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James Guillemot, age 83, passed away on Tuesday August 17, 2021 at the Hilltop Grand Village in Wisconsin Rapids. A Celebration of Life will be held on Sunday September 5, 2021 from 1:00 P.M. until 4:00 P.M. at the Grain Valley Community Center. 713 Main Street, Grain Valley, MO. Jim was born on December 21, 1938 in Lexington, MO to Pierre and Goldie Lee (Swafford) Guillemot. He married Helen Joyce Kelly on November 4, 1961 at Saint Mary’s Catholic Church in Higginsville, MO He graduated from Lexington High School and also attended Wentworth Military Academy. Jim was an all-conference Missouri River Valley conference football player and a lifelong enthusiast of the sport. He was also the #1 tireless fan of anyone in his family and an avid Kansas City Chiefs fan. He was an enthusiastic supporter of his wife’s horse obsession and enjoyed attending and supporting horse shows. Jim had recently moved to Wisconsin Rapids to be closer to family. He was very much a dedicated family man and a loving husband. Jim is survived by his loving wife of 59 years, Joyce Guillemot of Wisconsin Rapids; children: Russell Eugene (Kay) Guillemot of San Diego, CA, and Michael Kent (Teresa) Guillemot of Wisconsin Rapids; grandchildren: Matthew, Daniel, Bree (Steve) Cox, and Cori all of San Diego, CA, Thomas of Naperville, IL, and Samuel of Dubuque, IA; great grandchildren: Skyler, Tatum, Lennex Cox of San Diego, CA. He is preceded in death by his brother, Pierre Guillemot Jr. and his parents Pierre and Goldie Guillemot. In lieu of flowers donations may be made to the American Heart Association. Herman-Taylor Funeral Home is honored to be assisting the Guillemot family. The following information is derived from the Grain Valley Police Department daily calls for service log for the week of August 11-17, 2021.
by Michael Smith The Grain Valley football team had one of the best seasons in program history in 2020 when it posted a 10-2 record and made it to the Class 5 quarterfinals. It was a team that was loaded with talent. And 23 of those players, who were seniors, graduated. That shrouded the 2021 Eagles in uncertainty. Could they replicate or even exceed what they did after losing 23 seniors, including four all-state selections? The answer to that question is just starting to get answered as Grain Valley participated in a four-team jamboree Friday at Murray Moody Memorial Field. The Eagles didn’t look like a team that graduated 23 seniors as they had a strong showing in a jamboree that also featured Truman, Raytown South and Lee’s Summit West. The varsity team scored a total of three touchdowns and only surrendered one. Against Truman, a Suburban White Conference foe, both teams played their backup players. In that matchup, the Eagles scored three touchdowns and only gave up one. “Lee’s Summit West is one of the best teams in the city and we went toe to toe with them,” Allie said. “We also did well against Ray South. They always have speed, and they are coached well. I was very happy with our performance.” In the jamboree, each team played the other three in scrimmages that allowed squads to run 12 plays on offense and 12 on defense to prepare for the regular season that begins next Friday. All four teams played on the field at the same time. Coaches got to stand a few yards behind their teams and call plays while plays for the offenses started at the opponent’s 30-yard line. One of the questions coming into the season was who was going to replace three-year starter Cole Keller, an all-state selection, at quarterback. Enter Caleb Larson. The junior, who will be starting at quarterback for the first time this season, looked good in his debut against live competition. Against the Titans varsity defense, he rushed for a touchdown on a read option run up the middle and hit wide receiver Logan Pratt on a 30-yard strike for a TD against Raytown South. “He got rid of the jitters and he was ready to go,” Allie said of Larson. “He’s ready to lead us and he did a great job out there.” Added wide receiver Keegan Hart: “Caleb did well with his reads and did what he needed to do. And he had great protection from the offensive line.” Aside from Pratt, Larson has plenty of weapons to throw to as receivers Hart and Anthony Greco each caught two passes apiece. At running back, Grain Valley showcased some of their backups as starter Jaxon Wyatt didn’t play for undisclosed reasons. Freshman DJ Harris showed his ability to break tackles while running up the middle. Ty Williams, Christian Lanear and Dalton Larry got some carries, too, behind an offensive line that played well. “As a whole, I thought we did exceptional,” Larson said. “There are some things we need to clean up, but we did a good job. “Words can’t describe how much I love those guys and how much work they put in,” Larson said of his offensive teammates. “When I throw the ball to my receivers, I know they are going to catch it and they are going to get down the field and score. And my offensive line was great. Without them, I wouldn’t score.” Allie was impressed with his running backs and really liked what he saw from Harris. “I thought he ran the ball tough,” Allie said of Harris. “For a freshman, he knows how to play physically and knows and can run in space.” Larson had high praise for Harris, as well. “He was running over people, and he was running to the right gaps. He knew what my checks were. He knew everything. Jaxon is going to have some competition this year.” On defense, middle linebacker Gage Forkner led his unit with an impressive showing, allowing just one