High School Hosts Haunted Doghouse on Oct 21

The Kearney High School Theatre program is hosting a Halloween-themed “Haunted Doghouse” from 5 to 9 p.m. on Saturday, Oct. 21 at the school. There will also be traditional door-to-door trick-or-treating through the high school hallways from 5 to 7 p.m. that same evening.

Both events are open to the public and appropriate for children of all ages. Entry for the haunted house will be $3 for students and $5 for adults. The trick-or-treating is free for students.

The Kearney High School Theatre program is hosting a Halloween-themed “Haunted Doghouse” from 5 to 9 p.m. on Saturday, Oct. 21

The “Haunted Doghouse” was organized by the cast of the upcoming production of the Disney musical “The Little Mermaid” as a way to both create a fun community event for Halloween and help raise money for the Theatre program.

About two dozen high school students will be involved in planning, preparing and performing in the haunted house. Program Director Haley Kernes also observed that this was a Real World Learning experience for her students.

“They approached me with this idea as a way to support the fall musical,” Ms. Kernes said. “I thought it was a great idea because it’s a new opportunity for the kids to learn new skills by trying something they’ve never done before.”

The haunted house will wind its way from the main high school entrance, around the recently renovated auditorium and through the performing arts wing of the school. Kernes emphasized that the event will be family-friendly, with absolutely no contact from the performers.

“The Little Mermaid” production will be performed on Nov. 15-18 at the high school. Information and tickets are available at bit.ly/khs-little-mermaid.

Representatives from several clubs and organizations will be handing out candy in the hallways during the traditional door-to-door trick-or-treating. Future Farmers of America Advisor Erica Hart organized this as both a fun and free community event and an opportunity to help younger students learn about all of the great extracurricular activities that are available at the school.

“We want this to be something that all of our families can enjoy as a community service,” Mrs. Hart said. “We’re also excited to spark some interest in our future KHS Bulldogs! This will be a chance for our clubs and organizations to get some good publicity.”

Ribbon Cutting Ceremony Scheduled for I-35 Interchange

In partnership with the City of Kearney, the Missouri Department of Transportation constructed a new interchange on Interstate 35 at 19th Street (144th Street) approximately one mile south of Missouri Route 92. A ribbon cutting ceremony is scheduled at the project site beginning at 9:30 a.m. until 10:30 a.m., on Thursday, November 2.

To help celebrate the completion of the interchange, Congressman Sam Graves, Mayor Randy Pogue, the president of Clarkson Company and officials from MoDOT will be speaking at the event. The project is scheduled to be open the week of November 6th, weather permitting. The ceremony is open to the public and guests will enter and exit from Watson Drive/19th Street and park along Watson Drive.

“Thanks to the citizens’ support of the sales tax initiative and MoDOT that made this project possible, this interchange is going to improve safety, further connect our community and bring new economic development opportunities,” said Kearney Mayor Randy Pogue. “This project has been decades in the making, and to see it come to fruition is my absolute honor.”

The new interchange crosses I-35 and includes ramps to/from I-35, bike lanes, and pedestrian facilities. In addition, the project will feature three separate roundabouts along 19th Street located at Watson Drive, Nation Road and the future Sam Barr Drive intersection.  For more information, visit the website: modot.org/i-35-and-19th-street-interchange.

Bulldogs Celebrate Auditorium and Education Center Renovations

There will be events later this month in Kearney School District to mark publicly the completion of two major Proposition B capital bond projects.

The Kearney High School Auditorium Renovation Celebration will be held from 6 to 7 p.m. on Tuesday, Oct. 24 at the school. This event will feature performances by the high school choir, under the direction of Dustin McKinney, and the cast of the school’s upcoming production of the Disney musical “The Little Mermaid,” under the direction of Haley Kernes.

