Friday, Dec. 5, 2025

Depew retiring from KSDE after 26 years in school nutrition

After 17 years at the Kansas State Department of Education and 26 years in school nutrition, Barb Depew is retiring.

Depew started as a food service director for Wamego USD 320 in July 1999. The following year, she took on an additional role, starting at KSDE as a child nutrition cadre trainer.

“That was real world for me. As a dietitian, my interest in nutrition ranged all ages," she said. "I went from the college age at K-State, to K-12 programs and really was interested in doing what I could to make a difference.”

During that time, she was asked to consider being a child nutrition consultant. Beginning in 2008, she left the Wamego school district to work full-time for KSDE. She worked from home, getting to travel across Kansas, working with about 40 districts.

“Having had the experience myself, I felt like I could relate to them," she said. “I enjoyed working from home, but I really like to be around people.”

After 10 years, she began a new role as Farm to Plate project director, learning a lot by connecting with producers and partners.

“I feel like I have a lot of new friends across the state and anywhere you go, there’s always people who want to talk about local food and school meals,” Depew said.

The Farm to Plate Project is an effort to connect child nutrition program sponsors with regional or local farms in order to serve healthy meals using local foods.

Another favorite part of her job is the grants, being able to offer funding that shows a difference being made in schools.

"Whether it be backyard chickens or a garden, or baking equipment, all of that helps students understand where their food comes from," Depew said. "You know you’re making a difference when you see some of the activities and things they’re doing. It always makes me feel good when we can help them in some way.”

In retirement, Depew will miss the people she interacts with the most, and the connections.

“I’m excited for the opportunities that will be here and hopefully continue. I feel confident that there will still be some great things happening.”

Living an hour away from the office, she won’t miss the hour-long drive.

“My audiobooks have taken me back and forth, so I have to figure out whether I’ll just continue to listen to audiobooks," Depew said.

She already is booked and busy as she heads into retirement.

Her husband is the community Santa in Wamego, so she’ll be joining him as Mrs. Claus at future events. Her debut was the Saturday after Thanksgiving.

“That’s my new gig,” she laughed. “I’ve been asked in the past, but this was the first time that I really felt like I could say yes.”

Their next appearance together will be at the museum in Onaga Historical Society Museum.

Other than traveling to and from the North Pole, Depew has several family vacations planned with members of her family which include her husband; a daughter, son-in-law, and "grand dogs" in Roeland Park; and a son, daughter-in-law and three grandsons in Abilene.

Depew also plans to work part-time in her community and increase volunteering.

“Each of the jobs that I have had over my time, I feel like I’ve been away from the community more than I’ve been in the community, so this is an opportunity for me to reconnect with what’s happening locally,” she said.

Her kids participated in productions at the Columbian Theatre in Wamego, so Depew has worked with the theater for several years and plans to continue that.

As she leaves the agency and starts a new adventure, she wants to remind her colleagues to look for the good.

"That’s something I always have tried to do," she said. "There’s always something good that somebody’s doing to bring people up to be positive. So, I’m very optimistic for the future, for here and for the kids."

A retirement celebration will be held for Depew today, Dec. 5, in the board room from 2-4 p.m.

RSVPs due today for KSDE Holiday Lunch

From the Agency Culture Committee

Today, Dec. 5, is the final day to sign up for the KSDE Holiday Lunch. Unlike previous years, we need to provide the caterer with an exact meal count rather than an estimate, so your RSVP is really important. 

We warmly invite everyone to join us in celebrating. If you would like to attend but have concerns about the cost or available food options, please reach out to HR. The attendance fee helps offset the cost of the meal, and while we wish we had the budget to provide it at no cost for everyone, we simply do not. That said, we do not want finances to prevent anyone from participating. Thanks to a few generous donors, assistance is available for those in need.

