April 2, 2020
Story by Brandon Steinert

Those seeking a credential as a Certified Nursing Assistant (CNA) have the chance to enroll in a course at no charge thanks to a generous anonymous donor and a collaboration between Barton Community College, Ellsworth County Medical Center (ECMC) and Good Samaritan Retirement Center. 

April 1, 2020
Story by Brandon Steinert

Barton Community College students, faculty and staff woke up to a new way of providing education on Monday morning, which was the first day classes were delivered via alternate methods. Reduced staffing had already been in place for nearly two weeks.

So far, instructors and students are saying that despite the challenges of learning at a distance, they are making the best of the situation and in many cases are finding very creative ways to improvise.

March 31, 2020
Story by Brandon Steinert

Maryann Anderson is both a junior in high school and freshman in college. She’ll be a full two years ahead of most of her peers when she graduates from Barton Community College in 2021.

“The more I do here, the less I’ll have to do somewhere else,” she said. “Right now I’m just trying to get through it and making myself do everything that needs to be done. I’m learning a lot of personal self-discipline.”

March 30, 2020
Story by Joe Vinduska

The Barton Performing Arts Department would like to invite high school seniors with an interest in dance, instrumental music, theatre and vocal music to apply and audition for 2020-2021 Performance Awards, Major Scholarships and performance ensembles via virtual auditions on April 18.

March 27, 2020
Story by Brandon Steinert

Barton Community College remains open to current and future students following the Barton County’s Emergency Order 2020-01, which orders the closure of restaurants, dining facilities, bars, taverns, clubs, fitness centers, swimming pools and public gathering locations, and restricts gatherings to no more than 10 people. This order does not apply to community colleges, which are considered essential.

March 25, 2020
Story by Joe Vinduska
Photos submitted

The Kansas Wetlands Education Center (KWEC) and The Shafer Gallery have been awarded the National Association of Interpretation (NAI) Region Six 2019 Outstanding Special Event Award for their collaborative art events “Frogs: Sounding the Future” in 2016 and “The Connected World: Biodiversity in the Art of Carel Pieter Brest van Kempen’’ in 2019.

By Jacquelyn Maser
Mental Health Counselor
March 17, 2020

Over the last couple of days, Coronavirus has become front and center in the media and you have likely been inundated with information and concerns. It is important to be mindful that situations such as this can cause tremendous stress and anxiety and it is of the upmost importance that we maintain our mental health as well as our physical health. The body under mental stress is more susceptible to illness. Keep your mind healthy to help keep your body healthy.