“We’re excited to welcome the community into our school to see this beautiful new facility,” - Kearney High School Principal Andy Gustafson

“We’re excited to welcome the community into our school to see this beautiful new facility,” Kearney High School Principal Andy Gustafson said. “This project will help provide outstanding experiences for our theater, choir and band students, in addition to facilitating school- and district-wide events.”

Open-house tours of the expanded Early Education Center (EEC) will be available for members of the public from 8 a.m. to noon on Saturday, Oct. 28. This will coincide with the Kearney Farmers Market. School and district leaders plus special guests will gather at 10:30 a.m. for a ribbon cutting and photo opportunity.

The EEC roughly doubled in size to take over the entire building that used to be shared with school district’s central office

School district residents approved the $44 million zero-tax-rate-increase bond issue on April 5, 2022, to fund a new long-range facilities master plan for the district. Approval of the bond issue did not increase the district’s property tax rate. Prop B bond funds can only be used for capital improvement projects.

The EEC and auditorium were among several Prop B projects that were finished on time as promised this summer. Other completed projects included additional restroom facilities in the sixth-grade wing at Kearney Middle School, and roof replacement and wall repairs at Kearney Junior High.

The EEC roughly doubled in size to take over the entire building that used to be shared with school district’s central office.

“This significantly enhances our capacity to serve and support our preschool children and their families,” EEC Principal Amy Baugh said. “Demand for these services has soared and we’re excited to welcome those families to a bigger and better EEC!”

Bulldog Sports Recap

Fall sports are winding down, here’s how your Kearney Bulldogs have been doing this week.

Boys Soccer

The Bulldog boys soccer team defeated Raytown South on Monday, October 9, with a final score of 8-0. Tucker Jones finished the game with 5 assists. On Wednesday, the bulldogs won 6-0 against Oak Park. Liam Ridle had a goal and 2 assists. This brings the team's record to 9-6.

Boys Swimming

On Tuesday, October 10, the boys swim team traveled to Park Hill to take on Summit Christian and Park Hill South. The boys finished in second place. Here are the highlights:

Whitaker Steward, Bennett Freeman, Parker Bartlett, and Reid Salmonson swam fast enough for a 3rd place finish in the 200 Medley Relay.

Parker Bartlett swam a lifetime best of 1:59.14 in the 200 Freestyle to earn a state consideration time and a 2nd place finish. Parker Mendel finished in 3rd place.

Whitaker Steward swam a season best of 23.07 in the 50 Freestyle to finish in 3rd place.

Parker Bartlett swam a lifetime best of 1:00.53 in the 100 Butterfly to earn a state consideration time and a 3rd place finish. Zach Bergerhofer swam a lifetime best of 1:17.75 and finished in 5th place.

Reid Salmonson finished just shy of his lifetime best to earn a 2nd place finish in the 100 Freestyle.

Reid Salmonson, Parker Bartlett, Parker Mendel, and Whitaker Steward swam a season best of 1:39.14 to earn a 3rd place finish in the 200 Freestyle Relay.

Parker Mendel swam a season best of 1:10.53 in the 100 Backstroke to earn a 5th place finish.

Whitaker Steward swam a lightning-fast time of 1:06.45 in the 100 Breaststroke to earn a 2nd place finish. Landon Morrill dropped 7 seconds for a lifetime best and a 7th place finish.

The boys travel to Gladstone next Wednesday for senior night where they will celebrate Kearney’s lone senior, Finn Simmons.

Volleyball

On Monday, October 9, the volleyball team hosted a conference match against Raytown South. All teams won: C Team 25-7 and 25-10, JV Team 25-6 and 25-4, and Varsity 25-8, 25-9 and 25-12. 

Kate Martens had 20 assists and 5 ace serves. Mallory Jury had 5 ace serves. Addie Andrew had 8 kills and hit .538. Madison Browning had 12 kills, hit .474 and added 6 ace serves. Brook Llewellyn had 8 kills and hit .538.

