The Kearney R-1 School District is pleased to now have the opportunity to offer a summer school program for our students entering Kindergarten through 5th grade! The program will be 20 days in length beginning on Monday, June 3rd, and will run through Friday, June 28th. Hours will be 8:00 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. Students who will be in Kindergarten through 5th grade for the 2013-2014 school year from all four elementary buildings will be attending the summer program at Southview Elementary. Please click here for more information.

9th - 12th Grade Summer School Information

Entering 5th - 8th Grade Summer School Information

Kearney Middle School Summer Transition 2013 Enrollment Form

Kids Club Summer 2013 Enrollment Form

"While the political agenda of Earth Day is Reduce, Recycle, and Reuse, I believe that if we teach kids just how awesome the earth is and let them experience it firsthand, they will gain a love, or at least an appreciation for where we live and then naturally want to take care of it." says Brenda Simmons, Earth Week Chairperson in the Kearney school district. Earth Week was a hit at Hawthorne Elementary school, with activities all week including a "Trashion Show" which consisted of each class designing an "outfit" using only recycled and reused materials. The KC Zoo presented the food chain to the elementary students and brought a live millipede, hedgehog, and a tortois -- with wheels attached to its shell! Later in the week, Steve Jacobsen from the Dept of Conservation (his wife is also a 3rd grade teacher at Hawthorne) and Brenda teamed up to give lessons in the Outdoor Classroom. The students were taught about woodland ecosystems and shown a live black rat snake. Then they went exploring and found the largest Gardner snake Steve had ever seen! Brenda took the kids out by the meadow and talked about grassland ecosystems. She showed them a live Ornate Box Turtle that Steve brought. The students made seed balls made of clay mud infused with some native grassland seeds to take home and plant in a planter or in a field. "It was a very successful day! My personal favorite was the expressions on the kids' faces when I told them I like to eat grasses -- in the form of grains!" says Brenda. Friday, officers from the Department of Conservation brought around 20 different pelts and told stories about their experiences as conservation officers dealing with these animals. Then the kids saw videos about some of the different animals and how they act in the wild. After the presentation, they were able to touch the pelts and ask questions. Also involved were the specials teachers: Music, art, and library teachers all participated. Finally, we had them decorate paper grocery bags with things they learned from the week. We are displaying the bags in the library here this week and then will be sending them in to Big V to pass out to grocery store customers!

Flipped Lesson

Cheryl Toole's English students at Kearney High School didn't find her providing content through lecture on May 9th. In fact, in Toole's first hour class students will rarely sit through a 50-minute lecture in the classroom. Mrs. Toole and other Kearney High School teachers are testing the concept of a flipped classroom that inverts the traditional teaching model of in-class lecture and student work to outside of class.

The evening of May 8th, Mrs. Toole's students were assigned a video to watch online before class. Upon arriving to class the following day, students used technology devices to scan an RSS code (Rich Site Summary). The code took students to a practice quiz which was used to spark post video discussion.

The quiz also provided a glimpse of the concepts students understood and what they were struggling with so Mrs. Toole could hone in on problem areas and avoid repetition in class.

Mid-Continent Pulic Library in Kearney will be hosting several programs in July and August. Here is a list of programs.

KHS College Prep English students Rachel Myers and Josh Rausch, recently submitted articles to The Kearney Courier and were published in the latest edition. "These articles showcase the intelligence and the ability of our students to write, to engage and to think" says English Teacher, Kate Antos. The articles can also be found on The Kearney Courier website by clicking on the following links. Dancing flags part of history in the making By Rachel Meyers Desensitization one show at a time By Josh Rausch Other KHS students still have an opportunity to submit work, so please look for their articles in the future. Congratulations to these students for their accomplishment.

2013 Triple E Grant Winners

The Kearney School District Education Foundation recently announced the recipients for the 2013 Triple E Grants. Triple E Grants are awarded to the Kearney R-1 School District educators who apply for funding to Enrich the Educational Experience (EEE) of their students through classroom innovation. Congratulations to these teachers and the students that will benefit from their efforts.

Recipients pictured with Foundation Board members are as follows: back row - Ed Haney, Larry Pratt, Jason Hoyt, Bob Tate, Debra James, Sandy Peitzman. Front row - Heidi Dodd, Anita Buelow, Ulrike Hayes, Gigi Leighr, Kasey Stegall, Amy Cordle

Friday was a great day for the Bulldogs Vocal Music Students! They took 22 events to the MU Campus in Columbia. Six events came away with a "1" (Superior) rating, thirteen received a 2 (Excellent) rating and three events got a 3 (good) rating. With nineteen events medaling it was a fantastic experience. Congratulations.

