Red Devil Ready: Supt.'s Message

Decatur County Community High School

605 E Commercial St, Oberlin, KS 67749

September 6, 2026 (Schedule at the bottom, Skip What You Want)

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or visit our district website at usd294.org

Decatur Community,

The lights were back on this past Friday, and, as always, the community showed up. Though the outcome may not have turned out the way we wanted, it's a tradition that is as America as America can get, a sports' pastime that only exists here in the good old U.S. It is a reminder that always brings out the most "Proud to Be an American" memories, a time to remember the past. There will probably never be a year that this week in history will not jog memories of a specific day, a day that this year hits its 25th year milestone.

Where were you 25 years ago this Friday? If you're older than 30, I am sure you remember. For me, I was in my first year as a teacher in Louisburg, KS, a new home after teaching in Wichita for several years prior.

I am a Broncos fan, and I remember that on the Monday night before the attack, the Broncos were hosting the New York Giants. I remember that game as much as I remember any other game, primarily because of what happened the next day. I remember that Broncos wide receiver Ed McCaffery (Christian's dad for you nowadays, fantasy football gurus) broke his leg that night, the Broncos won the game, and the New York Giants were stranded in Denver the next day because their flight was unable to take off because the skies were closed.

I remember that on the 11th, I was teaching a 6th grade English class at the time I was told, struggling to grasp what it all meant.

I remember the fear of the nation, the gouging gas prices, and the intense wondering of what was going to happen next? What did it all mean?

What I remember most is the rallying of our nation. Though it was a tragedy, the nation came together, supported one another, and remembered why we are who we are, why we are so fortunate, and why we are so proud of our country.

SHOUTOUTS

Shoutout to Mrs. Lisa Johnson, Mrs. Jenny Tally, and the DCHS Singers for their consistent commitment to singing the National Anthem at our home volleyball games. They will continue this tradition into the basketball season, and it is always greatly appreciated. The Singers represent students that are in many activities throughout the year, and they were well represented at our first home volleyball game.

Shoutout to Mr. Brad Persinger and the DCJSHS Band. A few years ago, Mr. Persinger decided to add the JH Band to the Friday night crew for football games, and it has made a tremendous difference. A separate shoutout to sophomores Serenity Ozaeta and Kiaya Waterman, band members that performed the National Anthem for us this past Friday.

Shoutout to coaches Luke Clayton, Tiffany Witt, and our XC runners for their performance in the first XC meet of the season in Goodland. Here are our runners that placed in the top 10:

High School

Trevor Witt: 2nd (Witt, a consitent State Qualifier, is off to a great start for the season)

High School JV

Wyatt Scott: 7th

8th Grade Girls
Kylynn Wentz: 2nd

8th Grade Boys
Myles Hull: 8th

7Th Grade Girls (6th Graders run in the 7th Grade Division)
Tenley Tally: 6th

Mia Tuttle:10th

Shoutout to a school year that seems just fine without the phones. We knew that this wouldn't be an issue for the elementary school, but comments out of the high school seem to reflect satisfaction with the conversations that students are having in class, in the hallways during passing period, and during the lunch period.

Things You Should Know

Lady Devils Off to a Blistering Start

Coach Fortin and her squad are off to a blazing start to the season with the Lady Devils 5-0, an undefeated record that doesn't even include the 3 Jamboree matches that would have also been wins. Included in those 5 wins are rivals Atwood, Hoxie, and Quinter:

W vs Hoxie 28-26, 28-26

W vs Wheatland 25-20, 24-26, 25-22

W vs Atwood 25-14, 25-13

W vs Dighton 25-23, 17-25, 25-10

W vs Quinter 26-24, 16-25, 25-23

That is quite a run to start the season, capping off that run with what has to be a satisfying victory over the Bulldogs from Quinter that beat us last year at Sub-State in a tough, tough loss.

Let's hope we keep going. You know, the 9th, 10, and 11th girls all won the NWKL League title when they were in 8th grade. That shows a consistent level of success that is now contributing to the solid senior leaders that are out there on the court.

Max Preps currenlty has the Lady Devils ranked 4th in the State for 1A D1 volleyball. There's a lot of seaon still to be played, but what an exciting beginning!

The Lady Devils will be in action Tuesday as they head to Wallace County for a Triangular with Atwood. Saturday, they will take part in their first tournament of the year at Wheatland.

