Younger Retires from USD 214

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Over the past eleven years, David Younger has become a familiar face to those who have a connection to the Ulysses school district. He came to Ulysses as the assistant superintendent and became the superintendent after just one year. He has been instrumental in guiding the school board and faculty of USD 214 through some great times and some bad times.

Younger began his career in Wichita where he taught sixth grade at Kellogg Elementary. He then moved to John Marshall Middle School where he taught before becoming the assistant principal. He spent two years in that position and was named assistant principal at Curtis Middle School. After ten years in Wichita, He became principal at Halstead Middle School, followed by a stint as principal for the middle school and high school. Younger finished his time in Halstead as principal of just the high school. The total number of years spent in the Halstead school district was fifteen. He then moved to Ulysses.

Dave and his wife, Kelly, have three children. Their oldest, Deacon, lives with his wife, Kelsey and their two children, Cam and Landry in Wichita. Deacon is in sales and Kelsey is a dental hygienist. Kirby is the middle child and is a teacher in the DeSoto school district outside of Kansas City. Their youngest, Macy, is a teacher in Garden City.

When asked about his plans for retirement, Younger said, “we don’t have any plans to move at this time. We will wait and see what happens.” If they do move in the future, it will be around Wichita to be closer to their grandkids. He says that they have loved their time in Ulysses and hope to be able to stay here for a few more years working for the great people in Southwest Kansas.

Younger recently filed to run for the District 124 House of Representatives seat currently held by Marty Long. He feels that he has a new appreciation for this area and the people who live here. He thinks it is important that we have someone in Topeka who supports our schools, people and economy. Younger wants to be that voice.

He says the best part of being the superintendent of schools in Ulysses was the interactions he got to have with the students. He added, “if you have had a bad day, just go to Hickok and you will undoubtedly get some hugs before you leave. It’s the best part of the day.” When asked what he liked the least, he said, “the pandemic. It was an interesting way to end my career. However, I am so appreciative of the support the district received from the community. It was challenging in so many ways, but overall, the community supported the schools.”

Dave shared his final thoughts with these comments, “I’ve loved being part of a wonderful district. I encourage parents to get involved in their children’s education. We have many wonderful and dedicated teachers but they can only do so much. The first and best teacher that a child has will be their parents. Talk with your child’s teachers and principals.”

Younger repeated, “I’ve loved my time in Ulysses and I hope I can have a few more years here representing the great people of Southwest Kansas.”

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