Girard Medical Center CEO honored
Kenny Boyd, CEO of Girard Medical Center in Girard, Kansas, was the recipient of Quorum Health Resources (QHR) Growth in Acute Care Admissions award. QHR is the seventh largest healthcare consulting firm in the United States. This award was announced at the 2010 Excellence in Leadership award ceremony.
“A number of notable accomplishments contributed to Girard Medical Center’s growth in acute care admissions in 2009. Under the leadership of Kenny Boyd, the hospital added a new geriatric psychiatric service to better serve the Girard community. It also recruited a new primary care physician and orthopedic surgeon,” said QHR President and CEO James L. Horrar. “Girard Medical Center’s clear commitment to meeting the needs of its community – while positioning itself for long-term viability — is commendable.”
Tamko promotes Edmondson, Baker
TAMKO Building Products, Inc. recently promoted two employees to spearhead the company’s reliability initiative.
Hugh Edmondson, former general manager of TAMKO’s shingle plant in Naples, Texas, has been promoted to corporate director of reliability integration effective immediately. Chuck Baker has been promoted to the position of corporate reliability manager. Baker previously worked as the corporate maintenance coordinator.
Edmondson joined TAMKO in 2004 as a Six Sigma Black Belt working in the Dallas, Texas and Frederick, Md. facilities. Edmondson was promoted to operations manager in Frederick and served as plant engineer. He was promoted to general manufacturing manager at TAMKO Naples in 2007.
In his new position as corporate director of reliability integration, Edmondson will lead a team to support TAMKO’s reliability initiative. This will involve oversight of the reliability project, expanding use of TAMKO’s current “Best Practices” at all TAMKO plants, system maintenance training facilitation, standardization of storeroom operations and working with plants to develop their maintenance reliability programs.
Edmondson is a graduate of the U. S. Naval Academy.
State Farm helps Habitat for Humanity
State Farm awarded the Crawford County Chapter of Habitat for Humanity with a grant to help pay for materials to build a new Habitat house for one local family. Habitat for Humanity works in partnership with people in need to build and renovate decent, affordable housing. The houses then are sold to those in need at no profit and with no interest charged.
Volunteers provide most of the labor, and individual and corporate donors provide money and materials to build Habitat houses. Partner families themselves invest hundreds of hours of labor - “sweat equity” - into building their homes and the homes of others. To learn more about Crawford County Habitat for Humanity visit their website.
Agent Lori Ann Spachek presented Crawford County Habitat President Christine Schindler and Habitat board member Tony Sanchez with the grant check for $2,500.
Virtual public school now enrolling
Kansas Connections Academy, the tuition-free, statewide virtual public school that students attend from home, has opened enrollment for the 2010-2011 school year. Students residing in Kansas who are entering grades K-12 in the 2010-2011 school year are eligible to attend KCA. Information Sessions to introduce Kansas Connections Academy to interested families have been planned in communities across the state (see details below).
A state-approved program of the Elkhart Unified School District 218, KCA opened in August 2001 as Elkhart Cyber School and successfully served students throughout Kansas through the 2009–10 school year. The school recently became KCA, and the program is now run in partnership with Connections Academy of Kansas, LLC, to provide the educational program and other services such as guidance services and student clubs and activities. Principal Sherri Hurn, who has led the school since its inception, will continue at the school’s helm; its administrative and teaching center will also remain at the same location in Elkhart.
“We are looking forward to the start of the 2010-2011 school year as Kansas Connections Academy and the opportunity to build upon our previous success” said Sherri Hurn, principal of Kansas Connections Academy.
“The main foundation of our program, a focus on close interaction between the student and the teacher, will not change. We are excited about what we are able to offer with KCA. Our teachers will have many more resources available to use with students and our students will have more opportunities for interaction with one another through clubs and face-to-face activities and field trips. The demand for virtual education in Kansas continues to grow and we are confident that Kansas Connections Academy will serve as an innovative and high-quality option for families seeking a personalized and flexible approach to education.”
Informational parent meetings about KCA and its curriculum will be held in communities across the state over the summer and online. Additionally, families seeking more information about KCA can call 1-800-382-6010 or visit http://www.connectionsacademy.com. August 16th will be the first day of school for the 2010-2011 KCA school year.
In-person information sessions include:
Lawrence
Monday, July 12, at 6:30 p.m.
Holiday Inn, 200 McDonald Dr.
Kansas City, Kan.
Tuesday, July 13, at 11 a.m.
Hilton Garden Inn, 520 Minnesota Ave.
Olathe
Tuesday, July 13, at 6:30 p.m.
Holiday Inn, 101 W 151 St.
Wichita
Tuesday, July 20, at 6:30 p.m.
Holiday Inn, 549 S. Rock Rd.
Salina
Wednesday, July 21, at 11 a.m.
Candlewood Suites, 2650 Planet Ave.
Topeka
Wednesday, July 21, at 6:30 p.m.
Holiday Inn Express, 901 SW Robinson Ave.
Emporia
Thursday, July 22, at 11 a.m.
Candlewood Suites, 2602 Candlewood Dr.
Dodge City
Monday, July 26, at 6:30 p.m.
Holiday Inn Express, 2320 W Wyatt Earp Blvd.
Garden City
Tuesday, July 27, at 6:30 p.m.
Hampton Inn, 2505 Crestway Dr.
Online information sessions:
All real-time online information sessions with a Kansas Connections Academy representative occur at 6:30 p.m. Please visit www.ConnectionsAcademy.com to reserve your space online. Join us on:
• Thursday, July 15
• Monday, July 19
• Thursday, July 29
• Monday, Aug. 2
• Monday, Aug. 9
• Monday, Aug. 16
• Monday Aug. 23
KCA gives students the flexibility to learn at home with a curriculum that meets rigorous state education standards. The program combines Kansas-certified teachers, a standards-aligned curriculum, unique technology tools, an extensive selection of electives and clubs, and community experiences to create an individualized alternative to the bricks-and-mortar classroom. All KCA students participate in the nationally certified Connections Academy program that includes a print-rich curriculum that combines high quality textbooks from leading publishers with cutting-edge, yet easy-to-use, technology resources and hands-on materials. Learning from home, students will work closely with their parents, or other “Learning Coaches” and a licensed Kansas teacher using detailed daily lesson plans that can be personalized to meet individual student needs.
Interaction between teachers and students is frequent. Accountability is central to the school’s mission and students must meet the same levels of accountability and complete the same state standardized tests as traditional public schools. KCA serves a wide range of Kansas students, including those who are significantly ahead or behind in the classroom; students who would benefit from more individualized instruction; or who require a flexible school schedule.
KCA joins the national network of 18 Connections Academy schools in 17 states which expects to serve over 25,000 students in the 2010–2011 school year.
Connections Academy is accredited by AdvancED, an organization representing 27,000 public and private schools and districts across the United States and in 65 countries worldwide. Parents’ and educators’ growing demand for this exceptional public school program spurred a 30 percent growth in the national Connections Academy school network for the 2010-2011 school year. This increase in demand — both on the part of parents and students as well as educational partners — stems from CA’s proven track record in helping students achieve their maximum potential for academic and emotional success.
