Lawrence Central Rotary

Category: News

A Great Thank-You Note from the SWMS Future City Team

We recently received a great note from the Southwest Middle School Future City team who we helped in part to attend the National Future City Competition in Washington, D.C. in February.

The team members who represented Libban-Eft at the National Future City Competition were: Eli Bork, Anna Bial, John Ely, David Gates, Hirsh Guha, Harrison Hughes, Quentin Harrington, Madelyn Johnson, Ben Katz, Jeseung Lee, Paul Loupe, Ulises Magana de la Paz, Jake Morris, Brian Myers, Anna Osterhaus, Ting Ting Shi, Isaac Springe, and Claire Walther. The educators who represented Southwest Middle School in D.C. were: Danielle Lotton-Barker and Ceridwen Coulter. Christopher Storm of Landplan Engineering served as the professional mentor to the students.

The note read: “Thank you SO MUCH for supporting our SWMS Future City team Libban-Eft in our fundraising efforts to go to tine National Future City Competition in Washington, D.C. in February! Tliese students did such an amazing job “on and off the court.” They represented Southwest, the Lawrence Public Schools, and the Great Plains Region with integrity and pizazz! You would have been so proud of the grace under pressure that they demonstrated when dealing with the fact that their model didn’t even arrive until 90 minutes before their presentation and they had to completely reconstruct it. They acted like true engineers, handling the challenges and problems as they came to them, and finding workable solutions!

In the end, our team was awarded 4th place in the nation against the 36 other regional winners and Most Accessible City by the Paralyzed Veterans of America. The team gave their presentation in front of hundreds of students, parents, and coaches and judges that included executives of major engineering firms and Joe Paica (the NPR Science correspondent). We couldn’t be more proud of them! Thank you for making this experience possible for all 18 students

— SWMS Enrichment Resource Staff — Dani Lotton-Barker, Ceri Coulter, Sandy Bush”

If you want to experience a bit of the excitement vicariously, check out this link to their music video encapsulating the trip for posterity! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=th4LYsvy6_Y

Great Job SWMS Future City Team! Lawrence is proud of you!

April 30, 2014
Mark Your Calendars Now For the 2014 Lawrence Community Bike Ride July 19th

We’ve set the date for the 2014 Lawrence Community Bike Ride.. Mark your calendars now! More info coming soon.

April 30, 2014
Does Your Child Need a New Bicycle Helmet?

2014 Lawrence Kids’ (Free) Bicycle Helmet Fair Scheduled for May 10

Bike helmets may be the “Gift of Life”. By choosing to wear a helmet, you will reduce your risk of a head injury from a crash by 85%!

To make that a reality for Lawrence children, on Saturday, May 10th, local businesses and organizations are sponsoring a free bicycle helmet fair and Family Fun Zone before the KU baseball and softball games. The events will be in the KU parking lot # 125 & 127 between the baseball and softball complexes.

The bicycle helmet fair will be from 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. Activities include a free helmet for children under the age of 14 who are accompanied by an adult, bike inspections and a safe ride course. Participants will learn about rules of the road, bicycle trail etiquette, booster seat safety, and bicycle and pool safety.

The Family Fun Zone will be open from noon to 2 p.m. and will include family-friendly inflatables, a face painter, Big Jay and Baby Jay, and music.

After the activities, you can cheer on KU’s baseball and softball teams at 2 p.m. Admission is free.

April 29, 2014
LJWorld’s Chad Lawhorn Stops By Lawrence Central For A Little In Person “Town Talk”
Chad Lawhorn, reporter for the Lawrence Journal-World, writes about everything from city commission meetings to new businesses in town to Lawrence history visited Lawrence Central to give an impromptu in person “Town Talk”, his popular online column on LJWorld.com.

Lawhorn has a long history in local journalism and told Lawrence Central Rotarians that journalism is not a dying art. “People are still interested in information–more than they have ever been,” he said. “It’s just that there are so many ways to get it now. And newspapers have created a problem for themselves by offering it free online. They should have figured out some way to charge for it.”

His coverage of the city commission prompted one Rotarian to ask him how he sits through a commission meeting without wanting to “set himself on fire.”

“City Hall is an acquired taste,” he said. “ It takes a certain type of person to cover it. I usually have a sense of how things will go before I get there.”

He said there are four major issues in Lawrence right now:
- A new city commission, chosen in 2015, may change registration for rentals.
- A second issue is buying land to build a new police headquarters to consolidate all police work in one place. The question will be if the city decide to pay for it with new sales tax.
- A third issue is commercial development near the South Lawrence Trafficway–what will the city approve to be built there.
- The last issue is a building a large conference center for Lawrence. He said it could be downtown or close to campus.
“I’m keeping an eye on all these things,” he said. “It’s an exciting time for Lawrence.”
April 28, 2014
Kick off Bike Month With City Leaders May 6th

Artwork Bicycle Typogram is a product of Aaron Kuehn http://aaronkuehn.com/art/bicycle-typogram

Help Lawrence/Douglas County Bicycle Advisory Committee, local bicyclists and even a few members of Lawrence Central for a short bike ride with Lawrence Mayor Amyx and City Commissioners before the Bike Month Proclamation at Lawrence City Hall.

When: Tuesday, May 6th, 2014 @ 5:30pm
Ride starts at City Hall, 6 E 6th Street

Proclamation at 6:35

**Bring your Own Bicycle**

For more information contact 785-832-3165 or jmortinger@lawrenceks.org

April 25, 2014