Piper Schools
district
news
Where Learning Comes First
Piper USD 203
he Piper USD 203 school district is pleased to roll out the first
edition of our new and improved district newsletter. This newsletter will be printed four times a year and mailed to all households in
the Piper school district.
One of the Piper Board of Education’s District Goals is to improve
communication to our patrons. Only about 27% of our community
have children that currently attend school in our school district, so the
majority of our community doesn’t receive information about what’s
going on in the district via handouts sent home in backpacks, they
don’t have a need to check the school district website or school building
webpages, and they aren’t signed up for the district email list. So, we
have created this newsletter to share the happenings of our community
and the successes of our school district with all of the Piper community
In an online survey conducted earlier this year 77% of patrons surveyed
stated that having a printed newsletter mailed to their homes is either
an “excellent” or “good” way to get district news to them.
If you have thoughts or ideas of how we can make the Piper District
Newsletter the best it can be, please don’t hesitate to send me an email
at kkultala@piperschools.com.
Kelly Kultala
Communications & Development Coordinator
The West Facility Project
At the April 8th meeting the Piper USD 203 Board of Education gave
final approval to the West Facility Construction Project, which consists
of refurbishing the old Piper West Elementary building, except for
the 3-story brick building. The new facility will consist of the Patricia
“Diane” Kane Community Center, which includes the gym, the Sandy
McMahon Young conference room, public meeting rooms and a possible
walking trail; an early education center to include 4 classrooms and up to
120 students; and new school district offices including a board meeting
room, which can be made into an additional early education classroom,
if necessary. The Unified Government will staff the community center,
managing the programs and the use of the gym. The meeting and
conference rooms can be used for our senior citizens to attend social
activities, such as daily breakfasts, book clubs, sewing or craft clubs, and
card games. Other groups such as 4-H, Girl Scouts and Boy Scouts will
be able to use the meeting space. The community center will also allow
for possible collaborative programs between senior citizens and early
education students, such as an adopt-a-grandparent program or music
and dance performances.
In 2010, the school district hired Patrons Insight, Inc. to conduct a
facility study. When patrons of the community were asked about their
support of a series of options concerning facilities in the district, the
number one answer was to renovate and reopen the old West facility.
Continued on Page 8
O
n June 30th Steve Ad- achievement was dangerously low,
ams will retire after 33 making Annual Yearly Progress
years in education, the last sev- (AYP) was in jeopardy, which was
en years as Superintendent of required to keep our schools in
Piper USD 203. Before coming good standing with the No Child
to the Piper school district, Mr. Left Behind Act. Now Piper is one
Adams was the superintendent of the top school districts in the
at the Doniphan County and state and in the nation earning 17
Butler County school districts, grade level Standard of Excellence
an administrator in the Kansas designations from the Kansas
Department of Education, a prin- Department of Education. Also,
cipal for nine years at all grade each Piper School building has
levels, an adjunct professor at earned a Building-Wide Standard
of Excellence
Wichita State
in both readUniversity and
ing and math
a staff develfor a total of
opment spe25 St andard
cialist at IBM.
of Excellence
He has overdesignations.
seen tremenPiper High
dous success
S chool is in
within the
the Top 5, out
school disSuperintendent Steve Adams
of 21 Kansas
trict. During
his tenure every Piper school metro high schools, for our Kanbuilding has been remodeled sas state reading and math assessand/or had additional classrooms ment scores.
Mr. Adams’ future plans include
constructed.
When he first came to the a new position with Opaa! Food
school district the technology Management Systems as their
was antiquated, Mr. Adams stat- Business Development Associed, “it was kinda like trying to ate and taking a much needed
unravel a string of Christmas tree vacation to Las Vegas in June
lights.” The school district now to celebrate his retirement, with
has interactive technology in ev- his wife of 33 years, Janice. He
ery classroom, all teachers have really enjoys living in Piper and
IPads for research and teaching will continue to be involved in
purposes and Piper will be the the community. “I want to wholefirst school district in the nation heartedly thank the community
for their help and support over
connected to Google Fiber.
I n 2 0 0 5 - 0 6 o u r s t u d e n t the years,” he stated.
Piper USD 203
T
Retiring Superintendent
Steve Adams Says 'Thank You'
to the Piper Community
12036 Leavenworth Road
Kansas City, KS 66109
Welcome to Our New
School District Newsletter
www.piperschools.com
Spring 2013
Inside
this Issue!
Page 2:
District Calendar
Staff Retirement
News
Page 3:
District Staff News
Online Enrollment
Information
Page 4:
Piper Middle
School News &
Notes
Page 5:
Piper Elementary
News
Page 6:
Piper High School
News
Page 7:
PHS Photo
Snapshots
District Contact
Information
Page 8:
Piper Educational
Foundation Fund
Newsletter
Advertising
Information
http://www.piperschools.com
(913) 721-2088
Volume 1, No. 1
spring
2013
Residential Customer
Kansas City, MO
Permit No. 2826
PAID
Non-Profit Organization
U.S. Postage
Page 2 www.piperschools.com
District News
Piper will host Common Core
Summer Academy
Piper USD 203 will again play
host to the 2013 Kansas Common
Core Summer Academy on July 16
& 17 at Piper High School. This
event will be a two day staff development event that will include 600
educators from across Kansas. The
academy’s purpose is to help teams
of teacher leaders understand and
implement the Common Core
Standards into daily instruction.
