The Kearney School District celebrated the 19 exemplary employees chosen to receive Teacher of the Year and Support Staff of the Year honors during the first-annual Team KSD Awards & Retiree Reception held on Monday, April 17 at Tobacco Barn Farm in Holt.

“The determination to be the best on behalf of our students and community imbues every level of our team: teachers, support staff and administrators,” Superintendent Emily Miller said. “Our culture of excellence serves a crucial educational purpose. Our students may not always be conscious that it exists, but they learn it nevertheless. Excellence becomes part of their DNA. That is why this work is so important and so essential. We are here to celebrate your work.”

A large group of district staff visited with the honorees during the after-school event. It culminated with the announcement that Kearney High School social studies teacher Jennifer West was selected to receive the district’s overall 2023 Kearney School District Teacher of the Year Award and Network Administrator Chris Shirk was selected to receive the overall 2023 Kearney School District Support Staff of the Year Award.

Mrs. West is described by school administrators, fellow faculty members and parents/guardians as a dynamic social studies teacher. This year, she implemented a Human Geography that is helping the Kearney Fire and Rescue Protection District (KFRPD) in a Real World Learning project to identify potential sites for a second firehouse. That meant that she had to teach herself how to use specialized mapping software in order to guide her students through the project.

“Her classes are always very engaging and students are actively involved,” Assistant Superintendent for Academic Services Jennifer Kopp said. “She goes over the essential content but always has side stories to make the content relevant and interesting to her students.”

Director of Special Education Heather Guilkey praised Mr. Shirk for his attention to detail and aptitude for seeing all sides of an issue. His customer service skills were particularly vital during the COVID-19 pandemic.

“Chris was at the receiving end of many phone calls from parents, guardians, and grandparents trying to get their students online to access instruction,” Dr. Guilkey said. “Chris frequently begins working long before any teaching or office staff arrive, ensuring a consistent user experience by checking to see that all systems are working properly. If they are not, his early arrival usually gives him plenty of time to fix the issue before many have even noticed.”

Each school selected one certified teacher and one support staff member to receive their building’s 2023 awards. The district award recipients were selected from that pool of school-level honorees.

Along with their recognition plaques, West received a $250 cash award and a $750 classroom grant and Shirk received a $250 cash award and a $250 classroom grant from the Kearney School District Education Foundation. They can choose to spend their grants on education-related projects or items of their choice.

KPGZ News - Ray Weikal with the Kearney School District contributed to this story