A love story that began at marching band practice entered its next chapter over Thanksgiving weekend at the spot where it all began.
     Cheyanne Arnold (GVHS 2017) and Andrew Craig (GVHS 2018) met for the first time as members of the Grain Valley Marching Eagles in 2014 on the 38 yard line during practice. Craig’s marching route on the field caused him to step on Arnold’s flag on the count of 1 as she was supposed to stand up from behind a box and begin her routine.                  
     The band directors told Cheyanne she had to hit count 1.  She finally told them, “I can’t!  The freshman’s on my flag!”  The freshman was Andrew Craig at the 38 yard line. 
     Craig surprised Arnold by proposing on Wednesday, November 24, 2021, on the spot on the 38 yard line where it all began. 
     Craig said he created an excuse to get Arnold out of the house by claiming he needed something from the grocery store. Once the couple headed out, their families headed over to the high school football field. As the couple left the store, Craig volunteered to drive and headed the opposite way toward the high school. Arnold was confused, but wasn’t really expecting a proposal, as she said both of their families had strongly suggested they wait until both graduated from college to become engaged.
     “When we got to the field and I found the spot where it all began, I told her this spot started the best 8 years of my life, and it was the best mistake I ever made,” Craig said.
     They began dating in December 2014 and have been together ever since.  Arnold was a member of the Grain Valley Color Guard and Winter Guard. Craig played the trumpet in the Marching Eagles, pep, and concert bands.   
     The couple were members of the 2016 GV Marching Eagles who traveled to New York City to perform in the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade and were asked to perform on Good Morning America.   
     Arnold graduated in 2017 and went on to K-State where she has obtained a Bachelor of Science degree in Horticulture with an emphasis on Landscape Design and Greenhouse Management.  She is currently employed by Ryan Lawn & Tree as a landscape designer.  Andrew is a Senior at K-State and will be obtaining a Bachelor of Science degree in Geology in May 2022.   The couple is planning a Fall 2022 wedding.
 

     Join Truman Heritage Habitat for their 2nd Annual Gingerbread Homes for the Holidays Contest.  Calling all supporters, bakers, artists, amateurs, children, seniors, and everyone in-between: join with other to build a house and raise money to help families in the community.
     Sign up your group: business, church, club, organization, friend group, or family.  Set up your fundraising page, set your fundraising goal and build your gingerbread home. The public will “vote” for their favorite through their donation. 
     All funds raised empower families to access safe, healthy, stable housing. The Gingerbread Houses will be displayed in storefronts around Eastern Jackson County in the Gingerbread Homes for the Holidays Tour of Homes. You can show off your creation to friends and you win prizes!
     Visit the following link to sign up.
https://trumanhabitat.org/gingerbread/
Entry Deadline: December 8, 2021
Homes will be on display: December 9, 2021 – January 3, 2022
     Homes locations: Independence, Lee’s Summit, Blue Springs, Grain Valley, Sugar Creek, Raytown, Grandview.  A complete list of display locations will be announced shortly. Gingerbread Home Winners and Top Fundraising Team and Individual Announced on January 8, 2022.
 

     Jackson County Executive Frank White, Jr. today issued Executive Order 21-30 announcing the Reapportionment Committee of the County Legislature. In accordance with the Constitutional Home Rule Charter of Jackson County, County Executive White selected three nominees from a slate of six submitted by the Democratic and Republican County Committees.                 
     Each of the appointed committee members represent the six county legislative districts.
 
Mr. Bobbie Hernandez (D) 1st Legislative District
Ms. Shalonn “Kiki” Curls (D) 2nd Legislative District
Mr. Paul Jungmann (R) 3rd Legislative District
Mr. Ralph Munyan (R) 4th Legislative District
Ms. Ruth Pirch (R) 5th Legislative District
Mr. Phil LeVota (D) 6th Legislative District
 
     “Jackson County is growing larger and more diverse,” Jackson County Executive Frank White, Jr. said.
     “In the last 10 years, we have grown faster than major metropolitan areas like Los Angeles, Chicago, St. Louis City and St. Louis County. Additionally, I am proud to say that we are the most diverse County in the State of Missouri. As we work to build a better, more equitable Jackson County, the effort of this committee is critical to ensuring our residents have equal and fair representation for the next 10 years. I appreciate their service and my staff and I stand ready to assist as needed.”
     Following the opportunity to receive input from the public, the committee must issue a report detailing legislative districts that are “compact, of contiguous territory and as nearly of equal population as practicable.” The report shall be filed with the County Executive’s Office, the Clerk of Legislature and the relevant election authorities within 60 days of the Committee’s appointment.
 

