This is a continuation of a monthly series from the Network for Educator Effectiveness. We are looking to share the accomplishments, creativity, and good news of our partner districts based on schools’ social media activity. Our hope is to spread positivity and bring even more attention to the amazing work happening in NEE schools.  

Fall is filled with many activities as teachers and students prepare for another school year.  It is always great to see the good things that are taking place in NEE schools. 

The months of September and October are filled with many celebrations for those who make NEE schools so successful, many times behind the scenes.  These include: 

  • IT Professionals Day (9/19) 
  • National School Principals Month (October) 
  • World Teachers Day (10/5) 
  • National Coaches Day (10/6) 
  • National Custodian Appreciation Day (10/6)
  • National School Lunch Week (10/9-13) 
  • Boss Appreciation Day (10/16) 

NEE schools are also preparing for Red Ribbon Week, which will take place October 23 through October 31.  

Here are some additional highlights from the last few weeks as the school year swung into full motion: 

  • Greg Kester, a social studies teacher in the Potosi R-III School District, was selected by a committee of his peers and education partners across the state as the 2024 Missouri Teacher of the Year. He became the 55th Missouri Teacher of the Year since the program’s inception in 1957.  Congratulations, Mr. Kester! 
  • Michael McGuire, a special education teacher and Army veteran from Lebanon R-3, was honored at a Mizzou football game as the Veterans United Hero of the Game!  
  • Districts everywhere recognized the contributions of IT professionals in September. Sturgeon R-V School District celebrated their “tech guy” Tommy Branch.  A big “thank you” to all of you who work to make our schools successful. 
  • Lee’s Summit R-7 brought back “Build Zones,” which will allow all fifth-grade students in the district the opportunity to construct their own birdhouse. Lee’s Summit North High School National Honor Society students helped prepare the materials. 
  • While they are rivals in spirit, they are partners in education.  See how Neosho School District celebrated school spirit with neighboring districts from southwest Missouri. 
  • Great things are going on in NEE classrooms everywhere!  Students from Walnut Grove R-V conducted presumptive testing of blood samples from a “crime scene” using the Kastle-Meyer test. 
  • A group of talented tenors and basses from Hallsville School District performed at the prestigious CMU Coro Profundo High School Tenor-Bass Festival, a day-long celebration of music, camaraderie, and learning. 
  • Fourth graders Emily Bachman and Natalee Sell from Giltner School District have been selected as members of the Nebraska All-Class, All-State children’s choir.  They will participate in November in Lincoln.  
  • Crowder College, one of our newest NEE members, celebrated Wellness Week on campus with a number of fun and interesting activities. 
  • Mason Love from Park Hill School District was named a 2024 Under Armour Next Football All-American.  He received his honorary jersey during a recent pep rally. 
  • Students at the School District of Washington recently participated in a powder puff football game.  Looks like they had a lot of fun! 
  • Nebraska FBLA has started strong!  Students from Wood River Rural Schools attended the annual FBLA Fall Leadership Conference in Kearney. 
  • Middle school football players from Morgan County R-II School District took a day off from practice to give back to their school.  The boys cleaned classrooms in district buildings and made the custodian’s day a bit easier.  Their coaches were very proud of them for showing what servant leadership looks like. 
  • Teachers at West Plains participated in EduCamp activities during a professional development opportunity.  Notice one of their topics was NEE indicators!  It is great to see administrators leading discussions like this with their faculties. 
  • To promote positive relationships all around, high school administrators at Diamond R-IV School District dressed in nostalgic rock outfits, bringing snacks and drinks to their teachers. 
  •  Jasper R-5 School District recognized a previous student and his recent accomplishments.  It’s always great to see our graduates do well after leaving our schools. 
  • Student-athletes from Morgan County R-II School District helped the local community by cleaning up after the local Apple Festival.  Love the picture of the sun setting in the background with the streetlights coming on in the foreground. 
  • A part of Mexico School District’s Homecoming Week is participating in the annual Tyronn Lue Day of Service.  Mr. Lue is an alumnus of Mexico, a former basketball player at the University of Nebraska, an NBA veteran, and current coach of the Los Angeles Clippers.    
  • And finally, so many sports and activities are well underway this fall.  Good luck to all the teams vying for conference, district, and state championships.  

There is so much going on in our member schools and it is always wonderful to see.  While we can’t highlight all the good things happening in every school, we do want to recognize our outstanding schools for the work administrators, teachers, support staff, and students are doing each and every day.  Watch for our next blog coming in November as we continue to highlight the positive happenings in NEE schools.  

The Network for Educator Effectiveness (NEE) is a simple yet powerful comprehensive system for educator evaluation that helps educators grow, students learn, and schools improve. Developed by preK-12 practitioners and experts at the University of Missouri, NEE brings together classroom observation, student feedback, teacher curriculum planning, and professional development as measures of effectiveness in a secure online portal designed to promote educator growth and development.