Kearney, Mo., June 28, 2024: Kearney School District is hosting its 2024 Back-to-School Resource Fair from 4 to 7 p.m. on Thursday, Aug. 8, and 9 to 11:30 a.m. on Friday, Aug. 9, at Hawthorne Elementary School, which is located at 1815 S. Jefferson St. in Kearney, Mo.

The annual Back-to-School Resource Fair features school supplies, backpacks, gently used clothing and other community resources for students in need. The event is designed to ensure that every child in KSD has the support they need to thrive in the upcoming school year, according to District Social Worker Meeghan Masters.

“Last year we were able to help 256 students be ready for their first day of school,” Ms. Masters said. “This is only possible because of the help of many partners from across the community.”

Families are asked to register their children for the resource fair in order to help organizers plan and run the event. Visit bit.ly/ksd-resource-fair-24 to complete a short online registration form.

DOWNLOAD: 2023 Back-to-School Resource Fair Flyer

There are a number of ways for community members, businesses and organizations to support the resource fair.

Donate Items

KSD social workers will be collecting new and gently used clothes and shoes and distributing them during the Back to School Resource Fair. They need clothes and shoes in all sizes, from youth small to adult XXL. Basic school supplies are also needed. Donated clothes, shoes and supplies may be dropped off between 9 a.m. and 3 p.m. on Aug. 5-9 at Hawthorne Elementary.

Buy A Shirt & Give A Shirt

Purchase a custom KSD back-to-school shirt for $17 and one will be donated for a student who attends the Resource Fair. A shirt can also be donated directly for just $8.50. Visit the Buy-A-Shirt-Give-A-Shirt site to learn more.

Donate Money

Monetary donations directly fund the fair and can be made to: Kearney R-1 School District, Attn – Back to School Resource Fair, 150 West State Route 92, Kearney, MO 64060

Volunteer

The fair is a great opportunity for individuals, families and organizations to volunteer for community service. Visit the online sign-up form to register as a volunteer.

More Info

For more information about the 2024 KSD Back to School Resource Fair, contact Meeghan Masters at mastersm@ksdr1.net.

KSD’s 2024-2025 academic year starts on Tuesday, Aug. 20. Important back-to-school information is available and updated online at www.ksdr1.net/back-to-school.

To learn more about how to enroll a child in KSD, visit our enrollment webpage, call (816) 628-4116 or email reghelp@ksdr1.net.

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Kearney, Mo., March 11, 2024: The Kearney School District Education Foundation (KSDEF) invites the community to join hands in support of the annual Rise & Shine for Kids fundraising breakfast from 7 to 9 a.m. on Friday, April 19 at the Annunciation Community Center.

At the Rise & Shine for Kids breakfast, community members, alumni, and business leaders unite in a shared vision of providing unparalleled resources and opportunities to every student in KSD. Tickets are $50 each, which goes towards funding the charitable organization’s programs that support students and educators.

For more information about the 2024 Rise & Shine for Kids fundraising breakfast and to reserve your seat, please visit givebutter.com/RiseandShine2024. The community center is located at 705 N. Jefferson St. in Kearney.

At the heart of the foundation’s mission lies a steadfast commitment to catalyzing positive change for both students and educators within KSD. Beyond merely enjoying a delicious meal, talented students and inspiring messages, this event symbolizes a dedication to empowering Kearney’s youth. The funds raised serve as a vital lifeline, fueling classroom grants and scholarships that directly impact students and educators. These grants have helped to enrich learning environments, bridge achievement gaps, and introduce cutting-edge teaching technologies, leaving an indelible mark on the KSD community.

“In these challenging times, the support of our community holds profound significance,” KSD Superintendent Emily Miller said. “Now more than ever, we remain steadfast in our commitment to equipping teachers with the tools they need and ensuring every student graduates high school prepared for success.”