​    Let's face it, we all love our smart devices and most of you probably can't imagine a minute without them. I'm even guilty of it, but we all need to unplug sometimes and take a break from technology, especially during the holidays.
     It's important to capture those special moments, but you don't have to post every photo on every social media site to show how your holiday was. This holiday season, focus on putting your phones down and interacting with the people around you.
     Need help? Here are 6 ways you can unplug and recharge this holiday season.
 
     1.No Devices at Mealtime. Designate all mealtimes as periods where devices are put away and face-to-face conversation can be had. That's how our grandparents used to do it!
     2. Discuss and write down goals. Let your kids be a part of setting the goals and sharing their input. Schedule (limited) time that both the kids and parents can use technology.
     3. Stick to your guns. Like every good goal, it needs to be enforced. Parents, let your kids know you are serious and set tech time limits. Your kids can help keep you in line as well.
     4. Use technology together. If you must have access to the Internet and use technology, use it together. Look for games and activities on apps that everyone can play together.
     5. Don't check it if there isn't a notification. Kids watch and learn from their parents. If you are constantly checking your phone, your kids will too. Think before you check; use downtime to improve family time rather than your relationship with friends and coworkers. 
     6. Go old-fashioned style. Challenge each other to have fun offline. Play versions of your favorite games that don't require technology. Get creative!
 
     Want to ask me a tech question? Send it to burton@callintegralnow.com. If you prefer to connect with me on social media, you can find me on Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, and Twitter and watch great tech tip videos on our YouTube channel. I love technology. I've read all of the manuals and I want to make technology fun and exciting for you.

     If you need on-site or remote tech support for your Windows\Macintosh, computers, laptops, Android/Apple smartphone, tablets, printers, routers, smart home devices, and anything that connects to the Internet, please feel free to contact my team at Integral. My team of friendly tech experts is always standing by to answer your questions and help make your technology useful and fun. Reach out to us a www.callintegralnow.com or phone at 888.256.0829.
 

Mr. Stinky Feet's Christmas 
December 14, 2021
10:00am—10:45am
Celebrate this festive season while singing along to holiday tunes! Jim will read from his book, Hark It's Harold the Angel. To enjoy this virtual program, go to our MCPL360 Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/mcpl360/ at the scheduled day and time.
 
Celebrate the Winter Solstice with Mr. Stinky Feet
December 21, 2021
10:00am—10:45am
Let's rock 'n roll and shake off our cabin fever! To enjoy this virtual program, go to our MCPL360 Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/mcpl360/ at the scheduled day and time.
 
Frosty Morning: Sounds of Christmas
December 21, 2021
7:00pm—7:45pm
Get into the spirit of Christmas as Frosty Morning presents a collection of holiday favorites on Hammered Dulcimer and Guitar. Registration is required. To enjoy this virtual program, go to our MCPL360 Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/mcpl360 at the scheduled day and time.
 
Mad Science Holiday Show
December 22, 2021
4:00pm—4:45pm
Celebrate the season with Mad Science! Students will visit Santa Eggbert, defrost a snowman, and watch bubbling bubbles of fun in this wacky holiday adventure. Program registration will close 30 minutes prior to the start of the program. Participants will be emailed a Zoom access code 15 minutes before the start of the program. So please include your email in the registration. Please note: You must sign into the room prior to the start of the program. Admittance to the classroom will close five minutes after the program's start time. Space is limited.
 
For more information, visit www.mymcpl.org/events.
 

     Did you know that kids who regularly help in the kitchen grow up confident to prepare their own meals? As a result, they’ll not only learn how to eat balanced meals, but they may become less picky, too.
     If there’s one thing that brings people together, it’s food – so choose a recipe, grab an apron, and reap the benefits of time together in the kitchen. How to include the littles? Let’s find out:
 
     Come One, Come All: Little kids, big kids – there’s no age limit when it comes to cooking. Sure, the task will need to be different, but even a child as young as 2 years old can help.
     A mixing bowl and spoon can do wonders for the little ones, and asking school-age kids to help measure ingredients can promote concentration and math skills.

