LifeChanger of the Year Nominee Profile

Dr. Mary Kaye Siebert was nominated by her colleague, Jina Kugler.

"Mary Kaye was the first person, other than the committee who interviewed me, that I met when I accepted a teaching job at Wamego High School almost 25 years ago," said Kugler. "She has been a mentor, colleague and friend to countless educators throughout that time, both in our district and across our state and nation.  However, her first love and passion has always been, and continues to be, teaching, especially high school students."

Dr. Siebert began her teaching career as a psychology teacher.  Way before school redesign - which emphasizes community partnership, student control over pace and place of learning, social-emotional learning, and real-world application - she started an annual psychology fair.  After weeks of planning, her students created an experimental design. Throughout the day, other students, teachers, and community members would participate in their research in the gymnasium. Students would then analyze their data and present their findings.

"I still remember completing problems while wearing headphones to study the effects of listening to music on concentration," said Kugler.

Dr. Siebert was also instrumental in cross-curricular learning. She coordinated a school-wide decades project for students to learn about the 1960's, including history, art, cuisine, music, literature, and clothing. The project culminated with a live band playing music germane to the time period. Dr. Siebert advocated for rigorous coursework and challenging options for all students. Even as a new teacher, she championed Advanced Placement classes, despite opposition from some of her more seasoned colleagues. One of her most humorous teaching memories was when her AP Psychology class "conditioned" her to stand near the heater in her classroom. She only realized what happened when they all clapped as she sat on the radiator! 

Although she loved the classroom, Dr. Siebert realized she could impact an even great number of students by supporting teachers. She continued her education, eventually earning her Ph.D. Her current job title is director of curriculum and instruction, but her passion continues to be her own teaching and improving others' classroom teaching by promoting teacher efficacy and and helping teachers remember why they chose education as a career.

Dr. Siebert knows supporting first-year teachers is crucial, so she leads an extensive teacher mentoring program for the entire district, pairing successful veteran teachers with new teachers in the district. The new teachers are provided resources about a variety of topics, including best practices in teaching methods, classroom management, and curriculum.  They have the opportunity to observe a variety of other teachers in the classroom and are encouraged to ask questions.  Dr. Siebert builds strong relationships with each of the new teachers, and she helps them build trusting relationships with each other and their mentors. She also facilitates courage and renewal retreats for teachers around the state, giving teachers a safe place to reflect on their careers, support each other, and feel renewed in their purpose. She is certified through the Center for Courage and Renewal.  In addition, she supports women leaders through the National Excellence in School Leadership (NESLI) Institute.

"Mary Kaye is a voracious reader. No matter what topic or challenge I, or any other staff member or student, throw at her, she responds with wisdom and knowledge backed by research and experience," said Kugler. "When Mary Kaye recognized a breakdown in communication among our staff, she facilitated a series of workshops for us to build relational trust among the adults in our building. She emphasized that although we are asked to teach these social-emotional skills to our students, we often do not know how to model them ourselves.  She is continuing that work through presentations across the state and is beginning to work with other districts to talk about asking honest, open questions and building trust by giving everyone a voice, using protocols such as the council."

Dr. Siebert's adherence to the highest ethical standards in her support of students, parents, educators, and administrators is unparalleled. She maintains a positive approach and is sensitive to the contributions of every member of the education community.  She is highly regarded in her district, community, state, and even in the nation.  Dr. Siebert is continually sought after to speak and present at conferences and workshops.  To stay connected with students, she visits classrooms every chance she gets. She even covers high school classes when teachers have to be absent. She volunteers as a mentor for a group of students and meets with them monthly throughout their entire high school career. Despite her varied responsibilities at the district office, she taught a concurrent credit class for high school students who were interested in pursuing an education major. She also volunteers as a community interviewer every year for senior interview day, usually interviewing aspiring teachers and psychology majors. 

"My favorite picture of Mary Kaye was snapped during this year's event," said Kugler. "She is standing up to greet a student with her hands outstretched and the biggest smile on her face. There is no doubt she has the heart of an educator!"

During the recent continuous learning due to COVID-19, Dr. Siebert visited several classrooms every day to help support teachers and students.  She supported school counselors in facilitating weekly social-emotional lessons for students as well as parent support sessions that focused on specific topics each week. Throughout the month of June, she is presenting numerous Zoom sessions for the Greenbush Education Service Center for educators to continue to build their social-emotional skills and efficacy in the classroom.

"In my position as a school counselor, I am privileged to hear administrators, teachers, and students share what a positive, supportive impact Mary Kaye has been in their lives," said Kugler. "She does not 'fix and save' others, but instead, listens with an open heart and mind. Through her listening, her questions that invite reflection, and her vast resources, she builds the capacity for problem-solving and confidence in everyone she encounters.  Her enthusiasm and passion are contagious.  I am going to miss Dr. Siebert tremendously as a district employee when she retires later this summer. I look forward to witnessing her continued impact on future educators as she explores adjunct teaching positions at the college level, her impact on students as she volunteers as a mentor in our school; as well as on the leadership of all those in service professions as she continues her work with the Center for Courage and Renewal and NESLI."