Now that Iola’s new elementary school is up and running, the focus shifts to what to do with the old elementary schools. A plan is underway, as BNIM, a Kansas City, Mo.-based architect and design…

Area students will finally get their hands on a home remodel project in the next few weeks, after about two years of waiting. Don Settlemyer, instructor for the construction trades class at the Regional Rural…

The past year has been challenging for food service professionals in USD 257, Robert Vicin, regional manager with OPAA! Food Management service, told school board members Monday evening. To start, the district opened a new…

Three teenage girls twist wrenches and peer inside the engine of a Chevrolet Malibu on a Friday afternoon at the Regional Rural Technical Center at LaHarpe. They’ve replaced the engine. Now, they need to finish…

Does your car need to be repaired? The Regional Rural Technical Center’s new automotive technician program needs cars.   And because the center doesn’t charge for labor, it could be quite a bargain. The catch,…

A new security system will allow USD 257 staff to remotely monitor and allow access to facilities. At Iola High School, for example, it will allow secretaries in the main building to open doors for…

Mustang spirit was on full display at Monday night’s USD 257 school board meeting. The board met at Iola High School’s new science center and cafeteria, where Principal Scott Carson showed off a new audio/visual…

When something isn’t working, just rip out the seams and start over. Iola High School students Kinsey Schinstock and Jess Kroenke talked to USD 257 board members about the lessons they’ve been learning from sewing…

The local school district bucked a long-term trend by increasing the number of students attending Iola schools for the 2022-2023 school year.  The official student “count” day on Sept. 20 gives district officials the yardstick…

It’s been 15 years since the Iola school district saw an increase in enrollment. With the official enrollment count last week, the district saw an increase of 15.5 students (virtual school students are counted at…