Community Information
Our communities are made up of friendly, hardworking people that represent the
backbone of Kansas and America. We are bonded by our farming heritage, small town
life and the wonders of nature that surround us. Waconda school district is located in
the heart of the Solomon Valley with the beautiful shores of Waconda Lake as the
centerpiece. Glen Elder State Park offers nearly unlimited recreational opportunities
including camping, boating, hunting and fishing. We offer three 9-hole golf courses and
numerous city parks with swimming pools, rock climbing, zip lining, tennis courts, ball
fields and more.
While bound together by their ties to the land, each community is also unique.
Glen Elder, bordering the 12,586 water acres of Waconda Lake and the 13,000 land
acres of the Glen Elder Wildlife Area, capitalizes on the recreational aspects of the area
with a sporting goods store, marina, and boat dealership.
Cawker City, home of the World's Largest Ball of Twine, has more to offer than a
brief mention in several movies and a statistic in the Guinness Book of World Records.
The area provides some of the finest hunting, fishing, camping and boating in the state
as well as a pristine 9-hole golf course located directly alongside the lake. A
photography studio and an antique store are two recent additions to Cawker City's
business area.
Tipton might be a small community (only 120 residents) but it is mighty. Home to
one of the premier hunting lodges in the country (Ringneck Ranch), Tipton also has
other large hunting operations and outfitters as well as one of the largest Gameland
Farms and Hatcheries in the nation. An old-fashioned grocery store which still grinds
sausage seasoned to a secret family recipe, a screen printing business, a carpet and
floor covering store, lumber yard, hardware store and a heritage seals shop add up to a
diverse mix of businesses.
Downs, the final and largest of the four communities that comprise USD 272, is the
Storytelling Capital of Kansas and hosts the Kansas State Storytelling Festival every
April. It is a vibrant and friendly community with many business interests but also a
thriving Arts Council. Main Street is home to many businesses that larger communities
could only wish for. A pharmacy, furniture store, bridal shop, clothing and shoe shop,
hardware store, barber shop, grocery store and florist entice people to shop at home.
Several businesses along highway 24, a car dealership, auto parts store, several gas
stations/quick shops, sporting supplies, mechanics shops, and a bowling alley, also
attract people to Downs. Whether coming to the local medical clinic, dentist office,
visiting the library (one of the few remaining original Carnegie Libraries left in the
country), or stopping to peruse local history at the beautifully restored Train Depot, there
is something for everyone in Downs.
These communities have their roots in agriculture and farm-based businesses
are common. Each community boasts its own Grain Elevator, rising high above the
surrounding countryside, However, there are also several construction firms, welding
businesses, manufacturing firms, and a national advertising company. When we add in
people who work from home in electronics, those who have their own businesses in
numerous artistic areas, those in nursing at the local senior care facility as well as the
normal service areas, it is easy to see what a diverse population we represent. Quality
education is key to all of those areas. Our schools have a history of prestigious awards
such as named a Blue Ribbon School as well as numerous Governor's Awards. We
intend to continue this legacy. Most of our staff is vested in our communities and want
our students to excel. We want our young people to succeed wherever they are but
encourage them to "bloom where they are planted." This attitude has fueled a
resurgence of millennials staying in or returning to this area. In the succeeding years,
our schools must continue to help our children dream big and give them the education
to enable them to make those dreams a reality.