School and Community Fall 2023

2023 Candidates

The famous author C.S. Lewis said, “Children are not a distraction from more important work, they are the most important work.” We have the most important occupation - helping the future generation. Teaching is the one profession that creates all other possessions. Join me in connecting us all together for Missouri’s Kids! I would appreciate your vote for MSTA President-Elect. Thank you!

AMY KELSEY Candidate for: MSTA President-Elect Work History: East Buchanan, 6th Grade Math: 2002 - Present East Buchanan, Paraprofessional: 2000 - 2002 KELSEY CONNECTS TEACHERS~MSTA~ LEGISLATORS~ KIDS~ COMMUNITIES Amy Kelsey Candidate for President-Elect

Lana Moore Candidate for Vice President

“It is amazing what you can accomplish if you do not care who gets the credit.” -Harry Truman Northwest Region Board Member: 2010 - 2015 Northwest Region Board President: 2013 - 2014 MSTA State Board, Northwest Region Member: 2016 - 2022 MSTA State Treasurer: 2018 – 2022 MSTA State Vice President: 2022 – 2023 M y name is Amy Kelsey, and I am asking for your vote for MSTA President-Elect. Educators need each other now more than ever, and I am your candidate to help connect us together. It was Helen Keller who said, “Alone we can do so little, together we can do so much.” And now, more than ever, teachers, paraprofessionals, secretaries, maintenance engineers, cooks, bus drivers, nurses, administrators and all school personnel must come together to help our association and public education move forward. My 23 years working in public education have led me to believe that we as teachers are offering a great education to the children of Missouri. Public education is not perfect, we all know that, but public education is still the BEST option for our students in Missouri. As an association, MSTA has always been a community. We are better together, and MSTA connects us all together - no matter what role we play in education. MSTA is truly “We,” not “Me.” We will continue the great leadership from the past 150 years. We will work together and take what we know, attaining the BEST solution. We as educators will personally continue to build on each other, bringing us all together. In MSTA, we connect with coworkers, we connect with legislators, we connect with communities and, BEST of all, we connect with kids! I am your candidate to do this. I believe I am the candidate who can connect us all. I have the skills to help us continue our connections. I have learned leadership skills representing my CTA at East Buchanan C-1. I have made connections with other teachers in the Great Northwest. I have had the honor of working with some of the best people on the State Board, and now I would like to connect us all together and lead MSTA with all of you. With my faith, family and who I am as a person, I am ready to connect us all together to work for all of us in Missouri and public education. CONNECT MSTA Volunteer Leadership: East Buchanan CTA: Building Representative, Vice President, President Teacher Education and Professional Standards (TEPS) Northwest Region Representative Articles, By-Laws, and Rules Committee Northwest Region Representative: 2014 - 2016 Kelsey@ebs.k12.mo.us 816-261-1618 v Work History East Buchanan C-1: 24 years 6 th Grade Mathematics: 22 years Para professional: 2 years Professional Development Committee Career Ladder Committee Wellness Committee District Leadership Team Building Leadership Team v Family Married: Kris for 23 years Kids: Gracie (19), Maggie (16), Allie (16), Leo (13) v Community North Area Special Olympics Volunteer East Buchanan Post Prom Frazier Baptist Church #5 4-H Leader East Buchanan Booster Club v MSTA Involvement EB CTA Building Rep and Past President NW Region Board Member: President MSTA: TEPS Committee, AB&R Committee, State Board Member, Treasure, Vice-President COME CONNECT WITH KELSEY

Work History: Mt. Vernon, Special Services Teacher: 1992 – Present Mt. Vernon, Special Services Paraprofessional: 1986 – 1992

Sarcoxie, Special Services Paraprofessional: 1982 – 1986

MSTA Volunteer Leadership: Mt. Vernon CTA: Building Rep., Vice President, President-Elect, President, Secretary, Various Committees Southwest Region Education Policy Committee Southwest Region Board of Directors: Vice President, President-Elect, President MSTA State Board of Directors: 2014 – 2020 MSTA Education Policy Committee: 2018 - 2020 H ello! I’m Lana Moore, and I would love to represent you as your next MSTA State Board of Directors Vice President. My goal is to change perspectives concerning the profession of education. Too many times, teachers are villainized by the media and, therefore, the general population. Now is the time to change perspectives: one district employee, one parent, one school board member, one politician at a time. I recently had the privilege of speaking with a newly elected member of the Missouri legislature and stated that Missouri’s public school systems were in dire need of more support from Jefferson City. This legislator gave me an insight into politics which I NEVER would have considered, as they had grand intentions of “fixing” the problems in our state... to become a part of the solution. Well, that mindset changed. Our legislator was told by a colleague that if they “fixed” all the problems they ran their campaign on, there wouldn’t be a platform to run on in future elections. That line bears repeating. …If the legislature “fixed” all the problems, there would be nothing to run on in the next election.” Is that true for the majority of those elected to power, or an isolated occurrence? I would love to know insight from others to reveal if this opinion is truly an outlier or reflection of the many we have elected to oversee our profession. The ones to whom we have entrusted our employment and educational standards for our students, children and grandchildren. It sounds like, at times, some don’t have our best interest as their top priority. I, for one, am puzzled why WE, who are daily in the trenches, allow this mindset to continue. I believe we need to stand up and

24 | FALL 2023 S&C