FSMS closer to $100,000

Fort Scott Middle School recently made a huge leap in its effort to win $100,000 by early next year.

A U.S. Cellular representative, who contacted the Tribune on Tuesday, said that FSMS, which is participating in the company's Calling All Communities $1 million campaign, has jumped from 74th place to 60th place since last week. The school is now trying to garner enough local votes to hopefully break into the campaign's top 10 list within the next few weeks.

"This is exciting," FSMS Principal Barbara Albright said when the Tribune contacted her with the news on Tuesday. "We just really need that community support and we can make that top 10."

In the campaign, which began Nov. 13 and runs through Jan. 15, communities across the United States can vote for their favorite schools in an effort to win the school a portion of the $1 million donated by U.S. Cellular. The 10 schools with the most votes will win $100,000 each to use however they choose. More than 4,400 schools of various sizes and types are participating in the contest.

FSMS made the list of top 100 schools in the campaign about a week ago. The local campaign started in November and is coordinated by the Very Involved Parents organization at FSMS, a group that is working to promote the school during the campaign. The school's campaign is currently being communicated and promoted through a variety of means in the school and community.

Two other Kansas schools are running strong campaigns; Haven High School in Haven, which has moved up from 46th place to 40th place since last week, and Concordia High School in Concordia, which dropped slightly from 84th place to 92nd place this week, U.S. Cellular spokesman Brian Ayers said.

During last year's campaign, two schools became winners that had never appeared in the top 20 until the final week of the contest, so rankings can change quickly, Ayers said.

Any person who is at least 18 years of age may visit any U.S. Cellular store to pick up a voting code free of charge. Winning schools will be announced in February 2010. Local residents may vote at one of three area locations; CP Communications, 300 E. 23rd St., Fort Scott, Central Communications, 2 N. National Ave., Fort Scott, or CP Communications, 2400 N. Broadway, Pittsburg.

The top 100 list will be made public one more time before the end of the campaign, officials said. Updates are posted weekly at participating U.S. Cellular stores, online at www.uscellular.com/callingallcommunities, and on U.S. Cellular's Facebook page.