Last Friday, the Kearney band students took part in the MSHSAA State Solo/Small Ensemble Festival on Mizzou's campus.  We had 31 events and came away with 20 Superior (1) ratings, 10 Excellent (2) ratings and one Good (3) rating.  The top two are considered honor ratings or medalists.  Congrats to all who participated.  See below for detalied results of the honor ratings.

What miserable weather we had this weekend for the State Trap Shooters. It rained the entire time we were in Linn Creek, Missouri. We stood in the mud and the rain for about 4 hours. Having said that our kids did amazingly well. There were several highlights from this state shoot. Our first lady squad ever, placed 3rd overall out of 8 lady teams with a final score of 412 out of 500. This team was comprised of Rachel Porter, Sarah Shroeder, Breanna Tedesco, Morgan Drigalla, & Alli Barker. Rachel Porter blew the birds out of the sky with 94 busted birds. She also hit her first perfect 25. Way to go Rachel! Steven Brown had us holding our breath as he smoked 99 out of 100 birds. He shot a perfect 25 during his practice round and then a straight 91 birds before missing the 92nd bird. The entire audience was just as broken hearted as Steven. During the third set of 25, Steven along with his squadmates,Tanner Yonke and Heath Hedges broke perfect 25's. Brandon Walker also broke a perfect 25 at state along freshman Dylan Smith during both of their 2nd rounds of 25. Brendan Long busted a perfect 25 during his practice round as well. This year's state shoot had over 33 high school teams from acorss the state. This doesn't include the FFA and 4-H teams that compete during this competition. Our Varsity Purple team consisted of Daulton Hunt, Brandon Walker, Kody Runions, Tony Lewandowski, & Brendan Long, they placed 7th with 461 broken birds. Varsity Gold included shooters Steven Brown, Tanner Yonke, Joey Soutter, Trenton Covington, & Heath Hedges. They placed 15th with 438 busted birds. Our JV squad was made up of Jack Hill, Dylan Smith, Trevor Walter, Griffy Kesler, & Carson Eshenroder. Their team placed 12th overall with 440 dead birds. The top shooters from our school based on their personal scores were:

Steven Brown 99
Brandon Walker 97
Tanner Yonke 95
Dylan Smith 95
Rachel Porter 94
Kody Runions 92
Daulton Hunt 91
Trenton Covington 90

120,000 students compete for international awards and scholarships as emerging leaders and entrepreneurs

I Have the I-Pads...Now What? Northwest Missouri State University; Kansas City Center Teaching Grant

Pictured with Students: Ulrike Hayes and Terry Barmann(NWMSU)

The $500 grant will allow the students to utilize the class I-Pad for video production. Using the class I-Pad, students prewrite, film, and edit video projects that will be used for school announcements and possible contest. Using the I-Pad and the accessories that were purchased is another way to incorporate technology in the media classroom. All students in 6th and 7th grade Media benefit from the resources.

Kearney Middle School has been selected to receive grant from Heartland Utilities
for Energy Efficiency (HUEE) video contest

A reception will be held from 1:00-2:00 p.m. on May 16th, 2013 at The Greater Kansas City Community Foundation to award the grant winners of the The Heartland Utilities for Energy Efficiency (HUEE) video contest. Ulrike Hayes and the media students from Kearney Middle School will be awarded a $2,500 grant for winning the Public Service Announcement (PSA) video contest. The PSA video contest was designed to create public awareness about energy wasting habits and how to correct those habits in the home and/or school. The contest is open to middle school children in public and private schools across five counties in Missouri and three counties in Kansas. All students in 6th and 7th grade Media classes benefit from the resources.

Jackie Haller's 3rd hour Math Applications class is working with the Kearney Elementary second graders to teach them how to use an abacus. The Math Appications students made each second grader an abacus to keep. Today, the Ms. Haller's students will have another session to for advanced abaci!

On Tuesday, April 23, 2013, the Northland Regional Chamber of Commerce presented its Annual Excellence in Education Awards. The highlight of the evening is the presentation of the Christa McAuliffe Pioneer in Education Award. This award is given to one outstanding classroom teacher in the Northland who exhibits the kind of innovation, motivation, and spirit demonstrated by Christa McAuliffe. This year's winner was Kearney's Darla Yakle. This was the first time in the 27 year history of the award that a Kearney teacher has won, and the honor is well deserved.

Mrs. Yakle has shown excellence in a myriad of ways. She has created a health class from scratch and that class has evolved over time. It provides students with an opportunity to become immersed in health topics and activities. Students learn to track eating habits online and are engaged in friendly competitions about which classes can eat the most in healthy snacks. But Mrs. Yakle is more than just "crazy about being healthy," as one student stated. She connects the learning in the classroom to the human body systems in nontraditional methods. Students are often observed using scalpels and animal organs to not only learn about health, but to experience it firsthand. She is proactive with parents by communicating the sensitive topic matters she will be broaching in her classroom and answering their questions with reassurance and sensitivity.

