Courtney Neas never wants to leave kindergarten.
Seeing students learn the alphabet, their numbers and how to spell their names are highlights of the year, she said.
“It’s really cool to see the growth that one student can make in the little time you have with them because you’re not just teaching them academics,” Neas said. “You’re also teaching them the social skills and you’re teaching them the basic needs that they need.”
Neas is among the 31 new staff members in the school district this fall who attended orientation this past week to learn Cardinal culture.
She came to the Eudora district to be closer to her family in Basehor. This is her sixth year teaching kindergarten.
Neas graduated from Emporia State with a bachelor’s degree in elementary education and a master’s in curriculum and instruction in 2021.
Neas decided to go into elementary education after helping with a kindergarten class in high school and then student taught for a kindergarten class in college.
One of her mentors in college told her that the best thing about kindergarten was getting to see the students’ growth at the end of the year, and that rang true for her, too, she said.
Neas liked how connected Eudora felt and had experience being at games in the district since she grew up in Basehor.
“Just being back and knowing that they have that community feel and everybody’s here to support you has really been like my number one in applying to Eudora,” Neas said.
The orientation process gave her the opportunity to meet other teachers, have time to work in her classroom and interact with building leadership, Neas said.
She looks forward to continuing to learn and grow in her field while making connections and building relationships with students, community and co-workers, she said.
Jasmine Crame noticed how close knit the community was from the moment she interviewed. She looks forward to getting involved with Eudora traditions, football games and community events, she said.
“I also love the focus on growth and continuously improving instead of keeping things stagnant,” Crame said. “I feel like I belong here. I feel welcome. I feel important.”
Crame is a fourth grade teacher and assistant cheer coach at the high school. This is her first time teaching fourth grade, but she will be in her fifth year teaching at elementary schools.
She started coaching cheer in June, and it’s given her the chance to meet more people, transition into the district, and go to camps and clinics with the team.
“It helps even knowing the high school girls because they’ll tell me things about high school or like the district that I might not have known had I not had those connections with them,” Crame said. “I’ve had the opportunity to really get to know a lot of people, and I just feel like everyone is so welcoming.”
Crame graduated from Pittsburg State University with a bachelor’s degree in elementary education and then received her master’s in educational leadership.
Her desire to become a teacher came from a love for all of the influential teachers in her life. Growing up, teachers helped Crame find passions and navigate her talents.
“Those kinds of people have helped me navigate and helped me find things that I enjoy to make life more fulfilling and accessible, and I want to do that for someone,” she said.
Francisco Valenzuela was a paraprofessional in the district for about three years before deciding to get his master’s so he could teach English at the high school.
Valenzuela is looking forward to his first year of teaching and feels comfortable in the district due to his experience in the building. He also assistant coaches the boys junior varsity soccer team.
He never planned on being a teacher and graduated from college with a sports management degree from KU. During the pandemic, he shifted gears and decided to try out being a para, and fell in teaching and helping students, he said.
“I love hanging out with kids all day and trying to teach them to be better humans and everything and here I am,” Valenzuela said.
Valenzuela grew up in the De Soto school district before going to KU and then getting his master’s at Kansas State University.
When he received a call from principal Justin Bogart, he couldn’t believe he got the job.
“I was over the moon. I was so excited,” Valenzuela said.
It’s a great place to be, and he can’t see himself going anywhere else, he said.
“I’ve never really had a bad experience with people from Eudora,” Valenzuela said. “Everybody’s always really supportive of pretty much what everybody else does. No matter what it is, people are always supporting each other.”
Reach reporter Sara Maloney at [email protected]
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