Classes for the 2019-2020 school year begin at Junction City High School on Monday. There is a change this year, with freshman moving from the HD Karns building to attend school in the same Career Academy building as the sophomores, juniors and seniors.

As a result of the change there will be more people in the building, but the faculty and staff recommendation favored the move.  JCHS Athletic Director Matt Westerhaus said it will help the staff get together and students have an earlier understanding of expectations across the board. “I know from the athletic side of things our coaches are excited about being in one place, seeing those kids consistently over a period of time.”

Westerhaus also noted other advantages. ” For those freshmen and our current sophomores who haven’t been in this building they get an opportunity to be in this environment for a longer period of time, be around some of our upperclassmen which should be a good experience and they should be leaders for those younger students, and ultimately help us down the road.”

Space will be a challenge in some cases and some teachers could have to share classrooms.

The district plans to include all four classes in the new Junction City High School building once it opens.

 

By Dewey Terrill

JC Post

Bill Whitworth, Corps of Engineers Operations Project Manager, said one of the significant factors right now is the amount of water coming down from the north. “Gavin’s Point Dam is releasing a lot of water and has been all summer, and that’s been impacting water coming down the Missouri and how much the Kansas lakes can release.” Whitworth added he expects until the inflows from the north slow down some Milford Lake will probably be holding water until the early fall.

The high water level has impacted recreation. Whitworth noted as a result of underwater hazards boating did drop off a bit. “But, boats have been out in the water consistently, even during the highest period and the fishing has been pretty good actually throughout the summer.”

Whitworth noted a lot of campgrounds were flooded. “The Corps managed campgrounds, we lost 92% of our campsites so things have suffered quite a bit on the recreation side.”

Since the water level has gone down 10 feet a few of the facilities that were on the edge are starting to appear. “The ones that have popped out of the water have required a lot of power washing just to get the grime that’s been cooked on there. But unfortunately we still have another 18 feet to go.” Whitworth said the Corps doesn’t know yet about the damage to a lot of the roads that are flooded, preventing access to campsites that aren’t flooded. As the water level has dropped the Corps has tried to do cleanup work where possible.

Whitworth said he expects some campsites and boat docks will have to be rebuilt. “Gravel is going to get moved around, a lot of the fence posts that are wood have popped out of the ground, we had a steel door from a vault toilet that you think would be secure just popped off of one. As the ground dries out depending on where the layers of clay are we could have some major settling and things may have to be completely replaced. We just don’t know at this point. Things may be better than we think, we just don’t know.”

Where trees near the lake water are concerned, the project manager said some are more water adapted than others, including the bald cypress which can handle a substantial amount of inundation. He noted with others it depends on the species. “Even the ones that are water tolerant probably don’t fare too well when they’ve been under water three, four, five months.” Whitworth said the Corps expects to replace a number of trees with most of the priority for the recreation areas where shade is needed.

Grass seeding, weed control and pick up of debris along the shoreline will be other priorities. Whitworth noted that he expected some volunteer help to help do that work. “But yeah, it’s going to take a bit to recover from this flood event, and we’ll try to get things squared away and operational as soon as we can.”

The outflow from Milford Lake is currently 3,000 cubic feet per second.

 

The ribbon cutting and open house for the new 8th Grade Magnet Program at the HD Karns Building, 309 West 9th Street, will be held Tuesday, August 27th at 6:30 p.m.

The program is designed to re-engage students with a non-traditional learning approach in specially designed modular classrooms installed at the HD Karns Building. Students in grades seven and eight will experience real-world learning designed to hold their interest and cater to their learning styles. The classrooms feature state-of-the art equipment, project-based learning and a layout that encourages teamwork and cooperative learning.

“The 8th Grade Magnet will insure that our students attending the program will be ready to be successful as they enter the 9th grade,” said Tom Wesoloski, HD Karns Building Principal.”The 8th Grade Magnet Program will captivate our students by showing them the real-life connections to why subjects are taught and will inspire purpose and self-confidence through immersed sensory experiences that lead to independence, responsibility and success.”

The Magnet Program can serve over 100 students each year in Math, Science, English / Language Arts, Social Studies, Physical Education and Jobs for America’s Graduates. Additional support is available for Math and Reading.

The public is invited to attend the open house and ribbon cutting to celebrate the opening of the Magnet Program.