To RSVP, reach out to one of the following:

• Marisa Seele (First floor)
• Jenni Marlatt (Third floor)
• Dessa Gifford (Third floor)
• Helen Swanson (Sixth floor)
• Joyce Broils (Sixth floor)
• Beccy Strohm (Sixth floor)
• Amanda Noll (Sixth floor)
• Sarah Nelson (Sixth floor)

Thank you, and we hope to celebrate with you at the Holiday Lunch.

New episode of the KSDE Insight Podcast to focus on civic engagement

The newest episode of the KSDE Insight Podcast, recorded Monday, Dec. 1, will focus on civic engagement and how it prepares Kansas students for life beyond graduation.

This month's guests include the following:

• North Lyon County USD 251
• Bob Blair, superintendent
• Dave Watkins, Northern Heights HS principal
• Shawn Wilson, Northern Heights social studies teacher
• Colby USD 315
• Katina Brenn, superintendent
• Jessica Kistler, 4^th grade teacher
• John Cox, 11^th and 12^th grade history teacher
• Heather Stapp, director of teaching and learning

"Our district received six Kansans Can Star Recognition awards, and I think the Civic Engagement is the one I'm most excited and proud about because we're teaching kids democracy. We're teaching them freedom. We're teaching them how they can have a voice and do so in a peaceful way, which in the world and country we live in today, sometimes that's a challenge," Superintendent Blair said. And I think that reflects the small town values of the six communities in the area. I couldn't be prouder of our kids in this area."

In this episode, we explain why civics is more than learning how government works. It teaches skills that help children thrive in school and in life like listening, communicating respectfully, understanding different viewpoints, and working together to solve problems. These are the same skills that support academic success, career readiness, and healthy relationships.

"This is where it begins. This is where we give back to our community that has given so much to us. If we can help our students know that that is their responsibility. When they leave us, they have a responsibility to give back to their community," Superintendent Brenn said. "Anybody can get involved in any level of that. That's our job and our responsibility of a school district is to teach them that."

This episode will be available Thursday, Dec. 11. In the meantime, catch up on previous episodes on Apple Podcasts, Spotify and YouTube. Don't forget to rate, subscribe to, and share this informative podcast!

Education Commissioner Dr. Randy Watson presented and engaged with early childhood educators at the KindersCan! Conference, held Dec. 2 in Girard.

(Photo from Amanda Petersen/EC)

KSDE employees engage with early childhood educators at Kinders Can! Conference

The 2025 Kinders Can! Conference is offering four opportunities this year for early childhood educators and partners to learn more about play-based learning.

Kinders Can!, a conference started by ESSDACK, is targeted at early childhood educators, primarily preschool, kindergarten and first-grade teachers, and other early childhood partners such as daycare providers and Parents as Teachers.

Education Commissioner Dr. Randy Watson presented at the Dec. 2 conference in Girard. He engaged with early childhood educators to review a sample of early literacy screening data for grades Pre-K-2 and discuss how schools and teachers might further support young students' success.

"I want us to have a sense of urgency to make every instructional minute matter," he said during his presentation.

Attendees spent the day learning strategies to deliver excellent early learning experiences. KSDE Preschool Programs Coordinator Natalie McClane and Director of Early Childhood Amanda Petersen led a breakout session exploring resources including the Kansas PreKindergarten Guide and Kansas Kindergarten Guide, and the Kansas Family Engagement and Partnership Standards for Early Childhood.

Last year, ESSDACK added extra days and locations for the one-day conference. This year, the service center added one more. The remaining conferences are as follows:

• Dec. 11 - Hutchinson
• Dec. 12 - Hutchinson
• April 10 - Sublette

For more information, click here.

ICYMI: KSDE website redesign deadlines announced

Members of the Information Technology (IT) team and the Communications and Recognition Programs (CRP) team have spent the past year redesigning the KSDE website. Given the volume of content housed on the site, the project has been a significant undertaking.

Current work is focused on migrating essential content to the new platform. Content editors have been participating in trainings and online walkthroughs with IT and CRP staff for several months to prepare for this transition. Please take a moment to thank your team’s content editors for their dedicated work.

