Kristin Gantz Comes Home to USD 343
Launch the media gallery 1 playerPLMS is excited to welcome back to USD 343 Kristin Gantz! Kristin will be teaching 7th and 8th-grade art and ceramics for PLHS. She is replacing Diane Drummond who has retired this year. Kristin grew up in Perry and graduated from Perry-Lecompton High School in 2008. She went on to earn a bachelor’s degree in 2012 and a master’s degree in 2017 both from the University of Missouri.
Kristin has been married for six years to Joel Gantz, also a PLHS graduate. They have two children Gunnar 3, and Gannon 1.
Kristin has been teaching elementary art for the past eight years at Tonganoxie elementary school, she also spent 3 years teaching at the Lawrence Art Center in their summer youth art programs. Mrs. Gantz became a teacher to help all students be successful through art and to learn how art can be experienced from so many different angles. Her favorite part of teaching she says, “Is witnessing the “aha” moments, when a student makes an educational and personal connection”. These feels these moments last a lifetime for both the student and her.
When asked why she wanted to teach in our district Kristen said; “Perry-Lecompton is truly a special community. I think it’s been very formative for me to have had experiences teaching elsewhere to truly appreciate what we have here, something so unique to surrounding areas. I want to invest my time and energy where it matters to me the most, in my hometown where I grew up and the schools where my children will attend. “
Mrs. Gantz is excited about having the chance to teach the children of her close friends and classmates. She fells honored to have the privilege to follow in the footsteps of one of her own art teachers, and hopes to continue the legacy of formative and meaningful art education set before her. Her ultimate goal is to provide opportunities for positive, enriching experiences for both our schools and our community. We are excited that Mrs. Gantz has returned home to Perry-Lecompton and we are sure the kids will love being in her classroom!