Fort Larned USD 495

LMS Spirit Week coming soon!!

We are currently experiencing issues with our phone lines. We apologize for the inconvenience and appreciate your patience while we work on a fix.

Thank you to our Larned Elementary School student ambassadors and their sponsors for leading the Pledge of Allegiance at last night's board meeting, and to all of the classes who participated in our annual Board of Education Appreciation poster contest. Those student messages are always a highlight!!

Owen Shaver and Easton Fox, Student Advisory Council members, introduced Denise Schmidt from the Tri County Special Education Cooperative, along with LMS PBIS teachers Ryan Rohling and Alexis Vanasse, who shared more about PBIS and the work happening in their classroom and treated the board to food prepared by their students. Brennon Stahlecker also stood before the board to share about his experience in JAG and the impact the program has had on him. The board celebrated Board Appreciation Month with a video created with help from our high school intern Maggie Haas and our student “movie stars,” along with a gift from JAG.

Congratulations to Jessie Pleasant and Michelle Koch on their re election as Board President and Vice President, and we are excited to welcome Ben Ramsey as our newest board member!

Read the entire Board Brief here: 9https://app.smore.com/n/mzke9 #larnedpride

The LHS Basketball teams are back at home on Tuesday at they take on Nickerson. The Sub-Varsity games will start at 4:30pm in the High School Gym, and the Varsity games at 6:00pm in the Middle School.

Celebrating our Students of the Month at LES! Keep up the great work. #lesfamily

Our USD 495 Board of Education meets tonight at 6:00 PM at the District Office. Join us in person, or keep an eye out for the Board Brief later for the scoop on what went on. #larnedpride

View the full agenda here: https://go.boarddocs.com/ks/usd495/Board.nsf/goto?open&id=DQ4KX853F391

Good luck to the LHS Boys Varsity wrestlers as the compete in Ellsworth today.

The Indians made the trip to Lyons last night and came home with a varsity split. They will be back at home on Tuesday night as they host Nickerson.

The ladies from our district office braved the cold morning to welcome LES students back for the first Hi5 Friday of 2026! Thank you for being here and for all that you do for USD495!

LHS Basketball GAME DAY at Lyons! As of now, we are planning to play these games as scheduled. If the weather gets more interesting today and forces a change, we will let everyone know ASAP.

Members of the LHS Girls Wrestling team are on the road to Rossville today. Matches are scheduled to begin at 1pm. Good luck!

We’re starting the search for the right people to join our USD 495 team for the 2026–27 school year, and we’re excited to get it going! Right now, we have two teaching positions open: an Elementary Teacher and a Secondary Social Studies Teacher.

At USD 495, you’ll find small class sizes, supportive leadership, and a staff culture that truly works as a team. Our community shows up for its schools and students, and we offer competitive salary and benefits to support the people doing this important work.

If teaching in a close-knit district sounds like a good fit, we’d love for you to take a look. Learn more about working in Larned at www.usd495.com/workat495 or apply directly using the links below. We can’t wait to meet you! #larnedpride

Elementary Teacher: https://usd495.schoolspring.com?jobid=5490556
Secondary Social Studies Teacher: https://usd495.schoolspring.com?jobid=5490531

The LHS Girls and Boys Wrestling teams will be at HOME on Thursday! Matches are scheduled to begin at 1pm. Make plans to come by the Middle School and check out all of the action.

Quick reminder. 👋

LMS and LHS will dismiss at 12:00 PM tomorrow, Thurs. January 8 due to a high school wrestling tournament. Route buses will still run for middle and high school students. If after-school plans will be different because of the earlier dismissal, please notify your child’s school office.

LES will follow a normal school day schedule.

Thanks, families! #larnedpride

Both games tonight with Ellsworth come down to the wire, and the Indians come away with victories in both games! They will be back in action again on Friday as they travel to Lyons.

Game Day! The LHS BB teams are back at home on Tuesday vs. Ellsworth.

SCHEDULE OF PLAY
High School Gym
- 4:30pm JV Boys (Full Game)
- 6:00pm C Boys (Full Game)

Middle School Gym
- 4:30pm JV Girls (2 Quarters)
- 6:00pm Varsity Girls
- 7:30pm Varsity Boys

Congratulations to Ali Haney, the JAG-K student of the month! Here’s what her teachers shared about Ali:

“Ali is a fantastic student. She is attentive to detail, dedicated to doing her best, and has served as an editor for the school newspaper for the past semester. It is no surprise that she has been selected as the JAG student of the month.”— Mr. Keith

“Ali has a natural gift for caring for others. She consistently demonstrates genuine compassion and empathy in everything she does during Certified Nurse Aide class. She will make an excellent CNA.”— Ms. Nelson

“Ali is great to have in class! She is creative and brings a positive attitude to the art room. She is kind to other students and is always smiling in the hallway.”— Mrs. Pontius

#larnedpride

The Indians have a hard time shaking off the Christmas Break rust, and end up dropping both Varsity games at Colby tonight.

The LHS Basketball teams will make the trip to Colby on Friday for their first games of 2026. Games will begin at 4:30pm at the Colby Event Center.

Main Gym
- 4:30pm JV Girls
- 6:00pm Varsity Girls
- 7:30pm Varsity Boys

Auxiliary Gym
- 4:30pm JV Boys
- 6:00pm C Boys

Great job to the LMS band and choir on their performance earlier this month! And yes… those new stage lights deserve a shoutout, too. 💡✨ #larnedpride