Accountability

The agency’s website is a shared communication tool that plays a critical role in connecting Kansas education with the people we serve. For that reason, the redesign includes not only a new look and improved structure but also agencywide accountability practices to support the long-term health of the site.

KSDE has established a Website Governance Board (WGB) made up of directors from each team. The Board is responsible for the strategic oversight, coordination and continuous improvement of KSDE’s public-facing and internal web presence. Its work includes ensuring all digital content complies with standards and regulations, supports the agency’s mission and meets the informational needs of Kansas stakeholders.

The Board will oversee the approval process for new web pages, agency guidance documents to be posted and requests to add links to third-party resources.

Deadlines

The WGB met Thursday, Nov. 20, to discuss progress on the new website. During that meeting, board members finalized the following deadlines:

• Jan. 5, 2026: Final deadline to add content to the new website; content approvers begin final review of their team’s proposed content.

• March 2, 2026: New website is completed and ready for launch.

To meet these deadlines, it is important that every team make this work a high priority.

Contact Information

Any questions about the website may be directed to any member of the redesign team:

• Denise Kahler, Denise.Kahler@ksde.gov
• Jennifer Shaffer, Jennifer.Shaffer@ksde.gov
• Richard Matteson, Richard.Matteson@ksde.gov
• Cheryl Franklin, Cheryl.Franklin@ksde.gov
• Brittney Lewis, Brittney.Lewis@ksde.gov
• Jason Howe, 
  Jason.Howe@ksde.gov
• Matt Preston,
  Matthew.Preston@ksde.gov

"Have we met?"

Get to know your coworkers

To give KSDE employees a chance to get to know each other a little better, the Communications and Recognition Programs (CRP) team is randomly selecting employees who will be asked a few random questions.

Jennifer Hayes, project manager, IT

Jennifer Hayes has worked on the Information Technology (IT) team since March 2017. She started as a requirements analyst and is now a project manager.

Working with the Early Childhood (EC) and Special Education and Title Services (SETS) teams, Hayes manages 13 applications such as requirements for the discipline process for the Kansas Integrated Accountability System (KIAS).

KIAS is KSDE's general supervision system and integrated monitoring protocol to improve outcomes for students and ensure compliance with state and federal law. This includes oversight and support of federal Title programs, federal and state special education programs, and certain state programs.

"Within itself, there's so much that goes into it as far as the knowledge base and learning it. For special education, it could range from foster care students, migrant students, so you're dealing with a unique population of data."

Her favorite part about working at KSDE is the people she works with.

"They really make all of your efforts worthwhile," she said.

Similar to her work life, in her free time, she enjoys working on projects at home such as painting and gardening. Hayes and her husband have two sons and three granddaughters, with a grandson on the way. They also have two pugs, Marty and Piper.

Hayes can be reached at jennifer.hayes@ksde.gov or at ext. 6-6331.

New Poll:

Poll Results:

What is your favorite part of a Thanksgiving meal?

Out of 52 total responses:

• 4% (Two people) voted for turkey.
• 2% (One person) voted for ham.
• 88% (46 people) voted for sides (stuffing, mashed potatoes, etc.)
• 6% (Three people) voted for dessert.

Hoffman joins CNW team as a public service executive

Sean Hoffman joined the Child Nutrition and Wellness (CNW) team as a public service executive on Monday, Dec. 1.

Hoffman may look familiar, as he previously worked on the CNW team as a training specialist before leaving in 2021 to be an autism spectrum disorder specialist at Washburn Rural Middle School, Auburn-Washburn USD 437. He also used to own an insurance agency, Sean Hoffman Agency, LLC.

He earned a master's in business administration, Master of Science in special education, and a Bachelor of Science in physical education from Emporia State University in Emporia.

He lives in Topeka with his wife, Emily, and their three sons, ages 3, 6 and 9. He enjoys spending time with his family, including fishing with his three boys. He also likes to cook, golf, woodwork, dance and volunteer in the community.

Hoffman can be reached at sean.hoffman@ksde.gov or at ext. 6-6759.

