Richard Erickson, superintendent, said he was thankful that Hughes would continue as the industrial arts and building trades teacher.

“We appreciate Mr. Hughes’ great work with student athletics over the years,” Erickson said. “He has shaped and molded the lives of many young people. And his state playoff teams will be remembered for providing shining moments in Tonganoxie High School football history.”

Hughes has coached Tonganoxie High School football for 12 consecutive years.

High school principal Mike Bogart said he will miss having Hughes coach, in part because of his local ties.

“Being a graduate of this school, he cares about this school almost more than anything except his family,” Bogart said.

In other matters, Steve Woolf, principal of Tonganoxie Junior High School, said his students have new incentives to do well in school.

Rewards for scholastic work and good behavior this semester will include cards that grant privileges ranging from front-of-the-lunch-line to bumper stickers to school dances, pizza parties and coupons for meals at a local restaurant, Woolf said.

Incentives such as these are the most popular, he said.

“At my last school we gave away a trip for four to Disneyland,” Woolf said. “But it seemed like the front-of-the-lunch-line meant more to the kids.”

In his good news report, Erickson, congratulated people named as the school district’s nominees for the Friends of Education award program.

Nominated as a school volunteer was Bob Gepner, board president. Larry Meadows was nominated for being a community leader. The Magnatech company, owned by Bill and Kathy Graveman, was named as a private institution, and the Tonganoxie VFW was named as a community organization for this award.

“We are fortunate to have many individuals in the Tonganoxie school district such as these who contribute a great deal of time, labor, equipment, materials and financial support to the school district,” Erickson said.

Erickson noted the following teachers named as nominees for state and local awards: master teacher of the year, Phil Williams; Kansas State Department of Education award, Karen Stephenson; district outstanding first-year teacher award, Sally Coombs; district outstanding teacher award, Phil Jeannin.

Erickson said that second-grade students in the classes of Gail Kiefer and Chris Baska would be establishing pen pal relationships with senior citizens in the community.

He also noted that the following high school students are serving as mentors to students at Tonganoxie Elementary School: Rebecca Clinger, Candace Carty, Sarah Gripka, Jared Walters, Adam Bundy, Sarah Poje, Stacy Burns, Neil Reiger, Brett Becker, Scott Aligo, Tabatha Correll and Hannah Davoren.

The school accepted a bid of $4,995 for a refurbished copy machine in the high school from Logan Business Machines, Lawrence. The board discussed architectural changes to the planned multi-purpose facility, on which the lowest bid came in $186,000 over the budgeted $500,000 last year.

Bob Gepner, a member of the committee looking at plans for the building, said the group was trying to make cost-cutting changes that wouldn’t lower the quality of the facility.

“We want something out there that we can be proud of,” Gepner said.

Planned changes would include making the interior sidewalls 10 feet tall, instead of 12 feet tall, as originally planned. Also, rather than using pre-cast concrete walls, the building would be constructed of split-faced concrete, Gepner said.

“We didn’t make too many other changes,” Gepner said. “There are some contractors in town who think we can do it for $500,000.”

Bids for the multi-purpose facility let in early February, Erickson said.