     Designate Special Tools: Colorful mixing bowls, nifty spatulas, a homemade apron – show kids that cooking should be fun and enjoyed. With their own gadgets and gear, they’ll be asking for homemade meals more often.

     Make, Taste, Enjoy: Who doesn’t love a little taste test? If you find that you have some picky personalities on your hands – helping in the kitchen is key.
     Kids are more likely to eat what the make. Therefore, bring out all the food groups and use them in different ways. The more exposure to foods, the better.

     Deciding Factor: Turn the trickiest question of the day around and ask your kids – “What’s for dinner tonight?” Allowing your kids to come up with meal ideas can help elevate some stress throughout the week. If you find that they only suggest their go-to foods (example: mac-n-cheese), offer a choice: 
     Would you like spaghetti or tacos tonight? They’ll feel empowered that they got to make this mealtime call and their diet will be full of variety, too.

     Customer in Training: Grab the little toddler cart and make your way through the grocery aisles together. A meal begins with a plan. Therefore, expose them to all the options within the grocery store. Have them pick up fun foods, yet look at healthier options, too.
 
     As parents, we pass many skills down to our children. Make sure the ability to cook is one of them (regardless if you’re a great chef or not).
 
     The information is not intended as medical advice. Please consult a medical professional for individual advice.
 

​     When we launched Valley News in 2018, our mission was simple: to affirm a sense of community through our publication, sharing news of interest to Grain Valley citizens, and helping each of us learn more about our neighbors. In order to reach as many people as possible, we provided news at no cost to our readers both online weekly and in print on the first and third weeks of the month. The advertisers and sustaining members you see throughout this publication and featured on our website make this possible.
     We remain committed to providing  free access to fair, comprehensive coverage of issues affecting residents.
     In studying readership trends and surveys of our readers, the vast majority access stories online. In order to best leverage the resources we have and continue our coverage of local issues, we have decided to discontinue our print publication at the end of the year.
     As always, all content included in print editions will remain readily available on our website and new content will be posted each Thursday and when breaking news occurs.
     We appreciate your readership and support and wish you and yours a wonderful holiday season.

​     These last two years have been extremely challenging for everyone. But as we approach the holiday season it seems like things may be returning closer to normal. We all look forward to family and friends gathering once again to celebrate the holiday season.
     One thing that has not changed throughout the pandemic has been the generosity of the donors of your Community Foundation. Our fundholders were very generous in 2020. We had a great response from our Donor Advised Fundholders in the spring of 2020 as we kept them apprised of the needs of nonprofits in our community responding to the Covid crisis.
     They made grants of more than $250,000 to help nonprofits in our community responding to the COVID crisis, during a time that was very scary for all of us if you think back to April, May, and June of 2020. And these Covid response grants did not displace other grants. In fact, last year total grants from our Donor Advised Fundholders totaled nearly $1.8 million, an increase of 21% from 2019.
    Speaking of things returning closer to normal, your Community Foundation recently had our annual Grants Luncheon at the Midwest Genealogy Center. We had to forego the event in 2020 so it was great to gather with our board members and advisory board members, grants committee volunteers, fundholders, and Youth Advisory Council students, to present grants totaling $427,323 to 61 area nonprofits.
     We also had representatives from Junior Service League who continued their practice of tying their annual grant making into our community grants process. Endowed grant making funds entrusted to our board to steward provided approximately $330,000 of this total and once again our generous Donor Advised Fund Holders responded when asked to help close the gap between the amount requested by our grantees and available funds.
     We had 18 fundholders respond with grants over $90,000 to bring the total to $427,000, a new record. Once again, their generosity continues to grow.
     The Grants Luncheon was sponsored this year by Assel Grant Services and Mid-Continent Public Library, and we are very grateful for their support. At the luncheon we also formerly welcomed 19 new members of our Heartland Legacy Society who joined in 2020 or this year. 
     The society now has more than 170 members who have made plans to make a gift through their estate to a fund at the Community Foundation. Legacy Gifts from members who have passed away provided $291,000 of the grants presented at the luncheon this year through endowed funds created by their generosity.
     It's clear that our donors clearly recognize that here truly is no greater feeling than giving back to your local community. Their generosity is truly a gift to our entire community.  Happy Holidays!
 
