MARC JACOBS
Hutch Post
From agriculture to the arts to music, students in the Buhler School District are earning recognition at state and regional levels this fall. Superintendent Cindy Couchman highlighted several recent accomplishments during an update this week, calling them examples of the district’s “small school feel with big school opportunities.”
Among the standouts is Buhler High School senior Emily Hare, who won the Ag Challenge of Champions at the Kansas State Fair. The FFA competition tested her knowledge in livestock, crop identification, feed analysis, meat cuts, and industry practices. Along with the top prize, Hair earned a $3,000 scholarship. “It’s a very intense competition,” Couchman said. “We’re really proud of her, our FFA program, and our instructors. It takes a whole village with student success.”
Another student making headlines is Abby Cox, who attends Ad Astra Alternative Academy. Cox earned first place in both nonfiction and art categories in the Kansas Authors Club High School Division. Her nonfiction entry has since been featured on the district’s website. “It is a moving article, just beautiful,” Couchman said.
On the music front, the Buhler High School Marching Band captured first place at the Air Capital Marching Competition in Wichita and is competing at Emporia State University’s marching festival on Oct. 1. Couchman praised the dedication of students, staff, and families: “It’s a whole family event when you have a student out for band. They’re at school early in the morning, all summer long. It is a real commitment.”
Beyond celebrating individual achievements, Couchman emphasized the district’s broader focus on college and career readiness. She noted that Buhler consistently scores above state predictions for postsecondary success, with more than 70 percent of students deemed college- or career-ready. October is a busy month for career exposure, with freshmen taking the pre-ACT, juniors completing the WorkKeys exam, and students across grade levels participating in career fairs, college visits, and job site tours.
“Step one is helping students visualize themselves in a career or in college,” Couchman said. “Exposure is key, seeing what’s possible at an early age helps set that expectation.”
Couchman also shared the district’s efforts in student leadership development, from fourth and fifth graders applying to serve as “Cru Leaders” in elementary schools to high school students involved in Rise Up Reno County.
Despite the good news, the district is also navigating challenges with declining enrollment, tied to an 8 percent drop in Reno County’s birth rate. Class sizes remain strong at the high school and middle school levels, but smaller groups are entering the lower grades. Couchman said the district is watching the numbers closely and hopes housing developments in the area will help bring new families into the district.
“We're hopeful that that brings in some young families with kids. The housing study is an interesting study in Reno County right now, and we're hopeful that we are we have so many organizations working to fix it. Hopefully we start feeling the effects of that soon, inside our districts." said Couchman.