• Dogwood Elementary
• Hawthorne Elementary
• Kearney Early Education Center
• Kearney Middle School
• Kearney Junior High
• Kearney High School
• Southview Elementary

These awards recognize the top 15 percent of food service providers overseen by the county. In addition, Dogwood, the EEC, KHS and Southview earned Gold Standard Awards for earning the Food Safety Excellence Award three years or more in a row.

Southwest Foodservice Excellence (SFE) provides all services in KSD’s school cafeterias. SFE’s KSD staff is led by Director of Food Service Angie Lyman.

“Congratulations to Angie and the entire SFE team for their outstanding diligence and hard work on behalf of our students, staff members and visitors,” Superintendent Emily Miller said. “This is another example of how we go above and beyond to serve our families.”

The Food Safety Excellence Award recognizes food establishments that continue to successfully follow the Clay County Food Code, exhibit outstanding food safety and sanitation practices, and achieve exceptional inspection results during the calendar year, according to a press release from the public health center. To qualify for the award, honorees must meet multiple criteria such as having been open and operating for the full year with no repeated violations, no follow-up inspections needed, and no confirmed cases of foodborne illnesses.

“We are grateful for the hard work these establishments put in last year to not only meet but exceed the health department’s high standards of safety,” said Robert Gilliland, section chief of Environmental Health Protection. “We appreciate their partnership in protecting our community from foodborne illnesses, waterborne illnesses and other hazards.”

In 2023, the Environmental Health Protection section of Clay County Public Health Center conducted 1,530 routine food establishment inspections and 297 temporary food event inspections, and investigated 114 food-related complaints.

The post Several KSD Schools Honored for Food Safety Excellence appeared first on Early Education Center.

Kearney, Mo., May 24, 2023: Kearney School District is pleased to announce the appointment of Dr. Dan Miller as the new principal at Kearney Middle School.

Dr. Miller will transition from his current position as an Assistant Principal at Kearney High School starting on July 1. His appointment was approved during a special session yesterday by the Kearney School District Board of Education on the recommendation of Superintendent Emily Miller (no relation).

“Dr. Miller brings with him a wealth of experience, a passion for education, and a commitment to student success,” Dr. Emily Miller said. “His leadership skills and dedication to creating a positive school culture make him an ideal fit for the KMS community. Dr. Miller’s collaborative approach and his ability to build strong relationships with students, staff, and families make him a dynamic and inspiring leader.”

He recently earned a Doctorate of Education from William Woods University. That was in addition to his bachelor’s degree in education from Missouri State University, a master’s in educational administration from William Woods and a specialist degree from Northwest Missouri State University.

As an assistant principal at KHS since 2018, Dr. Miller successfully implemented various initiatives to enhance student engagement and academic achievement. Before that, he taught social studies and led the department at KHS starting in 2010. His skills in the classroom led to a 2015 Northland Regional Excellence in Education Award nomination.

As principal, Dr. Miller’s primary focus will be to foster a supportive learning environment where every student feels valued, respected, and empowered to reach their full potential. He is deeply committed to promoting a culture of academic excellence, while also nurturing the social-emotional growth of each student. With a steadfast dedication to inclusivity and open communication, Dr. Miller aims to foster strong partnerships with parents, guardians, and the wider community to ensure the success of every child.

“I am humbled and excited for the opportunity to serve Kearney Middle School as principal next school year,” Dr. Miller said. “I have watched this building from afar during my time in Kearney and have always admired the strong culture and outstanding teachers. I look forward to getting into KMS to learn the middle school philosophy and build relationships with students, staff, and parents. Go Bulldogs!”

Dr. Miller’s appointment is the result of current KMS Principal Bart Woods’ recent retirement announcement. Mr. Woods has been a member of Team KSD for nearly three decades. In that time, he has helped generations of students successfully navigate those often-challenging middle school years. He has also mentored uncounted teachers and school leaders. Everyone in KSD is deeply grateful for his service to our entire community. Mr. Woods will always be part of the Bulldog family.

We warmly welcome Dr. Miller to the KMS family and have no doubt that he will contribute significantly to the school’s continued growth and success. Dr. Miller will be making himself available to meet with staff, parents/guardians and students in the summer and fall to introduce himself and share his vision for the school.

The post KSD Selects Dan Miller to Lead Kearney Middle School appeared first on Early Education Center.

Kearney, Mo., November 10, 2022: Not being able to see was an eye-opening experience for Kearney Middle School seventh-grader Peter Jensen.

Mr. Jensen wore a ski mask with taped-over lenses and attempted to strike a kickball under the guidance of his maskless partner in the KMS gym on Monday, Oct. 31. The exercise proved challenging, but that was part of the point. It was all part of a two-day program to provide every student with the experience of playing sports adapted for individuals with special needs.

“This was difficult, for sure,” Jensen said. “It’s valuable because it helps you feel what it’s like to be in someone else’s shoes, someone with special needs. It also helps you learn how to rely on your other senses.”

The program was led by staff members with Midwest Adaptive Sports, which is headquartered in Dearborn, Mo. The non-profit organization is primarily focused on positively impacting the lives of those with physical, cognitive, emotional or behavioral challenges through adaptive recreational and competitive sports.

After KMS PE teacher Troy Resler shepherded a flock of seventh graders into one corner of the gym, Midwest Adaptive Sports President Stan Weston talked them through what they were about the experience and why it was important.

