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Bonner Springs has teacher of the year finalist

Amanda S. Ketterling (Photo from Bonner Springs School District)

A Bonner Springs Elementary School library media specialist has been named a Region 3 finalist for the Kansas Teacher of the Year award.

Amanda Ketterling was one of six semifinalists for the award, and was named one of two Region 3 finalists on March 28.

The other finalist in Region 3 was Natalie Johnson-Berry, an English teacher at Shawnee Mission North High School.

The two finalists are now eligible to be named Kansas Teacher of the Year, which will be announced on Saturday, Sept. 25, in Wichita.

As a finalist Ketterling will receive a $2,000 cash award from Security Benefit, the major corporate partner of the Teacher of the Year program.

The Kansas State Department of Education, sponsor of the Kansas Teacher of the Year program, appoints regional selection panels made up of of teachers, education administrators and higher education representatives to select semifinalists and finalists from each region. The state is divided into four regions.

Other semifinalists were Melissa Donaldson, a 3-5 early childhood, special education teacher at Stanley Elementary School, Blue Valley USD 229; Melissa Hembrey, a first-grade teacher at Riverview Elementary School, De Soto USD 232; Jessica Skoglund, an English teacher at Olathe Northwest High School, Olathe USD 233; and Jennifer Thomas, a science teacher at Turner High School, Turner School District 202.

Each of the semifinalists will receive a red marble apple with a wooden base, compliments of The Master Teacher in Manhattan.

This year, 138 educators across the state were nominated for the Kansas Teacher of the Year distinction.

Each regional panel selects six semifinalists — three elementary teachers and three secondary teachers. From those semifinalists, the panel in each region then selects one elementary finalist and one secondary finalist. The Kansas Teacher of the Year is selected from among the state’s eight regional finalists.

The mission of the Kansas Teacher of the Year program is to build and utilize a network of exemplary teachers who are leaders in the improvement of schools, student performance and the teaching profession, according to KSDE.

The Kansas Teacher of the Year team, made up of the Teacher of the Year and state finalists, serves as an ambassador for education in Kansas, making public appearances across the state promoting education and the teaching profession.

The individual selected as the Kansas Teacher of the Year is eligible for national distinction as National Teacher of the Year.

The National Teacher of the Year program is a project of the Council of Chief State School Officers in partnership with the Voya Foundation.

First day of in-person school in KCK district

Students at Grant Elementary School, 1510 N. 4th St., Kansas City, Kansas, returned to in-person school on Wednesday, March 31. (Photo by Kamron Porter, Kansas City, Kansas, Public Schools communications staff)

The first day of in-person school in the Kansas City, Kansas, Public Schools district went very well on Wednesday, according to district spokesman Edwin Birch.

“I think people were just happy to see people and to see kids,” Birch said. There was laughter, smiling faces and “it was awesome,” he said.

Students in kindergarten through 12th grade returned to in-person school after having been at home for remote learning for around a year because of the COVID-19 pandemic. There were safety precautions in place, including masks, social distancing and clear barriers. Students at the elementary level are sitting in small groups, or pods, within the classroom.

Until now, most students in the district had been in remote learning through the internet. A small group of students, including some high school seniors, some special education students and some students with internet connectivity problems, came back to in-person school earlier this year.

Teachers in Kansas City, Kansas, were able to be vaccinated before they returned to school.

Birch, executive director of communications for the district, said more than 80 percent of the district’s parents selected in-person instruction for their students. The other 20 percent opted to stay at home in remote learning, he added.

Classrooms at Grant Elementary School and at other schools in the Kansas City, Kansas, Public Schools district look a little different as in-person school reopened Wednesday. Students are wearing masks, there are clear plastic barriers and students are sitting in pods (small groups at tables). *(Photo by Kamron Porter, Kansas City, Kansas, Public Schools communications staff)*

The first day of in-person school was on Wednesday at Grant Elementary School, Kansas City, Kansas. *(Photo by Kamron Porter, Kansas City, Kansas, Public Schools communications staff)*

Deadline tomorrow for submitting FAFSA financial aid form

The deadline is April 1 for submitting a FAFSA form for student financial aid for certain Kansas scholarships.

The April 1 Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) deadline is a priority deadline set by Kansas for certain student financial aid programs.

The FAFSA information is used by Kansas to determine eligibility for programs offered by the state, according to a webpage for Kansas student financial aid, https://www.kansasregents.org/students/student_financial_aid/general_info.

Students first send in their FAFSA applications by April 1, and then information in those applications is used in applying for state scholarships, according to the webpage.

The FAFSA applications also can be used for other scholarships offered by colleges and other organizations. There is a later FAFSA submission deadline for some of these other scholarships.

The FAFSA form is online at https://studentaid.gov/h/apply-for-aid/fafsa.