Youngsters explore vocations at Fort Scott college

Tuesday, March 13, 2012
By Angelique McNaughton

Youngsters from local and area high schools spent Friday afternoon touring Fort Scott Community College and visiting with school officials during the annual Spring Senior Day.

Unlike the Senior Day on March 2 that focused on the academic programs offered through FSCC, Friday’s session provided more than 40 students and their parents with information about occupational programs like transportation, cosmetology, nursing, John Deere and Harley Davidson.

FSCC Director of Public Relations Kathleen Hinrichs said Spring senior days are geared toward students who have somewhat narrowed down their choices for post-secondary education, but just want “one last visit.”

The session began with a brief introduction from Dean of Students Steve Armstrong before students broke off to hear faculty presentations about their selected occupational areas.

Faculty and staff discussed course requirements, transferability of credits from other institutions, housing options, student activities and organizations and financial aid possibilities. FSCC advising sponsored a general education presentation before providing visitors with an optional campus tour.

Students appreciated the opportunity to meet with potential instructors, admissions representative Tom Gorman said.

“They also get the opportunity to meet with someone who has been in the workforce,” he said.

Admissions Director Mert Barrows said the visit provides the opportunity for seniors and their families to meet with the faculty to learn what the school has to offer.

“We want to make sure they’re prepared,” Barrows said. “Regardless of whether they come here or not, we hope they want to continue their education.”

FSCC has sponsored Spring Senior Days for more than 25 years.

Barrows, a Fort Scott High School graduate, said she attended a Senior Day at FSCC when she was in high school.

Julie Wolfe, a Missouri resident, said she brought her son to look into FSCC’s agriculture program. It wasn’t the first Senior Day the two had attended, Wolfe said, but she said she was impressed.

“They went way above and beyond in terms of organization and presentation,” Wolfe said. “It has definitely swayed our decision.”

In November, FSCC hosted their “big” senior day with attendance numbers ranging from 150 to 250 people and performances from the college’s dance, cheer and band members.

Established in 1919, FSCC has area campuses in Paola, Pittsburg and Frontenac. Enrollment for the fall of 2010 was 2,057 students.

Sirens mark Severe Weather Week

Tuesday, March 13, 2012
By Angelique McNaughton

To mark national Severe Weather Awareness Week, the city of Fort Scott will be participating in the statewide tornado drill for Kansas and Missouri at 1:30 p.m. today.

The purpose of the annual drill is to test everyone’s readiness for life-threatening severe weather events such as tornadoes, flash floods, large hail and damaging winds, according to the National Weather Service website.

Bourbon County Emergency Manager Keith Jeffers said public schools in Fort Scott and Uniontown will be participating in the drill, although he is unsure about the local private schools.

Fort Scott Community College will participate in a full-scale drill where all faculty and students will be moved into shelters at all five campuses. The testing will allow for sound testing at the campus location on Horton Street and at the nursing school location on Burke Street.

He said officials will time how long it takes to get into the shelters. The ideal time, Jeffers said, is about 30 seconds to a minute.

“We need to make sure everyone knows how to get in their shelters and make sure they are ready to go and their kids are ready,” Jeffers said.

The storm siren is generally sounded 11 to 15 minutes before a tornado strikes and is an outdoor warning only.

Emergency officials suggest community members also keep a weather alert radio of some sort in their homes.

“When they (the sirens) go off, it’s usually clear,” Jeffers said. “The best way to do it is to listen to TV or radio until it states ‘all clear.'”

Severe Weather Awareness Week, which falls at the same time as Flood Awareness Week, is generally held around this time of year before the major spring storms hit, although the area has already had a few.

The year 2011 was the fourth deadliest tornado season on record with 549 causualties. Of those, 157 were the result of the EF-5 tornado that hit the Joplin, Mo., area on May 22, 2011.

“It’s always imporant to do this not from a business or school aspect but also from a family one,” Jeffers said. “People need to decide where to go if they don’t have a shelter, or if they’re out driving they need to see what they would do if they are out in the open.”

Daily themes for the week are:

* Tuesday: Tornado Day.

* Wednesday: Flash Flood Day.

* Thursday: Thunderstorm Day.

* Friday: National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) Weather Radio Day.