Educators are selected by their own
district and are registered through
the Kansas Department of Education. Piper previously hosted one
of the original academies in 2011.
The Common Core State Stan-
dards Initiative is a state-led effort
that established a single set of
clear educational standards for
kindergarten through 12th grade
in English language arts and
mathematics that states voluntarily
adopt. The standards are designed
to ensure that students graduating
from high school are prepared to
enter credit bearing entry courses
in two or four year college programs or enter the workforce.
Forty-five states, the District of
Columbia, four territories, and the
Department of Defense Education
Activity have adopted the Common Core State Standards.
Spring 2013
Did You Know?
PHS Facts:
40% of the current senior class have been together since Kindergarten.
12% of current senior class are new to the district within last 4 years.
38% of the current junior class have been together since Kindergarten.
16% of the current junior class are new to the district within last 3 years.
40% of the current sophomore class have been together since Kindergarten.
15% of the current sophomore class are new to the district within last 2 years.
42% of the current freshmen class have been together since Kindergarten.
23% of the current freshmen class are new to the district within the last 2 years.
PHS math and reading performance ranks in the top 5% in the state of Kansas.
Retirement Reception
PTA will host a retirement reception from 3-5 pm on Monday, May
20, 2013 in the Piper Elementary library. This reception will honor Allan Amos, Marlene Bachtel, and Bill Warne who are retiring from Piper
USD 203. The staff and community are invited to join us to celebrate
the conclusion of these impressive careers in the service of our students
and our community.
July 2012
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Retirement Reception
You are invited to attend a
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Steve Adams
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3131 N. 122nd Street
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Did You Know?
Piper is in the Top 5 Kansas metro area
high schools for Kansas state math
& reading assessment scores. We are joined
by Aquinas, Blue Valley, DeSoto
and Blue Valley SW.
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July 2-31
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Aug. 13 &14 New Teachers
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All Staff Returns/Prof. Dev.
Aug. 16
Professional Development
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Teacher Workday
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and 6-12 New Students/
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FIRST FULL DAY OF CLASSES
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Labor Day-No School
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Memorial Day-No School
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Enrollment-7AM-7PM @ PES
Summer School
8:30 AM-11:30 AM @ PMS
Regular Session
PHS-7:30 AM-2:35 PM
PMS-7:35 AM-2:40 PM
PEES-8:25 AM-3:30 PM
PES-8:35 AM-3:40 PM
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Please join us in celebrating
Steve’s 33 years in education!
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Piper Elementary School Library
Located at
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Piper USD 203
2012-2013 Calendar
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Individual school building and district facility use calendars
are available on our website, piperschools.com
DISTRICT OFFICE SUMMER HOURS
The Piper USD 203 District Office will be closed for Memorial Day, May 27.
Starting May 28th, the district office summer hours will be
Monday – Thursday, 7:30 am – 4:30 pm and Friday, 8 am – noon.
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Spring 2013
www.piperschools.com
From the Elementary Principal
Thank you to the Piper Community for seven terrific years of contributing to the many successes of the
district. Although it was a difficult
decision to make, in February I
decided to retire at the close of the
school year. Not only have I had
wonderful experiences in Piper,
but District 500 and Turner over
the past 44 years. I will miss all of
the excitement and challenges that
children bring each day at school. I
am looking forward to a change of
pace that includes grandchildren,
home improvement projects, volunteering, travel and golf. Thank
you for the opportunity to work
with great children, supportive Elementary Principal Allan Amos
is retiring at the end of the
parents, and dedicated educators.
current school year.
Allan Amos
District News
Piper Announces New Superintendent
The Piper USD 203 Board of Education has announced the selection
of Tim Conrad as their new Superintendent. Conrad has been the
Principal at Piper High School for the last five years and previously
served nine years as the Superintendent of Pleasanton USD 344 and
Lebo-Waverly USD 243. Conrad has been in education for 27 years.
The board approved a two-year contract.
He stated, “I am honored to have been selected by the USD 203
Board of Education to lead our outstanding district! I look forward
to working with the Piper community in order to build upon our
successful foundation as we work together to address the needs and
opportunities of our children and our community!”
Conrad is a graduate of Colgan High School in Pittsburg, KS and
has a Bachelor’s degree in History and Master’s degree in School
Administration from Pittsburg State University. He also received his
district licensure from Emporia State University. He and his wife,
Robin, have four children.
Kansas City, Kansas Public Library
Mrs. Bachtel Retires
Summer Reading Log 2013
www.kckpl.org
After 42 years of teaching, Marlene Bachtel will be retiring at the close
of this school year. Mrs. Bachtel has taught all grade levels, Pre-K – Fifth. All but two of the years in the Piper School District! She has seen many
changes in Piper over the years. Her biggest challenges have been preparing students to meet with success at the next level. Her fondest
memories include 5th Grade Kite
Day, 2nd Grade Ice Cream Day,
4th Grade Chuck Wagon Day
with homemade biscuits, root beer
floats and a play presented by the
students, and most recently School
Day at the K. Mrs. Bachtel plans to complete
some projects she has already
begun, travel to visit family out
of town and just enjoy some time
with family and friends! She
wanted us all to know she really
Marlene Bachtel retiring after 42 appreciates all of the relationships
years of teaching.
and fond memories with the faculty she had the opportunity to work with over the years.