The projects funded by contributions to KSDEF play a pivotal role in igniting enthusiasm in young minds, offering opportunities beyond those supported by tax dollars alone. As participants gather for the Rise & Shine Breakfast for Kids, they not only enjoy a meal but also contribute to building a brighter future for the entire Kearney community.

“We invite everyone to join us in our mission to inspire, educate, and uplift,” KSDEF Board Chair Season Kerns said. “Together, we can ensure that every child in Kearney has the opportunity to rise, shine, and reach for the stars.”

About the Kearney School District Education Foundation:

The Kearney School District Education Foundation is dedicated to enhancing the educational experience of students within Kearney School District through innovative programs, classroom grants, and scholarships. By fostering partnerships between the community and KSD, KSDEF strives to create a brighter future for all.

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Kearney, Mo., January 10, 2024: Team KSD is alert and ready to respond to signs of human trafficking thanks to their recent professional development.

Kearney School District staff members returned from their winter break and spent several hours learning how to help identify and prevent human trafficking and support victims during an all-district professional development session led by Russ Tuttle on Monday, Jan. 8 at Kearney High School.

Mr. Tuttle is the President and Founder of the Stop Trafficking Project, an organization that uses communication, leadership, team development and compassion to combat domestic minor sex trafficking. He led the roughly 500 KSD employees through training that included the signs that a child is being trafficked, the scope of the problem, how to help protect students and the steps that need to be taken when a victim is identified.

One of the biggest mistakes made by responsible adults is believing that human trafficking can’t happen in their family or community, Tuttle said. In fact, traffickers target vulnerable suburban and rural communities.

Most people have a very narrow view of the problem based on the news and popular media, Tuttle explained. They believe that trafficking is most often committed by strangers in urban environments, which prevents them from seeing the dangers that exist closer to home.

“I want to expand your view of sex trafficking,” Tuttle said. “Sexual exploitation is often committed by family members in communities just like yours. The victims can be straight-A students who play three sports, participate in choir and band and are president of their FFA chapter. It only takes one mistake to make them vulnerable.”

Tuttle’s training centered on the fact that pre-teens and teenagers have immature brains, can often make impetuous decisions and have powerful digital tools that they carry around in the form of cell phones. These factors can combine with toxic long-term consequences for victims who make one bad choice that pulls them into the grasp of traffickers.

Tuttle cited the real-life example of a pre-teen girl who was a standout softball player in her small-town Kansas school. Angry at her mother, she started sharing explicit images of herself online with a stranger. This eventually led to her lifelong struggle to free herself from a series of sex traffickers.

Openness and honesty are very powerful tools that can be used to both help prevent and address human trafficking, according to Tuttle. For a variety of reasons, children can hide behavior – like using social media apps to post explicit imagery – that exposes them to being exploited by traffickers. It’s the role of parents/guardians and other responsible adults to proactively teach children how to use devices safely and what to do when they feel unsafe.

“I’m not angry with kids and I’m not against technology,” Tuttle said. “My mission is to tell kids they don’t need to feel embarrassed, afraid or ashamed to talk to an adult.”

January is National Human Trafficking Prevention Month. KSD Assistant Superintendent for Academic Services Jennifer Kopp invited Tuttle to lead the all-staff professional development because Missouri is a hub of human trafficking and public educators have an opportunity to be part of the solution.

“Several factors make our area a prime location for human trafficking, including our geographic location and interstate system,” Mrs. Kopp said. “As educators, we have direct access to students and can be pivotal in helping to raise awareness with our students and families.”

KSD recently released the Qustodio Parents App and the KSD Online Safety Hub, two valuable tools designed to enhance online safety for students and provide parents/guardians with helpful insights into their children’s digital activities. Qustodio, powered by KSD’s content filter partner Linewize, is a powerful app designed to help parents/guardians monitor and manage their children’s digital activities on school devices. The KSD Online Safety Hub, also powered by Linewize, is a comprehensive resource that contains expert advice authored by leading safety professionals.

