ABOUT MRS. PAYTON
I wasn't born in Kansas, though my heritage and the fact I've lived here for almost 40 years and I am a fourth generation Kansas educator, I can attest that there is truly "no place like home". I attended Labette Community College and Kansas State University, and later transferred to and graduated from Emporia State University with a Bachelor of Science in Education. I earned my Master's of Education degree from Friends University, and am currently working on my TESOL graduate certificate through the University of Kansas.
I have 30+ years of teaching experience. Since 2000, I have been a proud member of the LHS English department. In addition to teaching the gamut of ELA courses (ENG 100, ENG 200, PreAP/Honors, ENG 400, AP Literature, and a Fiction to Film elective), I have served as the ELA Department Chairperson, represented our staff on the Building and District Leadership Teams and Professional Development Plan committee, and the district's KESA (Kansas Education Systems Accreditation) committee. I performed as the LEO Club adviser for a decade, and served two years on the Grade 10 ELA State of Kansas Assessment Review team. I hold a TEDx license and was the organizer and curator for our two TEDxYouth@Louisburg events in 2016 and 2017.
My wonderful husband, John, is retired from the U. S. Air Force and from serving 8 years on our USD 416 School Board. We have four children, three of whom graduated from our Louisburg school district, and are so proud of their endeavors: daughter Olivia, a 2023 graduate, now attends Johnson County Community College pursuing nursing; daughter Kira, a 2020 graduate, attends UMKC, majoring in Business with a minor in Finance and Entrepreneurship and is also a certified Pilates instructor; son Evan, class of 2017, now works in the emergency vehicle after-market electronics installation industry; and son Ethan, a graduate of University of Kansas, is a case manager in the Kansas City area; we also gained a daughter-in-law last fall.
I enjoy traveling (we recently traveled to Scotland), cooking, gardening, reading, and spending time with family and friends.
Fun Fact: I've recited Antony's funeral speech in the ruins of the Roman forum. :)
