The 2026 Kansas Teacher of the Year (KTOY) team visited USD 490 on Jan. 29, 2026, to learn more about our district programs and USD 490’s 2026 KTOY nominees Jamie Ball and Anna Arpin’s educational experience in this district.
The team, which included teachers from across the state, toured multiple schools and participated in activities aimed at showcasing innovative teaching methods and student engagement. It also happened to be Kansas Day, so they got to participate in some extra fun Kansas-themed activities throughout the day.
The visiting team included Dustin Kirkpatrick, a second grade teacher at Spring Hill; Kerry Smith, a high school SPED teacher at Spring Hill; Kim Vail, a middle school teacher in Blue Valley; Lara Caldwell, an alternative school teacher at Horizons in Shawnee Mission; and Jamie Sundgren, a secondary Science teacher in Flinthills. Both Ball and Arpin accompanied the team on the tour along with USD 490 instructional coaches Kirstie Towner, Kelly Clennan, and Kelsey Brobst.
After an initial introduction to the district and welcome song from the Drumline at the Performing Arts Center, the team visited Extend. Virtual Program and Extend Administrator Karla King explained the campus, the online curriculum, and mechanics of the programs, highlighting the growth of the program over the last few years.
The first elementary school they visited was Grandview Elementary, where the team got hands-on with a variety of Kansas Day projects as they rotated through stations with students to learn more about Kansas symbols. They also visited the fifth grade, where students learned about the state seal before creating a school seal using similar elements. Mrs. Ball shared about the school’s PBIS incentives, including positive office referrals and the Inchy book vending machines. She shared information about the CHAMPS procedures and expectations, the school’s 2021 Blue Ribbon award, and answered some questions from the group about the 1:1 iPads. The team also met therapy dog Harlow.
At the middle school, Mrs. Arpin started their tour in the Media Center. She had a few of the fall drama production cast members there to sing a snippet from Disney’s Dare to Dream, Jr. performance. They visited her Science classroom where students were making paper babies based on genetic characteristics of the paper baby parents. The next classroom stop was the technology room. Students were working on designing items using 3-dimensional concepts that could potentially be created later using the 3D printer. Mr. Simmons shared information about the building’s Survivor theme and the accompanying learning opportunities student had through the various activities and competitions.
The team toured the updated gym, wrestling room, and weight room at the high school on their way to lunch back at the Performing Arts Center. Mr. Gilson shared about the community partnerships that made those renovations possible and the Sports Buddies program that connects the EHS athletes to elementary classrooms.
Touring the specials classrooms at Skelly was the first stop after lunch, followed by a tour of the Kansas Oil Museum. The executive director of the museum shared some of the history of the oil industry, Butler County, and El Dorado. She also did a few demonstrations about how oil is drilled and provided an information packet about learning opportunities and field trip possibilities to each of the teachers.
The last school on the tour was Blackmore Elementary. The team took a photo in front of the school sunflower. Each classroom had decorated a petal in honor of Kansas Day. Principal Anita Arnold described the school’s attendance reward initiative VIP Events and how they use those activities to encourage the students to come to school every day. The team looked at the Data Wall and Mrs. Arnold answered questions about how it worked and which building goals it tracked. Before leaving, the team stopped by Mrs. Cauley’s fifth grade classroom. She was wearing a pioneer dress, sitting in a wooden rocker in front of a campfire with plastic “flames,” talking to students about the state’s early history around the time it became a state. After learning about what life looked like for early settlers and how toys were often homemade, students made dolls out of scrap fabric.
To wrap up the tour, the team stopped for a quick photo in front of the Buffalo mural at First and Main Street, and enjoyed a cup of coffee at BrewCo.