passing touchdown against the Titans. Against Raytown South the Eagles defense shut down the opposition, which included a fumble recovery from safety Vincent Wilkins and a sack from Ethan Schaaf. “I thought we did pretty good today, but there are a few things we can fix,” Grain Valley linebacker Cole Elliott said. “I think we will be ready to go 100 percent in Week One.” “We got some guys on defense who are always doing their job. We didn’t have very many missed tackles.” Grain Valley will try to carry its momentum from the jamboree when it plays in its season opener against Smithville on Friday, August 27th. Grain Valley freshman running back DJ Harris, ballcarrier, gets upended by a Raytown South defender. Photo credit: Michael Smith Grain Valley senior Logan Pratt, left, leaps and chest bumps teammate Eric Rhymes after scoring a touchdown against Raytown South. Photo credit: Michael Smith Grain Valley sophomore quarterback Brek Sloan takes off along the sideline against Truman.
Photo credit: Michael Smith Students are not the only people feeling first-day jitters as school begins next Monday. Teachers, whether they are first-year teachers or veterans, are filled with nervous excitement as well. For first-year teachers Rachel Stewart and Olivia Riley, a summer of planning and preparation have kept them busy, and both are anxiously awaiting the first day on August 23rd.
Rachel Stewart is a first-year teacher and new science teacher at Grain Valley High School. Stewart will be teaching freshman physical science and sophomore biology. A native of Jefferson City and graduate of Southeast Missouri State University, Stewart is new to the area and the district. “I am so excited to be in a district that really cares about its students, and I’m excited to build relationships with my students,” Stewart said. Stewart explains her path to the science classroom was pretty much a foregone conclusion. “I had phenomenal science teachers and each of my siblings went into science fields. My mom worked for DESE (Department of Elementary and Secondary Education) and my dad was a supervising operator at the nuclear power plant where I lived, so you put those two things together and you get a science teacher,” Stewart quipped. “I’ve always had a passion for science and I’m such a social person, teaching was just the right fit for me.” Olivia Riley lives in Grain Valley and grew up in Lee’s Summit. Riley graduated from UMKC’s Conservatory of Music and is starting her first year of teaching as a music teacher at Matthews Elementary. A lifelong love of music paved the way for Riley to pursue a career in teaching music. “I really want to be that teacher that plants the idea that music is for everyone,” Riley said. Riley said the expansiveness of the elementary music curriculum is what she loves most. “The inclusivity of it is wonderful. We get to experience a full tour of music.” Meetings for first-year teachers began two weeks ago, and their schedules have included a flurry of professional development sessions, meetings, and classroom preparation. “It’s a lot of stress, but we have such a great team in this department. They’ve really taken care of me,” Stewart said. “I don’t have any family up here, so it’s been a challenge. Having this community that is so open and welcoming really makes a difference.” During an August 10th meeting for first-year teachers, the Grain Valley Education Foundation presented each teacher with a $100 check to help with supplies and classroom set-up. Stewart and Riley said the contributions are incredibly helpful as they prepare for their first year. “That $100 means the world to me. If you look around my classroom at the decorations and supplies, almost all of it has been purchased by me, given to me by my parents, or given to me as graduation gifts. It’s very expensive, and that $100 can help me when I’m teaching, and I realize that a poster or model might help me get more hands on with my students or better explain a difficult concept. That $100 can be stretched so far. I had chills when they presented them to us,” Stewart said. Riley agreed that the $100 gift helped relieve some of the stress of preparing a classroom as a first-year teacher. “I knew as a teacher that most of the supplies and decorations were going to have to be purchased by me. It wasn’t even a question. Instruments are so expensive, so I knew my classroom budget would go for most of those items. After we received the gift from the Foundation, my mind was immediately racing, thinking of all the things I could purchase that could be used immediately by students,” Riley said. Now that all of the prep work is coming to an end, Riley and Stewart are working through their first day of school jitters and focusing on the year ahead. “I’m most looking forward to getting to meet my students. All of this preparation we do before hand is stressful, but once all the prep work is done and the students are in the classroom, I won’t be thinking about that. I am so excited to have that first moment of actual music making. After more than a year of not having those experiences (due to pandemic related mitigation efforts), I’m really excited to safely get back to some of those small musical moments,” Riley said. “Our freshman will be having the same first-day jitters that I will be having. It’s the first day of high school for all of us. But it will be a great year,” Stewart said. According to 2020 Census figures released last week, Grain Valley has surpassed the 15,000 residents with an official count of 15,627. This represents at 22% increase from the last census count in 2010.
