Flying flapjacks
By Brandy Nance
Originally published 01:28 p.m., April 3, 2008
Updated 01:28 p.m., April 3, 2008
NEOSHO RAPIDS — It wasn’t your ordinary state assessment week for students at Neosho Rapids Elementary School as pancakes flew through the air and students giggled as they caught them on their plates.
Kathy Xenos of Chris Cakes out of Rose Hill and Southern Lyon County Superintendent Mike Argabright cooked and flipped the pancakes — about 700 of them — and used about 15 gallons of pancake batter.
Xenos, who has been in business for herself for three years, has been flipping pancakes for 18 years. She brought her own setup — a large gas grill, pancake batter, sausages and a large sense of humor — to the school.
As a reward to students for their scores on the tests, Xenos brought her entertaining operation to all the schools in Southern Lyon County.
Olpe/Neosho Rapids Elementary Schools Principal Bill Warner said Neosho Rapids received the Governor’s Achievement Award for last year’s test scores. The year before that, Olpe Junior/Senior High received it.
Two years ago, Olpe Elementary received the award. The award is given to schools that score in the top 5 percent of the state on assessment tests.
One look in the lunchroom at Neosho Rapids and it was evident that the students’ hard work paid off as Xenos and Argabright flipped pancakes off the griddle and onto students’ plates. Laughter and cheering rang through the room as students cheered each other and their teachers on. Pancakes that didn’t land on a plate hit the floor with a thud and Warner was trying to keep up with the mess by tossing them into a nearby trash can. During the Olpe flipping, Warner said he had to throw the cakes a lot further to a trash can.
“They were flying everywhere,” he said with a laugh. “It was a lot of fun.”
After several rounds of flipping cakes, Argabright and Xenos had it down pat as the cakes flew threw the air in seeming synchronization. Students’ faces lit up as they watched and participated.
Xenos said the record for the most pancakes ever eaten during one of her appearances was 72, set by a person in Kansas City. One student in Hartford ate 32, Warner said.
Xenos said it’s all about the kids when she takes her operation to schools.
“With school kids, we let more go to (waste),” she said. “It’s all about self-esteem and having fun.”
create (anonymous) says...
Fantastic activity, even more fantastic is the news that these schools have once again risen to expectations with state assessment scores. This is what happens when teachers implement state standards and benchmarks. Well done, teachers and kids!!!
April 3, 2008 at 3:25 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )