Golden Belt Telephone awarded scholarships to Morgan Armbrister, Kamden Keller, Alyssa Rome, and Brooke Starns.
The Lester Henrickson Memorial Scholarship was awarded to Isabella Eck and Morgan Armbrister.
The Tegan Cain baseball scholarship went to Chance Jimenez and the USD 388 Foundation Scholarships went to Kamden Keller, Addison Kohl, and Isabella Eck.
The Ellis Rotary awarded scholarships to Tyler Bongartz, Toby Honas, and Isabella Eck.
The Sybil Luea scholarship was awarded to Kaycee Cranwell.
Isabella Eck received the PEO Scholarship in memory of Robin Henman, the Women Who Lead Scholarship, the Rosabel Flax Memorial Scholarship, and the Ellis Foundation Scholarship.
Brooke Starns and Kaycee Cranwell received the Todd Keller- Shelter Insurance scholarship.
Isabella Eck and Kaycee Cranwell received scholarships from High Plains Farm Credit.
Addison Kohl received the Golden Belt Bank Scholarship, the American Red Cross Scholarship, and the Greater Salina Foundation Scholarship.
Kamden Keller, Alyssa Rome, and Chance Jimenez received scholarships from the Ellis County Commissioners.
Kamden also received the Hays Rotary Scholarship.
Taryn Boydston breaks her own school record with a time of 5:22.80 in the 1600. This is the fastest time in 1A JH & HS. Kid puts in the work!!
A few HS KAY members were free during seminar to help pick up trash around the school grounds. Spiffing things up for graduation!
Live results for today's meeting in Plainville can be found at Heartland Timing. https://milesplit.live/meets/685558
The Ellis JV Golfers are in action this week with two tournaments! Today, they are on the road to Norton to play at the Prairie Dog Golf Course, starting at 1:00 PM. On Thursday, they will head to Plainville, where they will tee off at 9:00 AM at the Rooks County Golf Club. Good luck, Railroader Golf!
Ellis Jr./Sr. High School is proud to recognize an outstanding educator: Mrs. Renetta Dawson! We are thrilled to have her experience, knowledge, and expertise as a part of our school community. Mrs. Dawson teaches band for grades 5-12 on a part-time basis. She previously taught at Ellis schools, and we are delighted to welcome her back. Including this year, she has taught at Ellis schools for a total of ten years!
Mrs. Dawson’s extensive experience, both in K-12 schools and at the college level, makes her a wonderful addition to our school. Her classroom operates efficiently, and she consistently brings out the best in her students daily. Our band has truly improved this year, and their spring concert on Monday night was a testament to their growth. Mrs. Dawson's commitment inspires our young musicians, who greatly value her guidance!
Fun facts about Mrs. Dawson include that she is a graduate of the University of Kansas—Rock Chalk! She is also a fan of the Lincoln Center Jazz Orchestra and has a love for crème brûlée. We are incredibly fortunate to have such a dedicated teacher like Mrs. Dawson. She is valued in our community and at our school, and we are honored to celebrate her contributions as part of our Railroader family. Thank you, Mrs. Dawson!
Thank you to HS KAYs for purchasing the ice cream and toppings and to all our wonderful staff and students for participating and helping with the ice cream fundraiser for the Richards family.
The Railroader Varsity Golf Team is in action this week with two tournaments! Today, they compete at Smoky Hill Country Club in an 18-hole tournament hosted by TMP. The start time is 9:00 AM. On Friday, they will be in Hill City at the Prairie Trails Golf Course, starting at 1:00 PM. Good luck, Railroaders! Railroader Pride!
Ellis High School crushed it at the state forensics competition—placing 6th out of 40 teams! With only 7 entries, they went head-to-head with much larger teams and still came out on top. Talk about making every performance count! Way to represent, Ellis!
Your 2025 forensics state placers earning the coveted KSHSAA medals:
Elie Brull - 2nd place
Kenzie Sunley - 4th place
Mason Rohleder - 5th place
Emma Downing - 4th place
Maggie Fitzgerald & Madison Birdsong- 4th place
State Forensics Update: 5 of our events are moving onto finals! Here we go, Railers!
State Forensics Update: All seven forensics kids broke into semi-finals! Go Railers! 🎭 🧡🖤🧡🎭
The Ellis Hill School Track team traveled to Quinter to compete in a strong field of 1A schools. The girls' team came up short, placing 2nd, ahead of Ness City. Our athletes continue to work hard as they make their quest for state. 1st place finishers are Natalee in shot and discus, Avery in 800 and 1600, and Aron Benzce in shot. Finishing in 2nd place are Evelyn in 100 and 200, and Isabella in HJ. Placing 3rd are Aron Benzce in the Discus and the girls' 4 x 100 team of Addison, Isabella, Sienna, and Evenlyn. 4th place finishers are Sienna in TJ and LJ, and Evelyn in 400. The 5th-place finisher is Addison in PV. Next week, the team competes at Victoria to complete our regular season as we embrace the postseason ahead. Keep up the great work. Railer Pride!!!
Link to Results: https://milesplit.live/meets/655742
These forensic kids have worked so hard all season long—putting in the hours, refining their performances, and pushing themselves to get to this point.
As their coach, I (Mrs. Kauten) couldn’t be prouder—not just of these competitors heading to state, but of our entire team. Forensics isn’t easy. It takes guts to stand up in front of an audience of strangers, to pour your heart into a performance, and then be judged on every detail. And yet, these students do it with grace, skill, and a whole lot of courage.
Tomorrow, our competitors will take part in three preliminary rounds. From there, we hope to see them advance to semifinals—where only the top 12 in each event move forward—and ultimately to the finals, which feature the top 6. It’s intense, but I know they’re ready.
Let me introduce you to our state-bound team:
Elie Brull will be thrilling her audience—and maybe scaring them just a little—as she brings the Gruffalo to life in her poetry performance.
Emma Downing will remind us all that the glitter doesn’t always sparkle more on the other side with her poetry piece, and she’ll also be delivering an original oration about the dangers of certain skincare products targeted at youth.
Kenzie Sunley will have her audience laughing as she shares the struggles of untamable bedhead in her prose piece.
Journey Swaggerty will be calling out bad behavior—like texting during performances—with her sharp and hilarious humorous solo.
Mason Rohleder will be thinking on his feet and showing off his argumentative, and more importantly, his bluffing skills in the fast-paced world of impromptu speaking.
Maggie Fitzgerald and Madison Birdsong will spend the day tapping into their creativity, inventing hilarious and imaginative performances on the spot.
Let’s give a big round of applause for these outstanding students. They’ve earned this moment, and they’re going to make us all proud.
Good luck at state—Go Railers!