New Hires:

• Sean Hoffman, CNW public service executive, effective 12/1/2025.

Internal Movement:

• None.

Resignations:

• Jessica Dorsey, CSAS assistant director, effective 12/2/2025.

Retirements:

• Barb Depew, CNW Farm to Plate project director, effective 12/5/2025.

Acronyms:

For more information or to apply, click here.

Apostrophe

(cont. from Nov. 21 edition of Inside KSDE)

Follow these guidelines:

PRONOUNS: Personal interrogative and relative pronouns have separate forms for the possessive. None involves an apostrophe: mine, ours, your, yours, his, hers, its, theirs, whose.

Caution: If you are using an apostrophe with a pronoun, always double-check to be sure that the meaning calls for a contraction: you're, it's, there's, who's.

Follow the rules listed above in forming the possessives of other pronouns: another's idea, others' plans, someone's guess.

JOINT POSSESSION, INDIVIDUAL POSSESSION: Use a possessive form after only the last word if ownership is joint: Fred and Sylvia's apartment, Fred and Sylvia's stocks.

Use a possessive form after both words if the objects are individually owned: Fred's and Sylvia's books.

DESCRIPTIVE PHRASES: Do not add an apostrophe to a word ending in s when it is used primarily in a descriptive sense: citizens band radio, a Cincinnati Reds infielder, a teachers college, a Teamsters request, a writers guide.

An 's is required, however, when a term involves a plural word that does not end in s: a children's hospital, a people's republic, the Young Men's Christian Association.

QUASI POSSESSIVES: Follow the rules above in composing the possessive form of words that occur in such phrases as a day’s pay, two weeks’ vacation, three months’ work, five years’ probation. The apostrophe is used with a measurement followed by a noun (a quantity of whatever the noun is). The examples could be rephrased as a day of pay, two weeks of vacation, three months of work, five years of probation.

No apostrophe when the quantity precedes an adjective: six months pregnant, three weeks overdue, 11 years old.

OMITTED FIGURES: The class of '62. The Spirit of '76. The '20s.

PLURALS OF A SINGLE LETTER: Mind your p's and q's. He learned the three R's and brought home a report card with four B's. The A's won the pennant.

 - Associated Press

December:

8: KESA 2.0 virtual monthly update, 10:30-11:15 a.m. Join the meeting here. Contact Jay Scott at jay.scott@ksde.gov with questions.

9-10: Kansas State Board of Education meeting.

11: New episode of the KSDE Insight Podcast to be available.

12: KSDE Holiday Luncheon, 11 a.m.-2 p.m., Bishop Professional Development Center.

25: Christmas holiday, KSDE offices closed.

29: Last day to complete Department of Administration's active shooter training.

31: New Year's Eve.


January:

1: New Year's Day. KSDE offices closed.

13-14: Kansas State Board of Education meeting.

19: Martin Luther King, Jr. Day. KSDE offices closed.

22: Professional Development - Hands-on Self Defense, 10 a.m.-12 p.m., Board Room.

26-28: Kansas Teacher of the Year Legislative Conference.

**Don't see your event on the Inside KSDE Calendar?

Send the information to insideksde@ksde.gov.

“Education is supposed to juice your curiosity, not diminish or sate it.”

- Walter Isaacson

American journalist

Inside KSDE is the weekly internal email newsletter distributed to Kansas State Department of Education employees.

Thoughts or suggestions?

• What would you like to see in Inside KSDE?
• Have story ideas?
• Do you have photos you would like to share?

Please send information to Tiffany Littler in Communications and Recognition Programs via email at insideksde@ksde.gov. Littler can be reached by phone at ext. 62551.

The Kansas State Department of Education does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, national origin, sex, disability or age in its programs and activities and provides equal access to the Boy Scouts and other designated youth groups. The following person has been designated to handle inquiries regarding the nondiscrimination policies: KSDE General Counsel, Office of General Counsel, KSDE, Landon State Office Building, 900 S.W. Jackson, Suite 102, Topeka, KS 66612, (785) 296-3201.