December 2019: Mr. Tom Gifford is named Outstanding Music Educator of the Year by the Northeast Kansas Music Educators Association! #ThrowbackThursday #tongienation #usd464
3 months ago, USD 464
Mr. Gifford wearing navy sweater, black leather jacket, and khakis, standing in front of a red brick wall and circular Tonganoxie Chieftains sign

Help us welcome Lacie Shea to USD 464! Lacie will be teaching fourth grade at Tonganoxie Elementary School.

💙 University of Kansas grad from Andover, Kansas
🤗 Has two older brothers and a younger sister
🛍️ Loves to shop and go on nature trail walks
🥚 Favorite children’s book is What Do You Do with an Idea? by Kobi Yamada
🍎 Is excited to begin her teaching career and learn and grow alongside her students!

Welcome to #TongieNation, Lacie!

3 months ago, USD 464
red and black background, Lacie wearing white dress with orange and green flowers on it, standing outside
Orientation continued today with our new classified staff. Welcome to Tongie Nation!
3 months ago, USD 464
seven adults seated at computer stations, tonya phillips wearing pants and black polo stands at front of room speaking
new staff sit in black rolling chairs at gray tables
Help us welcome Allison Ingram, a new second grade teacher at Tonganoxie Elementary School!

🍎 Eighth year of teaching
💍 Recently married to husband Shane and had their first baby, a boy named Hayes
🐶 Has two dogs, Huey and Chip
🎣 Enjoys reading, fishing, and working out
🎹 Has played the piano since elementary school

Welcome to Tongie Nation, Allison!
3 months ago, USD 464
red and black background, allison wearing white t shirt that says USA, Shane wearing blue tank top that says USA, baby Hayes wearing blue shorts and gray tank top
Adam Ludwin kicks off this week's round of New Staff Spotlights! Adam will be teaching Interrelated Special Education at Tonganoxie High School!

🎓 Fort Hays State & Cleveland Chiropractic College grad from Yuma, Arizona
🧡 Oklahoma State Wrestling fan
⛰️ Enjoys hunting, fishing, and hiking
🐶 Has a 10 year old Doberman named Turk and a 5 year old English Bulldog named Teela
💪 Has trained with some of the best athletes in the world, including Olympic medalists, world champs, and UFC contenders

Welcome to Tongie Nation, Adam!
3 months ago, USD 464
black and red background, Adam wearing black pants and red shirt, holding wooden plaque for girls wrestling regional champs
USD 464 welcomes Kelly Berry, a new Early Childhood Special Education teacher at Tonganoxie Elementary School!

💜 Kansas State grad from Topeka; currently enrolled in a master’s program at Emporia State
💍 Will celebrate four years of marriage to husband Luke in September
🦖 Their son Wesley is 2.5 years old and loves everything dinosaur!
🐾 Has one dog, Max, and one cat, Evie
📚 Enjoys going on walks with her family, visiting the library, and reading books with Wesley

Welcome to #TongieNation, Kelly!
3 months ago, USD 464
black and red background, Luke wearing maroon t shirt, Kelly wearing maroon short and black and white polka dot bottoms, Wesley in between them wearing green shorts and a dinosaur shirt
Tongie Nation, help us welcome Michael Abeita! Michael will be teaching Biology and Anatomy & Physiology at Tonganoxie High School!

💙 The University of Kansas grad from Hiawatha, Kansas
🐶 Has a yellow lab named Phog
🪐 Favorite book is Dune
🎫 Enjoys traveling, rock climbing, rafting, and going to concerts
🛶 Spends his summers living in a dirt parking lot and raft guiding

Welcome to #TongieNation, Michael!
3 months ago, USD 464
black and red background, Michael in the foreground wearing gray pants, white shirt, black graduation cap and gown, and blue KU graduation cords
Our next New Staff Spotlight features Tonganoxie High School grad Kaitlyn King! Kaitlyn will be teaching Intro to Engineering and Chemistry I and II at her alma mater!

