It has been a busy season with school plays at Topeka West and Topeka High this month, which have been attended by hundreds of community members, and we look forward to Highland Park's performance at the end of March.
Additionally, this month, there are various Black History Month celebrations. We thank Topeka West for their incredible Black History panel series, Robinson Middle for the many community events highlighting leaders, Highland Park and Topeka High for the artwork displayed at the district's central office, and the many other schools for their Black History celebrations.
This week, we awarded Ainsley Sha-Win Schimmel, a future educator and a proud member of the Prairie Band Potawatomi Nation. You can learn more in the Community News about this exceptional student. We thank Governor Kelly for visiting Topeka Public Schools this week and giving special attention to the need to fully fund special education.
The generosity and love displayed through our schools has been tremendous all winter, and we congratulate Whitson Elementary, who was recognized for collecting 2,500 food items in the 2023 Living the Dream Food Drive. Read more about Whitson in the Community News.
We extend a heartfelt message within this newsletter to the family of Paul Hemme, who has worked with Topeka Public Schools for decades in our IT department and passed away on his farm unexpectedly last week. He was a dedicated staff member who we will all miss dearly and memorial information will be shared with staff in March.
Thank you for your continued support of public schools. It's such an honor to serve alongside the many staff members and parents who make Topeka such a special place.
Dr. Tiffany Anderson
Superintendent