Facts About the USD 251 Bond
Learn about the USD 251 Bond, one fact at a time! These facts are posted to our Facebook page first, so follow us there for the most up-to-date facts and information!
Do You Have a Plan to Vote?
Make sure you know what you need to do before Election Day!
First, make sure you’re registered to vote. Then, know where your polling place is and whether you want to vote early or request an advance (absentee) ballot.
Check out our Voter Information page for resources and info: https://usd251together.org/voter-information/
Questions? Send us a message or reach out to any committee member. We’ll help you get the information you need!
Two developmentally appropriate schools. One campus. Intentional connections.
When we talk about building a new high school next to our existing K–8 school, we don’t think the goal is to make kindergarteners and high school seniors feel like they are attending the same school.
Kids at different ages have different needs. Our K–8 should continue to feel like a K–8, and our high school should continue to feel like a high school.
What changes is the opportunity to connect them.
Research looking at rural Missouri schools compared K–8 districts with K–12 districts and found that the K–12 districts had significantly higher average attendance.
There is also research on cross-age mentoring showing benefits for both younger students and the older students serving as mentors.
Imagine high school students mentoring younger students, trades students sharing what they are learning, older students reading with younger students, students participating in shared arts and activities, and younger students getting to see the opportunities that are waiting for them just a few years ahead.
A shared campus also creates opportunities to share resources, programs and spaces that a small district may not be able to duplicate in two separate locations.
Two developmentally appropriate schools. One campus. Intentional connections.
What could that look like for North Lyon Co. students?
Want to get involved with the USD 251 Committee?
Join us this Sunday at 5:30 PM at the Americus Community Building! We’re getting together to work, plan, and find ways for community members to help support our schools and our November 3 ballot effort.
There’s a place for everyone—whether you can give a little time, help spread the word, or jump in and help with the work. Come join us and be part of it!
What About Our Staff?
North Lyon County is unique when it comes to our schools. It truly can be described as a family. A majority of our staff are alumni or married to alumni. Many came back to serve the very community that raised them. They had choices, and they chose here.
But have we stopped to think about what this bond means for them, too?
The districts around us are competing for these same amazing educators. Many have newer facilities, higher salaries, and more opportunities for growth. Yet our staff continue to stay.
They stay because they care.
They stay because this place means something to them.
They stay because these are their kids and their community.
But what happens if we stop giving them reasons to stay?
What happens when the educators who have poured so much into our kids begin looking at districts with newer facilities, better salaries, and more opportunities?
We cannot take their loyalty for granted.
This is bigger than a building. It is about our kids, our staff, and the future of North Lyon County. It is about making sure the people who pour into our children every single day know that their community sees them, values them, and believes they are worth supporting.
Because our schools don’t just educate our kids. They help hold this community together. And if we want North Lyon County to remain a place where people choose to live, work, raise their families, and stay, we have to make sure our schools—and the people inside them—have a future here.
This Is Bigger Than a Building
Sometimes we get so caught up in the numbers, the buildings, the taxes, and the details that we forget what this is really about.
Our kids.
It’s the little girl walking into kindergarten for the first time, not knowing yet how much her school will shape her life.
It’s the friendships made in these hallways. The teachers who believe in our kids. The Friday night lights. The concerts. The ball games. The traditions. The memories that become part of who we are.
It’s the grandparents who watched their children graduate from these schools and now get to watch their grandchildren make their own memories here.
It’s the families who choose to live in North Lyon County because they believe in this community.
A school district is more than a building. It is part of the heartbeat of a community.
The decision facing USD 251 is bigger than two questions on a ballot. It is a decision about what we want the future of North Lyon County to look like.
We may not all agree on everything. But we can agree on this:
Our children deserve a strong school district. Our community deserves a future. And both are worth investing in.
On November 3, vote YES on the USD 251 bond.
For our kids.
For our schools.
For our community.
For the future of North Lyon County.
Alumni Spotlight: Jamie Houck
Jamie Houck attended USD 251 from kindergarten in Americus through her graduation from Northern Heights High School in 1997.
When Jamie looks back on her time as a student, what stands out most is the close-knit atmosphere. Teachers knew their students personally, cared about their success, and created a strong sense of belonging that helped shape the person she is today.
USD 251 taught Jamie the values of hard work, accountability, and service to others. Those same values continue to guide her today in her career in healthcare leadership.