Softball

On Monday, October 9, the varsity softball team travelled to Fort Osage to take on the Indians. The Bulldogs were down early in the game, but battled back and won the game 8-4.

Macy Morrow went 2-4

Ryleigh Van Emmerik went 1-3 with 1 RBI

Brooke Paalhar went 1-4 with 2 RBIs

Morgan Pennington went 1-4 with 1 RBI

Alyssa Quick went 2-4 with 1 RBI and a home run!

Ella Herndon went 2-4

Savannah McDowell went 1-4

Bri Reynolds went 1-4 with 1 RBI

Alyssa Quick started on the mound. She went 4 innings, allowed 2 hits, and struck out 2. Kate Landewee pitched for 2 innings, allowed 3 hits, and struck out 4. Sela Lowrance closed out the game, allowed 1 hit and struck out 1. This brings Varsity's record to 22-5. 

Girls Golf

The Varsity Girls Golf Team competed in the Class 3 District 4 Tournament at Jefferson City Country Club. Two Bulldogs punched their ticket to the State Tournament. Freshman Jessi Kutch shot a 98 and Senior JoJo Kutch finished her round with a 99. Both scores were in the top 10 earning Jessi and JoJo All-District honors.

This was a very difficult course and the conditions changed as the weather became cold and windy. The cut line ended up being 106. 

Scores:

Jessi Kutch 98

JoJo Kutch 99

Kayla Resler 112

Emily Stauffer 123

Malia Fairchild 127

Jessi and JoJo will compete in the Class 3 State Tournament at Crown Pointe Golf Club in Farmington on Monday and Tuesday, October 16th and 17th.

Cross Country

Forty schools and almost 1,000 athletes competed in the Kearney Cross Country Invitational this past weekend. The Kearney girls team finished 4th and the boys finished 12th in the team standings.

Varsity girls results:

Olivia Brock 15th in 21:17, Daisy Burnam 24th in 21:48, Liela Murphy 28th in 22:00, Delaney Thurston 42nd in 22:56, Gracie Bomar 48th in 23:10, Avery Morgan 53rd in 23:24, Josie Masters 65th in 24:00.

Varsity boys results:

Isaac Smith 39th in 18:00, Max Morehouse 56th in 18:27, Rylee Johnson 60th in 18:35, Carter Smith 73rd in 19:03, Alex Gustafson 81st in 19:24, Cameron Daniel 82nd in 19:25.

Temporary Increase Extended for WIC Participants

Missouri WIC announces the extension of the temporary increase of the Cash Value Benefit for Fruit and Vegetable Purchases (CVB) starting October 2023 and lasting through September of next year. The new monthly amounts will be $26 for child participants, $47 for pregnant and postpartum participants, $52 for breastfeeding participants, and $78 for women exclusively breastfeeding multiples. Previous CVB values range from $9-11. WIC is the Department of Health and Senior Services Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants and Children.

Eligible participants must contact their WIC local agency immediately to schedule an appointment to load the additional benefits on their eWIC card before redeeming any October benefits. Participants who redeem any October benefits before receiving the increase will not receive the increase until November and must return to the local agency prior to November to update their eWIC card.

Missouri WIC provides additional healthy fruits and vegetables for up to 60,000 women and children per month. WIC families have the opportunity to shop for nutritious foods at approximately 600 authorized WIC retailers throughout Missouri and can receive services at any of the 115 local agencies. WIC serves financially eligible women, infants and children under the age of five. Fathers, stepparents, foster parents, grandparents and guardians are also encouraged to apply for WIC benefits for any children in the household under the age of five.

Missouri WIC provides quality nutrition education, breastfeeding promotion and support, nutritious foods and referrals to health services. It is also one of the most successful, cost-effective and important nutrition intervention programs in the country.

Missourians interested in learning about the benefits of WIC may visit wic.mo.gov or call TEL-LINK at 1-800-835-5465 to find the WIC local agency closest to them.