inspiring their confidence

design by kate heitmann photo by sabrina dean

WHAT HAPPENED WHEN

A timeline of Steve and Kevin Appier’s careers

1987

Kevin is drafted for the Royals

Steve attends Chapman University to get his Masters in teaching

1990 - 1992

1995

Steve starts teaching at East

2004

Chemistry teacher’s relationship with his professional pitcher brother impacts his teaching style

by katie murphy

HIDDEN AMONG THE stray Meteorology worksheets and Chemistry textbooks in science teacher Steve Appier’s classroom sits a Kansas City Royals pitcher bobblehead. Not many of Steve’s students notice the figurine tucked away on the shelf beside the pencil sharpener. Even fewer are aware that the figure isn’t just player #55 — it’s Kevin Appier, Steve’s little brother. Steve doesn’t bring up Kevin around his students. The bobblehead — a six-inch player winding up for a pitch — is the only trace of Kevin in Steve’s classroom. Steve isn’t embarrassed of Kevin, he just doesn’t want to come off as full of himself. “My brother was a professional baseball player,” isn’t his favorite conversation starter.

Don’t be misled by Steve’s modesty and the singular token of his brother in his classroom. Kevin’s impact on Steve’s life is much larger than the palm-sized bobblehead that honors him. Without Kevin, Steve wouldn’t be at East.

Or even teaching at all.

Long before Steve was balancing chemical equations, he was playing catch at the neighborhood park with Kevin. Their parents were divorced, and the two lived with their mom in Lancaster, CA. Their dad’s absence and the eight-year age difference between the pair made their relationship more father-and-son than brotherand-brother.

Steve remembers being shocked to see Kevin throwing and hitting a ball with a plastic bat before Kevin turned one. It was clear that Kevin had exceptional hand-eye coordination. While Kevin dreamed of becoming a professional baseball player when he grew up, Steve wanted to be a doctor — his favorite subject was math. To friends and teachers, Kevin was just another young boy in a sports phase who would grow up to work a 9-to-5 office job. But not to Steve, who regularly took Kevin to the park to practice throwing after school and on weekends. By age four, Kevin was pitching. Steve drilled him relentlessly, always reminding him, “You can be a professional baseball player, you can be a professional baseball player.”

“He always believed because that’s what I told him,” Steve said. “That he could do this.”

Steve got Kevin signed up for a little league team after Kevin turned eight. 16-year-old Steve went to game after game, arguing with coaches about Kevin’s technique, cheering loudly — known infamously as “that guy.”

“If he becomes a professional baseball player, how is my heart going to handle that?” Steve would tell his mom. “If I’m this stressed out over little league games?”

Professional coaches soon took over, and Kevin made his Major League pitching debut for the Kansas City Royals in 1987. Steve was no longer coaching Kevin, but he wasn’t done teaching. After realizing that medical school wasn’t for him, he began working toward a masters in teaching at Chapman University.

Steve brings the skills he learned while coaching Kevin into his classroom. Looking back, Steve admits he may have been too demanding with Kevin. Their sisters would complain that Steve was “too mean” and “should give Kevin a break.” He keeps this in mind in his classroom, making sure to encourage behaviors instead of forcing them.

“[Kevin] taught me to trust someone,” Steve said. “If I see potential in a student, I know that I don’t need to push and push and push. But [instead], inspire them. And then let them do what I know they can do.” wHe loves those moments when students finally grasp a new concept. It reminds him of days when Kevin would be a little off while pitching. Steve would ask him, “What should you do to fix this? What are you doing wrong? Why?” His students hear the same things while calculating significant figures. He makes sure that they learn by struggling, like Kevin, instead of simply being handed solutions.

“When you guide someone and they figure it out, that’s hard to beat,” Steve said.

After visiting Kansas City, Mo. several times to watch Kevin’s Royals games and liking the area, Steve left his first teaching job at Quartz Hill high school in California to teach at East in 1995.