     Phil Hanson is the president and CEO of Truman Heartland Community Foundation. Truman Heartland Community Foundation is a 501(c)(3) public charity committed to improving the communities in and around Eastern Jackson County through partnerships with donors and community members. 
     For more information on charitable giving, visit www.thcf.org or call Truman Heartland at 816-836-8189.  

     The Grain Valley girls swimming and diving team is heading into its fourth season, and just like the boys, it will be small in numbers.
     The Eagles will compete with a combined 14 swimmers and divers heading into the 2021-22 season. And after having one state qualifier last season, they hope to have more this time around.
     “We have a smaller team this year, we lost seven seniors from last year’s team,” Grain Valley girls swim coach Kara Liddle said. “That kind of hurt us this year. But with the girls we do have, I think we can have a really good season.”
     Madison Rogers leads the way for the Eagles as the lone state qualifier from last season. She actually made the Missouri State High School Girls Swimming and Diving Championships twice and as a junior she is hoping to crack the top eight at state this year after finishing 11th a year ago.
     In the offseason, she has been working on improving with her club diving team called the Titans.
     “I have been pretty satisfied with my high school career so far,” Rogers said. “Last year was honestly a struggle but I have worked really hard, and I am ready to improve this year.”
     Since her freshman season Rogers said she has improved mentally the most.
     “A lot of things I struggled with before I was because I was scared,” she said. “Now I am more focused and that has been the biggest difference.
     “I definitely need to work on my twisters, and I have also worked on my doubles because that’s what judges focus on the most. I think finishing in the top eight at state is a reasonable goal as long as I keep pushing hard in practice.”
     Joining Rogers will be two freshmen who will be diving for the first time and senior Lauren White will also be a first-time diver. She swam for Grain Valley during her first three years on the team and will be trying diving out in 2021-22.
     “She’s a cheerleader, so she has that gymnastics background, and she really seems to be enjoying it,” Liddle said of White.
     Leading the way for the swimming side of the team are seniors Ella Boyle and Alyssa Hanenkratt.
     Boyle said she swims every event but the 100-meter backstroke and Hanenkratt swims long-distance races like the 200 and 500-meter freestyle races. Freshman Riley Wade is a sprinter who could make some noise this year, as well.
     “My goal is to make it to state in any event that I can,” Boyle said. “Our relays were really close to making state last year and we had some girls miss cuts by hundredths of a second.”
     Liddle said the team will have its first swim meet Wednesday and the regular season will cap with the Suburban White Conference Championships.
     “I think they are going to do really well in conference,” Liddle said of the seniors. “We are going to have one of the smaller teams in the conference because we don’t have very many people. We have our first meet on Wednesday, so I am excited to see how well we can do.”
 

​     As I continue to peruse the “Guide to Grain Valley” inserts from the late 1990s, I certainly see a reoccurring theme.  The headlines from 25 years ago could be written today --“City expecting continued growth,” “More businesses have come in the last year,” “Police department trains to ward off crime,” Growing district changes Hackett’s duties,” and “New elementary gives district four schools.”
     Well, maybe the last one is a bit dated. The last elementary, Stony Point gave Grain Valley seven schools, and most of them are still growing with new additions continuing to increase their physical size and student capacity.
     But soon we will celebrate 25 years since the opening of Sni-A-Bar Elementary School. When Sni-A-Bar opened (August 1997) it housed Parents as First Teachers, kindergarten and first grade; about 225 students.  At that time, the district was divided by grade levels rather than living areas to avoid conflicts over attendance boundary lines.
     If you are relatively new to our city, you may not realize other ways it has changed. Twenty-five years ago we had a golf course on R.D. Mize Road, an antique mall on Main Street, and the United States Post Office still sorted mail in Grain Valley.
     As we look toward 2022, you can see that a few businesses have been erased from the landscape, several businesses have come and gone, but many more are here to stay. Twenty-five years ago we had just added Sonic Drive-In and expanded the Valley Ridge Industrial Park. State Bank of Missouri was about to open a new branch on Eagles’ Parkway and OOIDA was working to complete a $3.5 million dollar building that would bring about 50 new jobs to Grain Valley.
     As we consider the history of Grain Valley, certainly the business community is one indication of how we have changed. But schools, and the education of our young citizens, tell the real history of how we have grown.  So as we approach 2022, I hope the school district will celebrate 25 years at Sni-A-Bar, because Yesterday is History!