Her connection to USD 251 never ended with graduation.
“This community has always felt like home.”
Even when her family lived out of state, Jamie stayed connected because she cares deeply about the students and future of USD 251. Returning to Lyon County only strengthened that connection.
As both an alum and a parent, Jamie believes in investing in the future of USD 251:“Strong schools require both exceptional people and quality facilities, and this bond will help ensure future generations have access to both.”
Jamie believes strong schools benefit the entire North Lyon County community—not just families with children.
“When our schools thrive, our entire community thrives.”
Her hope is that future generations continue to experience the strong values, caring culture, and opportunities that made USD 251 such an important part of her life.
Once a Wildcat, always a Wildcat.
A Building With a Story: Remembering Its Place in Our Community
Old buildings can breathe new purpose into a community.
When Stacy, Jared, Carey and Shelly purchased the old Admire school building in 2026, they didn’t just see an aging building. They saw an opportunity to give a piece of the community’s history a second life.
The building has already had several lives. It once served as a school for the community and later housed city offices. Today, parts of the old school have been transformed into spaces for gathering, celebrating, creating and supporting local businesses.
The country store is open each morning, offering juice and donuts for kids at the nearby bus stop, along with products from people in the surrounding area. Local honey is sold in 15 different infused flavors. There are prom and homecoming dress rentals, consignment opportunities, and a massage business located in what was once the counseling office. There’s even a bar located in what was once a kindergarten classroom.
The original gym now hosts birthday parties, family events and other gatherings. The original kitchen has been licensed for food service and can be rented by community members who need a commercial kitchen. The building has already hosted weddings, class reunions, benefits, coffee mornings, teen nights, karaoke, live music and other community events.
And they aren’t done yet. Future plans include do-it-yourself classes, paint-and-sip events, quilting, volleyball, a haunted house and other community activities.
But for the owners, giving the old Admire school a second life is about more than finding new uses for old rooms. It’s about preserving the history of the building and keeping the community connected to it.
The connection to Admire Grade School is personal. Justin, Jared and Stacy all attended school in this very building, just as their father and grandfather did before them. Their family’s connection to the community goes back even further. Their great-great-grandfather, Joseph Ogleby, homesteaded in the area and donated land that helped establish the town of Admire.
The North Lyon County Museum is also located within the building, giving the family another opportunity to preserve and share the history they care so deeply about. They hope the building can become a place where future generations can learn about Admire—not just by reading about its history, but by walking through the very building where so much of that history took place. They would love to see school field trips come through the doors someday, giving students the chance to experience the building, learn about the community and understand why this place means so much to the families who have called Admire home.
Today, kids run through the same hallways where generations of students once walked. Stacy still finds herself telling her kids, “Don’t run in the hallway!” And her kids are quick to remind her, “Mom, it’s not a real school!”
Maybe that’s the perfect example of how much this building has changed.
The building changed. The purpose changed. But the community found a way to keep the building alive.
Sometimes giving a building a second life doesn’t mean forgetting what it was. It means finding a new way to carry its history forward.
A huge thank you to Ogle-Bee Country Store and Flint Hills Event Center for their hospitality!!
A Little History: How Northern Heights Began
Northern Heights began because four Northern Lyon County communities—Bushong, Miller, Allen, and Admire—were facing declining enrollment in the 1950s and made the decision to consolidate.
Two locations were considered for the new school. The voters ultimately selected the site where Northern Heights stands today.
The transition began before the new building was completed. Bushong students moved to Allen, while Miller students moved to Admire. During this time, students also helped create the identity of their new school.
In 1956, students gathered at Admire to choose the school’s name, colors, and mascot. “Northern Heights” narrowly defeated “BAMA” by only two or three votes. Black and White narrowly won over Purple and White, and the Wildcat was selected as the mascot.
The new school opened in 1957, bringing students together and expanding opportunities with courses including chemistry, physics, second-year algebra, and welding.
Dr. Duane R. Boline, Northern Heights Class of 1958, was one of those students. He later wrote:
“I will be forever grateful to the people that made the decision to provide this facility for the students for the district.”
Those words are a powerful reminder that Northern Heights was built through the decisions of people who came together during a time of change and created something that would serve students for generations.
Written by Dr. Duane R. Boline, Ph.D., Northern Heights Class of 1958.