Mrs. Yakle has also taken responsibility for a group of at-risk students through the building's Check and Connect program. This is the first year for the program and Mrs. Yakle has set the standard for excellence as she works with students and other teachers in helping these middle schoolers find success.

Mrs. Yakle's dedication to students and a healthy lifestyle is also evident outside of the classroom. For years, she has provided an opportunity for Kearney Middle School students to participate in a "Ski Club." The club meets every Friday night during the months of January and February. In order for this program to be successful, Mrs. Yakle must coordinate transportation, ski rentals, and lessons for 60- 100+ middle school students to go skiing in Weston, MO. But perhaps more importantly, students not only have the chance to learn to ski and snowboard, they are allowed the opportunity to practice and learn peer interaction skills. Mrs. Yakle is vigilant about knowing the whereabouts and safety of all the students and she has her finger on the social pulse to note if a student is feeling isolated or uncomfortable. She tackles these issues head on by connecting with students and then linking the students to peers in a manner that always allows them to maintain dignity.

Additionally, Mrs. Yakle is a basketball and softball coach at Kearney High School, runs the middle school intramural program and is very involved in youth sports in the community.

Kearney Middle School and the entire district are fortunate to have Darla working with our students.

On Tuesday, April 23, 2013, Porters Building Centers was honored as a recipient of the Northland Business in Support of Education Award. Mack Porter was on hand to accept the award.

Serving as a school board member from 1960 to 1975, Mack's commitment to Kearney School has lasted a generation. Over the years, his service to Kearney Students has come in the form of endless hours as a school board member, countless dollars in donated materials, priceless construction related advice during times of rapid growth and many hours of sweat equity; as Mack is never afraid to pick up a hammer or shovel when needed. Mack Porter and Porters Building Materials help make Kearney School the well-respected high performing school system it is today.

On June 16, the Kearney R-I Board of Education unanimously approved the Bulldog Stadium Field renovation project. As a result, construction on a new artificial turf field for the benefit of all district students and the community began in earnest and was completed by August 10, 2012, just in time for the Fall activity season. Almost 30% of the $775,000 project cost came in the form of corporate and private sponsors. These donations not only made a significant impact in reducing the school district's financial burden, they also signified the tremendous level of community support for this project and for the school district. It is not a stretch to say that if it were not for Mack, this project would have never have gotten off the ground. You see, Mack was the very first donor to this project. It was his $50,000 donation that sent a spark through the rest of the community that the turf project not only had merit, but it was also possible to meet the $200,000 goal of private donations targeted by the board of education.

Mack's most recent donation of $50,000 may seem like a lot of money, but in reality it merely represents the "icing on the cake". Mack, thank you for your service to Kearney Kids!

Kearney Middle School raised money for the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society (LLS) during March 4-14, 2013. In 2012, KMS raised just over $6000, and was one of the top three contributors in the Kansas City region (Mid-America Chapter). In the past 9 years, KMS has raised an amazing total of $51,438.23. This year, students collected loose change, brought in dollars, checks, and even paid to listen to their i-Pods, all in an effort to raise money for our campaign. Mrs. Howard's (6th grade) seminar class raised over $900. Her seminar will be rewarded with a catered lunch from the Liberty Olive Garden. The other two top classrooms were Mrs. Hodge (6th grade), with over $650 raised and Mrs. Nutter (7th grade), with a classroom total of over $680. Both classes will each be given a $25 gift card to help say thank you and celebrate their success. The Middle School's culminating activity was once again DodgeStock, during which students pay to play their teachers in dodgeball. In all, during this year's campaign,Kearney Middle School raised a total of $7,775.64. We were just named the #1 fundraising school for the Mid-America Chapter of The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society. KMS will be able to celebrate this achievement with an LLS-sponsored school party and the joy of seeing Mr. Woods and Mrs. Shelton being made into ice cream sundaes. Kids helping kids--what a wonderful experience!

Click here to read the Kearney R-1 School District Comprehensive School Improvement Planning document

In an effort to increase security and student safety, the Kearney R-I School District and Kearney Police Department have created a unique partnership. Research indicates that safety increases when police officers are present, so this affiliation will result in an increased frequency of police officers in all district buildings. The officers will be very approachable and will be visiting the buildings on a regular basis. To hear more about this new joint venture, please visit a video of Dr. Bill Nicely and Police Chief Tom Carey discussing the program at http://youtu.be/FBVOWyuU0hk.

We would like to thank Police Chief Carey for his support of the initiative and the KHS-TV crew for the filming, editing and posting of the discussion.

Click here to read Kearney R-1 School District 2012-2013 Annual Report and Accounts

Please click here for a news release on our Board member, David Lehman, of whom achieved Advanced Certification in the Missouri School Boards' Association certified board member program. David (on right) is standing with Mike Miller, Board President.

