Now in its 26th year, Hays Arts Council FAMOUS FIGURES is a living history and performance project open to 5th grade students in Ellis County public & private schools.  It involves a short performance as a favorite person (living or deceased) from the present through distant past.  The project promotes the use of research skills, awareness and appreciation of the qualities of a positive role model, thinking and writing in a creative manner, and developing acting and public speaking skills.  This year's Famous Figures Final Competition will be held on Friday, May 6 in the Beach/Schmidt Performing Arts Center. We are proud to have this annual project supported by the Hays Rotary Club. 

link to 2022 details, rules, judging form & final questions

With gathering restrictions & COVID-19 protocols in place at FHSU through the end of May, we were not be able to hold our traditional final competition "live" in Beach/Schmidt. However, still wanting to return to a somewhat traditional competition format, we decided to record the classroom finalists (all performances available below), providing for a uniform and fair judging review & process.  

Each of our 5 judges watched and reviewed the videos independently.  They (with their backgrounds) were:  Linda Hohman (drama instructor & playwright), Bruce Bardwell (FHSU technical theatre director, instructor, & actor), Janis Lee (HAC board & Rotary member, former Kansas senator), Mary Ann Thompson (Encore Series committee member, HAC board member & Hays Library Kansas Room director), and Mike Morley (HAC board president, Rotary Club member, Midwest Energy Communications director).

The videos were presented to them with NO information on students or schools - only the individual performances, randomly ordered as you find them here. Their results were returned electronically, after which our traditional scoring & final ranking format was used to determine the 1st through 5th place awards.  And, as has often happened in past years, there were performances whose scores were tied. . . and rather than break ties, we just purchase additional trophies! (thank you Rotary!)