While Steve remains at East, Kevin is now retired and spends his time doing home improvement projects at his 80-acre ranch in Michigan. Despite only visiting each other twice a year, the brothers’ lifetime bond has endured.

“The only person who hates talking on the phone more than Kevin does is me,” Steve said. “But, on that rare occasion that we talk, for some reason, we’ll talk for hours.”

Steve’s room is regularly full of Chemistry students asking questions and hanging around to chat before and after school. He continues to inspire and encourage students today, the same way he did for Kevin. In fact, his encouragement is what led him to win the prestigious Wolfe Teaching Award in 2020 after being nominated by a student.

“People will tell you ‘you can’t,’” Steve said. “You’ll

[KEVIN] TAUGHT ME to trust

someone. If I see potential in a student, I know that I don’t need to push and push and push. But [instead], inspire them. And then let them do what I know they can do. STEVE APPIER TEACHER

14 FEATURE

LIMIT LIMIT LIMIT LIMIT LIMIT LESS LESS LESS LESS LESS

Associate Principal Dr. Susan Leonard is running for Fairway City Council, in the hopes to continue using her passion for helping others and making them feel included not only at East, but in her neighborhood

by sydney newton & sophie henschel

EAST ASSOCIATE PRINCIPAL Dr. Susan Leonard has always had a knack for students who are passionate about any given cause within the school. She’s spent her last 5 years at East dedicated to establishing a connection with the student body, working to make them feel like their voice matters. Through advocating for the Diversity Equity Inclusion and Belonging initiative, fostering studentadministration connections and being an ally for students when they bring issues to her attention, Leonard always makes sure to show her support in as many ways as possible.

Now she’s running for City Council.

After officially signing up to run on June 1, Leonard is now in the campaigning process with one opposing candidate, David Watkins. The mail-inballot voting will begin Oct. 13 and the election will be held Nov. 2.

Since she’s always told her students to stand up for what they believe in, even if that means taking risks to get there, Leonard had the realization that she needs to practice what she preaches, taking a risk of her own in expanding her impact to the city level.

“I feel like I’ve been telling kids forever to jump out of your box and put yourself in an uncomfortable position and learn and grow,” Leonard said. “I hope that people can look at this, whether I win or lose, and [see] that I can be served with a lesson that you’re never too old to stop learning and growing and challenging yourself in whatever ways. When I tell you to do this, I even do it myself so I’m not just telling you to do something I wouldn’t do.”

If elected to City Council, Leonard will continue to work at East as an associate principal. This seems to be a relief for the East community, including alum Annabelle Merchant.

Growing up with Leonard as a family friend and role model, Merchant can’t imagine East without her. Merchant feels that Leonard has a unique ability to make both students and faculty feel seen.

“She’s an ally,” Merchant said. “And an advocate. Having a supervisor that you feel comfortable enough to approach and talk to in a comfortable manner, it’s just really nice to have that. It brings people together.”

If elected as a councilwoman, one of Leonard’s main focuses will be improving and expanding diversity and inclusion in her neighborhood.

Though official meetings don’t begin until after council members are elected, Leonard already works to speak for her community by talking to neighbors and getting their opinions on local issues as often as possible. She’s seen the harsh realities of discrimination in hr own neighborhood, which has inspired her to continue to make a change.

This June, Leonard witnessed an incident in her neighborhood that was a turning point in her pride for her community. A couple in the Ward 3 community hung a pride flag outside their home. A few days later, a car full of people drove by and verbally abused the couple, shouting homophobic slurs. Instead of the incident becoming a source of neighborhood gossip, Leonard watched as her community rallied together.

An anonymous neighbor printed out pride flags pasted on printer paper, with the story of what had happened on the back, and passed them out to every house in the Ward 3 area. Leonard watched as nearly every house in the neighborhood had the flag in their window, with the

I HOPE THAT people can look at this, whether I win or lose, and that I can be served with a lesson that you’re never too old to stop learning and growing and challenging yourself. SUSAN LEONARD ASSOCIATE PRINCIPAL

CANIDATE CALENDAR

design by celia condon

The process of running for Council has taken place over the past few months

JUNE

01 OFFICIALLY FILED TO RUN FOR COUNCIL

OCT. 13

ADVANCE VOTING IN PERSON BEGINS

OCT.