City Administrator Ken Murphy said City staff was anxiously awaiting the figures after data had been delayed due to the COVID-19 pandemic. “Prior to the release of the data, we estimated that Grain Valley’s population was almost 15,000. We were excited to see that we were underestimating the number a bit. Keeping in mind that the census number is from April of last year and taking into account the number of new houses going up, we are probably closer to 16,000 residents as we speak,” Murphy said. The census data shows an educated and connected population, with 94.2% of adults with at least a high school diploma (higher than the national average of 88%) and 25.4% with at least a bachelor degree. 95.6% of households have a computer and 91.5% have broadband internet access. The positive picture painted by the census data is one way city and economic development leaders sell the community to prospective businesses. “With respect to business attraction, one of the many factors that businesses and site selectors take into account is population within a certain radius of where they are looking to locate. The higher that population number, the more attractive an area is to them. The other positive factor is the continued growth. If you invest in Grain Valley, you aren’t investing in a stagnant community, you are investing in future growth potential which is always a nice selling point. When looking at the numbers around the metropolitan area, we are growing faster than the majority of cities in the immediate area which will be a great thing for us to share with developers moving forward,” Murphy said. Census data is also used to determine if current and planned City services are adequate for current and future growth. “When looking at what services are required for our citizens in a growing community, a lot of the focus is on making sure we are in good shape from a capacity standpoint for infrastructure (water, sewer, streets). In addition to maintaining the infrastructure we currently have in place we must plan for the needs that come with future growth,” Murphy said. In addition to the traditional infrastructure needs, there is also the need to invest in staffing, equipment and facilities to ensure we can continue to provide the services requested by our citizens. This is all encompassing and includes the needs of police, public works, utility billing, community development and administration.” Murphy said the City’s CIP (Capital Improvements Plan) is one of the tools used by staff to ensure a long term approach is in place to address needs. The Planning & Zoning Commission approved a site plan submitted by Ward Development for a drive-thru coffee shop to be located at Old Town Marketplace during its August 11th meeting.
Joe Shmoe Coffee is planned for the southwest corner of Eagles Parkway and Buckner Tarsney Road in a 16,063 square foot lot near the corner. The north portion of the property is scheduled for development at a later date. City staff are working with Ward Development to reserve the north lot for a sit-down restaurant with patio seating. Bryan Rahn with Ward Development indicated a BBQ restaurant is being considered at the site. by Michael Smith The Grain Valley football team lost 22 seniors from its 2020 team that made the Class 5 state quarterfinals.
Oftentimes losing that many players from a successful team could lead to a down year the following season. Some outside the team are thinking that according to some of the Eagles players and coaches. But if you ask starting quarterback Caleb Larson, the Eagles are poised to prove the doubters wrong in 2021. “Our goal is to win state,” Larson said. “We could be the smallest team or we could be the biggest team. We’re coming out and working hard every day. We are coming to win that ring. We have some critics out there, but we are getting past that.” The Eagles will be led by Larson, a first-year quarterback who has looked good in summer camps, according to head coach David Allie. He is a signal caller who mostly likes to throw from the pocket, but has enough speed to take off running with the ball when needed. Most importantly, he works hard, Allie said. “We’re still working on reads and hitting the right guy, but he wants to make this position his, and he’s done a great job,” Allie said. “I really appreciated his work ethic. He wants to be better, he wants to work at it, he wants to watch film. “I would not call him a great runner, but he’s a deceptive runner. He makes the read, he pulls it and he’s gone. He’s not only a deceptive runner, he hasn’t been afraid to be physical with it