BV Unmuted

Join host Dr. Tonya Merrigan as our #BVUnmuted series continues with a focus on academic success in Blue Valley!

Guests Kelly Ott and Adam Wade from Academic Services discuss what success looks like in classrooms at the elementary, middle and high school levels.

#ChampionsOfLearning

Cultivating lifelong learners prepared to navigate their future with purpose. 

Join host Amy Farthing as we discuss the kindergarten experience for students, teachers and families in Blue Valley!

Guests:

• Christy Taylor, Indian Valley Elementary teacher with close to 40 years experience teaching kindergarten
• Hannah Battleson, IVE parent of a current kindergarten student and former educator
• Ayla Battleson, current IVE kindergartener in Mrs. Taylor's class

Listen in as Amy, Christy, Hannah and Ayla talk about the exciting parts of kindergarten, challenges and helpful tips for parents with incoming students!

#BVTogether

Cultivating lifelong learners prepared to navigate their future with purpose. 

Join host Dr. Tonya Merrigan as she talks with Susan Tideman (Executive Director) and Lisa Austin (Communications Manager) from the Blue Valley Educational Foundation.

Hear about some of BVEF's upcoming events, exciting fundraisers and learn how you can make an impact on our schools, staff members and community.

#BVTogether

Cultivating lifelong learners prepared to navigate their future with purpose. 

"One of the things that I hope people are hearing is how much planning and thought goes in to decisions around inclement weather... safety is really what we're looking at. We know it's an inconvenience if we have to cancel school, but if it's not safe to come to school because of the weather, we're going to cancel every single time." - Dr. Tonya Merrigan, Superintendent 

You might have heard the saying "If you don't like the weather in Kansas, wait a few minutes." The unpredictability of the KC climate can keep us here at Blue Valley up at night - literally. No matter when the snow starts falling, our grounds crews and custodians are hard at work plowing parking lots and shoveling sidewalks. In this episode of BV unmuted, Superintendent Dr. Tonya Merrigan and Executive Director of Operations Jake Slobodnik break down the planning process for how the school district prepares for inclement weather. 

Cultivating lifelong learners prepared to navigate their future with purpose. 

"It's amazing the number of cyber attacks that come in from outside. We've weathered those very well and it's because we have great systems and up-to-date equipment... Bond funds allow us to refresh this technology, ensure a high level of access for our kids, and maintain our network systems so it's a safe experience." - Kelly Ott, Director of Curriculum, Instruction and Innovation

Technology is everywhere. And here at Blue Valley Schools, keeping our technology safe and accessible is a priority. In this episode of BV unmuted, Chief Communications Officer Kristi McNerlin joins Director of Curriculum, Instruction and Innovation Kelly Ott to explain how Bond 2023 funds can allow us to update student and staff technology to ensure a safe learning environment for all. 

Cultivating lifelong learners prepared to navigate their future with purpose. 

"We try to make all our security measures work together - put them together like a puzzle - so they offer the best protection for our students and staff." -  Dan Carney, Director of Safety and Security 

There is no single safety measure that will keep Blue Valley safe. But there are many layers of security that, when used effectively, can continue to reduce the risk of injury and violence. This episode about Bond 2023 deals with safety, as Chief Communications Officer Kristi McNerlin talks with Director of Safety and Security Dan Carney about this "security puzzle" and how the efforts to reduce risk never stop. 

Cultivating lifelong learners prepared to navigate their future with purpose. 

"I think most people are surprised when they hear that the average age of Blue Valley buildings is 29 years... If you have owned a home, you've probably had to replace a roof or an air conditioner... This bond helps us do that." Jake Slobodnik, Executive Director of Operations 

As Blue Valley grows and our buildings age, we need to find ways to build new schools and fix existing facilities. Bond 2023 is a chance to make this happen. In this episode, Chief Communications Officer Kristi McNerlin breaks down the bond with Deputy Superintendent Kyle Hayden, Executive Director of Finance Jeremy McFadden and Executive Director of Operations Jake Slobodnik. They talk about how school bonds work and how students and staff will benefit from new and refurbished facilities. 

Cultivating lifelong learners prepared to navigate their future with purpose. 

"When you walk in to Leawood Elementary, you're going to see so many familiar faces because it's our parents who have stepped up and are in here helping us day after day." - Jenny Hayes, principal at Leawood Elementary

It's one thing to build a school building, but it's an entirely different task to build a school community and culture. In our first BV Unmuted podcast of the 2022-23 school year, Superintendent Dr. Tonya Merrigan asks three of our rockstar principals - Leawood Elementary's Jenny Hayes, Oxford Middle's Courtney Domoney, and Blue Valley Southwest's Dr. Tyler Alexander - what they and their staff do to build a positive school culture and how parents and the community can help get involved. 

Cultivating lifelong learners prepared to navigate their future with purpose. 

"I'm looking forward to meeting my new teachers and classmates... and I'm also looking forward to my elective classes and joining clubs in middle school." - Amber Gao, 5th grade student 

For many students, the end of the school year is also the end of an era. Our 5th grade and 8th grade kiddos will be moving up to middle school and high school, while our 12th graders will be moving on to new adventures outside of the district. In our final episode of the BV unmuted 2021-22 season, Superintendent Dr. Tonya Merrigan chats with 5th grader Amber Gao, 8th grader Sami Sandler, and 12th grader Matt Lancaster about these transitions and asks what advice they have for students who will be starting classes at the schools they are leaving. 

Cultivating lifelong learners prepared to navigate their future with purpose. 

"I think the lifeblood of our school system is the athletics and activities side of things... it's an important aspect of the development of our kids. It's learning how to work with others and have big wins or big defeats because that's life. We're teaching them life lessons on a daily basis." - Anthony Orrick, head football coach at BVSW. 

Athletics and activities provide opportunities to nearly 75 percent of the entire student population in Blue Valley high schools and thousands of middle school students each year. In this episode of BV unmuted, Superintendent Dr. Tonya Merrigan "huddles" with Director of Athletics and Activities Matt Ortman, as well as Blue Valley coaches Jess Horstick, Anthony Orrick, and Matt Shulman. The conversation dives into how all the teams and clubs serve as environments beyond the classroom in which thousands of Blue Valley students can grow and find their interests and passions. 

Cultivating lifelong learners prepared to navigate their future with purpose.