Congratulations to all of the Team KSD members who received awards!

Excellence in Service to Education Awards:

• Dogwood Elementary Paraprofessional Ashley Bricker
• KMS Assistant Principal BJ Webster
• KSD Career Readiness Coordinator Stacy Holtzclaw
• KHS Lead Secretary Lacy Howdeshell
• Southview Elementary Nurse Jaci Mick
• Hawthorne Elementary Paraprofessional Scott Henrichs
• Kearney Elementary Paraprofessional Kalie Dickson

Excellence in Classroom Teaching Awards:

• Dogwood Elementary PE Teacher Nic Mattson
• KMS Librarian Lauren Thomas
• Southview Elementary Vocal Music Teacher Rachel Terrill

In addition, KHS Counseling Office Secretary Erica Rose’s daughter, Lauren Rose, received a college scholarship at the event.

It was a great night for the Bulldog Nation! Please join us in celebrating our teammates for these well-deserved recognitions!

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Kearney, Mo., April 3, 2025: In a heartfelt ceremony that blended tradition, pride and purpose, Kearney High School hosted its annual Future Educators Signing Day last night in the school library. 

The event honored 11 seniors who have completed the school’s Education Internship program and are preparing to pursue degrees in teaching at colleges and universities across Missouri and beyond.

This meaningful milestone, modeled after athletic and fine arts signing ceremonies, celebrates students who have committed to entering the teaching profession, a calling that shapes future generations. Family members, staff, and school leaders gathered to recognize the hard work and dedication of these future educators.

“These students represent the very best of what Kearney has to offer,” said Mendy Salmonson, the KHS educator who leads the two-year internship program. “They’ve already spent hundreds of hours in classrooms, learning the realities of teaching and discovering their passion for education. This is more than a career choice for them—it’s a mission.”

The following students participated in the April 2 signing day event:

• Grace Daily – University of Kansas – Elementary Education
• Elizabeth Demers – Maple Woods Community College – Special Education
• Jules Ford – College of the Ozarks – Vocal Music Education
• Olivia Kinstler – Missouri State University – Elementary Education
• Brook Llewellyn – Maple Woods Community College – Elementary PE
• Kayla Resler – Northwest Missouri State University – Elementary Education
• Brylee Stegall – Missouri State University – Early Education
• Klara Wentzel – College of the Ozarks – Instrumental Music Education

Three additional students were unable to attend the event but have also committed to pursuing degrees in education:

• Garrett Hodge – Missouri State University – Secondary PE
• Alaina Lehman – Central Methodist – Elementary Education
• Elizabeth Shoemaker – University of Missouri–Kansas City – Elementary Education

The Education Internship Program is part of Kearney School District’s Real World Learning initiative and provides seniors with hands-on learning experiences in elementary and secondary classrooms throughout the district. Under the guidance of mentor teachers, students assist with instruction, observe classroom management techniques, and begin developing their own teaching styles.

“We know how critical great educators are to the success of our schools and our communities,” KSD Superintendent Emily Miller said. “It’s exciting to see this next generation of teachers come up through our own system. We couldn’t be prouder of them.”

MORE PHOTOS – KHS Future Educators Signing Day

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Cross Country combines four Boys districts and four Girls districts to compete at a super district. The top four teams advance to the state meet. The top 30 in each race earn All-District honors.

The Bulldogs’ Girls and Boys teams both qualified for invitations to the state meet. Cross Country is marking its 50th anniversary this season at KHS. This is the school’s 29th Girls team to run at state and 20th Boys team.

Girls Team Results:

• 3rd Daisy Burnam 20:09
• 17th Olivia Brock 21:46
• 19th Alex Kinstler 21:49
• 20th Drew Gustafson 21:59
• 31st Abbi McQuillen 22:31
• 37th Jordin Vaughn 22:48
• 43rd Josie Masters 23:32

Boys Team Results:

• 7th Cameron Fowler 16:47
• 12th Isaac Smith 17:12
• 22nd Rylee Johnson 17:37
• 25th Alex Gustafson 17:38
• 30th Cameron Daniel 17:51
• 39th Carter Smith 18:27
• 55th Luke Vanderstel 19:41

The Bulldog community will help celebrate the 50th anniversary of the KHS Cross Country program during the Kearney School District Education Foundation’s annual Turkey Trot on Thanksgiving morning, Nov. 28. Visit the KSDEF website to learn more.

