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📣 Featured Pioneer: Meet Danny Smith! 📣
Posted by Rachel Spears on 4/20/2022Danny Smith is the Head Custodian at Earl Lawson Early Education Center and he has been with the district for a whopping 16 years!
Mr. Smith's favorite part of working at USD 453 is, "Making a difference for the kids." And make a difference, he does!
Danny has been married for 25 years, has four children and TEN grandchildren!
The kids at school love him, one even asked him once if he worked for free! Think maybe that kiddo needed some help cleaning their room at home? 
Mr. Smith's motto is: You may be a small person in the world, but to a small person you may be the world.
A good quote for all to live by!Please help us send a BIG thank you to Danny for his continued contributions to our district. He makes us #ProudToBeAPioneer A little more about Danny:- Attended Emporia State University
- Loves to watch the Chiefs
- Hometown is Leavenworth
- If he could learn anything, he would learn Spanish!
- Hype up song: DJ KHALED. All I Do Is Win
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Featured Pioneer: Meet Paige Miller!
Posted by Rachel Spears on 4/13/2022Paige is the receptionist at Henry Leavenworth Elementary and has been with the district for 3 years.
When Paige was a kiddo she wanted to be a special education teacher. She also admittedly enjoys spending time with her own 3 kiddos, so it comes as a blessing that she landed in our district with our students.
One student once exclaimed to her "I knew custard was a real thing, it's ketchup and mustard...that's custard!" 
When asked what her favorite part of working at USD 453 is she said, "Getting to know all of the fantastic teachers! They are so kind hearted and just all around good people. I also love getting to experience all the kids different personalities." Paige is amazing at what she does, and always greets you with a smile.
Please help us in sending a BIG thank you to Mrs. Miller for all she does for our students, staff and families! She makes us #ProudToBeAPioneerA little more about Paige:- Attended Southeast Missouri State University- From Centralia, IL- She enjoys crafting as a hobby
- Personal motto: Make Good Choices
- Current Hype song: We Don't Talk About Bruno from Encanto
- Would like to learn how to crochet
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📣 In honor of Assistant Principals Week our Featured Pioneer is Mr. Terrance Jordan! 📣
Posted by Rachel Spears on 4/6/2022Mr. Jordan wears many hats including that of Assistant Principal and Athletic Director at Richard Warren Middle School.
A hat he wears in his free time is that of competition BBQ master!
When he was growing up he wanted to be a professional athlete, but the compromise of athletic director in combination with BBQ master is a hard one to beat!He is married to Deneta Jordan, and they are fast approaching their 40th anniversary!
The couple has three children together as well. 
Mr. Jordan's favorite part of working at USD 453 in his words:"My District Family and that No 2 days are alike!"Principal at RWMS Dr. Jack Johnson when asked about Mr. Jordan said, "Mr, Jordan is the 'student whisperer.' He builds great relationships with students and comes to work every day with a positive, 'can-do' attitude. Mr. Jordan adds great value to our community by leading our athletic department, building relationships with our families, and building relationships with students."
Please help us in sending a BIG thank you to Mr. Jordan for all he does for USD 453 students. He makes us #ProudToBeAPioneer.A little more about Mr. Jordan:- Graduated from Tarkio College in Missouri
- Hometown is East Orange, NJ
- Favorite hype song is Empire State of Mind (JZ & Alicia Keys)
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📣 Featured Pioneer: Meet Brandi Bond! 📣
Posted by Rachel Spears on 3/25/2022Mrs. Brandi Bond is the Library Aide at David Brewer Elementary School.
Mrs. Bond is a wonderful asset to David Brewer, and is more than a librarian to students and staff alike. She is easily recognized by her beautiful curly hair, even a student once asked her, "how did you grow your hair?"
Mrs. Bond's favorite part about LV USD 453 is,"Helping students find books that they love and bringing families into the library."
She has a large family with five sons, two daughter-in-laws and three granddaughters. I know what you're thinking, she looks way too young to be a grandma!