We wish Mrs. Bachtel the best as she begins enjoying her retirement.
Online Enrollment is
Now Available for
Returning Students
The Piper school district is now offering online enrollment for returning students for the 2013-14 school year. The Piper Board of Education
has made online enrollment a district priority for the last three years and
they are very happy to announce that the district is making the enrollment
of students as easy and convenient as possible for our patrons. Parents or educational guardians will need to sign on to Skyward Family Access through the piperschools.com website. Once you sign in, you
will see the link to start the online enrollment process. You will be able
to enroll multiple students and pay all fees via credit card online. Checks
or cash will need to be mailed to the district office at 12036 Leavenworth
Road, Kansas City, KS 66109.
Did You Know?
From August 21, 2012 thru April 8, 2013
Opaa! Food Service has served 148,100
lunches to our Piper USD 203 students
and this does not include ala carte items.
Page 3
Name
Incoming Superintendent
Tim Conrad
Turn in your log anytime between
June 1 and July 31, 2013.
Grade (Fall ‘13)
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If you’re in the Kids’ Club (birth through 5th grade), CONGRATULATIONS! You’ve reached your reading goal. Bring this log to your library and pick up your prizes. Teen readers (6th-12th graders), turn this page over and keep reading.
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Main Library
F.L. Schlagle Library
South Library
Turner Library
625 Minnesota
(913) 551-3280
4051 West Drive
(913) 299-2384
3104 Strong Ave
(913) 722-7400
831 S. 55th St
(913) 596-1404
West Wyandotte Library
1737 N. 82nd St (913) 596-5800
Summer Reading FAQ (Frequently Asked Questions)
Who is it for? Kids’ Club is for children from birth through 5th grade. Your goal is 1,000 Teens, continue reading below. Fill in one bubble
for every 20 minutes you spend reading until you
meet your goal.
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Awesome job, Teens! You’ve reached your goal! Bring this
log back to your library and
pick up your prizes.
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minutes
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minutes
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minutes. Teen Club is for 6th through 12th graders. Your goal is 1,500 minutes. Reach your goal and earn a free book.
How do I participate? Pick up logs beginning May 13, 2013 at all library branches. Mark the time you spend reading on a log or online, then visit any KCKPL library branch beginning June 1st to pick up any prizes you’ve earned. Read and earn prizes through July 31, 2013. Spend your library dollars by August 31, 2013.
How do I earn Library Bucks? Earn $1 for every 60 minutes you read, for every time you attend a library program, or each time you checkout (limit $1, per child, per date). A maximum of $100 may be earned by reading. Bucks can be used to buy books and prizes in the Library Store or to pay fines on library cards issued to program participants. Some restrictions apply, see check out desk for more information. All library dollars earned in 2013 or previous years must be spent by August 31, 2013. Please note: This is the last year library dollars will be awarded during the Kansas City, Kansas
Public Library Summer Reading Program. Get ready for an exciting new prize structure in 2014!
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Preguntas frecuentes del programa de lectura de verano
Para quien es? El club de niños es para recien nacidos hasta 5º grado. Tu meta es leer 1.000 minutos. El club de adolescentes es de 6 º a 12 º grado. Debes leer 1.500 minutos. Alcanza tu meta y ganarás un libro gratis.
Como puedo participar? Recoge tu registro de cualquier sucursal de biblioteca de KCKPL empezando el 13 de mayo. Marca el tiempo que pases leyendo en tu registro o en línea . Visita tu biblioteca y recoge los premios que has ganado a partir del 1 de junio hasta el 31 de julio de 2013. Debes gastar tu dinero de biblioteca hasta el 31 de agosto de 2013.
Como ganar billetes de biblioteca? Gana $1 por cada 60 minutos que leas, por cada vez que asistas a un programa, o cada vez que saques un libro (con un límite de $1 por niño y por fecha). Puedes ganar leyendo un máximo de $100. Puedes utilizar tu dinero para comprar libros y premios de nuestra tienda o pagar multas en tarjetas J y YA (se aplican algunas restricciones, vea recepción para más información). Todo el dinero que ganaste en 2013 o años anteriores debe ser gastado hasta el 31 de agosto de 2013.
Page 4 www.piperschools.com
A Message to the Pirate Nation
from Piper Middle School
It is rather hard to believe but we are down to the last 33 days of the school year. We have been extremely
busy with state assessments in math, reading, and writing. Our 7th grade will be taking the Science assessment
at the end of April. Our 8th grade will be taking a math pilot test offered by Smarter Balanced consortium
the 3rd week of April. The students are quite tired but they are working very hard.
The school year has been filled with the usual competitions in football, volleyball, basketball, and track.
We have a large group of 124 students participating in track this year.
I thought I would take this opportunity to offer a few highlights that that you may not have heard about:
(right) Abby Neal, Patricia Telthorst,
and Maggie Wolf competed in the high
school Kaw Valley Math Relays on
March 27th and captured 2nd place
in the Algebra 1 division. We are very
proud of these ladies. Go Lady Pirates!
