Scott City athletic director Jana Irvin describes senior Kaylee Felker as the school’s ultimate hype person.

“Kaylee oozes positivity and enthusiasm in everything she does,” Irvin said. “She is a phenomenal leader.”

Felker’s passion for school spirit stems back to her youth, cheering on teams guided by her mother Amy Felker, the former girls’ basketball coach at Dighton and Scott City. 

“I grew up sitting behind girls’ basketball teams all my childhood,” Felker said. “The most fun I ever had was cheering them on. Now, when I hear little girls cheer me on or others around me, it makes me realize how much it can benefit people’s confidence on the court or whatever they’re doing. 

“If I have a positive attitude at school and at sporting events or at performances, it helps me bring out my energy and helps the energy in the room. It’s beneficial to have someone there to hype people up. And it’s also just fun to cheer and yell and scream and be excited for your peers and everyone around you.”

Felker, the Capitol Federal® True Blue® Student of the Week, has been at the forefront of a new student-led group: D.A.M. Beavers. Felker serves as vice president for the group, which has the goal of redefining the culture of spectator expectations and participation at athletic events in Scott City.

“It stands for Developing Athletic Motivators,” Felker said. “We got picked by our coaches as team leaders and leaders in our school. We focus on creating a positive and an excited culture in our school.”

One of the first projects for the group was organizing a district-wide pep rally. 

“It made people excited to come to games and excited to go to student sections,” Felker said. “Our main goal is to encourage students to participate while they’re at games and participate in all the things that our school offers. 

“It’s been super beneficial for our student section in volleyball and football, and I can’t wait to see what else we do in basketball and wrestling seasons.”

Felker is a three-sport athlete (tennis, basketball and softball) and involved in several other activities and clubs at the school, including forensics, band, vocal music and theatre.

“I have always loved getting into everything and trying new things,” Felker said. “I wouldn’t say I’m super adventurous but I definitely have my hand in a lot of activities. It’s always been important to me to set a good example and continue with my passions.

“I’m really passionate about performing,” she added. “Just being on a stage where I feel confident in succeeding in what I’m doing, it lights a fire inside of me.”

She’s already accomplished one of her major goals of her senior season – placing in state at tennis. Felker teamed with Finley Edwards to earn an eighth-place medal at the 4A tournament. 

“I am so proud of what we have done,” Felker said. “We both started as sophomores, never picking a racket before. We put in the work and we put in the practice time. 

“From the beginning of the season, we wanted to place at state and get to the second day. When you set a goal for that, it’s hard to keep that in your mind all year, but Finley and I really did that. This year, our mentality and our need to win really pushed us to place in tennis.”

Felker laughs when thinking about why she decided to start tennis in the first place. 

“I just thought they had the cutest uniforms,” she said. “I wanted to wear a skirt while I played. 

“I knew I was pretty athletic, so I was like, ‘You know what, it can’t be that bad. I’ll just try it.’ We had good seniors that year that took me under their wing and made me really understand and love the sport.”

Felker spent her childhood years in the Dighton school district before moving over to Scott City as a middle schooler when her mom took the position of girls basketball coach of the Beavers. Amy Felker stepped away from coaching basketball following last season and now guides the tennis team. 

Scott City athletics have a proud tradition and devoted following, which has made Felker cherish the community. 

“It was so awesome to go to the high school games, as someone who didn’t grow up there, and you immediately felt a part of something,” she said. “The culture and atmosphere we have in high school athletics and the support we get from our community … I haven't really realized how grateful I needed to be for it until this year. 

“It’s so hard to find anywhere else. And with D.A.M. Beavers were working to keep that tradition alive.”

Another highlight for Felker was teaming with Reed Batterton to win a state title in Improvised Duet Acting in forensics last year. 

“It was just an awesome feeling,” Felker said. “In Scott, people don’t really know what forensics are, but they knew that I won so everyone was supportive. It made me realize that no matter what you’re doing, you’re going to have support in the community, which is an awesome feeling to have.”

Felker hasn’t settled on a college but is looking to pursue a career in the medical field. 

“I eventually want to become an OBGYN or a family physician,” Felker said. “I also want to continue playing in the marching band in college.

“I always really loved playing doctor as a kid. I’m lucky enough to be close to our doctor here, Libby Hineman. She’s inspired me to go into the medical field. I’ve always enjoyed helping people and the thought of coming back to a rural community and being a physician for a place in need is a really rewarding thought.”

Goals for the rest of her senior year include enjoying more state success in forensics and continuing to inspire her peers. 

“I just want to leave here feeling that I left my mark on the high school and making sure the people behind me can follow that example of having a positive attitude and having a happy environment when they come to school,” Felker said.