By Michael Bushnell
Northeast News
March 18, 2015

KANSAS CITY, Missouri — Dr. R. Stephen Green’s job as Superintendent of Kansas City’s Public Schools is multi faceted.

Days can be filled with meeting after meeting on curriculum development and student discipline. The one thing, however, that makes it all worthwhile for Green is student engagement.

Engagement is exactly what Dr. Green got when he was nominated as Gladstone Elementary School’s Hero for 2014-15. Under the guidance of Vice Principal Missie Condit, students researched Dr. Green, took field trips to district headquarters and profiled the superintendent’s work, shepherding the district to provisional accreditation. Green has also initiated moves to expand and improve early childhood education, career and technical education programs, the Early College Academy, parent engagement and community partnerships.

This year’s program was titled “working on a dream.” Musician Bob Walkenhorst also works with the students on the composition of a song and a short video presentation each year to help honor each year’s Hero.

The Hero Program originated in 2002 by Condit and Walkenhorst when she was at Garcia Elementary, as a way to recognize outstanding contributions to education within the Kansas City Public Schools. In 2010, the award expanded to Gladstone Elementary School as Condit switched schools. The program becomes a project for the entire school, with classroom curriculum built around students learning about Dr. Green, his career and his contributions to education and Kansas City as a whole. Students met with Dr. Green, read articles about his work and created their own materials to help honor his legacy. Through the years, students have honored such Kansas City notables as Buck O’Neil, Crosby Kemper III, and Ollie Gates.