PHOTOS CREDIT: The Courier-Tribune

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The girls were first and won their fourth straight conference meet by ten points. The Bulldogs had five first-team all-conference runners:

• 2nd Daisy Burnan 19:52
• 4th Jordin Vaughn 21:09
• 5th Abbi McQuillen 21:41
• 6th Olivia Brock 21:52
• 7th Drew Gustafson 21:55. 

All seven runners earned all-conference honors. Second-team all-conference honorees included:

• 8th Alex Kinstler 22:30
• 14th Brenley Cartwright 23:44

The boys team finished second. First-team all-conference honors went to:

• 2nd Cameron Fowler 16:47
• 4th Isaac Smith 17:03
• 7th Rylee Johnson 17:40

The other three athletes that competed made the second team all-conference:

• 8th Alex Gustafson 17:46
• 11th Carter Smith 18:24
• 13th Cameron Daniel 18:33

Also, the JV boys and girls won their races! Edin Roling won the girls’ JV race and would have been the 2nd team all-conference in the varsity race. 

The District meet starts at 9 a.m. on Saturday, Nov. 2 at Jesse James Park.

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Kearney, Mo., September 25, 2024: Our entire community is invited to celebrate and support the Bulldogs during the 2024 Homecoming Parade starting at 2 p.m. on Friday, Sept. 27 in downtown Kearney. This will be a half-day for students. KMS, Kearney Junior High and Kearney High School will dismiss at 10:30 a.m.; the elementary schools will dismiss students at 11:35 a.m.

If the weather allows, we’re going to mark chalk boundaries along each side of the parade route along Washington Street from Clark Street to Prospect Street to help keep everyone safe. If you have a child who plans to be at the parade, please instruct them to stay out of the area between the chalk lines. This will give the marchers and float operators plenty of room to maneuver. It’s very dangerous for children to dash in front of the parade participants.

It’s also important to have a clear plan to safely pick up your child after the event if they are being dropped off to participate in or watch the parade. A number of downtown streets will be closed that day. A map is included below. Keep in mind that the area around Kearney Middle School and the church parking lot on South Grove Street will be very busy and likely inaccessible as the parade ends.

Learn more about Homecoming 2024, including information about the football game and dance.

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Kearney, Mo., November 16, 2023: Kearney School District is introducing two valuable tools designed to enhance online safety for students and provide parents/guardians with helpful insights into their children’s digital activities: the Qustodio Parents App and the KSD Online Safety Hub.

Fostering a secure online environment for our students is a collaborative effort between Kearney School District and parents/guardians. The new app and hub will enhance and strengthen that partnership on behalf of the community’s children.

KSD IT Director Ryan Blankenship led the effort to make these new digital tools available for the district’s parents/guardians. This launch is progress towards achieving an important step included in Pillar 1: Climate & Culture of KSD’s 2023-2027 Strategic Plan, which calls for the creation of a safe learning environment of respect and belonging fostering a path to success.

“We’re excited to make the Qustodio Parents App and KSD Online Safety Hub available for all of our families,” Mr. Blankenship said. “We want to equip parents and guardians with practical, effective knowledge and tools so that they can keep their children safe and teach them how to be good digital citizens.”

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. With Qustodio, users gain visibility and insights into how their children’s school devices are being used through real-time data on their internet usage. Additionally, Qustodio allows parents/guardians to pause the internet on school devices outside of school hours, ensuring a healthy balance between screen time and other activities.

The KSD Online Safety Hub, also powered by Linewize, is a comprehensive resource that contains expert advice authored by leading safety professionals. This hub covers crucial online safety topics such as online bullying, screen time management, and gaming. It serves as a valuable guide for parents/guardians navigating the challenges of the digital world, offering insights and strategies to promote a safe and positive online environment for students.