either.” Larson will have a huge help in the backfield from Jaxon Wyatt, who is a returning starter at running back. He rushed for 959 yards and eight touchdowns on 150 carries and has also made some huge strides in the offseason on catching the ball out of the backfield. He will get the bulk of the carries but will be aided by fellow running backs junior Christian Lanear, freshman DJ Harris and senior Dalton Larry, all of whom could see some carries this season. “When we need him to get the hard yards, he will get them,” Larson said of Wyatt. “He can also get on the outside and get up the field.” At wide receiver, Logan Pratt will likely be the No. 1 receiver. He is a speedy receiver that provides Larson with a deep threat who can also catch the ball on shorter routes, as well. Eric Rhymes, a senior, will likely be on the opposite side of the field from Pratt and also provides some speed on the outside. Sophomore Anthony Greco, Ty Williams and junior Keagan Hart will also see some time at receiver, too. “We have some pretty good receivers,” Larson said. “Greco is more of the first down, possession type receiver and Rhymes is the explosive player like Pratt. Keegan is just a freak of nature. He does a little bit of everything.” On the offensive line is where the Eagles have the least amount of experience with two returns coming back from the 2020 team. Cooper Terry and Connor Heitman come back with some varsity experience at the tackle positions. The other three offensive line spots will be filled by newcomers. Those fighting for the remaining three spots are Stylz Blackmon, Brycen Crandall, Easton Knight and Sheldon Croan. At tight end, senior tight end Trent Weber will assist with blocking. “Those guys are starting to communicate better,” Allie said of his offensive line. “It’s all about angles and technique and knowing who you are supposed to go get, and those guys talk well. We run a gap (blocking) scheme. We mix it up.” On defense, the Eagles have two returning starters in the secondary and one with varsity experience as a backup. Senior cornerback Tristan Pouncil and Hart, a safety, are both who were starters and senior cornerback Jordan Jones started some games last season. Junior Vincent Wilkins and sophomore Gabe Storment are candidates to fill out a secondary that will likely be the strength of the Grain Valley defense. “Our secondary is definitely a strength and I think we can live up to the potential that we have,” Pouncil said. The Eagles also have three returning players with varsity experience on the defensive line including senior Sawyer Farris, senior Ethan Schaaf and junior Jake Allen will battle in the trenches up front. Junior Rhylan Alcanter is a newcomer who could make an impact on the defensive line, as well. Senior Grant Ward and Blackmon could also see time there, too. “He’s long and explosive and can play inside or outside for us,” Allie said of Alcanter. “He’s a kid that’s going to surprise a lot of people because they don't know anything about him.” The linebacker core will be led by Gage Forkner who will move from outside linebacker to inside linebacker. He’s a football savvy player who is a sound tackler for the Eagles. Senior Owen Perkins and sophomore Brody Baker could see time at the inside linebacker positions and on the outside senior Elijah Moore, junior Nathan Testa and junior Cole Elliott will likely see time on the gridiron. “We moved him to the inside this year to run the defense for us,” Allie said of Forkner. “He can play either position but we hope to keep him on the inside because he’s smart and he’s vocal. He’s one of those leaders you need running your defense.” At kicker, Grain Valley has a big weapon in Austin Schmidt, an Eagles soccer player who has hit field goals from 52 yards out in practice. “We are excited about him,” Allie said. “He worked hard and worked with a kicking coach over the summer and he’s booting the heck out of the ball. He’s going to be a weapon we haven’t had in the past few years.” While the Eagles lost a lot of experience from last year’s team, Allie likes what he has seen from this year’s team. It’s a squad that definitely isn’t lacking confidence. “These kids have been around success, that’s all they know,” Allie said. “Now it’s their turn. They are a hard-working positive group. They believe. Others see all the guys we lost from last year’s team and count us out, they are going to make it tough for other teams to take Grain Valley lightly. They will take on whoever comes on.” by Michael Smith Grain Valley girls golf coach Randy Hughes is optimistic heading into the 2021 season.