If you suspect someone is being forced to engage in any activity from which they can’t leave—whether it is commercial sex, housework, farm work or other activity—call the National Human Trafficking Resource Center hotline at 1-888-373-7888 or text BeFree (233733). Information is available online at humantraffickinghotline.org. If someone is in immediate danger, call 9-1-1.

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Kearney, Mo., October 6, 2022: Kearney School District is spreading the word about new opportunities and high expectations for students as part of the BeyondKSD Real World Learning program.

KSD will be sharing important updates and guidance for students and parents/guardians during two informational sessions on Wednesday, Oct. 26. The first session will start at 5 p.m. in the Library Media Center at Kearney Junior High, followed by the second session at 6 p.m. in the Library Media Center at Kearney High School.

These sessions will be led by Assistant Superintendent for Academic Services Jennifer Kopp and Career Readiness Coordinator Stacy Holtzclaw. The topics will include recent changes that will have a significant impact on the path to graduation for all current and future KSD students:

• KSD’s Portrait of A Graduate – Key characteristics that every student should attain by the time they graduate
• Latin Honors System – Replacing traditional class ranks, every student has the opportunity to earn a Suma Cum Laude, Magna Cum Laude, or Cum Laude designation in this system
• Tiered Diplomas – Recognize the value of both college and career pathways
• Market Value Assets – Opportunities that allow students to gain Real World Learning experiences and required for every KSD graduate starting with the Class of 2025

KSD is also seeking community support to expand Real World Learning opportunities for all students. Ms. Holtzclaw is creating a contact network of individuals who would like to help grow the district’s BeyondKSD program in a number of ways, including:

• Serving as a guest speaker/subject-matter expert
• Providing job shadow opportunities
• Providing internship experiences
• Partnering with students and/or classes to solve authentic real-world problems (Client Connected Projects)

Currently, experiences related to healthcare careers are particularly sought after for students, according to Holtzclaw.

“While we desire business partners in all career paths, obtaining internships in the medical field is more challenging,” Holtzclaw said. “If you know of anyone in the medical profession who would like to partner with KSD, please let us know!”

Anyone wishing to partner with KSD on any of these activities or to recommend a potential partner should please complete the online BeyondKSD Contact Form.

DOWNLOAD: BeyondKSD Info Sessions Flier

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The Kearney School District Education Foundation will host its 11th-Annual Turkey Trot on Thanksgiving Day, Nov. 24 at Bulldog Stadium! This will once again be an in-person race this year. There will also be a virtual race option for those unable to participate in-person. All registration fees help fund teacher innovation grants, special classroom projects and scholarships, and support the Kearney High School Cross Country team. Learn more: www.ksdef.com/news-events/turkey-trot

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It’s time for the Bulldog Family to help make sure that everyone in our community has a joyous holiday season.

The Kearney Family Foundation (KFF) is reaching out to Kearney School District families who would like to request help and families who would like to provide assistance through the Adopt-A-Family program this year.

KFF is a 501(c)(3) non-profit corporation founded in November 2003 as a community volunteer organization dedicated to assisting the children and families in the Kearney/Holt area. Every penny donated – 100 percent of all donations – goes directly to those children and families that KFF helps.

Every year since its launch, KFF has assisted between 120-150 Kearney families during the holidays. KSD teachers and staff always step up to help with this drive.

To Request Help

To request help from the Kearney Family Foundation, please complete the family request help form on the KFF website by Monday, Nov. 15 at www.kearneyfamilyfoundation.org/request-help.

To Provide Help

To help others through the Adopt-A-Family program this year and provide gifts and clothing, please sign-up on the KFF website by Wednesday, Dec. 1 at www.kearneyfamilyfoundation.org/how-to-help2. Scroll down to and complete the “Interested in Adopting a Family or Individual?” form. Please include your budget so that KFF can pair you with a family size that will meet your resources.

Contact Info

Kearney Family Foundation
PO Box 391
Kearney, MO 64060
(816) 628-5421
info@kearneyfamilyfoundation.org
www.kearneyfamilyfoundation.org

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