We encourage all KSD parents/guardians to explore these tools to better understand how their children are using their digital devices and to equip themselves with the knowledge to support their online safety. Both the Qustodio Parents App and the KSD Online Safety Hub align with KSD’s commitment to providing exemplary educational experiences in a safe and supportive learning environment.

KSD parents/guardians can visit www.ksdr1.net/qustodio for easy instructions to get started with the Qustodio Parents App and to find a link to the KSD Online Safety Hub.

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Kearney, Mo., October 13, 2023: Kearney School District is launching a new report card system for students in kindergarten through fifth grade that is based on proficiency scales for English Language Arts and Mathematics priority standards.

The new report card system will provide a better representation of the skills and knowledge that students have acquired, according to KSD Elementary Curriculum Coordinator Ali Stewart.  This helps both teachers and students develop a competency-based mindset.

“As students dive into their learning, they know what they’re aiming for, where they currently stand, and can work with their teacher to set objectives and milestones for mastering the material,” Mrs. Stewart said. “This is super important for empowering learners. This means students have a say in their learning experience, actively participate in decision-making about their education, and are personally invested in the process.”

The project was a two-year collaborative effort between the Northwest Regional Professional Development Center (NWRPDC) and elementary teachers. To start, the NWRPDC teamed up with elementary teachers to create the new proficiency scales for ELA and Math priority standards. 

In addition, KSD teachers also came up with common assessments for each proficiency scale. This helps ensure that all grade levels and elementary schools in KSD have the same expectations and standards.

“These new common assessments will help parents/guardians to better understand their child’s abilities and areas that need improvement,” Stewart said. “They will have more chances to support their child in line with the school’s goals.”

Building on this work, K-5 students will get new report cards starting in the fall of 2023 that focus on growth and their individual learning progression. The goal is to give parents/guardians and students a complete picture of their learning and progress throughout the school year.

“In our parent and school relationships, we are going to have to look at elementary report cards in a new way,” Stewart said. “We will begin by knowing the starting point of student learning and look for growth and mastery throughout the year. This detailed information will help us communicate how the student is progressing and performing along the way.”

The desired outcome of this project is to make sure that every student reaches the Proficient level for each priority standard set by KSD and Missouri’s Department of Elementary and Secondary Education. To make that happen, the district’s teachers are constantly adapting their techniques to match the different learning priorities, providing targeted small group work to address each student’s individual needs, and giving opportunities to expand knowledge and use it as needed. Supporting standards are also taught alongside the priority standards.

The new report cards will reflect a foundational level of learning that aligns with the content taught at the beginning of the year, according to Stewart. Families will be able to observe the growth and learning journey of their children throughout the school year.

This elementary focus will lay the educational foundation to ensure a competency-based mindset across KSD moving forward. Our Bulldogs are personalizing learning in ways that guarantee every student has the knowledge, skills and techniques they need to be ready for high school and beyond.

New KSD Report Cards: Navigating to Proficiency

• 4+ = Advanced: The student has advanced understanding and exceeds grade-level expectations.
• 4 = Mastery: The student has shown proficient understanding and meets grade-level expectations.
• 3 = Progressing: The student recognizes/recalls vocabulary related to the standard and can perform the basic processes that are foundational to the standard.
• 2 = With Assistance – With help, the student demonstrates partial understanding of some of the simpler details and processes.
• 1 = Even with help, the student has no understanding of the concept or skills.

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Shift would replace class rankings based on GPA

Kearney School District is considering a shift to using the Latin Honors system to recognize our high school graduates. If approved, this system would replace class rankings based on grade-point averages (GPA).

In the Latin Honors system, every student has the opportunity to earn a Suma Cum Laude, Magna Cum Laude, or Cum Laude designation based on KSD’s definition of each of those categories. Designation of valedictorian and salutatorian could still be optional if we make this shift, but class rank would not be reported to colleges or reported on transcripts. This change would be fully implemented for the Class of 2025 (which includes students who are now in ninth grade).

