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| Jana Cooper |
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| 104 W. Webster (Methodist Educational Building) |
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785-332-2292 |
| This year there will be approximately 35 - 40 kids enrolled. |
| The ABC Pre-School is a non-profit organization—it depends solely on tuition, fundraisers and donations. |
| The mission of ABC Pre-School is to provide an early learning program for children 3-5 years of age to better prepare them for formal education. |
| The main goal of ABC Pre-School is to help children create a positive self-image and gain skills that will prepare them for later on in life. |
| An auction is held as a fundraiser every other November. Local businesses and private supporters of the pre-school donate items to be auctioned—usually baked goods, craft items, etc. |
| In 1972, Joyce Faulkender began the ABC preschool in the Methodist Church Educational Building . During one of the early years, the EHU Ladies made art shirts—red, yellow and blue smocks—for the preschoolers. For the first six years, a preschool was held in Bird City . Mrs. Faulkender managed the preschool for 13 years. In 1985 Shirley Swihart took over for another 9 or 10 years. Brenda Warren was the next manager for two years. Melissa Zweygardt has held her current position since 1998. |
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222 E. Webster |
| Head Start |
| Para: Melva Douthit. Para/Case manager: Holly Lampe |
| Around 18 kids will be enrolled this year. The morning session is from 8:00 to 12:00, Monday through Friday. |
Head Start is a national child development program which provides services to promote academic, social and emotional development. Cheyenne County Head Start is a free preschool program for 3 and 4-year-olds of income-eligible families residing in Cheyenne County. It provides a nutritious breakfast and lunch everyday, served at the elementary school across the street.
Head Start is required to comply with rigorous program performance standards. Locally, Kansas Head Start is meeting or exceeding all Head Start federal performance standards.
Head Start is funded by the United States Congress and administered through the Department of Health and Human Services. It has served more than 18 million children and their families. |
The Head Start program is based on the conviction that high-quality early childhood care, education and family services pay off in a myriad of benefits to children, their families, and society as a whole.
The goals of the Head Start program are:
To enhance children's physical, social, emotional, and cognitive development.
To enable parents to be better caregivers and teachers to their children.
To help parents meet their own goals, including economic independence. |
Research shows demonstrates that many factors affect a child's readiness for school—academic readiness and social and emotional development. Head Start's programs are designed to address all those areas.
St. Francis Head Start uses Letter people - inflatable little people - to help teach kids the alphabet. |
| A Back-to-School Night is held annually. Home visits and parents' meetings are schedule during the school year.
Parents pick out RIF (Reading Is Fun) books three times a year, and the kids choose the books they want to take home for free. |
| Head Start was established in 1965 to help low-income families provide their children with developmentally appropriate education, health and social services to better prepare them to achieve in school and society.
In 1998, Kansas become the first state in the nation to create a state-federal partnership to fund early childhood development thorough Early Head Start.
Currently there are more than 1,500 Head Start programs and 16,000 sites nationwide; Kansas Head Start helps more than 7,000 children and their families, through 29 programs that serve 83 counties. |
| Scott Carmichael , Principal |
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| 307 E. Webster Street |
| 785-332-8143 |
| 785-332-8144 |
| cwerner@usd297.org |
www.usd297.org
Visit the school's web site to get the weekly lunch menu and announcements, pictures of students, information about the Grade School, and more. |
| Click here to view this year's school calendar. |
| The grade school curriculum is a full range of study, including art, music, physical education, and complete special education services for all grades. It is fully accredited by the Kansas State Department of Education.
Transportation, breakfast and lunch services are provided for
K -12 students. |
| Kindergarten through sixth grade enrollment for the 2004-05 school year was 149 total students—83 male and 66 female.
St. Francis Schools have 35 teachers for 334 students, for a 10/1 student/teacher ratio. |
Powerschool is an interactive web site for students and parents. Teachers post grades and comments; parents and students can access schedules, grades, and teacher comments. To use Powerschool, you must have a password and username, sent to parents at the beginning of each school year. They can also be obtained by contacting the high school at 785-332-8153.
Click here to use: www.powerschool.usd297.k12.ks.us
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| To contact teachers by email, go to the school web site. |
| Carl Werner has been superintendent of the schools since 1976. Contact him at 785-332-8182 or cwerner@usd297.org |
| See School Board information below. |
| The mission of the St. Francis Community Schools is to prepare each student for a productive life. The schools will provide the opportunities and the encouragement for learning at all levels of ability, expecting all students to learn. The schools recognize that teaching students to think creatively, to find solutions to problems, and to use current technology are key skills for people in the 21st century.
