My wife, Jodi and I had the opportunity to attend the Emporia Chamber of Commerce Annual Meeting recently.  It was obvious by the turnout and the activities that a great deal of thought had gone into organizing and planning this event.  The evening was a tribute to...

With the start of October comes an important milestone for our students. Parent-Teacher and Career and Academic Planning conferences are underway this week, bringing families together with our teachers for updates on how students are progressing. I...

The theme for our back-to-school convocation in August was #DifferenceMakers. I was fortunate to have the opportunity to talk with a majority of the Emporia 253 staff about their ability to be #DifferenceMakers on a number of levels - with our students,...

It’s hard to believe, but our summer break is rapidly coming to a close. We are now less than three weeks away from starting another exciting school year. As the Kansas State Department of Education touts its education redesign project named after the pioneering...

From the street, our schools appear to be empty and quiet during June and July, but once inside a visitor will hear and see evidence of cleaning and painting crews working and maintenance crews finishing repairs in preparation for a new school year. Behind the scenes,...

As I come to the close of my first year in Emporia, I am reflecting on what has been a great year. I am excited about what we have accomplished, and more importantly, the energy I’m feeling is fueled by the potential of what lies ahead. I started my tenure here using...

How we end the school year is importantMay 1, 2017I come to you today with what I call “The May Challenge.”  It may not be a catchy title, but bear with me for a moment.  I like to think of May in schools as the fourth quarter of a basketball game - a very important...

Stretching for a Vision of Continuous ImprovementMy vision for the Emporia Public Schools rests on a mindset of continuous improvement. My hope is that our teachers, administrators and support staff take pride in the successes they are having each and every day,...