Michelle Dutcher, a 5th-grade teacher at Buffalo Hills Elementary, has been selected as the KPS candidate for the ASCEND Academy, a principal/administrator training program. The ASCEND Academy is run in partnership with the Tri-City Schools, which includes Grand Island, Hastings, and Kearney Public Schools.
The Academy is intended to support teachers who aspire to be future principals by providing them with experiences in different schools and settings. Each candidate spends the semester in an internship where they are able to build their capacity and experiences.
According to Jason Mundorf, KPS Superintendent, this is the third year of the ASCEND program. The ASCEND program is a collaborative effort between Kearney Public Schools, Grand Island Public Schools, and Hastings Public Schools whereby each district selects an aspiring leader who has identified a skill set needed for becoming a school administrator. Each candidate gets the opportunity to serve as an administrative support for a school district principal for 9 weeks in one of the partner school districts as well as a 9-week administrative experience in their own district.