Brady always wanted to teach
TOM PINNEY/DAILY FORUM
West Nodaway R-I elementary principal Holly Brady addresses a crowd of students before unveiling the new Project Fit equipment. Brady noticed Project Fit last year while looking for ways to redo the school’s playground last year and applied for funding from the Heartland Foundation to help get the equipment at West Nodaway.
Ever since she was little, Holly Brady knew she wanted to teach.
In her youth, she recalled babysitting for neighbors and friends and realizing that she needed to be in a classroom. When she became a teacher, she found that the job met her expectations.
“I love being able to connect with the students,” Brady said. “As a teacher, you get to connect with students in so many different and meaningful ways, and it’s great to be able to do that.”
Brady received her bachelor’s degree in elementary education from Northwest Missouri State University in 2002 with a minor in early childhood education. She received her master’s degree in educational administration in 2006 from the University of Missouri – Kansas City, then returned to Northwest to complete her superintendent specialist certification in 2010.
While working on her master’s degree, Brady spent some time teaching at Excelsior Springs and, later, Savannah. In 2006, after completing the degree, she moved to Pattonsburg to serve as the elementary principal.
“Being an administrator became a goal later,” Brady said. “I wanted to not only be there to support the students, but the teachers as well.
“I think someday I’d like to be a superintendent. I don’t really have a timeline for that; it all depends on when the time is right for my family and my career.”
Brady moved back to Maryville to serve as the principal at Eugene Field Elementary School in 2009. In 2014, she was hired to take over as the K-12 principal at West Nodaway.
“To me, that was a huge challenge, trying to get equal attention to everyone in the district,” Brady said. “We did some restructuring, though, and now I’m only principal through the eighth grade.
“Our high school principal (Chuck Fox) works as low as sixth grade, so our middle school-age kids get a little more attention. We figured out what serves the students best, and it’s great that we have such a collaborative administration that’s focused on student success.”
That success isn’t just academic. West Nodaway has been working since last school year on trying to renovate its elementary playground.
In the midst of those discussions, Brady found Project Fit America.
“It seemed to fit everything we wanted out of a new playground, so we applied for grant funding from the Heartland Foundation back in March,” Brady said. “We were approved, and they helped us out by giving $14,700 to the district for the playground.
“The district supplied another $3,500, and we were able to get the equipment and store some money aside for resurfacing our existing playground and fixing it up as well. We’re very grateful for Hoyt Construction as well for donating their time and effort to putting the new equipment in and pulling some of the old equipment out.”
During a ribbon-cutting ceremony for the new playground equipment Monday morning, Brady thanked the Foundation for its contribution. After a brief ceremony, physical education teacher Allen Calfee cut a ceremonial ribbon made of paper rings, declaring the new playground open.
Some students then demonstrated how to use some of the equipment, including an ascending horizontal ladder, pull-up bars, and a sit-up bench. Bobby Bearcat was on hand to help with some of the demonstrations as well, but came up short in the weighted hula-hoop contest.
When she isn’t at the school, Brady said her family keeps her busy. Her sons are involved in baseball, basketball, and cross-country, and she joked that half of her hobbies involved keeping up with them.
As a piece of advice for aspiring teachers and school administrators, Brady said it is key to always work for the students.
“What you do won’t always be popular with everyone,” Brady said. “But in everything you do, you have to make sure you’re working in the best interest of the students.
“It’s hard sometimes to make decisions that you know will affect adults, but at the end of the day, it’s your responsibility to make sure the students are getting the best education possible. Whatever you have to do, make sure you’re always keeping that fact in mind.”
Editor’s Note
This story is part of a weekly series highlighting “Everyday Heroes.” In this weekly segment, the Daily Forum takes a look at people who work tirelessly to make Maryville and the surrounding area a great place to live. If you have a suggestion for someone who you feel should be featured, please contact us via email at [email protected] or call the Forum at 660-562-2424.
TOM PINNEY/DAILY FORUM
West Nodaway R-I physical education teachers Allen Calfee and Matt Shipley cut a ceremonial ribbon made of paper rings, officially opening the new playground with Project Fit equipment. Project Fit is a public charity dedicated to getting kids fit by bringing in cardiovascular equipment and teacher training to create activities for kids to explore and improve their physical and mental fitness.