Distinguished Person of Honor

(Oct. 11, 1953 —          )

During her 34-year career with the Olathe School District, Alison (or Dr. B. as she is affectionately known) served as a teacher, assistant principal, principal, director, and assistant, associate and deputy superintendent before retiring in 2017. Whether she was teaching in special education, opening Indian Creek Elementary as its principal, or preparing professional development opportunities for educators, Dr. B. put her sense of humor and enthusiasm into everything. Some of her primary goals were improving achievement for all students, supporting the district vision and mission statements as well as staff guiding principles, and initiating the Summer Conference professional development series. Dr. B. initiated an on-site master’s program for beginning teachers with Emporia State University and was a pioneer of the 21st Century High School program. She helped guide the district through a restructuring of the secondary grade levels to create a 6-8 middle school and 9-12 high school format. Even in retirement, Dr. B. supports the school system and community through her involvement in the fine arts programs, speaking to students, working with local universities, and raising funds for breast cancer screening, care and research as a breast cancer survivor.