12 REGISTRATION BOOKS CLOSE LAST DAY TO REGISTER

OCT. 23

ADVANCE BALLOT APPLICATION DEADLINE - 5 P.M.

OCT.

13 ADVANCE VOTING BY MAIL BEGINS

NOV. 02

GENERAL ELECTION - POLLS OPEN 7 A.M. - 7 P.M.

A WELCOMING CITY

Leonard discusses the challanges she believes Fairway could face in the future, and what she hopes to accomplish.

I do believe that we have a moment in Fairway to lean in to our proud history of being the first city in JOCO to break the devastating covenants of the JC Nichols era. I hope we are able to convey that our city is one who welcomes, values, respects, appreciates and honors ALL people and that attracting a more diverse residency will help us to make our great city even better.

*Info from votejoco.com

hopes that the offenders would drive by and see the unconditional support.

It was inspiring to watch her neighborhood match her own passion to make the area they call home a better place, according to Leonard.

“I love my neighborhood [for rallying] around a cause,” Leonard said. “I just want to serve my neighborhood. It’s just, how do I make sure that people feel safe, valued, seen, respected, happy and at home in final stages.”

Leonard’s conviction to be a voice for others doesn’t go unseen by her neighbors. East parent and citizen of Ward 3, Lara Shelton, was beyond excited when she heard Leonard would be running to represent their neighborhood. Shelton watched Leonard make impacts on the East community and has full faith in her to be an advocate for the neighborhood — enough to jump on board with Leonard’s campaign, digitally designing her stickers and signs they soon plan to give out.

“I think she would listen to all of us in the neighborhood and hear concerns and take that to the next level,” Shelton said. “To support her friends and neighbors in general, but specifically

when referring to the East community, I just see her passion and compassion for kids and their opportunities, and just wanting all kids to have equal and awesome opportunities.”

Leonard has always had a passion for leading students to stand up for their beliefs, which she’s implemented in numerous ways. She restarted a program to bring together students of color, now called Kick Back, initially sponsored by former East teacher and Coalition sponsor David Muhammad.

“We started this again with [Adrian] Pearson last year called Kick Back,” Leonard said. “I’m really proud that we have that going. I’m hoping that can flourish into a Black Student Union or a HALO organization.”

Muhammad, who also worked with Leonard to grow the Diversity and Inclusion Club, has seen Leonard’s impact on the East community firsthand. While Leonard has always been someone for kids to listen to, a lot of her work is behind the scenes, according to Muhammad.

As an administrator, Leonard has helped other teachers, including Muhammad, implement programs such as Race Project KC and brought students to seminars such as the K-State Black Student Union conference or UMKC Women of Color day. Muhammad has seen how welcome Leonard’s made students feel, and hopes her welcoming personality will extend into the city of Fairway.

“She’s always used her platform as assistant principal to empower other people’s voices and empower the rest of the community to be a representative of those who don’t have that platform,” Muhammad said. “She’s a team player. She finds ways to not make it about herself, but about the needs of the community. I think in many ways she’ll use her platform on City Council in the same way.”

Psychology teacher Brett Kramer thinks that Leonard leads by example, from treating people with respect to always being open to suggestions. She’s made the East community feel like a family, he said — and he can’t wait to see her use those leadership skills in a broader community.

“Her potential is limitless,” Kramer said. “She’s just the kind of person that is all in wherever she is. Either teaching or being an administrator or any activity that she’s involved in, she just pours herself into it. If she’s elected, it would give her the opportunity to influence our community positively in a greater way than just our high school.”

ward

a district into which a city, town, parish, or other area is divided for administration, election of representatives, etc.