In the video below, Kearney High School Principal Andy Gustafson explains why we are considering this change. More information will be made available to students and parents/guardians during parent/teacher conferences on Oct. 27 and Oct. 28 at the high school. Questions about this proposed shift to the Latin Honors system can be directed to Assistant Superintendent for Academic Services Jennifer Kopp at koppj@ksdr1.net.

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Kearney, Mo., July 1, 2021: Maddy Dumka knows now that it’s OK for things to be difficult.

Ms. Dumka, a junior at Kearney High School, was among several students who gained Real World Learning experiences in June through Kearney School District’s 2021 Summer School internship program. On a rain-soaked Wednesday, June 30, they shared some of the key lessons learned during end-of-term presentations at the school.

One of the biggest takeaways was understanding how to overcome challenges even when things get tough, according to Maddy, who did her internship at the Kearney Firehouse Community Center. She described having to address issues on her own for the first time in her life.

“I just experienced a lot of things that I learned are a lot harder than they appear,” she said. “And, you know what, I learned that I’m OK with that.”

Maddy’s insight was exactly what KHS teacher Alyssa Stevens was hoping to hear from the students who participated in this summer’s internships. Real World Learning is designed to both help students apply academic lessons in workforce settings and give them the opportunity to discover some of the less tangible but just as important skill sets needed to succeed in the 21st-Century global economy.

“We can talk about resiliency and problem solving and collaboration, but those lessons only take root through experience,” Stevens said. “These students are gaining soft skills that they will benefit from for the rest of their lives.”

KHS junior Brooklynn Hall also interned at the Kearney Firehouse. She and Maddy performed a variety of tasks, including helping to plan the center’s “Summer Pass” program and support residents who participate in the senior citizen wellness program.

Helping and talking with the center’s clients was an education in itself, Ms. Hall said.

“There are so many different types of people there, and they all wanted basically the same thing, which is to be heard and understood,” she said. “They have many interesting stories and faced so many challenges in their lives. They would tell me that they would just flip a switch and decide to make things better. That’s something that really stuck with me.”

Internships are a valuable way to create connections between the community and schools, according to Kearney Enrichment Council Executive Director Kurt Hamilton, who runs the Kearney Firehouse. He jumped at the opportunity to take on two student interns and said it was a great experience for everyone.

“This internship program really enriches the lives of both our students and our community members,” Mr. Hamilton said. “It’s very important for the district to give our kids the chance to have the kind of experience in the workforce. And have fun, of course! That’s always important.”

Hamilton definitely met that last goal, according to Maddy.

“My boss, Kurt, is very funny and sarcastic,” she said. “It was just overall a great environment to work in.”

KHS senior Anya Kuhn also learned how to walk that line between having fun and getting the job done right as an intern at the Martha Lafite Thompson Nature Sanctuary. She often found herself encouraging younger children to explore the park while also keeping them safe.

“We would supervise and guide them as they were playing in the creek and learning about nature and animals,” Ms. Kuhn said. “But we might say, ‘leaves of three, that’s poison ivy,’ and the kids would run towards it.”

Julia Kuhn, Anya’s mother and the Kearney School District Education Foundation Board Chair, affirmed the value of the internship program.

“I think it is wonderful that many of the students will be continuing their internships, several with nonprofits, thereby giving back to their community,” Julia Kuhn said.

Sophomore Gunner Trammell got hands-on experience in broadcast media as an intern at Kearney radio station 102.7 FM. He enjoyed the fast pace and technical demands of radio and is now convinced he wants to pursue a career in the broadcast industry.

“I learned how to both be quick on my feet and to work carefully,” Mr. Trammell said.

Station General Manager Brian Watts was impressed with how comfortable Gunner was when he was interacting with VIP guests like Kearney Mayor Randy Pogue and Missouri State Representative Josh Hurlbert.

“Gunner was great to have here! He’s a very bright and outgoing kid,” Mr. Watts said. “We were all impressed with his communication skills. He’s able to start and hold a conversation with adults, and even with community leaders”

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