BCC, LHS team up to offer carpentry

BY MAGGIE HARRIS BCC Communications

Barton Community College has offered dual credit courses at Larned High School since the early 2000s. Because of this partnership, some of LHS’s teachers are also Barton adjunct faculty. Students can enroll in general education courses such as college-level math and English to help get a head start on their college coursework. Now carpentry has joined the lineup.

Carpentry has been available to LHS students for decades, but since Adam Hewson became an adjunct instructor for Barton, classes like Introduction to Craft Skills and Carpentry Basics are available to jump start on a certificate while they’re at it. “When I returned to teaching three years ago, I found many things had changed in the world of career and technical education,” he said. “One of the largest changes was the push by the state to graduate students from high school with meaningful and nationally recognized credentials.” three students were enrolled during the fall semester and most could utilize Barton’s EXCEL in CTE program to take the course tuition free.

In response, Hewson set out to obtain certification from the National Center for Construction Education and Research (NCCER), which is the same certification the Barton faculty hold. The construction industry nationally recognizes NCCER as a leader in training, assessment and certification.

“What I like best about this program is that it is nationally recognized,” he said. “NCCER has a national registry that employers use to look up a student’s credentials,” he said. “Each student is issued an ID number and a wallet card. An employer can put this number in the computer and see exactly what certifications the student has completed.”

Once students complete both classes at LHS, they are almost halfway toward earning their certificate in carpentry at Barton. These students can continue the school graduation to pick up in central and western Kansas, Pawnee Valley Community Hospital connects people to the full continuum of care needed for long-term health, wellness and quality of life, including tertiary and high-acuity specialty care, with one point of contact and shared records for streamlined patient navigation. As one cohesive team, we fulfill the unique expectations and needs of those we serve, providing healthcare excellence close to home. Through all this and more, we’re giving you every reason to choose Pawnee Valley Community Hospital.

Fort Larned USD 495 offers quality education ranging from Pre-K all the way through 12th grade. The district 225 staff members who guide, teach and advocate for approximately 860 students. The district lives and breathes its mission statement: Committed to all students, by preparing them for all challenges, while supporting them at all times.

The district has several student attendance centers including Fort Larned Elementary, Larned Middle School, and Larned High School. Additionally, USD 495 is the host for the Tri-County Special Education Cooperative, which provides special education services for surrounding area school districts Kinsley/Offerle and Pawnee Heights. The vision is to develop positive relationships with all school partners to ensure students achieve all skills for success. With that, administrators noted that the quality they admire most about Larned is the culture. The care that the teachers and support staff provide here for students is immeasurable; it’s not only their academics that are important, but each student’s personal growth as well. The local school board and community members alike are proud of the facilities, instructional strategies, and additional opportunities for students.

USD 495 is committed to developing and maintaining an environment that ensures all students will be prepared to meet the challenges of the ever-changing world. By building bridges with parents, community members, and local businesses, students will obtain the academic skills and personal characteristics necessary to effectively communicate, utilize resources available to them, and maintain a safe and healthy lifestyle. USD 495 commits to this mission by providing a comprehensive system of support. USD 495 District Office is located at 120 E. 6th Street in Larned and can be reached at 620-285-3185.

Longtime auto club finally finds a home

BY MIKE GILMORE mgilmore@GBTribune.com

LARNED — The Santa Fe Trail Auto Club, by its members’ own account, is more than just fixing up old cars and showing them off. It begins with a passion for history; how things worked differently than today. It continues with the satisfaction of identifying the pings, clunks and thumps of a project car and replacing them with the clicks and roar of a finelytuned engine and drive train. It looks ahead to those who not only have the skills, but the drive to preserve, practice and then to pass it on, farther down the road.

For several years now, the SFTAC’s fall car show every first Sunday in October, has been dedicated to raise scholarship funds for area high school seniors who plan to pursue their education in vocational studies. They’ve planned to tweak that a bit.

Dick King, a SFTAC lifetime member and club historian, wants to see that passion passed to younger hands. “A few years ago, our school district decided that we didn’t need an automotive shop or anybody to learn how to weld,” he said. “Their program just stopped and they sold off all the equipment.”

With Adam Apley hired year as a vocational instructor, “we want to rekindle that good program,” he said. “Ours is a benevolent organization. Not every member has their own car, but still likes cars. We have a wealth of knowledge within our club and our membership. We don’t want to see it go away.” reaching almost as far back as the members and the cars they own. But while their

A permanent home Plenty of car clubs are going places and the SFTAC has been one of them for a while now. The main problem was, until recently, the club had no home base.

Friends of Farming

recalled. “We’ve always had to find a place to meet and always talked about if ever we could.” thrived, they were always in search of a place to meet, notes lifetime member and

Roy Peter Bach, a lifetime Larned resident was one such member, with a passion for cars and the club. Passing away in October 2017, His will stipulated that the club would inherit his car collection and money to build a museum to house them, provided it was done within five years.

After locating a building and cleaning it up, their first official meeting was in 2020.

The Roy Peter Bach museum, located at 14111 105th Ave. (East 14th St. heading into Larned) not only gives a look at the past, it’s a research center for local car enthusiasts. There are volumes of car manuals as well as past magazine issues, with a bay to work on cars. The museum is open to the public Tuesdays and Thursdays from 1-4 p.m.

“This thing started back in the 1980s with a few charter members,” King going to know it might be something they would like to do, or be good at?,” he said.