Nixa Public Schools have progressed immensely from the time when the graduating class was less than 200. While many teachers and administrators are new to the Nixa community, there are some who have been along to see Nixa progress. Nixa High School’s own principal Dr. David Kelly, is among this group.
“My family moved to Nixa in 1989 and I graduated in 2000,” Kelly said.
In the late ’90s and early 2000s Nixa schools had many fewer students.
“Nixa was a lot smaller and it felt more like a community in a lot of ways,” Kelly said. “I knew everyone in my graduating class.”
Kelly considered himself as an average student at the time.
“I kind of flew under the radar and got decent grades,” Kelly said.
Kelly had and knew many teachers that still work at the school today.
“I had Coach Brumley my junior year of high school and Coach Palmer my 8th grade year,” Kelly said.
Kelly was not only a student to many of Nixa’s veteran teachers, but his junior high counselor was assistant principal Patti Arnold.
“Mrs. Arnold was a very fun teacher, she worked really hard for all of her students,” Kelly said.
Kelly said he believes that Arnold, along with Nixa’s other teachers, still share that sentiment today.
“I truly believe that all teachers work hard for their students and have their best interests in mind,” Kelly said.
Now, 22 years later, Arnold works under Kelly in many ways.
“When I first became an assistant principal, it was weird because 70 percent of the teachers at Nixa were there when I was a student,” Kelly said.
Going from a student to a boss was a strange transition.
“I would often wonder if they would even take me seriously when just a few years ago I was in their class,” Kelly said.
Kelly attributes a lot of his success to respect for people who are older than him.
“I have tremendous respect for people who are older and have experienced way more than I have yet,” Kelly said. “Taking time to listen to their wisdom has innumerable value.”
Forensics teacher Randi Hunt went to Nixa with Kelly.
“I graduated in 2003,” Hunt said. “Dr. Kelly was a senior when I was a freshman, so I knew him but we didn’t like to hang out or anything.”
Hunt saw Kelly as more than just an average student.
“He was in the athletic crowd and pretty popular,” Hunt said. “He was smart and very nice. People liked him a lot.”
Hunt admits that it’s not weird for her previous classmate to be her current boss.
“What’s more weird to me is the fact that Coach Brumley was my science teacher and now our classrooms are right next to each other,” Hunt said.
Both Hunt and Arnold didn’t expect to see Kelly as a teacher or administrator.
“It’s very hard to predict what a student’s path will be,” Arnold said. “I didn’t think he would become Nixa’s principal, but I guessed that he would be successful.”
It’s important to remember the priorities that teachers have.
“I truly believe that teachers want the best for their students,” Kelly said. “Even if it doesn’t match up with what the student thinks is best for them.”
Teachers then and now share an immense care for their students, something that will likely never change.
“Now that thousands of people walk down these halls it’s impossible to know everybody but some things never change,” Hunt said.
From Nixa’s humble beginnings to now, to many years in the future, teachers have committed to helping the younger generation.
“I am so thankful to all the teachers that I had and to everyone that has helped me make the transition from student to principal,” Kelly said.