(left) Noah Robinson (7th grade) and Jacob Sharp (8th grade)
participated in the Regional National History Bee regional on March
1st in Wichita Kansas. Students from Arkansas, Oklahoma, Texas,
Kansas, and Colorado were at the competition. We are proud to
announce that Jacob and Noah placed in the regional final and have
been invited to compete in the National finals in Atlanta, Georgia
on June 1st. Congratulations to both Noah and Jacob. Good luck!
(below right) United States Representative Kevin Yoder visited the 7th graders at Piper Middle School on
February 19th. Congressman Yoder spoke about being a member of the 113th Congress. Representative Yoder
shared interest stories such as being
the 434th member of Congress.
Membership is based on seniority.
The freshman class that Representative Yoder entered Congress with
had nearly 100 members. Numbers
were assigned based on alphabetical
order. Congressman Young of Indiana was assigned the 435th spot.
Congressman Yoder also shared
his photo identification card that
he must present while attending
sessions of Congress. Representative Yoder handed out copies of the
Declaration of Independence to all
130 members of the 7th grade class.
Students and Congressman Yoder pointed out the many issues that are facing the United States today.
Representative Yoder discussed the need to hear all sides of each argument and the need to work together
to reach compromise. He enjoys President Obama and realizes they have different opinions on how to solve
difficult issues but acknowledges that they both want the very best for Americans. First and foremost, at the
end of the day, “we are all Americans first.”
In February, Piper Middle School held our 3rd annual fundraiser for the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society.
Piper Middle School raised $654. Olive Garden agreed to provide lunch to Mrs. Dodd’s 5th hour for donating
the most money. Mrs. Lago’s 5th hour received lunch from Pizza Hut.
We are truly making a difference in the lives of cancer patients here in our community. Through the Pennies
for Patients program, more that $1 million will be given this year to patients in Kansas and Missouri through
the Patient Financial Aid program. Money is provided to patients to assist with out of pocket medical expenses.
The LLS has designated $1.5 million for the Therapy Acceleration Program at the University of Kansas Medical
Center. So far this year, $806,500 has been awarded as research grants in Missouri for researchers working to
find cures for blood cancer. I would like to thank everyone for supporting the Pennies for Patients fundraiser.
Parents and students were treated to the play Cinderella, or how Pipsqueak the Mouse became a Stallion
the first week of March. In total, there were 65 students that were a part of this amazing comedy. Mrs. Lechtenberger and Mr. Lungren did a great job helping the kids get ready for their performance.
The 2013-2014 school supply list will be available on the Middle School website as soon as it is finalized.
District News
Spring 2013
Piper
Middle School
Summer Reading
Information
6th Grade Summer Reading List
Directions: You will be expected to read one of the following books,
fill out a Character Traits Handout & complete a computerized quiz, in
the first weeks of school. The handout can be located on the Piper Middle
School website under Kristina Johnson’s webpage.
• Stuck in Neutral by Terry Trueman • The Man Who Loved Clowns by June Rae Wood • Sixth Grade Sleepover by Eve Bunting
• Danger at the Fair by Peg
• Who Put That Hair in My Toothbrush? by Jerry Spinelli
• Tiger Eyes by Judy Blume
• Missing May by Cynthia Rylant
• The Agony of Alice by Phyllis Reynolds Naylor
• Middle School Blues by Lou Kassem • Ark Angel by Anthony Horowitz
• Are You in the House Alone? By Richard Peck
7th Grade Summer Reading List
Directions: You will be expected to read one of the following books
and complete an AR quiz over it during the first weeks of school. You
will also need to be able to accurately recall your book in order to make
recommendations or create reviews.
• Abduction! by Peg Kehret
• The Agony of Alice by Phyllis Reynolds Naylor
• Cirque du Freak (A Living Nightmare) Book #1 by Darren Shan
• Glory Be by August Scattergood
• Hatchet by Gary Paulsen
• The Ruins of Gorlan (Book #1 in Ranger’s Apprentice series) by
John Flanagan
• Raven’s Gate (Book 1 of The Gatekeepers series) by Anthony
Horowitz • Smile by Raina Telgemeier • Soul Surfer: A True Story of Faith, Family, and Fighting to Get
Back on the Board by Bethany Hamilton • Walk Two Moons by Sharon Creech
8th Grade Summer Reading List
Directions: You will be expected to read the following book and
complete a packet of graphic organizers as well as take an AR quiz over
it, during the first weeks of school. The packet of graphic organizers
should be available on the Piper Middle School Webpage under Kerry
Beller’s webpage.
• Anne Frank: The Diary of a Young Girl by Anne Frank
Get more information at
our official district website:
www.piperschools.com District Facebook Page:
(Piper USD 203)
Follow us on Twitter
(@PiperUSD203)
Spring 2013
www.piperschools.com
District News
Page 5
Piper Elementary Update
Our ™Vision:
Preparing – Individuals to – Persevere – Excel and Realize their dreams!
Parent and Community Involvement
As we wind down the year at Piper Elementary
and Piper East, we are called to be mindful of all our
accomplishments for the year and look at our challenges in a way that causes us to grow. The staff of
Piper Elementary and Piper East have gone above and
beyond the call of duty to ensure our students have
the best education each and every day. It is because
of our teachers, secretaries, custodians, cooks, aids,
and Piper patrons that our students have so much
for which to be grateful. It certainly shows on their
faces every day!
