The Lansing USD469 Lion Pride-Cast

Join hosts Sharon Burns and Miles Azzeh as they welcome Lansing USD 469 Superintendent Marty Kobza for a conversation about student achievements, extracurricular opportunities, and district updates.

Marty celebrates the Lansing High School volleyball team's fourth-place finish at State and the football team's playoff success, including a special connection to their upcoming matchup against Eudora.

The conversation explores the importance of the "unwritten curriculum"- the teamwork, perseverance, leadership, and life lessons students gain through athletics, fine arts, and other extracurricular activities.

Marty also shares updates on school safety initiatives, ongoing facility challenges, and positive developments at Lansing Elementary and Intermediate Schools. The episode wraps up with a personal reflection on his 37 years in education and why preparing students for life's challenges continues to motivate his work.

The Lansing USD469 Lion Pridecast is back for Season 5!

Join hosts Sharon Burns, Director of Communications and Marketing, and Miles Azzeh, Director of Teaching and Learning, as they catch up on what's been happening across Lansing USD469 this fall.

In this episode, Sharon and Miles discuss the growth of Kansas Heartland Virtual Academy, which now serves approximately 270 students across Kansas, and recognize the team working behind the scenes to support the program.

They also share updates on teacher recruitment efforts, prospective teacher visits, and the mentoring, collaboration, and professional development opportunities available to Lansing educators.

Finally, Miles provides an update on the district's recent KESA accreditation check-in and explains how structured literacy and standards alignment are helping guide classroom instruction and continuous improvement.

We're excited to be back for another season of sharing the stories, people, and programs that make Lansing USD469 special!

Learn more at www.usd469.net.

In this episode of The Lion Pride-Cast, Sharon Burns and Miles Azzeh welcome Superintendent Marty Kobza for a detailed question-and-answer conversation about the proposed bond. The discussion covers facility needs, funding history, insurance costs, CTE expansion, growth capacity, tax impact, and what could happen if the bond does not pass. Listeners are encouraged to review the available data and stay informed ahead of the March 3 vote.

In this episode of The Lion Pride-Cast, Sharon Burns and Miles Azzeh highlight Lansing Elementary School nurse Samuel Carbajal in this week’s Employee Spotlight. The episode also recaps the district’s recent Build Your Own Professional Development Day, including a look at instructional strategies designed to build student background knowledge. The episode concludes with a bond update, including details about the final community presentation and ways families can stay informed before the March 3 vote.

In Episode 5 of Season 4 of The Lion Pride-Cast, Sharon Burns and Miles Azzeh share updates focused on people, leadership, and transparency in Lansing USD 469.

The episode highlights an Employee Spotlight featuring Sherleyne Byrd, an Early Childhood Paraprofessional, celebrating her meaningful connections with students and her impact on the district’s youngest learners. Miles also shares an update from the District Leadership Team (DLT), explaining how district leaders collaborate on key initiatives such as AI usage guidelines and common formative assessments to support student learning.

The episode concludes with a bond update, including information about upcoming community presentations, the district’s Bond Information Series, and how questions from the community will be addressed and shared weekly through the podcast.

In this episode of The Lion Pride-Cast, Sharon Burns and Miles Azzeh highlight two Employee Spotlights, featuring CTE teacher Glenn Rosario and General Maintenance team member Darrin Manna. The episode also recaps Lansing USD 469’s visit from the Region 2 Kansas Teacher of the Year candidates, including reflections from educators who toured the district. The episode wraps up with a bond update, sharing where families and community members can find accurate information and how to get questions answered.

In this episode of The Lion Pride-Cast, Sharon Burns and Miles Azzeh celebrate School Board Appreciation Month with a special guest, Board of Education President Kerry Brungardt. Kerry shares his deep connection to the Lansing community, reflects on his decades of service as an educator and administrator, and offers insight into the role of the Board of Education. The conversation highlights leadership, transparency, community trust, and a shared commitment to supporting students and staff in Lansing USD 469.

In this episode of The Lion Pride-Cast, Sharon Burns and Miles Azzeh highlight Lansing High School Kitchen Manager and Head Cook Penny Lingenfelter in our Employee Spotlight, share an update on the district’s bond information following Monday’s Board of Education meeting, and discuss the important MTSS work happening across the district. The episode also includes details about the return of the Community Connect program and how families and community members can get involved.

Stay connected to the people, programs, and priorities shaping Lansing USD 469.

New episodes of the Lansing USD 469 Lion Podcast share news, updates, and stories from across the Lansing School District.

In the first episode of Season 4 of the Lansing USD 469 Lion Podcast, district leaders Miles Azzeh, Director of Teaching and Learning, and Sharon Burns, Director of Communications and Marketing, share updates from across the Lansing School District.

This episode highlights School Board Appreciation Month, support for first-year teachers, professional learning and leadership collaboration, and an overview of an upcoming bond initiative focused on transparency and community information.

Stay connected to the people, programs, and priorities shaping Lansing USD 469.

New episodes of the Lansing USD 469 Lion Podcast share news, updates, and stories from across the Lansing School District.

In this episode, Miles Azzeh and Sharon Burns highlight key moments from around Lansing USD 469, including an employee spotlight, district-wide appreciation efforts, updates on accreditation, and student reflections.

The employee spotlight features Mr. Tom Cretors, a social studies teacher at Lansing Middle School and assistant high school football coach. Known for his strong relationships with students and staff, Tom previously worked managing a food pantry, community garden, and homeless shelter in Chicago. He’s also known for supporting others, having nominated Brandy Hamilton for Teacher of the Year.

The episode also acknowledges the recent Staff and Teacher Appreciation Week. Lansing Educational Foundation and Andrew Cameron provided donuts from Donutology for every staff member across the district. The hosts express gratitude to all district staff for their hard work and dedication.

The final District Leadership Team (DLT) meeting of the year is also recapped. It focused on preparing the KESA accreditation action plan for submission. Miles shares how they mixed up groups for collaboration, discussed survey data, and finalized their accreditation plans. The work was later presented at the most recent board meeting.

The episode wraps up with student voices. Several students share their favorite things they’ve learned this year, such as fractions, ancient civilizations, and ELA job descriptions.

The episode concludes with a reminder to stay connected via the district website and mobile app. Only one episode remains for the season.

Click here for the transcript.