Our Team
Kelly Hart
Kelly teaches 7th grade ELA in the Lawrence Public Schools. She made the move to a blended classroom in 2013 and has never looked back! She was Lawrence Public School's Secondary Teacher of the Year and a Kansas Teacher of the Year regional semifinalist in 2014. Kelly is passionate about student agency and choice and leveraging technology where possible to create a personalized, 21st century experience for her students. She joined the #GoOpen movement to bring high quality educational resources to all teachers. She presented at the national OER Summit at Skywalker Ranch in February 2016, and continues to present, share, and discuss all things #OER with colleagues and teachers across the country.
She's also (according to her students) "low-key obsessed" with KU basketball.
Follow Kelly on Twitter and Instagram, and check her out on LinkedIn
Jennifer Scotten
Jennifer Scotten is the Library Media Specialist at South Middle School. Jennifer is passionate about advocating for students and works diligently to engage students through library services. Jennifer’s goals as a media specialist are to curate a collection that reflects multiple perspectives and to create a learning community that extends beyond the library walls. In addition to library duties, Jennifer teaches a blended integrated technology course and sponsors South Middle School’s young feminist club.
Kristl Taylor
Kristl was the K-12 Social Studies Teacher on Special Assignment (TOSA) for Lawrence Public Schools for one year. She now teaches middle school social studies. She has previously taught 4th grade, 5th grade, and 6th grade Social Studies. Kristl's overall goal in the classroom or education setting is to prepare all students for success in college, career and 21st century living. In her role as TOSA, Kristl enjoyed assisting social studies teachers at all levels with curriculum design, personalized learning instruction, and technology integration.
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Jennifer Bessolo
Dr. Jennifer Bessolo is the Director of Middle School Support for Lawrence Public Schools and believes the building leadership role is a crucial one in educational reform. An administrator for the 8 years at both the middle and high school levels, Jennifer has seen the direct impact that supportive, progressive leadership can make in the public education setting, from revolutionized technology integration to implementation of student-centered teaching practices. Through 2011-2013, Jennifer partnered with Kolbe Corp and former Commissioner of Education Dr. Diane DeBacker in implementing a $30,000 grant that provided each student an individualized learning style inventory in her building, generating research to support differentiated problem solving practices. Dr. Bessolo also serves as a mentor to other principals in the Kansas Educational Leadership Institute (KELI). Empowering and encouraging teachers to examine practices to meet the needs of students is a priority in her everyday leadership. Jennifer has presented at multiple state level conferences, serves as the President of the Kansas Association of Middle School Administrators, and has served on state level KSDE Advisory committees.
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Angelique Nedved
As Director of School Quality at SchoolSmartKC, Angelique Nedved leads in depth reviews of schools for investment and the structuring of investment support to ensure quality schooling for local youth. She also drives SchoolSmartKC’s broader efforts to coordinate leadership, instruction and other supports needed for all schools in our local system to thrive. Angelique brings comprehensive experience in school improvement and organizational change focused on the adoption of modern and engaging learning environments. Her recent work in Lawrence Public Schools has earned her national recognition as one of the country’s Top 30 Technologists, Transformers and Trailblazers in 2016. Prior to joining SchoolSmartKC, Angelique served in the public education sector teaching grades kindergarten through high school, including five years as a building principal. She joined district level administration in Lawrence as Director of Instruction and Curriculum before accepting the position of Assistant Superintendent of Teaching and Learning. Angelique earned her Doctorate in Educational Leadership and Policy Studies from the University of Kansas, and holds a Masters in Education Administration and a Bachelors in Secondary and Elementary Education from Fort Hays State University.
Jerri Kemble
Jerri Kemble’s career spans over 30 years in education. She began her career as a middle school teacher in 1986. After 13 years in the classroom, she became a school counselor and was honored as the 2003 Kansas Counselor of the Year. In 2004 Kemble entered administration serving as an elementary, middle and high school principal. Jerri began her superintendent career in 2007 as not only the superintendent, but also as the K-12 principal and the creator of the Kansas Online Learning Program in a small rural school district serving 360 students. This pioneering spirit teamed with Superintendent Kemble’s “out-of-the-box” thinking and creativity landed her at a White House meeting on technology and virtual learning in 2010. In 2011, Vice-President Biden’s office asked to meet with her again to get an update on this progressive, innovative little school district in Kansas. eSchool News noted Kemble’s innovative spirit and named her as one of the nation’s Tech Savvy Superintendents in 2012.
In 2014, Kemble was invited to attend the White House in honor of the rollout of President Obama’s Future Ready initiative. Today, Jerri is the Assistant Superintendent of Educational Programs and Technology in Lawrence, Kansas, serving 12,000 students. No matter the size of the district, Superintendent Kemble is an active proponent of technology and has been a pioneer in digital learning. When asked why she is so passionate about technology in her school district, Kemble simply states, “Technology levels the playing field for our students, and it MAKES MY POOREST STUDENT RICH.”
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