Board Report

On August 26, 2025 ACCHS Honor Society inducted new members from the Junior Class. New Members are Cora Tull, Addison Potts, Ava Handke, Grant Swendson, Brooks Goodpasture, and Cody Falk. These members join the current members: Max Bottorff, Avery Gilliland, Ethan Brooks, Audrey Brown, and Ashton Neill.

Congratulations to the 2025 Homecoming King and Queen candidates!

The King candidates are Max Bottorff, Colton Lowe, and Rance Vessar. The Queen candidates are Madison Martin, Trinity Sigmon, and Ava Speer.

Homecoming coronation will take place prior to the varsity football game with Valley Falls on Friday, September 19, 2025. Candidates please check your email for more information from Mrs. Walters regarding royalty photos and coronation details.

"Congratulations! Your school has been selected as one of this week’s T-Mobile #FN5GL $5K Fridays Winners. We couldn't be more excited about celebrating this incredible milestone with you!

At T-Mobile, we believe in connecting people to what they love—no matter where they are. That’s why we created Friday Night 5G Lights—to support communities like yours and fuel the passion for high school football. As part of your win, your school will receive $5,000 to support your ongoing efforts and football initiatives. Your school will also be featured as a winner on the T-Mobile $5K Fridays sweepstakes page."

The more we share on social media the "We're In it to Win it" image below and use the hashtags below, the better chance we have to win the bigger prizes! We need to share all season long on all the social media outlets that we can. Making videos at games and of fans in our stands & posting them with the same hashtags can also improve our chances for the big prize! So, let's go Tiger fans!

**TMobile Friday Night 5G Lights contest! They're celebrating small-town high school football, giving upgrades to schools + awarding a $1Million game-changing grand prize. It could be us! Learn more: https://t-mobile.com/brand/friday-night-5g-lights #FN5GL #Sweepstakes

The Atchison County Drama Club announces the cast list for the fall musical, “Young Frankenstein." The musical will be presented Nov. 14 - 16, 2025.

I have been approached by three Freshman boys about pursuing the idea of starting a boys golf team for the Spring of 2026. We have reached out to Horton and MHMA to get some ideas on the cost of starting a team as well as exploring the option to co-op. The boys would like to make a presentation at the October Board Meeting.

The NEKL High School AD Meeting was held on September 3, 2025 at ACCHS. Here are a few highlights from the meeting:

• 2029 Volleyball Uniforms will have to have the #in the center on the front and the back. Front numbers are no longer allowed on the left shoulder. Our current JH. JV, and Varsity uniforms already meet this standard.
• October 15th is the Football Selection Meeting for the 2027/2028 cycle. The meeting is in Salina.
• Officials Pay: Leagues surrounding us have increased their officials pay, and there is fear we are going to have a hard time getting officials if we do not consider raising our prices for the 2027-2028 season. Just FYI: We spent $22,502.88 on officials in the 2025-2026 school year. Our gate income was $24, 816.48.
• League Track: Set regulations that if you want to host League Track you must have a 7 or 8 lane track and have a Pole Vault Pit.
• October 1 ADs will meet prior to the regular schedule meeting to try and hash out schedules for VB, Basketball, Softball, and Baseball for the 2026-2027/2027-2028 seasons.
• With the addition of more baseketball games allowed by KSHSAA and with the change in post season play beginning earlier, the league voted to have 4 nights of league games to be held on Wednesday nights throughout the 26/27 and 27/28 season.

The NEKL Middle School AD Meeting was held on September 3, 2025 at ACCHS. Here are a few highlights from the meeting:

• Xavier will have a girls and boys basketball team this season - looking for ways to try and add them into our schedule if possible. ACCJH is the only team with 2 byes in this years schedule so picking up a game with Xavier is a possibility.
• Last year the JH ADs and HS ADs decided to separate out the NEKL Constitution and Handbook into to separate documents. This year JH ADs are going to work on cleaning up the language throughout the documents.

Basketball Changes:

1. Starting in the 2025-2026 season there will be only 4 Championship Sites

2. Shot clocks are going to be required for the 2026-2027 season for 2A/3A if you want to host post season games.

3. All schools must have shot clocks systems installed for the 2027-2028 season.

4. KSHSAA is waving all Basketball particiaption fees for the next three years.

Softball/Baseball Changes:

1. Starting in the spring of 2027 all facilities must include a safety base for softball and baseball games.

Track and Field:

1. Changing the order of events for Regional and State Track Meets - 3200m Relay Finals will now take place between the 100m and 200m prelims.

