ELLY GRIMM
• Leader & Times
There are a lot of events and activities that happen around Liberal High School, and Activities Director Kerri Miles is a fixture at all of them.
Before becoming the activities director, however, Miles said his path took a couple slight detours.
“I got started in education after I graduated from Kansas State University in 2013 and started teaching that spring of 2014,” Miles said. “I taught 6th grade for about five years and then I made the transition to working at Liberal High School, where I taught PE for a year and was also an academic advisor and assistant activities director. This year marks my fourth year as the head activities director at LHS, and I'm enjoying every minute of it. Being from Liberal and having been born and raised here, it's a big thing for me to help the LHS athletic programs. I was involved in athletics when I was in high school myself, and it was a big influence on me in terms of helping me stay out of trouble and helping keep my grades up. I love being around the students and being around the programs like this, and it's something I definitely want to continue doing.”
Originally, Miles said, his career interests did not involve the educational field.
“When I went to Kansas State University, I wasn't sure at first what I wanted to do, but after a semester or so, there were a couple education courses I took, which I really enjoyed,” Miles said. “After working with those people and continuing those classes, I ultimately found out it was something I enjoyed, so I went for it. When I started teaching in Liberal in 2014, I enjoyed being in the classroom and being able to teach the students and being a role model for everyone who came through my classroom.”
Ultimately, that led Miles to becoming the activities director.
“Sports has always been important to me, and I think that kind of competition and involvement is important for children of all ages, whether you're at the elementary school or high school level. It teaches you how to work with other people and in a team setting and learn different styles of working and coaching,” Miles said. “When I got the chance to become the head activities director, I took that opportunity very happily. Since I've taken the job, we've added some new programs and activities, and the students have more opportunities to participate in school. I really enjoy being part of the community and having that opportunity to reach every student who's involved in activities, whether it's watching a school play or band concert or football game, is an amazing part of the job.”
And every day brings its own excitement, Miles said.
“I don't know if I really have a 'typical' day, per se, because every day is different depending on what's going on and what comes across my desk, whether it's a parent/student issue or scheduling issue, or maybe we're setting up for a big event that'll be happening that day. It all depends on the day and the time of the year, so no two days are alike for my position,” Miles said. “But that's something I really enjoy because there's some of that excitement of the unknown. This job is definitely a 24/7 position, and it's something you really have to enjoy doing in terms of being around sports and the coaches and athletes and everyone else involved.”
During his time as activities director, Miles said there have been some great new programs implemented, and he wants to see that continue to grow.
“Since I've been in this job, one of the main programs I've enjoyed seeing grow is our Unified Sports, that's been a huge thing we've taken on, and it's seen a lot of success, and eSports has also been big for LHS,” Miles said. “The girls' wrestling program was added my first year as head AD, and that's exploded like crazy, including a State champ, which we hope to repeat this time around. It's been great adding those additional programs and activities, and we're always on the lookout for others to add, so if there's something KSHSAA is willing to add to its list, or if there's something our students come up with, we want to offer that opportunity for LHS. There have been a few programs we've been talking about at the state level I think could be coming soon, but that's all just in discussion at the moment. One of those programs is girls' flag football, and there's also a possibility for boys' volleyball. I can't 100 percent say if or when those programs could be on the horizon for LHS, but they are being talked about. We're also working on making eSports a KSHSAA sport, which I think is really important because if that happens, more students will want to get involved and compete. I'm excited about everything. Every year is different because I get to know different groups of athletes and students, and as the years go on, we see many more students go on to that next level and become successful. I especially enjoy seeing the new freshmen come in because they're all open to learning and it's great seeing them grow in their skills and confidence as they go through school. I just enjoy working with everyone, and I'm excited to continue that work.”
Given his own experiences, miles said participating in school activities is very beneficial to students, and he always encourages that participation.
“I always tell students, just be willing to try something different and be open. We have a lot of activities available for students, and I can guarantee we have at least one you'll enjoy, whether it's with the drama department or one of the athletic programs,” Miles said. “And with the athletic programs, you don't necessarily have to be playing on the team, you can be a manager or some other similar role. Being part of a program allows the students to meet new people, make new friends and learn from everyone. If a student's willing to put themselves out there and be open, LHS has those opportunities. The students get to have that extra mentoring and those other role models watching over them and helping them, and they also get to make new friends and meet other people they otherwise might not have. It's all about being open to succeeding and failing and learning lessons from all of that, which is just good for life anyway.”
For the moment, Miles’ focus is on the school’s spring sports season.
“Spring is the busiest season for me, so I'm looking forward to being outside more and seeing all of those activities,” Miles said. “The winter activities are all indoors, and the weather's too cold outside to really be enjoyed, so I'm excited to be back outside. We'll have baseball, softball, track, tennis, golf and girls' soccer, among many others, all of which I enjoy keeping up with. We also typically have a lot more students involved in the spring activities, so I'm looking forward to seeing us finishing out the year strong. All of that is very quickly getting under way, and I hope to continue seeing these students get involved. LHS has such a great tradition of athletics, and I hope to help continue leading those traditions.”