Kearney High School & Kearney Junior High School continue to partner with Project Lead the Way to engage more students in engineering and technology fields that are critical to U.S. competitiveness in a global economy.

Following a site visit from the national certification team Kearney received national certification from Project Lead the Way (PLTW). PLTW offers students a pre-engineering science track in an effort to help schools increase the number and quality of engineers graduating from colleges and universities in the United States. To achieve national certification, a PLTW school must adhere to strict requirements, including-among other things-teaching the PLTW curriculum, administering the exams provided, working with local business and industry, offering students a way to take all of the basic courses offered and providing them a clear pathway into post-secondary education.

Since Kearney Schools have achieved certified status, Kearney pre-engineering students may now have the option to take their high school credit earned in Project Lead the Way and receive college credit at several national PLTW affiliate colleges and universities such as Missouri S & T, UMKC and Maple wood community College.

Project Lead The Way, the nation's leading provider of STEM (science, technology, engineering, and math) education, offers a rigorous world-class curriculum that allows students to apply what they are learning in math and science class to real-life engineering and technology projects. PLTW also prides itself on high-quality professional development of its teachers with a network of business, community and university partners to give students the fullest experience.

A National Business Roundtable report states that to remain competitive in the global economy, America needs to graduate 400,000 science, technology, engineering, and mathematics four-year degrees annually, yet we are currently graduating only 265,000. PLTW, a non-profit organization, is providing students with a foundation and proven path to college and career success in these areas.

Click here to read the State of the Kearney R-1 School District presentation Dr. Nicely gave at the Kearney Chamber of Commerce meeting on March 6th.

The Kearney High School BYOD Pilot program was highlighted on WDAF channel 4 News Sunday night. Below is a link to the District Technology Update page where the footage can be seen. Thank you to Mrs. Lawrence and her 6th hour Anatomy/Physiology students for doing such a great job and representing Kearney R-1 so well. Mrs. Haller's 4th hour AP Stats class and Mrs. Toole's 1st hour English class are also participating in the pilot. We appreciate all of the students and teachers for being such technological pioneers!

Here is a link to the News story--- http://elearning.kearney.k12.mo.us/course/view.php?id=201

The Kearney School District Education Foundation was presented a check for $6,210.00 for money raised during the Drive 4 Ur Schools sponsored by Ford Motor Company and Chuck Anderson Ford. The two year total raised during this event is nearly $12,000.00. Money raised goes to the Kearney School District Education Foundation who funds student scholarships, teacher classroom grants, and assistance to educational groups.

Pictured in the " Big Check " presentation are Chuck Anderson Ford owner Mike Anderson...Drive 4 Ur School Project Coordinator Sarah Lumsden...Foundation President Bob Tate and Board Members Lisa Kiefer, Larry Pratt and Steve McDonald. Not pictured ...Board Member Ed Haney who was graciously taking the picture, as he does for many local events.

Kearney was among an elite group of 22 communities and businesses to be honored on November 30 at the Keystone Awards Luncheon.

Hosted by the Clay County Economic Development Council, the awards recognized businesses and organizations that improve the economic environment and quality of life through new locations or expansion. Job creation is a key factor, but other important factors include significant cultural enhancement and community contributions. Clay County Commissioners Pam Mason, Katee Porter and Larry Larson presented the awards during the ceremony held at Harrah's North Kansas City.

The winning Keystone projects totaled approximately $333 million in public and private investment. The entire list of projects nominated for the awards represented more than $400 million. Kearney's stadium renovation had a Project investment of $847,818 and temporarily created 30 jobs. The Project General Contractor was ATG Sports and the Project Architect was Vance Rzepka of VSR Designs.

The focus of the project was to create additional space for student and community use. In a school district that has limited activity space available; the utilization of existing activity field space to the fullest extent is paramount. At 63 hours of usage per year, the Bulldog Stadium grass field was being used significantly under its potential. The addition of artificial turf increases the usage availability to over 1000 hours per year, provides clear benefits to the Kearney School District and the school district's service to the community. It is difficult to deny the value of increasing the availability of this space for extra-curricular, co-curricular, class and community activities. It is the cost per hour of use that is the most logical determining factor for field improvement.

While the annual cost of a synthetic field is greater than natural grass, the number of available usage hours is also significantly greater. The result is a cost per hour comparison between natural grass and artificial turf of $501 to $72 respectively.

The Bulldog Stadium renovation project including turf, subfield drainage and scoreboard was truly a community effort as both Kearney businesses and individuals reduced the school district's burden by donating over $260,000 toward the project. The updated stadium is now a source of pride for all community stakeholders.

You will find the results of the Parent and Staff surveys conducted as part of the district's Comprehensive School Improvement Plan attached. Thank you for taking the time to complete the surveys, as these results will help the district foster positive change and help us recognize key areas of improvement.