We Are KCPS

Episode 8: Life Amid Quarantine & Graduation With Lincoln

On this episode, I sat down with four senior Lincoln students where we talked about how they have been fair since we entered quarantine. We also talked about their future plans, how COVID-19 has affected personally, and how they see their final few weeks of their high school career will play out including graduation. Plus they give their advice to the younger students who are going to attend Lincoln, their first impressions of Lincoln, what the school culture is like at Lincoln, and they give us a look in what an International Baccalaureate (IB) education looks like.

Episode 7: The Graduation Recognition Incentives Program (Part 1)

On this episode, I sat down with Major (RET) Stevie Brooks who serves as the Attendance/Dropout Prevention & Recovery Coordinator for the Kansas City Public Schools. We talk about the Graduation Recognition Incentives Program (G.R.I.P.), the purpose of the (G.R.I.P.) program is to encourage seniors to stay on track to graduation. Major Brooks explains why attendance is so vital to student success in the classroom and goes over the program in detail. He also talks about how his previous military experience factors into how he runs the program and impacted his time working here in KCPS.

Episode 6: Real World Learning Applications

On this episode, I sat down with Nasson Toban and Cyrille Deoutar who are both seniors who attend East High School. We talked about their experiences while attending East and what they envision for their future when they graduate. Nasson and Cyrille also expanded on the East High School culture, what they love about East and how East can be better in the future.

Episode 5: Students in Transition & The Spring Break Literacy and Community Resource Fair

On this episode, I sat down with Melissa Douglas who serves as the KCPS McKinney-Vento Homeless Liaison and Program Director for Students in Transition. Our conversation covered a multitude of topics such as how Kansas City Public Schools as a school district serves our underprivileged and homeless student population, how the lack of a stable home affects a student's education and the upcoming Spring Break Literacy and Community Resource Fair.

Episode 4: Real World Learning

Welcome to the We Are KCPS debut episode! On this episode, I sat down with Crystal Everett who currently serves as the Real World Learning Coordinator for Kansas City Public Schools. She takes us behind the curtain on the idea of real world learning which afford students the opportunity to have real experiences to help them understand potential future career paths, as well as develop the desire for life-long learning.