Follow Us On Social Media
KEARNEY – Hadley Clark has a passion for education.
The Kearney native loves to interact with children, helping them learn and grow. She works at a local day care and assists with summer camps through Kearney Park and Recreation and Kearney Community Learning Center.
Teaching is her dream career.
“I truly don’t think there’s any better job,” said Clark, who graduated from Kearney High School over the weekend.
On Monday, she took the next step toward reaching that goal. Clark was recognized as a recipient of the Kearney Teachers Tomorrow (KTOM) scholarship during a signing ceremony at the University of Nebraska at Kearney College of Education.
A partnership between UNK and Kearney Public Schools, the program creates a clearly defined pathway for students who want to pursue teaching careers. Each KTOM scholar receives a $6,000 annual scholarship from KPS and $1,900 annually from UNK to help cover expenses during college. UNK also waives housing costs for scholars living on campus, bringing the total value to more than $14,000 per year before any additional aid.
The KTOM scholarship is renewable for four years and includes opportunities for students to work in various roles within KPS during college, contributing to their professional development and eligibility for retirement benefits through the Nebraska Public Employees Retirement Systems.
Scholarship recipients are guaranteed a teaching position at KPS after completing their degree.
“I’m so grateful for this opportunity,” said Clark, who plans to study elementary and physical education at UNK. “It’s nice to know there are so many people here who are willing to help me meet my goals and believe in my potential as a teacher.”
Sarah Dahlke was also awarded the KTOM scholarship; however, she was unable to attend the recognition ceremony since she was competing at the state tennis dual tournament. The Kearney High graduate plans to study elementary education at UNK.
Developed by the Kearney Education Collaborative, a joint leadership team of KPS and the UNK College of Education, the KTOM program was launched last year in response to the ongoing teacher shortage impacting districts across the state and nation.
“This partnership is all about building a homegrown pipeline of educators. KTOM is providing students a clear roadmap to stay in Kearney, pursue a teaching degree, and serve this community after graduation,” said KPS Superintendent Jason Mundorf, who noted that around 35% of the district’s graduates remain in Kearney to attend UNK.
UNK interim Chancellor Charlie Bicak called KTOM an “important and significant program” designed to meet Nebraska’s needs.
“We all know about the dire need for teachers across Nebraska, be it urban or rural,” he said. “ … This is one of those innovative and creative partnerships that goes a long way toward resolving at least a portion of the challenge we have in that regard.”
The signing ceremony was attended by administrators, educators and board members from UNK and KPS, as well as community leaders and five current Lopers who received the KTOM scholarship last year.
For Abbie Scholl, a soon-to-be senior from Columbus, the scholarship eliminated any financial concerns while opening the door to new opportunities.
“Since getting this scholarship, I have not had to work a second job and have been able to focus more on my studies and gaining hands-on experience,” she said. “And I will be able to reach my goal of graduating debt-free because of this scholarship, which is a huge benefit for me.”
A math education major, Scholl is gaining that valuable classroom experience by working as a licensed substitute teacher and completing practicum hours at area schools.
“I’m very excited for my last year here at UNK, and I’m also excited to be a future Kearney Public Schools teacher,” she said.
The KTOM program prioritizes applicants with financial need, those pursuing high-demand endorsements such as special education, math, science and world languages, and graduating Kearney High seniors. Two new scholarships will be awarded each year.
College of Education Dean Mark Reid lauded the strong partnership between UNK and KPS, something he’d like to extend to other school districts.
“My vision at this point is that we’ll have some opportunities for other school districts in the area that want to participate in similar programs and form their own version of an educator pipeline,” he said.
© 2025 Nebraska Rural Radio Association. All rights reserved. Republishing, rebroadcasting, rewriting, redistributing prohibited. Copyright Information
Tim Marshall
CEO |
(308) 324-2371
Website ©2025 Nebraska Rural Radio Association | All rights reserved. | Website developed by Hollman Media
Set as home site?
By setting this site as your home, you will be automatically redirected here whenever you go to https://ruralradio.com
If you ever want to clear this setting, you can click the "Clear home" link in the footer of the site.