In order to attain a quality, learner-focused educational program, St. Francis Schools will do all they can to provide a well-qualified staff committed to their mission, a purposefully designed curriculum, and a safe and orderly learning environment.
St. Francis Community Schools seek to make the learning community inclusive by combining efforts of families, school, and community. |
| The very first St. Francis Elementary School was built in the late 1890's, probably 1898. It was a beautiful brick structure that faced west toward Denison Street and was located approximately west of the existing elementary school building.
Year Built: 1919
Date Opened: 08/01/1919
Click here for more information on education in Cheyenne County. |
| Scott Carmichael, Principal |
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| 100 College Street
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785-332-8153
Indian News:
785-332-8111 |
| 785-332-8177 |
| cwerner@usd297.org |
www.usd297.org
Visit the school web site to find school policies, schedules, game results, photos, and more. |
| Click here to view this year's school calendar. |
Class 2A school
Member of 8-school Northwest Kansas League
Fully accredited as a "comprehensive" high school by Kansas State Department of Education |
Grades 7-12 enrollment for the 2004-05 school year was 185 total students—89 male and 96 female.
St. Francis Schools have 35 teachers for 334 students, for a 10/1 student/teacher ratio. |
| To contact teachers by email, go to the school web site. |
Along with basic through advanced courses in Math, Science, English, and Social Science, St. Francis High School offers many electives including but not limited to Band, Art, Woodworking, and Yearbook.
To see all classes offered by SFCHS, click here or go to High School/Academics on the school web site. |
| Powerschool is an interactive web site for students and parents. Teachers can post grades and comments and a student's schedule, grades, and teacher comments can be accessed by parents/students. To use Powerschool, you must have a password and username, sent to parents at the beginning of each school year. They can also be obtained by contacting the high school at 785-332-8153. Click here to use: PowerSchool. |
| Carl Werner has been superintendent of the schools since 1976. Contact him at 785-332-8182 or cwerner@usd297.org |
School meetings are held in the high school library. Meeting dates vary; see the school calendar.
The St. Francis School Board members are: Cliff Raile, President; John Knodel, Vice President; Bruce Feikert, Kelly Gienger, Pete Raile, Sherry Weeks, and Bonnie Zweygardt.
Board meetings are open to the public. |
| See Grade School's mission above. |
| The high school began in 1901 and was held in the elementary school at that time (see above.) It was established largely through the efforts of C.M. Kincaid, a graduate of Nebraska University who also served as principal of the grade school at that time. In addition to promoting the first high school, he was a major influence in the establishment of a four-year county high school two years later.
In early 1903 the state passed an act that allowed the creation of county high schools for qualifying counties. The provisions of the act were met by Cheyenne County, and in July of the commissioners gave approval for the establishment of the Cheyenne County High School in St. Francis. The first classes began in September 1903, and the first graduates of the high school four years later were Charles Benkelman, Ben Harrison, Tessie Lawless, May Watt, Hazel Halley, Effie Walin, and Irene Moore.
In 1917 a new high school was built at the site of the existing high school on College Street. Classes were moved to this high school during the 1917-1918 school term. The course of study for students during most years of the county high school was divided into three parts: a college preparatory program, normal training for those planning to teach, and a general program for those not wishing to specialize in a particular field. The building itself still stands as a part of the current high school; there have been seven additions to it over 70 years.
In 1917, a high school was started in Bird City and became a rural high school in 1921. In 1923 the Cheyenne County High School was changed to the St. Francis Community High School under an act passed specifically for the transition of county high schools to community high schools.
The last organizational change affecting the high school came under the school unification act implemented in 1954-55. The districts of the high school, city elementary school, and seven rural schools were combined into a unified district and designated the Unified School District #297.The unified district's enrollment for the first term (1966-67) was approximately 740 students.
Music emerged as an early part of the high school's curriculum, with the first high school band being organized during World War I, 1917-18. Football teams were organized around 1915 and St. Francis had its first undefeated, championship team in 1923. Basketball teams originated around the same time as football; wrestling was not organized until 1932
Click here for more information on education in Cheyenne County.
This information was excerpted from the book Cheyenne County History. If you are interested in the full history, this book can be found at the St. Francis Public Library. |
