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.