Carnival is May 10th!
Fun Day for Piper Elementary is scheduled for
Friday, May 17th. In case of rain, it is on Monday,
May 20th. East’s Fun Day is scheduled for Tuesday,
May 21. The rain out will be scheduled for the 22nd.
We are currently still taking volunteers for WatchDOGS.
Feel free to come in and take a tour of our beautiful
buildings!
Challenging Goals and Successes
Maintaining a Safe
and Orderly Environment
For the past 7 years, Piper elementary schools have
made the State Standard of Excellence in Reading,
Math, and Science. We have not finished all of our
assessments, but the results we do have are amazing.
Our teachers and students continue to rise to the
occasion each and every year.
The administration added some other challenging
goals to the teachers this year, and the results are
proving to be successful. The administrative team
put a challenge in front of the teachers to become
distinguished educators in the area of teaching literacy. It was the expectation that teachers design
instruction that reflects the most current professional
research. Because of this exciting challenge, we knew
we needed to add an expert in the field and were able
to hire Miki Herman as a literacy coach to support
our teachers. Mrs. Herman has worked alongside the
teachers to rise to the challenge. While the Fountas
and Pinnel reading data reflects the outstanding work
of our teachers, the true success is seen in the classroom. The teachers are model teachers in the area of
literacy, and the conversations in their Professional
Learning Communities demonstrate deep reflection
in celebration of successes and areas for continuous
improvement.
Common Core Curriculum
The Common Core initiative is a state led effort
to level out the performance and rigor of a state’s
curriculum. Piper Elementary has taken on this task
with purpose and grace. Our administration and
staff have put many hours into establishing a quality
curriculum, aligning our resources to the standards,
and developing teaching strategies that will ensure the
success of our students. Piper Patrons will have full access to Piper Elementary’s Common Core Standards for English
and Language Arts and Math at each grade level for
the 2013-2014 school year. The curriculum we are
currently designing will explicitly teach the rigorous
demands of the Common Core Standards. It will show
our patrons what we are teaching to all students each
day. In addition to our daily curriculum design, it will
also outline what we will teach when our students are
struggling to grasp the concepts, as well as, outline
what we are doing to accelerate the curriculum for
our students who have already mastered grade level
concepts. We are very excited about the work we have produced thus far, and we are anxiously awaiting the
2013-2014 school year where we fully implement the
Common Core Standards and instructional practices!
As Mrs. Grable always says, “You send us your most
prized possessions…” We do not take that lightly!
This year we have done many things to ensure our
students are safe when they come to school. We added a security system that helps us to see each person
before they are buzzed into our school. We tightened
our arrival and dismissal procedures because it is
our highest trafficked part of the day. We continue
to maintain high expectations for the students and
teach the Piper Pirate Rules. The administration got
a compliment this year from a substitute teacher who
subs throughout the metro area: she said, “out of all the
places I have subbed, I like to come to Piper because
the teachers are so organized, and the students know
what to do.” That speaks volumes!
Piper Teacher Ms. Telthorst
Invites Amanda Dye
to Speak to 2nd Graders
As part of a unit in social studies about community and working
together, 2nd graders explored information and opportunities to help
others both locally and globally. Guest speaker Amanda Dye shared her
story of how she began a non-profit organization called Energy of Hope
to help children in Africa. She provided ideas of how local students can
connect with others around the world.
Farewell to Familiar Faces
Mr. Amos is retiring. He is becoming a stay at home
grandpa and a professional golfer.
Mrs. Bachtel is retiring. She is looking forward to
staying home and baking and traveling.
Mrs. Lynch’s husband got a job at a University in
Athens, GA. Good luck and best wishes!
Mrs. Mean’s husband got his dream job in Nashville,
TN. They are pleased to be moving back home close
to their families.
Mrs. West is going to be a stay at home mom. She
is feels blessed to be home with her beautiful daughter
and son.
Mr. Bartlett is going to be a stay at home dad. He
is looking forward to training all of his kids to be
the all-star athletes that he has worked to develop in
students at Piper.
Mrs. Golden is pursuing her career as an administrator. She will be the new assistant principal at
David Brewer Elementary in the Leavenworth School
District.
We look forward to continued success and the
welcoming of new staff and families to become outstanding members of our Piper community.
Celebrating THE 100th
Day of School!
Did You Know?
Piper Elementary received 14 new
students over the Winter Break,
bringing the total number of students
in K-5 up to 883. This breaks all the
previous enrollment records for
K-5 classes in the Piper School District.
The 2012-13 Kindergarten
class has 156 students.
The 1996-97 Kindergarten class
had 56 students.
That’s a 279% INCREASE
in 16 years.
Page 6 www.piperschools.com
Piper High School
News & Notes
From Tim Conrad, Principal at Piper High School
This year Piper High School students were once again recognized for
their continued academic excellence, athletic talent, music and acting talent,
creativity and design/development skills. As our student skills continue
to develop, so do our programs and opportunities. The spring semester
has been very productive with many student and team accomplishments.