🏫 3rd year of teaching
🎓 The University of Kansas grad
👩‍🔬 Previously employed as a chemical engineer
📖 Enjoys reading
🩷 Has three daughters

Welcome to #TongieNation, Kaitlyn!
3 months ago, USD 464
black and red background, headshot of kaitlyn wearing a green shirt and black necklace, her hair is down and slightly curled
Beatty Field will be closed for track painting from Friday, August 1, through Sunday, August 3. It will reopen on Monday, August 4. Thank you for your patience and understanding as we complete these improvements in an effort to ensure safe, high-quality facilities for our students and community.
3 months ago, USD 464
black and yellow caution tape lines with white text
Our New Staff Spotlights continue with Henry Schardt! Henry will be teaching Ag Mechanics and Welding I and II at Tonganoxie High School.
💜 K-State grad from Hastings, Nebraska
⛳️ Enjoys flying, going to the lake, and golfing
🏁 Traveled around the Midwest racing motocross for eight years
🌾 Agricultural pilot when he’s not teaching
Welcome to Tongie Nation, Henry!
#tongienation #usd464
3 months ago, USD 464
black and red background, foreground is image of henry wearing a brown flight suit and backwards hat, sitting in a yellow crop dusting plane

October 31, 2022: Miss Cornwell’s 4th graders have a blast with a mummy-making contest at their Halloween party! #ThrowbackThursday 📷: Terah Baldridge #throwbackthursday #tongienation #usd464

3 months ago, USD 464
fourth grade students work together to wind toilet paper rolls around a student to create a mummy
fourth grade students work together to wind toilet paper rolls around a student to create a mummy
four fourth grade students wrapped in toilet paper stand together in a fourth grade classroom

🎉 It’s time for our 2025 New Staff Spotlights! 🎉 Over the next few weeks, we’ll introduce you to our newest certified staff, sharing fun facts to help you get to know the amazing people joining #TongieNation.
First up: Jodie Brice, a new kindergarten teacher at Tonganoxie Elementary School!
👩‍🏫 21st year of teaching
🌯 Loves Chipotle and cheering on her son’s soccer team and the Kansas City Chiefs
👨‍👩‍👦 Husband of 17 years, Mr. Brice, is the PE teacher at TES; their son Kaden is a rising sophomore at Leavenworth High School
🐶 Has two black and white Miniature Schnauzer siblings: a girl named Momo and a boy named Tank
⚽ Once broke her ankle trying to beat her son at backyard soccer… now officially retired from the game 😄

Welcome to Tongie Nation, Jodie!

3 months ago, USD 464
black and red background, jodie wearing a black shirt, son wearing a gray shirt, husband wearing a blue shirt, chiefs football stadium in the background
Inspire. Empower. Excel. Even for just a day. Our students thrive when they have caring adults in their corner, especially when their teacher can’t be there. Whether you're available once a week or once a month, join our substitute team and make a real impact! Learn more on our website at https://www.tong464.org/page/morgan-hunter
#tongienation #usd464
3 months ago, USD 464
red tongie t icon with blue banner along bottom; clip art of coffee cup, brown cup holding two pens and a ruler, edge of a notebook, four leaves of a plant
Our last Summer Snaps post for 2025 is here!

1: Tonganoxie Middle School eighth grader Emma Smith spent her summer traveling around the Midwest playing softball! Most notably, she was also selected to represent Region 7 at the USA All-American games at Devon Park in Oklahoma City next month to close out her summer! 🥎🥎🥎

2-4: Sawyer and Meagan Vestal went fishing at Leavenworth State Fishing Lake! 🎣🎣🎣

5-6: Matt Bowers enjoyed a Savannah Bananas baseball game and a Sporting Kansas City match! ⚾️⚽️

7-9: Kelly Griffiths attended the Mumford and Sons concert at Azura Amphitheater, where the cast of Ted Lasso joined the band on stage to perform the show's theme song! 🎤⚽️

Summer may be winding down, but New Employee Spotlights featuring our new certified staff are coming soon!

