A QUICK WORD Lathrop R-II sees major changes ahead of next year

Forget the four-day school week. The new high school and its sports complex. Even the pandemic, which shifted how we do everything in society.

In the last 25 years, the Lathrop R-II School District hasn’t faced a hurdle so important as the transition they’ll be making this summer.

Last week, we reported that Chanucey Rardon, a 20-year staple as the Lathrop Elementary School principal, had submitted his resignation to take a principal’s office in Kearney. His building has been the foundation for the district’s classroom success, and now Lathrop will have to find his replacement.

Rardon marks the third administrator to leave the school district after the 2022-2023 school year. Superintendent Chris Fine will retire at the end of this school year, and LMS Principal John Goodin is leaving to take a principal’s position in Kearney, too.

In total, the district has seen nearly two dozen resignations this school year, most being teachers.

Going back to last year, Lathrop R-II has received more than three dozen resignations.

All together, this historic exodus creates a vacuum. The remaining district leaders will need to fill vacancies with one eye on the 2023-2024 school year, and another on the overall culture, atmosphere and stability of the school district.

It’s a tricky task.

A decade ago, Plattsburg schools found themselves in a similar situation. Key departures and retirements among the administration and staff lit the fuse on a revolving door. The culture at the Clinton County R-III School District suffered. Even now, after the current leaders dug in their heels and stopped the spin and put Plattsburg back on a proper foundation, some fall out remains.

The district’s APR and MAP results are abysmal. But at least Plattsburg is in a position to attack the problem.

Luckily, Lathrop R-II has tapped Andy McNeely – who served as LMS principal before Goodin and is serving as the assistant high school principal currently – to lead the middle school. He and LHS Principal Robert Bowers will give the district valuable continuity.

Thanks to Chris Fine and his advanced notification on his retirement, Dr. Adam Willard, the next superintendent at Lathrop R-II, was hired last October, giving him an additional seven-months to learn the district and its needs. Board members Matt Holsted, Darrell Morgan and James Martin are experienced community leaders who have helped lead the school and other community organizations through tough times.

The Lathrop R-II School District has enjoyed a long period of relative success and stability –the kind that benefits not just the students, but the entire community. The coming months, then years, will determine whether the former mule capital can keep the good years rolling.

You know you’re growin’ older when... You know that the colder the x-ray table, the more of your body is required to be on it.

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Kansas City’s downtown has hosted plenty of historic, can’tmiss entertainment opportunities, and I’ve been blessed to make my share. The most dynamic was the 1972 concert at Municipal Auditorium, when Elton John energized a sold-out venue with three encores, as the crowd didn’t want to stop the exciting performance. This preceded my excitement when I returned to the President Hotel’s parking lot to find my car had been stolen. The full story will be a chapter in the book.

My most recent entertainment opportunity was Travis and Jason Kelce’s “New Heights Live” podcast held Wednesday, April 26, at the Music Hall that adjoins Municipal Auditorium. Though their best talents are revealed more so on the playing field, the brothers know more than just winning football games. They now have gone to the airwaves to bring humor with locker room banter and brotherhood for all to enjoy. The weekly podcast show, which began this past September, has grown to become one of the most popular podcasts across the country.

If playing against each other in Super Bowl LVII wasn’t enough, they decided to bring their podcast as an opening act for the NFL’s three-day draft party at Union Station that began on Thursday, April 27.

And they didn’t disappoint.

Anything to do with the Chiefs becomes a hot ticket item, and their show was another example, with the 5,000 tickets gobbled up quickly. The lineup for the show was star studded, with NFL commissioner Roger Goodell opening the show, first introducing Jason Kelce and then Travis. Goodell’s go-to act includes taking full advantage of posing with them for a photoshoot.

Not to be outdone, Travis’s bearhug turned into lifting the commissioner off the floor and spinning him around before returning him to solid footing. For those who think Goodell is a stuffed shirt, they soon learned why he has been commissioner for over 15 years (with a paycheck of 20 million). He knows how to enjoy the moment and be a part of the act.

There were plenty of local stars in the crowd, with Chiefs Head Coach Andy Reid and his wife enjoying a center stage seat. He was joined by Chiefs General Manager Brett Veach. Kelce’s mother, Donna, was in the crowd, too.

Travis Kelce promised a fun-filled show. “We’ll have surprise guests, giveaways, and maybe we’ll even sign your baby.”

Again, they didn’t disappoint.

Both used large, air-powered cannons to shoot towels into the crowd. They didn’t always work as designed, so winging the towels by hand was a can’tmiss opportunity for the fans.

Joining them on their living room couch set-up on stage was comedian and Kansas City native Eric Stonestreet, as did Chiefs center Creed Humphrey and former Chiefs tight end Tony Gonzalez. This led to a bit in the show where Chiefs back-up quarterback Chad Henne joined them. They hyped Henne’s appearance be- fore bringing on the guest everyone wanted to see, quarterback Patrick Mahomes.

The roar from the crowd when he ran (yep the ankle is okay!) onto the stage was the loudest of the night.

Henne’s appearance allowed Travis Kelce to right a wrong from this past season, when Kelce tossed the ball from his touchdown pass from Henne into the Arrowhead crowd during the Jacksonville game. Apparently, it was Henne’s only touchdown pass in a playoff game.

Also in attendance that night was Jesse Eggers, who caught the touchdown celebration football from Travis Kelce. He was joined by his fiancée, Karly Riley.

Travis introduced Eggers, who produced the football and threw it onto the stage, which airmailed Kelce and was caught by Patrick Mahomes, once again proving Mahomes has a way of being in the right place at the right time. Kelce then passed a signed replacement football back to Eggers.

The hour and a half show closed out with Jason Kelce showing off his shaved head and wearing a diaper as part of fulfilling their bet before the Super Bowl.

Without a doubt, the Kelces fulfilled the expectations of the fans once again at the historic Music Hall. And the good news? My daughter Liz’s car was still in the Hotel President parking lot.

* * * * Trivia question: Who created the American tradition of Mother’s Day? A. Susan B. Anthony; B. Louisa May Alcott; C. Anna Jarvis; D. Florence Nightingale (answer is nearby).

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Some more smiles from paradise, courtesy of Jim Nicholson, Honolulu, Hawaii.

I have a pencil that used to be owned by William Shakespeare. But he chewed it a lot. Now I can’t tell if it is a 2B or not 2b.

Before my surgery, the anesthesiologist offered to knock me out with gas or a boat paddle. It was an “ether/oar” situation.

I’d kill for a Nobel Peace Prize.

Borrow money from pessimists. They don’t expect it back.

Half the people you know are below average.

A total of 82.7 percent of all statistics are made up on the spot. (Trivia answer: C. Anna Maria Jarvis (May 1, 1864 –November 24, 1948) was the founder of Mother’s Day in the United States. Her mother had frequently expressed a desire to establish such a holiday, and after her mother’s death, Jarvis led the movement for the commemoration. However, as the years passed, Jarvis grew disenchanted with the growing commercialization of the observation (she herself did not profit from the day) and even attempted to have Mother’s Day rescinded. She died in a sanitarium, her medical bills paid by people in the floral and greeting card industries).

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Food for thought: “Hard work pays off in the future. Laziness pays off now.” Steven Alexander Wright (born December 6, 1955) is an American stand-up comedian, actor, writer, and film producer.