Those granddaughters help keep her free time occupied, as she is building a dollhouse for one of them currently!
Sending a BIG shoutout to Mrs. Bond for all she does for our district. She is what makes us #ProudToBeAPioneer
A little more about Mrs. Bond:- From South Lake Tahoe, CA
- Enlisted in the army after high school
- Favorite hype song Immigrant Song by Led Zeppelin
- Wanted to be a marine biologist when she was a kiddo
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📣 Featured Pioneer: Meet Stacey King! 📣
Posted by Rachel Spears on 3/2/2022Mrs. King is the STEM teacher at Leavenworth Intermediate School, and is in her 3rd year of being a Pioneer.👩🔬 🧬
Her childhood dream was to be a nurse until she experienced her first shot 💉, then she decided instead to be a teacher just like her grandma. 💙
The teaching gene must run in the family, as Mrs. King's oldest daughter is a teacher too! 👩🏼🏫 How cool is that?
Mrs. King enjoys reading, gardening, cooking, traveling with her husband, and spending time with her family (including her two daughters) in her free time. 📖 🌱 🏔
When asked what her favorite part about working at Leavenworth USD 453 she said, "I love teaching STEM. I love seeing the kids build and think outside of the box on their creation and then to see them learn. I love working with all my colleagues at RWIS."
Sending a BIG thank you to Mrs. King for sharing her love for teaching with our students. You are what makes us #ProudToBeAPioneer. 💙 🖤
A little more about Mrs. King:
- Attended: Eastern Illinois University, Charleston, Illinois 🎓
- Hometown: Hillsboro, Illinois 🏠
- If she could do anything she'd: go to culinary school 👩🍳
- Student Funny: "A student asked me if I was Elsa from frozen because I have white stripes in my hair. Then she asked if Anna froze my heart and that's why my hair has white stripes." 😂
- Her life motto: It's ok to not know but .... it is NOT ok to not try 💪
- Go to hype song: Old Friends by Ben Rector 🎶
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📣 Featured Pioneer: Meet Mrs. Cassandra Calderon! 📣
Posted by Rachel Spears on 2/25/2022Cassandra is the secretary at Anthony Elementary School. Interacting with her for just a short time reveals that she cares about each and every Pioneer who walks through the door. It comes as no surprise that she is always a welcoming presence and helpful too!
From her photos, you can probably tell she is a loving mother and recently became a grandma! Mrs. Cassandra has been married to her husband for 21 years!
She has two sons, Domenik (22) and Zachary (18), a daughter in law, Maddison (18) and granddaughter, Eliyana (6 months).
She enjoys spending time with her family, and reading.When asked what her favorite part of working at USD 453 is she said, "My absolute favorite part about working for USD 453 are the students and the amazing people I've met along the way."If you happen to catch her around give her a big thanks for all she does to make Anthony's front office run smooth. She is what makes us #ProudToBeAPioneerA little more about Mrs. Calderon:- She is from Castroville, California- Go to hype song: Physical by Dua Lipa
- They are a military family
- She and her family have lived in Leavenworth for almost 4 years.
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📣 Featured Pioneer: Meet Mr. David Young-Stephens! 📣
Posted by Rachel Spears on 2/9/2022Mr. Y, as most students refer to him, is a Kindergarten teacher at Earl Lawson Early Education Center. 🧑🏻🏫
If you're ever privileged to see Mr. Y interact with his students, you will be impressed with his patience, understanding and willingness to help them however, whenever, and wherever he can. 💙
Fun fact, Mr. Y and his fiancee, Shay, are both educators! Can you say power couple? 🥳 👏
The pair recently relocated to Lawrence, Kansas from the North Star State, Minnesota, and are excited for their future here in the Sunflower State.
