Mrs. Kavars

About Me - Then

I grew up in a career Air Force family, so I attended several different elementary schools. We stayed put for awhile in Bellevue, NE where I attended Logan Fontenelle Junior High and graduated from Bellevue West.
As a kid, I was very quiet, loved to read, and worried about things - a lot. I also was artistic, taking painting lessons at least once a week, and going to a ceramics studio on the weekends to work on porcelain art. A lot of my free time was spent making things, or reading about making things.
I was in a gifted program from an early age. I think these experiences influenced my career now as a TAG Strategist. I was in all advanced classes in junior high, but not all of those classes matched my strengths. Math was very hard for me, and I was not good at turning my work in on time or asking for help. I would say that during 6th-9th grade I was pretty sure that none of my teachers liked me or wanted me to succeed. Therefore, I’m now very invested in making sure students know that we care about them and want them to have a great middle school experience!
In high school I was involved in art, marching band auxiliary (flag corps), French Club, student government, and AP courses. I wanted to be in the school musicals, but I chickened out of auditions every time! I drove a pickup truck and liked hanging out in used bookstores in the Old Market.
I got my BA in English Language and Literature and Secondary Education from the University of Northern Iowa in Cedar Falls, Iowa. I did not go to college with a single person I knew from high school, and it really made me come out of my shell.

About Me - Now

I am married to Chad Kavars, who has coached baseball and basketball in the area for more than 20 years. He is a police officer in Omaha, and loves to run. I have three kids - one away at Iowa State, and two kids at Lewis Central High School. All three kids transferred to Lewis Central from other schools as teenagers and absolutely love being Titans.
You will find me watching Lewis Central cross country meets, marching band shows, show choir performances, and speech contests. I love seeing my own kids excel in these activities, as well as cheering on my students and celebrating their successes.
While I don’t actually play any sports or know very much about athletic events, I do enjoy following the success of Titan student-athletes.
I have done graduate work in Gifted Education from Morningside College to earn an additional teaching endorsement in Talented and Gifted. I am also working on a Masters degree through Morningside that will focus on the skills of a Professional Educator, as well as aspects of Teacher Leadership like planning professional development and communicating effectively with colleagues.
I am a Board member of the Iowa Talented and Gifted Association, which allows me to serve the teachers of Iowa who work in a similar role. I also like learning about technology, literacy, and differentiation in instruction.
I’m in at least two book clubs at any given time, and I have a stack of books on my nightstand and queued up as audiobooks - I love to read! My favorite time of day is when the house is quiet and everyone else is sleeping and I can lose myself in a good book for a little while.
I passionately enjoy watching musical theater and dance. I see productions at the Orpheum several times a year, as well shows at the Omaha Playhouse and the Chanticleer. I got to see Hamilton this summer in Chicago and it was overwhelmingly good. Hopefully the people next to me did not mind me singing along quietly...If I wasn’t a teacher, I would love to work in costuming for theater work.
I have three cats - Jasper is about 97 years old in cat years, and the young cats are named after Harry Potter characters: Ginny Weasley and Nymphadora Tonks. They enjoy helping me with paperwork, catching flies, and sleeping in Costco boxes.
Other things I enjoy: working out at the gym, baking, knitting, doing home improvement projects, and trying new restaurants. I love farmer’s markets, art shows, Junkstock, and almost anything homemade or vintage.
In general, I love to learn and try to embrace understanding new ideas before I decide if I agree or disagree with them. I love to have fun, so costumes and silliness and singing along and terrible puns are all things I enjoy. Lewis Central is a great place for me to teach, and my students and colleagues make every day a joyful day.

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