“That little word, ‘adapt:’ it means, ‘to change.’ We help people who need things changed a little bit in order to enjoy these sports,” Mr. Weston said. “We’re here to show you how easy it is to do something good for somebody, to make a small change that makes a big difference. And they don’t have to be special needs. You can do something good for anybody.”

One group of students was taught how to play basketball while in wheelchairs, under the guidance of Midwest Adaptive Sports Wheelchair Basketball Director Matt Bollig. The other group played blind kickball, with Weston showing them how to follow the directions of their sighted helpers and to use audio signals – loud clapping and ringing made by other students – to locate the bases.

Kearney School District Physical Therapist Anne Hayter invited Coach Weston and his staff to lead the program at KMS in order to help the students learn how to engage positively with classmates who have special needs. She had significant support from KMS PE teacher Kristen Campbell.

“We know that one of the best ways of building empathy and understanding is to have students get a sense of what people with special needs experience every day,” Ms. Hayter said. “This Midwest Adaptive Sports program is perfect because it’s fun but also very effective. You can see that these kids really get it, and that awareness will impact how they interact with their classmates moving forward.”

Visit www.midwestadaptivesports.org to learn more about the program available through Midwest Adaptive Sports.

The post KMS Opens Hearts and Minds with Adaptive Sports appeared first on Early Education Center.

Kearney, Mo., November 9, 2022: Kearney School District students Marshal Johnson and Tristen Holt have demonstrated authoritatively that Bulldogs play well with horses.

Mr. Johnson, a sixth grader at Kearney Middle School, and Ms. Holt, a ninth grader at Kearney Junior High School, each walked away with national awards after participating in the United Professional Horsemen’s Association’s Exceptional Challenge Cup on Tuesday, Nov. 8 during the American Royal Horse Show at Hale Arena.

The UPHA Exceptional Challenge Cup was established in 1998 for physically and mentally handicapped riders. The first National Championship was held at the 1999 American Royal Horse Show in Kansas City, according to the association.

Johnson earned the Reserve Champion award in the level three division, among several other honors. Holt garnered the same award in the level five division. This was the first time either rider had competed in any equestrian event.

A soft-spoken though clearly proud Johnson reflected for a couple of seconds when asked how it felt to be a national champion. He brought his ribbons and trophies to school that day to share the good news with his KMS classmates.

“It feels good because it takes a lot of work to learn how to handle a horse like that,” he said. “It’s helped me learn to be a lot more confident in other areas of my life. That feels important.”

Holt was similarly humble during her interview at KJH.

“I know this is important, but I do it because I really enjoy it,” she said. “When the award was announced, I could hear my family clapping and yelling. They made a big deal out of it.”

This accomplishment is indeed a big deal. The competition involves mounting an American Saddlebred horse that can reach several feet tall and weigh about 1200 pounds and then guiding these animals through a series of maneuvers in front of judges in the arena.

Both Johnson and Holt said their favorite thing to do with the horse is “trotting.” This requires the students to prompt the horse with verbal clicks and gentle kicks to canter at a lively though controlled pace while demonstrating excellent riding technique.

“I like trotting because I like the speed and running,” Holt said. “I got involved in horse riding five years ago because I just love getting together with friends and going on long rides together with my horse, Rusty. The best part is when you can let your horse run.”

Johnson has only been riding for about a year, but is already hooked. He always looks forward to spending time with Zep, the horse he typically works with.

“My little sister rode horses. I saw her ride and thought it looked fun,” Johnson said. “This is definitely something that I would encourage other students like me to get involved with.”

Johnson and Holt are part of the competition team that represented the Northland Therapeutic Riding Center at the UPHA event. The center is located in Holt and is focused on improving the quality of life for persons with special needs through equine-assisted activities and therapies. Learn more at www.ntrcmo.org.

The post KSD Students Earn National Horse-Riding Awards appeared first on Early Education Center.

7th graders gain skills during field trips to Kearney Historic Museum

Kearney, Mo., Oct. 18, 2021: Kearney Middle School students are looking to the past as they prepare for the future. 

KMS seventh-graders toured the Kearney Historic Museum during academic field trips on Oct. 12 and Oct. 15 in downtown Kearney. The tours were coordinated in part by English Language Arts teacher Kate Antos as a creative way for the school’s core applications students to learn how to take notes.

“Notetaking is one of the most important skills that our students need to master as we prepare them to succeed at the junior high and high school,” Ms. Antos said. “As a faculty, we realized that taking the kids on a field trip to our local museum would be both an engaging learning activity and a way for them to learn more about their community’s history.”

The tours were facilitated by museum Director Jerri Spencer and volunteer Liz Ivy. They led about 300 students through the museum and described the important artifacts and individuals that highlight Kearney’s history. Following the field trips, the students returned to KMS to view a slide show about the town’s past and practice their notetaking. 

The entire experience is an outstanding example of the authentic Real World Learning (RWL) that is a cornerstone of the 21st Century curriculum and instruction found in classrooms across Kearney School District, according to Assistant Superintendent of Academic Services Jennifer Kopp. RWL is a valuable way of preparing students to thrive in the modern global economy.

“We are constantly looking for innovative ways to engage students in teaching and learning both in our classrooms and in the community,” Kopp said. “I’m grateful to the Kearney Historic Museum for being an educational partner and to the team at KMS for making this happen.”

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