May is a very busy time in schools.  We all recognize that the end of the school year is looming with so much left to accomplish.   

May is also a time for recognitions and celebrations.  Our biggest celebration is high school graduation coming up on Saturday, May 21.  Graduation is a celebration of thirteen years of formal education and marks an important time in the lives of our students.  I want to congratulate all graduates of the Class of 2022 and their families.  As a district, we are honored to be part of your lives and we wish you all the best in the future. 

We also take time at the end of the year to celebrate and honor our educators.   We held our Teachers of Excellence and Retiree celebration on Monday, May 9.  In collaboration with the De Soto Teachers’ Association, we paid tribute to sixteen Teachers of Excellence.  These individuals were recognized by their peers for their outstanding contributions to their students and colleagues.   

We also recognized 14 USD 232 staff members for their dedication to our district as they get set for retirement.  We are very fortunate to have great staff members in every position.  One testament to the loyalty of the USD 232 staff is the fact that these 14 staff members served a total of 289 years in our district.  This is one of the many things that makes our community and district so successful. 

During the week of May 9, we celebrated the USD 232 nominees for the Kansas Horizon Award and Kansas Teacher of the Year program. Sydney Hall, a 4th grade teacher at Riverview Elementary, is our nominee for the Horizon award.  This award is given to an outstanding first year teacher.  Ms. Hall will go on to represent USD 232 in a regional competition next school year. Sabrina Andrews, Mize Elementary 5th grade teacher, and Andrew Elliot, Mill Creek Middle School Pathways, are the USD 232 nominees for the Kansas Teacher of the Year program.  I hope you will join me in congratulating these outstanding educators. 

 While we are celebrating and recognizing, there is one more group that I would like to mention.  We have had a Student Advisory Board (SAB) meet regularly for the last six years to provide input about district issues.  The board is made up of two students from each grade at both high schools with the addition of the two student council presidents.  Every year, but especially the last two years, this group has been an invaluable source of feedback about a host of issues.  As we say goodbye to our six senior SAB members, I want to thank them all, past and present, for their service to the district.  You have helped make USD 232 a better place.
 

As the school year ends on May 24, take time to celebrate the milestones. This is a special time, but it is also bittersweet.  Although we will miss the seniors who are graduating, we look forward to the great things they will do.  I want to wish everyone a safe and restful summer. Thank you for your continued support of the USD 232 community. 

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