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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.

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 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.

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 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.

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!