To date, our forensics team has grown in participation and we have had
a record number of state qualifiers, FCCLA qualified 8 students for state
competition for the first time, bringing home one bronze medal, two silver
medals and one gold medal/national qualifier. Several students competed
and won state music competitions and one won a state scholarship, three
bowlers qualified for state with one finishing in the top 12, two wrestlers
qualified for state, our basketball teams had their most successful seasons
in recent years, with our boys team ranked in the metro Top 25 most of
the year and playing in the state tournament in Salina. Our expanding
forensics program has the most participation in school history and has
already qualified the maximum number of entries for state competition.
Our swimming program participation is the largest in school history as
well. Overall, participation and expectations continue to grow. Not only
do we lead the charge as the highest performing high school in the metro
and one of the highest in Kansas (junior class of 2014 achieved 100% on
state reading assessments), we are now consistently leaving our imprint on
all facets of competition across the state!
With the spring semester in full swing, we will continue to lead the charge
in expectations, preparation, instruction and the development of skills that
meet the ever changing college entrance requirements, technical education
requirements, job force requirements and graduation requirements. Our
goal is to ensure that all students at Piper High School are given the opportunities and the tools needed for success and the support to continue
to be successful.
This year we also had the largest class of National Honor Society inductees. They are: MiKaylee Anaya, Brittany Baumli, Chelsea Beasley, Chloe
Bride, Jacob Brown, Jared Brown, Jared Davis, Kenny Delaquila, Jacob
Dougherty, Sara Ferguson, Viola Folsom, Elizabeth Glimpse, Brady Gooch,
Hope Grable, Alyssa Grissom, Kayla Hedlund, Josh Hoit, Taylor Hughey,
Aliyah Jackson, Jena Klaas, Dylan Long, Maddy May, Connor McBratney,
Stephen Michael, Rachael Morris, Rebecca Onstott, Carmen Ortiz, Lauren
Papageorgiou, Gordon Sheldon, Jodi Smith, Taylor Smith, Sarah Stella,
Alyssa Sullivan, Andrew Talkin, Jordyn Tucker, Cameron Walker, Colton
Walker, Jeremy Wilson, Alec Wuellner. Congratulations to the parents and
families of these outstanding students for this accomplishment!
The 9th Annual Piper High School Auction was a huge success this year!
Over 300 people attended the Down Home Country Auction on Saturday
Feb. 23 at the George Meyn Center at Wyandotte County Park. Several
items were donated and auctioned off at top dollar. The final figures have
been tabulated and the 9th annual auction has become the most successful
auction ever, raising over $26,200. All proceeds go to supplement various
activities and organizations at Piper High School such as Robotics, Choir,
Band, various leadership groups, athletic teams, Forensics, Drama, and
Debate. A special thank you goes to the auction committee team of Gary
and Mary Ortiz - co chairs of the event, Darcey Bast - high school staff
liaison, Sandy Hennessey, and several others. Look for the 10th Annual
Auction next February. Thank you Piper community, staff and committee!
As the school year winds down we will have 134 Piper seniors graduate
on May 16 and we want to challenge each student to take advantage of
the outstanding opportunities and facilities they have been provided with
and to focus in on being successful! Our continued success is dependent
on our continued attitude to be successful and to be the best. P (Pride),
I (Involvement), R (Respect), A (Attendance), T (Time management), E
(Effort) = Success.
2013 is proving to be one of the most successful years in school history.
PHS
Snapshot!
2012-2013
Piper High School
Forensics Team
members show off some
well-earned awards.
District News
Spring 2013
Another Great Year to be a PIRATE!
by Doug Key, Activities Director
The 2012-2013 school year
began with the celebration of two
state championships and a national
title! The first was the girls 4x100
relay team that won the title for
a 5th straight time! Members
of the team included: graduate
Kristina Lee, junior Tajhe’ Oches,
sophomore Jordyn Tucker, and
freshman Madee Erwin. To date,
this relay team has had different
members for each of the five state
titles. The next state championship
we celebrated was for boy’s golf.
This was their fifth state title here
at Piper, what makes this championship so special…our own Dub’s
Dread Golf course was the host.
Charlie Rinehart came in 2nd
as an individual and teammate
Parker Miller was 3rd. The rest of
the team members included Chris
Pennington, Montana Fasching,
Alec Wuellner, and Blake Knetter.
Our national title didn’t come from
the playing field or court but from
the auditorium, it’s from our Tri-M
group! Director Shelley Coles has
been instrumental in getting this
group to perform at their best.
During the 2012-2013 school
year, our summer weights and
conditioning was by far the best
Piper has witnessed. We had over
200 student athletes participate in
some form or fashion. This type
of dedication from the students,
coaches, parents, and community
has made Piper the up and coming
school for activities. Our volleyball
season started off with some huge
wins and now they are battling
for KVL dominance. Sophomore
Jordyn Tucker was named to the
KVL All-League team and Lindzy
Monroe has signed to play in college at Independence. Another
team member, Laura Clement, will
switch sports and has signed on
for rowing at K-State. The soccer
team took huge strides and had
plenty of heart this year. A season
starting car wreck made for some
tough times for the boys but their
toughness and family atmosphere
got them to the second round of
the play-offs. All-league selections
were Jose Mejia and Luke Long.
The upcoming season looks very
promising from the pitch! Cross
Country had some growth in numbers and the times were falling.