ZeroEyes Now in Place in USD 294 Schools

Over the summer, USD 294 had a new software installed that was part of the Kansas Safe and Secure Firearm Protection Grant. The $10 million dollar grant was awarded and spread out to several Kansas school districts, with USD 294 fortunate enough to be on board for the next three years. The grant was backed by Kansas Attorney General Kris Kobach.

What exactly is ZeroEyes and how does it work?

As simply put as possible, ZeroEyes is a software program that integrates with existing school security cameras to identify exposed firearms. There are really three funtioning parts:

1. AI: AI Visual Recognition is constantly monitoring the camears looking for the the exact shapes of potential firearms.

2. Human Verification: With two centers, one in Pennsylvania and the other in Hawaii, ZeroEyes has an important human element involved. The AI is programmed to look for shapes, driven by a complicated algorithm, but any alert is sent to one of these two locations for humans to verify themselves. ZeroEyes employees are all former military and law enforcement officers trained to review film and send a response in a matter of seconds.

3. Instant Alerts: School administration and local law enforcement are connected to these alerts and receive them within seconds of identification.

ZeroEyes is a 24/7, 365 days a year program that is just another way that we will keep our students and our community members safe on our school grounds. It's a great system that I hope we never have to use.

Attendance and Truancy Policy

We are a few weeks into the year, and I want to make sure that I get this out to everyone now.

1. Research shows that the single greatest factor contributing to student achievement is attendance at school. Although we realize there will be occasions when students legitimately need to be gone from school, it is the combined responsibility of the school officials and parents to see that these absences are kept to a minimum.

2. Approval for an absence by a parent does not necessarily mean that the absence will be excused. School administrators will make the final determination as to whether or not an absence will be considered excused.

3. A student is considered absent when he/she is not in regular school classes or in a school-sponsored activity. Upon an absence, a student must have a written or verbal excuse from a parent or guardian. If the parent fails to call the school, the school will make an attempt to reach the parent via Powerschool notifier or a phone call.

4. Each semester a student has 6 absences that can be excused by a parent. All other absences must be excused by a doctor. Absences that are accompanied with a doctor's note do not count toward the 6 absences that students can have excused by a parent. Parents should call the school on the morning that they know their student is not going to be in attendance, regardless of why their student is not going to be there. Only a doctor’s note or special administrative approval can excuse a student beyond 6 absences per semester.

5. Once a student has 6 full excused absences per semester, any additional absences that are not accompanied with a doctor's note will be considered unexcused and be treated according to school and state truancy policies. Administration has the discretion/flexibility to excuse an absence if deemed necessary due to extenuating circumstances. Examples could be accidents, extended illnesses, or surgeries that require the student to miss more than the days allowed.

TRUANCY POLICY

Students accumulating three consecutive unexcused absences, five unexcused absences in a semester, or seven unexcused absences in a year will be identified as truant. In accordance with the Kansas Compulsory Attendance Law (K.S.A. 72-1113), students under the age of 18 will be referred to the county attorney.

USD 294 Project Fund Enables Donors to Support Current and Future Projects

In May, USD 294 started the Project Fund. This fund allows donors to contribute funds to the district to address various needs that arise. The project fund currrently sits untouched as we look to build the number up to assist with larger projects.

If you have any questions about he USD 294 Project Fund, please do not hesitate to reach out. You can find more informtion on our website here.

Speak of the Devil

It's Labor Day weekend, and that means today is Sunturday, a magical Sunday that actually feels like a Saturday. Let's be honest, do you think students are going to bed at their usual Sunday bedtime, or that teachers are rushing to sleep to get up early tomorrow to ensure proper planning? I think not, because, as I said, it's Sunturday, which usually follows a Satiday. You get the drift.

I am old enough to remember that Labor Day was simply the last weekend of the summer. We got the Monday off, and school always began the Tuesday after. One of my first gifts when I graduated from college was from my cooperating teacher in good old Olathe, KS. That gift? A mug that said that the three best reasons to become a teacher were none other than:

1. June

2. July

3. August

Funny, but I would argue perks, not reasons.

Now, two and a half weeks into the school year, the old Memorial Day to Labor Day summer memory seems comparable to conversations about phones that were at one time attached to the wall. (It wasn't really that long ago)

I don't want to get too long-winded here, so I will simply state that Labor Day's roots stem from the late 1800s and the difficult conditions that workers (laborers) faced in many industries during the American Industrial Revolution. At that time, many laborers were working 7 days a week and up to 16 hours days, and there was a need for change. Labor Day is a day of rest from labor, a celebration and recognition of all the hard work that Americans do on a daily basis.

Until next time,

Jeremy Holloway

Go Big Red!