#tongienation #usd464 #summerfun
3 months ago, USD 464
Emma Smith wearing light blue shirt, black softball pants, and cleating, pushing off a pitcher's mound as she release a pitch from the right hand
Sawyer Vestal wearing long sleeved blue shirt and green life jacket, sitting in the driver's seat of a fishing boat
Meagan Vestal wearing purple sunglasses, black pants, and light blue UPF top, holding a hooked fish in her left hand
Meagan and Sawyer on a fishing boat
Matt Bowers, wife and daughter standing together at a baseball game, the lights of the stadium shine brightly along the top of the image
Matt Bowers wearing white sunglasses, flanked on either side by his wife and a friend, taking a selfie together in the blue seats of a soccer stadium
Kelly Griffiths wearing a baseball cap and dark colored top, standing next to her husband wearing a dark colored t shirt, with the  Azura Amphitheater stage in the background
band members playing various instruments on the Azura Amphitheater stage
Ted Lasso cast members standing on stage at Azura Amphitheater
Save the date! Our sixth annual Tongie Tailgate will be held on Friday, August 22, 2025. Chieftain Volleyball will scrimmage in Chieftain Arena from 4:30 to 5:15 pm, with the program at Beatty Field starting immediately afterward. This annual event is free, and all district families, staff, and community members are invited! Join us for a complimentary meal featuring hot dogs, chips, cookies, and water, along with scrimmages, performances, and introductions of our athletic teams and extracurricular organizations. A detailed schedule will be shared in August. We hope you will join us for an evening of food, fun, and community! ❤️🤍 #tongienation #usd464
3 months ago, USD 464
red background black bbq grill, white letters

March 27, 2025: The Board Game Club, sponsored by Mrs. Donahey and Mrs. Espy, meets during Warrior Time at Tonganoxie Middle School. 🎲♟️🎴 We want to see your throwbacks! Share your blasts from the past with us at socials@tong464.org to be featured on our socials! Put "Throwback" in the subject line and include a description and the month and year (and day, if you have it!) #ThrowbackThursday #tongienation #usd464

3 months ago, USD 464
four middle school boys sit at a table playing an RPG
two middle school girls sit at a table playing the game Guess Who
three middle school boys sit at a table playing UNO card game
three middle school boys sit at a table playing UNO card game
The District Administrative Center and Rec Commission parking lots are being repainted tomorrow morning, Thursday, July 24, 2025. If you have plans to visit the DAC or Rec Commission tomorrow, please park in the THS parking lot. Thank you!
3 months ago, USD 464
black background yellow and black caution stripes, red tongie t in bottom right corner
Did I hear a niner in there? It's radio installation day for our three brand new buses! (Two of them have air conditioning!) 😎🙌🚌 #tongienation #usd464
3 months ago, USD 464
transportation clerk Carrie Koch smiling out the driver's window of a school bus
two yellow school buses in a gravel parking lot, one with its hood open
view of blue school bus seats from the front of the bus looking towards the back
three yellow school buses in a gravel parking lot
rear view of three yellow school buses lined up in a gravel parking lot
Summer Snaps Week 5 is live!

1-3: Landen Ruff, Landin Vautour, and Cooper DaGrava celebrated Landen’s 16th birthday and the Fourth of July in style in Panama City Beach, Florida! 🎉🎆🌞

4-6: Heather Gutierrez, Bryan Lerma, and Carlos Lerma celebrated the Fourth of July with family! ❤️🤍💙

One week left to participate in our 2025 Summer Snaps series!

> Email your summer pics to socials@tong464.org with "Summer Snaps" in the subject line. Include a quick caption telling us about the photo(s).
> Keep it classy: school-appropriate dress, no questionable hand signs, etc.
> By submitting, you're giving USD 464 permission to use your photo(s) across our platforms and confirming you have permission from everyone pictured.

#tongienation #usd464 #summerfun
3 months ago, USD 464
IMG_3357
red and gold firework exploding in the sky over the beach at night
faint rainbow in the sky at the beach
Heather and five family members wearing red white and blue clothing stand together at their 4th of July celebration
Bryan Lerma wearing an orange Under Armour t shirt and blue tie dye shorts, riding a red four wheeler
Carlos Lerma wearing a red t shirt and jeans, riding a red four wheeler

2022 Tonganoxie High School graduate Mason Davenport has signed with Major League Baseball's Toronto Blue Jays as an undrafted free agent. Mason was a 2-time First Team All-State Selection for the Chieftain baseball team, helping the 2022 team to a school record in wins and a runner-up finish at the state tournament. After graduation, Mason pitched at KCKCC for 2 seasons before continuing his career at NCAA Division 1 Stetson University in Deland, Florida. Congratulations Mason, we can't wait to see what you accomplish in your professional baseball career! #tongienation #usd464 #classof2022

3 months ago, Mitchell Loomis
2022 Graduate Mason Davenport
Toronto Blue Jays