This team under the direction of
Darrin Sweany, has made strides
in the right direction and soon it
will be one of the toughest teams
in the area. The girls golf team
made it to state! Team members,
Emily Pennigton, Carley Gunnels,
Taylor Jenkins, Maddy May, Kelsea
Lawson, and Cali Wing played to a
third place finish at regionals and
qualified for state competition. All
members are returning and Emily
has earned two state medals so far!
Now for the Piper history making team of the fall season…
football. For the first time in
Piper history the football team
made it to sub-state. This team
has really started to gel under
second year head coach Chris
Brindle. By starting the season
with a loss to eventual state runner-up Eudora, we went on to huge
wins over defending KVL champ
Basehor-Linwood, Tonganoxie, a
ranked Bonner Springs team in
overtime, Lansing, and falling to
Mill Valley before going on the
historic run into the play-offs.
They captured the district title by
defeating Atchison, Sumner Academy, and Bishop Ward. First round
play-off foe was Jefferson West at
home, followed by an away game
at Baldwin. The next game was
versus Chanute at Piper Stadium in
front of a sold-out crowd to claim
the sectional title. The following
week, brought up our 1st week foe,
Eudora. This game was jam packed
with excitement and fight from the
Pirates but they came up short on
the scoreboard. Members of the
team that earned all-honors were:
Blake Martin, Jonathan Ortiz,
Blake Knetter, Tanner Eikenbary,
Matt McDonald, Maverek Dearinger, Paul Jones, Jose Mejia, Sean
Eskina, Kyle Skinner, and Colton
Beebe. This group has a special
place in the history books for Piper
football. Matt McDonald (GCCC),
Paul Jones (GCCC), Dalton Hays
(HCC), and Keaton Cofield (BCC)
have all signed letters of intent to
play football at the next level.
The winter season was filled
with excitement and belief that
things are a changing in PIRATE
NATION! The wrestling squad was
very competitive throughout the
season. With lots of injuries and
young talent, we ended up sending
two to Salina for state competition. Seniors Blake Gordon and
Ethan Bach showcased their Piper
pride and determination in the
Bi-Centennial Center. Coach Zach
Davies has a lot to be proud of and
looking forward to in the next
couple of years. The girls basketball
team took on a new look this year.
Losing two talented post players
from a year ago, this team found
ways to win. They started off the
season with a hard fought loss to
eventual KVL champion and 3rd
place in the state Mill Valley, then
went on to win the Eudora Girls
Tournament beating defending
KVL champion Bonner Springs.
Freshman Jessica Wayne was
named to the all-tournament team.
This group came together all year
long and ended up with an above
.500 record and lost to Atchison
in the sub-state semi-finals. Jessica
Wayne and junior Megan Woolley
were named to the KVL all-league
team. The boy’s season started
off with high expectations, even
though they only won 2 games in
the prior season. They lost their
first game by 3 points to Mill
Valley, then had an 11 straight
game winning streak, winning
the Paola Boys tournament, and
being the runner-up at the Spring
Hill tournament. All-Tournament
Team members were, Luke Long,
Dominic Jennings, and Tyrone
Jennings. They dominated the
KVL schools but came up short to
Basehor-Linwood and Mill Valley
for the league title. By being battled
tested and ready to compete, they
took over the Tonganoxie sub-state
tournament and earned a right to
play in Salina for a state championship. With the excitement
of playing at state, Piper sent 81
fans on two buses to the game vs.
Andale. The team took some time
to shake off the trip, down 9 before
scoring their first point, they went
on a run and took the lead with 2
minutes left in the 1st quarter. This
lead would not be relinquished till
less than one minute to play, eventually losing by 3 points in the first
round of state. All-league members
included: Calvin Johnson, Luke
Long, Dominique Jennings, and
Tyrone Jennings. Calvin Johnson
will be playing for Butler County
in the near future.
To cap off the winter season
our bowling teams have become a
team to be reckoned with. Coach
Gray has done a wonderful job in
recruiting young talent. For the
third year in a row we have sent
kids to state competition. Sydney
Johnson, Ryan Saragusa, and Charlie Rinehart are all state returnees!
Spring season has started, I
think. But with this weather we are
still waiting to see what this season
will bring.
Spring 2013
www.piperschools.com
District News
Page 7
PHS athletic department Snapshots!
piper Unified school
district no. 203
varsity boys
basketball
District Contact Information
Piper USD 203 Board of Education Members:
Mr. Jason Zager, President....................................... JZAGER@shb.com
Mr. Abe Glaser, Vice President.............. Abraham.Glaser@umb.com
Mr. Ron Kaminski..................................................rkaminski@kckpd.org
Mr. Neal Palmer............................................ Neal.Palmer@jedunn.com
Mr. Jeff Sanders................................................... jefferysanders@att.net
Ms. Lisa Sullivan.........................................snlsul1092@sunflower.com
Mr. Thomas Beebe.........................................kcgorilla@sunflower.com
Piper District Office
Steve Adams – Superintendent
Email: sadams@piperschools.com
12036 Leavenworth Road
Kansas City, KS 66109
Phone: (913) 721-2088 | Fax: (913)721-3573
www.piperschools.com
varsity
football
signing day!
