We Are KCPS

We Are KCPS is a weekly podcast which shows the amazing work happening in Kansas City Public Schools. Hosted by KCPS Graphic Designer & Videographer Luther Okeyo, he takes you on a deep dive on how the district functions and showcases the amazing people who work within. The first episode will drop on February 6. Subscribe now!

On this episode, I sat down with Dr. Derald Davis to talk about the KCPS Mentoring Program. We cover the inception of the program, to how it involves the entire metropolitan area in impacting the lives of KCPS students. Also we had surprise guests from the career mentors program who talk about their experience in the program and why others should join the program.

On this episode, I sat down with KCPS Director of Transportation, Christopher Walls and KCPS School Secretary and Parent Toriana Saddler to discuss the SafeStop App and it effect of the district. SafeStop™ is the mobile app that connects parents & school officials to the vehicles transporting their students, and receive Alerts & Messages from the school or transportation provider, all in real-time! We discussed how the app helps KCPS parents make sure their students are safe and how the app epitomizes the emphasis of customer service and open communication which KCPS strives for.

On this episode, I sat down with Chef Thomas Belisle and some of his students from the Pro-Start Culinary Arts Program to talk about the program in detail. We covered the dos and don'ts in the kitchen, how the program affects their eating habits now and their experiences in the classroom. Chef Belisle explained how a student can succeed in the program and how he never stops learning as well due to his students bringing some scenarios he didn't consider. His students also talked about their future plans as well as what they would tell any student looking to join the program.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.