsored by Barton Community College and encourages volunteerism in all areas
of the community as it helps non-profits build their capacity through utilizing
volunteers. 
“I started delivering for Meals on Wheels about 10 years ago,” said Straub. “My
workload had me traveling to Madison, Wisconsin so frequently that I had to
give it up.” 
Straub is currently the marketing manager at Cuna Mutual Retirement Solutions
in Great Bend. In her 33rd year with Cuna Mutual, Straub started as
a receptionist and has worked in sales, graphic design and marketing. 
Cuna Mutual has a community relations site leader to help foster community
engagement from its employees. Straub took over the role in 2018 and started
getting involved with Meals on Wheels once again. 
“After a year in this role, I asked Linn Hogg (Volunteers In Action Director)
if I could be on the advisory board to better serve the needs of Great Bend
without trying to guess what they were.” 
Laura has nephews from Florida that usually come to Kansas to stay with the
Straubs. Trying to pass on the importance of volunteering, Straub has her now
teenage-aged nephews help with Meals on Wheels when they are here. 
“It truly is better to give than to receive,” said Straub. “Sometimes just
pausing to listen can impact someone’s life for positive change.” 
Not only does Straub believe volunteering is the right thing to do, but it can
also develop relationships and bonds you would never expect. 
“Just this last winter, one of my residents on the Meals on Wheels route was
trying to remove the snow from her car,” said Straub. “I was so fearful that something
was going to happen to her. I said, ‘Can I please do that for you?’ I scraped
her car off and that started a friendship.” 
The lady whom Straub helped remove the snow from the car ended up moving to
another house in Great Bend. Straub and her church pastor spent a day helping
the woman packing her belongings. 
“She really didn’t know who to turn to for help, and she couldn’t do it
herself,” said Straub. “She and I have stayed in contact. We’ll both text each
other.” 
Straub and the rest of the Volunteers In Action Advisory Council meet every other
month to talk about the needs of the community and determine how many
volunteers are needed for upcoming events. 
“You tend to see the same people volunteering over and over again,” said
Straub. “If people could realize, it doesn’t take that much of your time. It
can be as little as one hour of your day. How often do we spend four hours sitting
in front of our televisions? There is definitely a need for more volunteers.” 
There is plenty of need for volunteers in a variety of areas in the Great Bend
and Barton County area, but Straub says assisting elderly citizens resonates
with her. 
“Helping the elderly is my passion,” said Straub. “Sometimes, I feel they are
the most forgotten.” 
To get involved with Volunteers In Action call 620-792-1614 or email Linn Hogg
at hoggl@bartonccc.edu. Visit their website at&nbsp;<a href="https://bartonccc.edu/getinvolved/via">bartonccc.edu/getinvolved/via</a>.

Each month, Eagle Radio in Great Bend will recognize groups or individuals that make a big impact on our community. This Appreciation Month is highlighting volunteers.<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2021/7/1625854110387.jpeg" alt="Laura Straub" />
 <figcaption>Laura Straub</figcaption>
 </figure>By COLE REIF Great Bend PostLaura Straub lived on the edge of the Great Bend city limits as a child and her family had all sorts of livestock on their 1.5 acres of land. Straub was an active member of 4-H for 11 years while growing up. Her grandfather, a sheep farmer from Hodgeman County, gave Laura her first sheep for competition.&nbsp; Volunteering was something she grew up with being part of 4-H but was never given much thought as a child. 
“Volunteering was always part of a requirement through 4-H,” said Straub. “As a
kid, I did not make that connection of the importance of helping experience
more kindness.” 
Straub now fully gets the importance of volunteering as she is part of the Volunteers In Action Advisory Council in Barton County. Volunteers In Action is
sponsored by Barton Community College and encourages volunteerism in all areas
of the community as it helps non-profits build their capacity through utilizing
volunteers. 
“I started delivering for Meals on Wheels about 10 years ago,” said Straub. “My
workload had me traveling to Madison, Wisconsin so frequently that I had to
give it up.” 
Straub is currently the marketing manager at Cuna Mutual Retirement Solutions
in Great Bend. In her 33rd year with Cuna Mutual, Straub started as
a receptionist and has worked in sales, graphic design and marketing. 
Cuna Mutual has a community relations site leader to help foster community
engagement from its employees. Straub took over the role in 2018 and started
getting involved with Meals on Wheels once again. 
“After a year in this role, I asked Linn Hogg (Volunteers In Action Director)
if I could be on the advisory board to better serve the needs of Great Bend
without trying to guess what they were.” 
Laura has nephews from Florida that usually come to Kansas to stay with the
Straubs. Trying to pass on the importance of volunteering, Straub has her now
teenage-aged nephews help with Meals on Wheels when they are here. 
“It truly is better to give than to receive,” said Straub. “Sometimes just
pausing to listen can impact someone’s life for positive change.” 
Not only does Straub believe volunteering is the right thing to do, but it can
also develop relationships and bonds you would never expect. 
“Just this last winter, one of my residents on the Meals on Wheels route was
trying to remove the snow from her car,” said Straub. “I was so fearful that something
was going to happen to her. I said, ‘Can I please do that for you?’ I scraped
her car off and that started a friendship.” 
The lady whom Straub helped remove the snow from the car ended up moving to
another house in Great Bend. Straub and her church pastor spent a day helping
the woman packing her belongings. 
“She really didn’t know who to turn to for help, and she couldn’t do it
herself,” said Straub. “She and I have stayed in contact. We’ll both text each
other.” 
Straub and the rest of the Volunteers In Action Advisory Council meet every other
month to talk about the needs of the community and determine how many
volunteers are needed for upcoming events. 
“You tend to see the same people volunteering over and over again,” said
Straub. “If people could realize, it doesn’t take that much of your time. It
can be as little as one hour of your day. How often do we spend four hours sitting
in front of our televisions? There is definitely a need for more volunteers.” 
There is plenty of need for volunteers in a variety of areas in the Great Bend
and Barton County area, but Straub says assisting elderly citizens resonates
with her. 
“Helping the elderly is my passion,” said Straub. “Sometimes, I feel they are
the most forgotten.” 
To get involved with Volunteers In Action call 620-792-1614 or email Linn Hogg
at hoggl@bartonccc.edu. Visit their website at&nbsp;<a href="https://bartonccc.edu/getinvolved/via">bartonccc.edu/getinvolved/via</a>.Read the previous Appreciation Month stories by clicking&nbsp;<a href="https://greatbendpost.com/category/appreciation-month">HERE</a>.