2. Modified the qualifying procedures for state - Automatically the top three in each event from each regional will advance to the state competition - there will be 6 at large spots - next 6 best finishes throughout the state will qualify in those 6 at large spots, meaning 18 athletes in each event will qualify for state competition. (No more that 4 can come from the same regional to fill those 6 at large spots)

New Ejection Policy:

Any player, coach, or spectator that gets ejected from a game will serve a 1 game suspension, as well as complete a sportsmanship course on NFHS.

Summer Practices:

There will be discussion at the next board meeting about best practices for summer sessions based on recommendations from the Sports Medicine Advisory Committee. KSHSAA wants schools to have discussions locally about evenly distributing practices amongst all sports. Idea - M/W (Fall Sports) T/U (Winter Sports) and F (Spring Sports)

Other October Meeting Topics of Discussion:

1. Adding Strength of Schedule Equation into determining seeding for basketball post season.

2. Adding Strength of Schedule Equation to 1A through 3A Volleyball to determine seeding in post season volleyball.

3. Rankings for Cross Country Regional Assignments

4. Standardized Calendar Changes - moving fall sports practice start date up and week, which would move games up a week, allowing for dead week and the start of winter sports to be moved up a week.

1. Curtain indoor batting cages or ones that drop down from the ceiling. Looking at this as one of our top purchases for this year.

2. New scoreboards, backboards, shot clock, and scoreboard controller. KSHSAA Update: By 2027 2A/3A Schools will need to have a shot clock system installed if they wish to host any post season events in basketball. By the start of the 2028 season all schools must have a shot clock system in place. I have already reached out to Daktronics and I received a quote for a new shot clock system.

Daktronics Quote

3. Before the summer ball season was over the other 4 burners of the grill used at the concession stand went out. Need to purchase a new grill. Looking at a Blackstone as an option.

4. Thank you to Booster Club for the upgrade to the scoreboard at the Football Field and the addition of more decorative fence cups at our stadium.

1) Football Stadium Bleachers: This summer the custodial staff went through and replaced and braced boards that were soft. Still want to pursue options to get all new bleachers and press box at some point in the future.

2) Track - Our track has been unusable for hosting track meets several years now and is only getting worse. With the track being used by community members, elementary students as well as JSH students for PE and other activities, and the track teams, there needs to be some concern about injuries taking place on the cracked and peeling track.

3) Baseball/Softball Upgrades:

1. Fixing outdoor batting cages poles and nets

2. Getting Shade Built for overtop of the bleachers: Update: After meeting with contractors it makes the most sense to wait until we replace asphalts to put in new dugouts.

3. Installing a Hydrant closer to baseball field - will also benefit JH Football practice with access to water

4. Update and remodel dugouts to include better bleachers, cubbies for helmets and gloves, storage closet within the dugouts for easier access to equipment. Update: After meeting with contractors it makes the most sense to wait until we replace asphalts to put in new dugouts.

5. Building real bull pins for both fields on the home and visitor sides for pitchers to have a place to warm up. Update:This was completed at the end of April 2025.

6. New board and padding on the backstops for softball and baseball fields. Update: getting quotes for this project.

7. New Gator for dragging and marking the field Update: This has been purchased.

8. Large bleachers for the softball field - they are much smaller than baseball. Update: waiting until the asphalt is replaced with concrete.

9. Real press boxes that are elevated for filming and scorekeeping

10. Sound System to play music, anthem, make announcements, and walk-up songs. Update: We have the speakers - one for the baseball side and one for the softball side. We were able to use them for Senior Night last season. They worked great.

11. New Scoreboard (which would include pitch counts).

12. Storage building for equipment closer to the fields. Update: Mill Iron V has been contacted to help find the type of storage shed we are looking for.

Gold Sponsors:

L & L Construction

Bottorff Construction

IRB

Thrivent - Jennifer Maxwell

Mill Iron V

HB Custom Printing

Grain Craft

Martin Trash

The Shed House

Silver Sponsors:

Ag Risk Solutions

Exchange Bank

Martin Construction

Rubble Reprocessing

Advanced Hydraulic Supply

Jones Ag

Carrigan Lumber

Atchison Auto Plaza - Lewis Chevrolet

Bronze Sponsor:

Rainbow Communications

Black Level Sponsors:

Anderson Eye Care

Kex Rx

Wheatland

Michael's Crafty Momma

Orange Level Sponsors:

Southwind Orchards & Apiary

Holton Livestock Exchange

Wilson Tire - Holton

Mr. G's

Pep Club Sponsorship Level:

Chris & Courtney Caplinger

Dillon Tire

Atchison County Booster Club

Gateway Treasurers

5th Quarter Sponsors:

Mill Iron V

Rainbow Communications

Chris & Courtney Caplinger

Holton Livestock Exchange

St. Ann's Knights of Columbus

Atchison County Booster Club

St. John's Church