Normally, he has eight or nine girls trying out for the varsity team. This year, he has 15 players on the team including four seniors who are trying golf for the first time, and that gives more options for Hughes to choose from when filling out the five-person varsity roster. “This is the biggest group we’ve had since I’ve been here,” Hughes said. “We have quite a few young girls which is promising for the future.” Grain Valley returns four golfers with varsity experience including Seena Tyler, who was six strokes shy of qualifying for the Missouri State Girls Golf Tournament during the Class 3, District 2 Tournament. She finished with a 107, finishing in a tie for 25th place. Also coming back with experience from last year’s team are Maya Bartlett, Charlie Dressen and Lexi Arreguin. Freshman Mallory Crane is coming in with a good amount of golf experience as she played in a handful of tournaments over the summer. Hughes said she will likely be competing with Tyler for the No. 1 spot on the varsity squad. Fellow freshman Italia Haywood is someone who could potentially contribute to the varsity team, as well. “We have had five or six other freshmen who have come out and shown some promise, too,” Hughes said. “We have quite a few seniors who are playing for the first time and are making progress. We had a senior play with us for the first time last year, too, and she was on the varsity team. “Golf is a lifelong sport. Some people don’t play until they’re 25 years old and they develop a passion for it.” Crane said she won a tournament over the summer and is hoping the momentum from her offseason carries over into high school play. She hopes to continue building on her strength, which is her tee shots. “My tee shots and my driver is pretty good,” Crane said. “I am usually able to get off to a good start. I am definitely working on my short game. Those putts get you.” “I play in USGA Tournaments and I played in about 10 of those before this season,” Crane said. “I took first at Drumm Farm in my last tournament. I shot a 96.” Tyler is hoping to make her first state appearance as a sophomore. And a key to making that happen will be improving her short game, she said. “That’s the ultimate goal, to make it to state,” Tyler said. “I just need to take my time and focus on practice. The short game is the most important part of your game. I am definitely working on that.” Hughes said his team will have a chance to have some top finishes in some tournaments this season with four returners and some talented newcomers coming on the team. “We will have a chance depending on the teams we play and what tournament we are in,” Hughes said. With some experience returning and some upcoming prospects showing they are capable of playing well over the summer, Hughes can see 2021 as a marquee year for the program. In the program’s history, only two players have made it to the state tournament for Grain Valley. Taylor Hileman was the last person to do it during the 2019 season. “This year, we have a shot of getting a couple through,” Hughes said. “I think there’s a really good chance, depending on the district, to get two to state and maybe even more than that.” Valley Community Church has once again delivered for Grain Valley kindergarteners, supplying each district classroom with all the supplies each student needs for the school year.
Church members gathered on Tuesday, August 17th (pictured below) to organize supplies for each of Grain Valley’s elementary schools. Delivery of supplies took place on Wednesday, August 19th. by Marcia Napier, Grain Valley Historical Society Some weeks I know exactly what I want to write about in this column. This week, I had no clue. When that happens, I get in my car, drive to the Historical Society Museum and start looking.
Upon entering the building, I first remembered the group of 20 or more people gathered around the old Grain Valley School yearbooks on display. They came for the ice cream social but ended up staying to look at the yearbooks, laugh at the old pictures with crazy clothes and even crazier hair, and reminisce about “the good old days!” I also thought about how COVID-19 had prevented the Grain Valley Alumni Banquet from being held the past two years; another opportunity for graduates to reminisce. Next, I saw the stack of yearbooks that were recently donated to the society by Vickie Officer’s sister. And that is how I arrived at this week’s column. From the 1971 Treasure Chest, I share the following bits of history. In the first three pages I learned Sandie (Brown) Doty was editor and Melinda (Murry) Henson was assistant editor of the yearbook. It was dedicated to Don Kalthoff, “friend, teacher, and coach” of the I-70 Conference Championship Football Team. In the fall of 1970 students began their first full year in the new high school building. Turning the pages, I further learned Marvin Headley was superintendent and Harvey Wright was the principal. The high school had only 14 teachers. There were 6 school bus drivers, 5 cafeteria workers, and 4 custodians. Forty-two graduates were led by Valerie Beecher, class president; Paul Willard, vice-president; Debbie Rogers, secretary and Terri Tracy, treasurer. Ron Affolter was the Student Council President. The trip to Lake View Beach capped off the year for the Class of 1971. Fifty years ago, GVHS had only three competitive sports; football, boys’ basketball, and track. The yearbook also has two girls’ volleyball photographs; the junior-senior team and the freshman-sophomore team. Since neither team has numbers, they must have been league teams. There was also a concert and marching band, varsity and JV cheerleaders and queens, lots of queens! Up the Down Staircase was the theatrical production for 1970-71. Mary Harper (drama teacher) and Barbara Murry (music teacher ) co-directed G.V. Hee Haw. It was a variety show presented to showcase the talents of their students. Near the end of the yearbook there are 12 pages of advertisements. Of the nearly 75 ads, only 7 were for businesses in Grain Valley. Looking back fifty years the town did not offer much in the way of commerce. We had the Bank of Grain Valley, 4 gas stations, a convenience grocery, a beauty shop, a barber shop, a couple of restaurants, car repair shops and some light manufacturing. We did not have a supermarket, a laundry, a pharmacy, a library, a movie theater, etc., etc., etc. But what Grain Valley has had since 1909 is a school system dedicated to the education of our children. That tradition has not changed. Visit the Historical Society any Wednesday, check out our yearbook collection, and reminisce about “the good old days!” We have over 50 yearbooks for your perusal. |
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