Congratulations to
Bob Clark, awarded in 2009 the KASP Lifetime Achievement Award.
What follows is a partial transcript of the award announcement as given by Bob's colleague Early Hoyt, himself a former KASP President and long-serving board member:
Bob has defended and challenged the Topeka School Psychologists to be leaders in the field. He strove to make our home base a pleasant place of renewal and encouragement since he believed that we weren’t going to find much understanding in the ‘field.” He dedicated the first 45 minuets of department meetings to a time when we could share anything in our professional or personal lives that caused us to feel at home and to bond with our colleagues. The School Psychology department in Topeka has been perhaps the happiest and best run department in the district for many years.
Bob graduated from the College of Emporia in 1970 with a Bachlor’s degree in Psychology. In 1975 Bob was awarded an Ed.S. degree in School Psychology from KU. Bob worked as a school psychologist from 1976 to 1979 in the Topeka Public school. In 1979 Bob was made the School Psychology Department Coordinator for Topeka Public schools; a job which he held until his retirement in 2009.
...Bob may have been one of the first, if not the first recipient of the School Psychologist of the Year awards in 1986. Prior to that Bob had served as KASP president in 1979. During the 1990’s I remember Bob saying that he felt like running for president again, which he did in 1997, as if he didn’t already have enough other stuff going on. I always remember Bob talking about the enjoyment that he had in being involved with KASP. He saw it as a place where we could celebrate School Psychology purely without the encumbrances of job requirements and politics. Bob also served a number of terms as treasurer and manager of the WEB. Bob was also involved with NASP in that he served as Kansas State delegate for two terms, co-chaired computer and technology applications in school psychology interest group, and served on the convention site-selection committee.
The first significantly big project with which I worked with Bob was in regard to development of a crisis intervention strategy for the Topeka Schools. Bob patiently and successfully lobbied the administration on the need to develop plans and procedures for responding to deaths that occurred within schools, homicides and suicides. ...The concept of the crisis team grew to finally an eight member supervisory team that covered just about everything from nursing, to operations, to dealing with the media. Bob served as the Mental Health Services Representative on that team.
In addition to supervising 22 psychologists, Bob developed and managed a computerized accountability program for our department that he has shared with other districts. Bob developed, implemented and coordinated a web-enabled IEP system. Bob coordinated Mandt training for employees. ...And during all this time served as the principal, or rather person in charge at the Holland Education Center with 135 support staff.
Bob served as a team member on over thirty KSDE compliance-monitoring visitations across the state, and ...received and managed a three year $400,000+ grant through Safe and Caring Schools to prevent school violence. Served on KSD Task Forces for Learning Disabilities, Interrelated, Gifted, and Test Selection. Served on the Kansas Suicide Prevention Steering Committee... Appointed by the Kansas Commissioner of Education to a three-year term on the Comprehensive System of Personnel Development State Committee (twice).
In his “free” time Bob served on the adjunct faculty of Pittsburg state University from 1997 to 2002 by teaching a required course on Legal Issues in Special Education. He was appointed by the Mayor of Topeka to serve on Shawnee County’s youth suicide prevention task force. Bob was a volunteer phone responder for Topeka’s Suicide Hotline. Bob volunteered as a respite caregiver for the Topeka Hospice.
Bob volunteered as a camp counselor for Hospice summer program for families. He served as an educational advocate and was the Topeka area trainer for advocates through SRS and Families Together.
Sincerest congratulations, Bob!
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Our mission:
KASP exists
to advocate for the psychological and educational well-being of Kansas
Children, while serving the needs of the membership and promoting
school psychology as a profession. |
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We Are a
NASP-Approved CPD Provider.
 School
psychologists who hold the NCSP have long been required to engage in
activities designed to maintain, expand, and extend their professional
training and skills. Beginning with renewals in January 2010, NCSP's
must obtain one-third of their documented professional development from
a NASP-Approved provider. We're happy to report that this fall, KASP
became one of the first professional organizations to receive from NASP
the "Approved Provider" status. This means that for most professional
development opportunities we offer or help sponsor, NCSP's may use this
documented experience to meet the CPD requirement. We'll provide the
suitable documentation at these events. |
NASP Affiliate
We are an affiliate (and one of the founders!) of the National
Association of School Psychologists.
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