When asked what his favorite part of working at USD 453 is he said, "My students! They are special, loving, curious, and an absolute joy to teach." 💙
Sending a big THANK YOU you to Mr. Young-Stephens for planting roots here in LV, and sharing his passion for teaching with our Pioneers. You are in large part what makes us #ProudToBeAPioneer. 💙 🖤
A little more about Mr. Y:
- Graduated from the University of Minnesota 🎓
- Hometown of Lino Lakes, MN 🏔
- Favorite hype song is Sandstorm by Darude 🎶
- Hobbies include exercising, board games and reading 🏃🏻♂️🎲 📖
- Wanted to be a paleontologist or a pirate when he was a kiddo 🏴☠️
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📣 Featured Pioneer: Meet Jennifer Buck! 📣
Posted by Rachel Spears on 1/27/2022
Ms. Buck is a 4th grade teacher at David Brewer Elementary School.
And according to one of her students, she's also an engineer because, "We were made by engineers! Women are engineers with their bodies, ya know?"Ms. Buck is a Kansas City native
, and has two adorable corgis named Stitch and Luke. About them she said, "(they) basically run the place and just allow me to live there." 
All dog lovers out there, you know where she's coming from!Mr. I may have said it best, "Ms. Buck is an amazing teacher. I love how she builds lasting, meaningful relationships with her students."Please help us send our appreciation and thanks to Ms. Buck for her dedication to teaching students. Ms. Buck makes us #ProudToBeAPioneer !
A little more about Ms. Buck:- Education: Bachelors from UMKC, Masters from Emporia State
- In her free time she likes to: Go to Bar-K with her doggos, read, scroll through Britney Spears' latest instagram posts, and explore new places around KC.
- When she was a child she: knew she wanted to be a teacher since age 5, but also considered culinary school since she loves to bake!
- Go-to hype song: Circus by Britney Spears
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📣 Featured Pioneer: Meet Madison Plouvier! 📣
Posted by Rachel Spears on 1/20/2022
Ms. Plouvier is the Theatre Teacher & Director of Theatre at Leavenworth High School.
Ms. Plouvier is in her
st year as Director of Theatre at LHS! It will come as no surprise that she has wanted to go into acting since she was a child. 
When asked about her hobbies, Ms. Plouvier said, "I am lucky enough to also have my hobby as part of my job. I love all parts of theatre: acting, directing, choreographing. Getting to do it and being paid is awesome!"
The saying, "Family is what you make it", rings true for Ms. Plouvier. She considers her counterparts in the Fine Arts Department at LHS part of her family because they have each other's back through the good days and the bad ones too.
Sending a big THANK YOU to Ms. Plouvier for sharing her talents here at USD 453! You make us #ProudToBeAPioneer!
A little more about Ms. Plouvier- Education: Bachelors from Kansas State University &Masters from Emporia State
- Hometown: Shawnee, KS
- Go-to hype song: Meet Me At Our Spot- The Anxiety
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L moment: A student pulled a whole hotdog with condiments out of their pocket during 8th hour and started eating it as though it was the most normal thing. -
📣 Featured Pioneer: Meet Coach Adams! 📣
Posted by Rachel Spears on 1/12/2022Coach Adams is a Physical Education Teacher at Leavenworth Intermediate School.
This is the
th year in a row that we have been blessed to claim her as a Pioneer! Hailing from Detroit, Michigan Coach Adams is the youngest of 3 sisters and is a happy aunt to a niece and 3 nephews.When asked what her favorite part of working at USD 453 is, she said, "it is a family." Considering Coach moved here without knowing anyone, we are happy our Pioneers have been able to step in and be her family away from home. If you see Coach Adams around, please help us in thanking her for her hard work and dedication to teaching students in our district. She is part of what makes us #ProudToBeAPioneer and deserves every bit of the recognition.A little more about Coach Adams:- Undergraduate - Central Michigan University- Master's - University of Kansas- favorite hype-up song Stay Next to Me - Quinn XCII and Chelsea Cutler
- life motto: It is what it is!
- as a child she wanted to be a professional basketball player or an athletic trainer - if she could learn anything, she'd learn to be a pilot
- in her free time she enjoys walking her doggo Stella Rae, visiting with friends and family, and napping
