Along with the Teacher and Support Staff of the Year winners, the Kearney School District recognized the 14 staff members who will be retiring at the end of the current academic year. They each received a special embossed crystal apple. They also were each asked to select a book that the district purchased as a signed gift for their school libraries.

“The people whose names I am about to call represent countless years of dedication and experience,” Assistant Superintendent for Human Resources Zach McMains said. “You have each earned this opportunity, and we are all so grateful for your selfless service on behalf of our students, schools and community. We recognize that it is our job to carry on the legacy of excellence that you built in KSD.”

The school district also honored the Kearney Fire and Rescue Protection District as our 2023 Business of the Year because of its valuable partnership in education on behalf of our students, families and the community as a whole. Kelly Gentry received our 2023 Volunteer of the Year for his selfless service.

All of this year’s honorees will also be recognized at the Northland Regional Chamber of Commerce’s 2023 Excellence in Education Awards Banquet on April 25. West has already been nominated by KSD for the Missouri Regional Teacher of the Year recognition, which will be announced this summer. Retiring this year are:

Kate Antos – Kearney Middle School (One Hundred and One Famous Poems compiled by Roy J. Cook)

Julie Buckman – Dogwood Elementary (Zach’s Lie by Roland Smith)

Tamera Couchman – Dogwood Elementary (Harry Potter & the Order of the Phoenix by J.K. Rowling)

Kristina DeLuca – Southview Elementary (Library Lion by Michelle Knudsen)

Heidi Dodd – Kearney Middle School (The Book Thief by Markus Zusak)

Richard Haas – Kearney High School (Wins, Losses and Lessons: An Autobiography by Lou Holtz)

Mike Hoffman – Kearney Junior High (To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee)

Becky Kohlstaedt – Kearney High School (The Smart Cookie by Jory John)

Gayla Mogg – Hawthorne Elementary (The Secret of Saying Thanks by Douglas Wood)

Audra Pelham – Kearney Middle School (The North Star by Peter Reynolds)

Kerri Prom – Kearney Middle School (Shiloh by Phyllis Reynolds Naylor)

Patty Roussin – EEC & Puppy Pound (Old Black Fly by Jim Aylesworth)