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Butler County schools recognized by Kansas Can Star Recognition Program

Out of 243 public and private schools recognized by the Kansas Department of Education through the Kansas Can Star Recognition Program, six of them are Butler County schools.The program began in the 2019-2020 school year with intent to honor school districts and systems for excelling in education based on the shared vision of, “Kansas leads the world in the success of each student,” which was introduced in 2015 with accreditation system Kansas Education Systems Accreditation (KESA).

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Butler Jazz Ensemble Invited to Perform at Statewide Conference

The Butler Community College Jazz Ensemble, directed by Brett Martinez and Cally Bitterlin, recently received an invitation to perform at the 2025 Kansas Music Educators Association (KMEA) In-Service Workshop this coming February at Century II Convention Center in Wichita.Being chosen to perform at the workshop is the highest honor a performing ensemble can receive in the state.

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Wichita man sentenced for hate crimes against Black people, including minors

WICHITA — A judge sentenced a Wellington man to 80 months in prison Wednesday for threatening Black people with a gun, using racial slurs and making death threats, as well as violating the housing rights of a white woman by threatening her Black houseguests.Court documents show that in July 2022, Austin Schoemann, who is white, had been drinking in his car at a Wichita QuickTrip when two Black minors entered the gas station.

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