Piper High School
4400 North 107th Street
Kansas City, KS 66109
Phone: (913) 721-2100 | Fax: (913) 721-3867
Tim Conrad, Building Principal............ tconrad@piperschools.com
Jason Malaschak, Building Assistant Principal
...............................................................jmalaschak@piperschools.com
Doug Key, Activities Director.................... dkey@piperschools.com
girls soccer
varsity baseball
Piper Middle School
4420 North 107th Street
Kansas City, KS 66109
Phone: (913) 721-1144 | Fax: (913) 721-1526
Stephen Mercer, Building Principal....smercer@piperschools.com
Sarah Guerrero, Building Assistant Principal
.................................................................sguerrero@piperschools.com
Piper Elementary School
3131 North 122nd Street
Kansas City, KS 66109
Phone: (913) 721-1243 | Fax: (913) 721-3656
varsity softball
Piper East Elementary School
4410 North 107th Street
Kansas City, KS 66109
Phone: (913) 721-5000 | Fax: (913) 721-5336
Administration for both elementary buildings:
Allan Amos, Building Principal................aamos@piperschools.com
Bilee Grable, Assistant Principal.......... bgrable@piperschools.com
Jolene Jackson, Assistant Principal....jjackson@piperschools.com
track
Food Service
John Distefano, Director.......................... jdistefano@opaafood.com
Opaa! Food Management Systems
Phone: (913) 721-9037
jv baseball
Maintenance
David Riley - Director
12036 Leavenworth Road
Phone: (913) 208-0415
Student Transportation
Kathy German/Linda Herbel
12036 Leavenworth Road
Phone: (913) 721-9019
jv softball
boys golf
Page 8 www.piperschools.com
District News
Spring 2013
The Piper Educational Foundation Fund is the charitable arm of
the Piper Unified School District 203. Through the Foundation Fund
we are able to accept all types of charitable gifts, including alternative
assets, such as real estate, stocks & bonds, annuities and trusts. To
contribute go to https://gkccfonlinedonations.org/piper/piper.htm.
Did You Know?
• Piper Elementary has 7 Kindergarten teachers.
• The Piper School District is growing at a pace
of more than 100 students each year. That’s
like adding 4 new classrooms of elementary
students - each year.
• Kansas Sports.com names PHS Senior
Keaton Cofield as an All-State 4A
First Team Defensive Back.
• The 2012-13 PHS Senior class currently has
141 students. In the 1996-97 Senior class there
were 88 students. That’s a 62% INCREASE
in 16 years.
West Facility Project…
Continued from Page 1
When asked why the majority
supported this option they stated,
“because it is already here and not
being used by the school district.”
Most recently, educational research tells us that youngsters that
have access to quality preschool
programs gain as much as a two
year head start over children who
aren’t enrolled in a preschool program. A recent MCREL program
assessment indicates that Piper
USD 203 can strengthen its’ overall
educational program by expanding
Pre-Kindergarten opportunities
for kids. To that end, Piper USD
203 has established a district goal
to expand the Pre-Kindergarten
learning opportunities for three
and four year olds. Superintendent
Adams reports, “We continue to
hear from our parents that additional Pre-Kindergarten opportunities are desired in Piper. We
are pleased to be able to respond
to these needs in such a positive
way.” Additional regular school
year and summer programming is
being considered. Currently, there
are 40 half-day and 20 full-day
Pre-Kindergarten students in two
classrooms in the Piper USD 203
early education program. The district offices will move to the West
facility to provide administrative
support for the Pre-Kindergarten
programs. The existing district
office will be used to house the
currently displaced technology
support staff and equipment, as
well as, the school bus transportation offices. “The West facility is
a much better option for housing
the Pre-Kindergarten classrooms,
rather than mobile units,” says
Adams. “Enhanced security measures are being planned for the
West facility that are not possible
with mobile units.” Moving the
early education program to the
refurbished West facility will open
up 2 classrooms at PES, putting off
the need for mobile classrooms for
at least one year.
The cost of the project will
be a little over $2 million and
will be paid for with $732,000
from the Speedway Plaza TIFF,
$420,000 from Unified Government neighborhood community
bonds, $800,000 thru a lease purchase agreement using Hollywood
Casino contribution money and
the balance will be paid for using
existing capital outlay funds. The
project will not require additional
school district levies.
Construction on the project
will begin the week of April 16
and should be completed by the
end of July.
Piper School District Newsletter Ad Information
Get more information at
our official district website:
www.piperschools.com District Facebook Page:
(Piper USD 203)
Follow us on Twitter
(@PiperUSD203)
Ad sizes and costs for the District newsletter.
The Piper School District newsletter will be published 4 times year and distributed by mail to 5000
households in the Piper USD 203 school district.
SIZE
One time cost
Yearly cost
1/8 page ad.................................................... $25...............................................$80
¼ page ad....................................................... $50...............................................$180
½ page ad....................................................... $100.............................................$360
Full page ad................................................... $200.............................................$760
2 inch tall banners at the top or
bottom of the page.................................. $150.............................................$580
Ad payment checks should be sent to the District Office, Attn. Kelly Kultala, 12036 Leavenworth Rd.,
Kansas City, KS 66109. Print-ready ad artwork can be emailed to kkultala@piperschools.com.
NOTE: The next edition of the newsletter will be a Back To School edition in the Fall.