Carol Busch

Carol has been a teacher of the deaf for 39 years. Fortunately, all of these years have been at KSD. She has had many opportunities to work with families and children. Carol taught children who were deaf or hard of hearing with additional disabilities for 11 years, she taught first grade for 2 years, kindergarten for 5 years, and preschool for two years and provided early intervention with the Hartley Family Center for 10 years. In 2001, she joined the Related Services Department and has been the Early Childhood Team Leader, and an Educational Consultant on the Outreach Resource Team. Since 2004 Carol has been involved at the local and state level to establish regional consultants (Sound START) for the Infant/Toddler networks and families who have infants or toddlers with hearing loss. Carol's retirement becomes effective at the end of this school year.

Billie Collier

Billie Collier began teaching business education at KSD in 1970. She started in the Old Vocational Building with one Smith-Corona portable electric typewriter, several manual typewriters and a keypunch machine. Over the next 40 years, the program added IBM Selectric typewriters, word processors, and graphic arts composers. In 1984 when the New Vocational Building opened, the program moved into the computer age first with Apple IIe computers, then Macintosh computers and finally PCs. For several years, when KSD had a limited number of computers, she took her high school students to Johnson County Community College for computer classes. Students received college credit. She has taught keyboarding, office practice, computer applications, career exploration classes in the vocational department, high school, middle school and elementary departments. Several of her students participated in on-the-job training at local businesses. In recent years, K-6 grade students have had the opportunity to take keyboarding and computer literacy classes developing skills which have had direct application and support for classroom and at-home activities.
She also was editor of the Kansas Star school newspaper for 20 years; sponsor of the KSD Jackrabbit yearbook for several years; and sponsor of three Senior Classes. For the last 10 years, she has published the Emery Elementary News for parents, students, and staff.
Billie also taught at Olathe High School and Salina High School (KS). Two years prior to coming to KSD, she was a legal secretary for a Kansas City, MO law firm. While an undergraduate student at Northeastern State University (Tahlequah, OK), she had also worked as a legal secretary for a local firm.
Her retirement becomes effective at the end of the school year.

Gary Cross

Gary was employed at KSD 38 years ago, one year after his graduation from KSD. When you include his 15 years as a student here, Gary has been at KSD 53 years! He was employed as a dormitory teacher in the elementary dorm and has fulfilled a variety of responsibilities through the years. These have included secondary dormitory teacher, intramural coordinator, concession coordinator, and paraprofessional. He has been active in the athletic program as a coach, statistician, and chaperone. (He was the assistant basketball coach when his team won the GPSD Championship in 1992.) Gary's retirement became effective February 1, 2010.

Carolyn Darst

Carolyn started teaching at KSD 39 years ago. After spending a month at KSD interning at the high school and living in the dormitory during her senior year at Southwestern College, she made a decision to become a teacher of the deaf. She received her MS in Deaf Education from the University of Kansas and started teaching social studies to middle school students at KSD in 1971. When Carolyn started at KSD, girls were not permitted to play competitive sports. Using the advent of federal laws providing equal rights for women in sports in 1974, Carolyn and another teacher (Janet Simpson) were able to successfully push for the rights of KSD girls to compete in track and volleyball against other schools. Carolyn served as volleyball and track coach for several years. She taught English and reading to high school students before taking the position of IEP Coordinator in 1989. She worked with parents, teachers and local school district representatives in the development of annual Individual Educational Plans for each KSD student for 13 years. Carolyn has served as the Director of Admissions and Related Services since 2002. Her retirement becomes effective at the end of this school year.

Warren Hurst

Warren is completing 27 years of service to the State of Kansas. In 1970 he completed his B.S. in Business Administration from Central Missouri State University and obtained his M.A. from the University of Missouri, Kansas City in 1988 in Public Administration/Human Resources. He became the KSD Human Resources Director in 1985 following two years as Business Manager at the School for the Blind. In 2000, he accepted the additional responsibility of Capital Improvements Coordinator. Warren's retirement becomes effective April 1.

Woodie McCormick

Woody concluded 21 years of service to KSD effective January 1, 2010. He also attended KSD as a student for 10 years, resulting in 31 years in attendance at the school. Woody began his employment at KSD as a "cottage parent" (later renamed dormitory teacher) in 1976. During 21 of the next 33 years he was a dormitory teacher at both the elementary and secondary levels. He and his wife, Rose, also served as weekend live-in houseparents for western Kansas students remaining on campus.