Karen McKnight is a go-getter.
As activities director and assistant principal for Nixa High School, she is one of only a handful of athletic administrators in southwest Missouri to voluntarily complete the Certified Athletic Administrator program through the National Interscholastic Athletic Administrators Association, demonstrating the highest level of knowledge and expertise in the field of interscholastic athletic administration.
On Feb. 1, the Christian County school district named her assistant director of special services beginning with the 2013–14 school year, reprising a passion McKnight found early in her career as a special education instructor at Nixa for five years.
Taking an active role in student achievement, both on and off the field, during her seven years as activities director, McKnight led the high school through the application process to be recognized by the Missouri State High School Activities Association as a Five-Star Leadership School. In its inaugural year, Nixa High was one of only 25 schools in the state recognized and one of only 16 schools to repeat the honor in 2012.
Managing a $1 million activities and athletic budget, supervising more than 70 coaches, 21 athletic programs and 1,100 students athletes, McKnight says making sure her students know the value of giving back is important.
“Our activities program has participated in events such as Dig for a Cure volleyball, raising money for breast cancer awareness, Coaches vs. Cancer basketball games and the annual Can the Tigers food drive during the Backyard Brawl football rivalry against Ozark, bringing in 42,000 pounds of food last year,” she says. “The list goes on and on.”
McKnight also initiated the Athletic Leadership Council with junior and senior athletes at the school, promoting the value of participation, sportsmanship, team play and personal excellence in the community.
McKnight leads high school students in working with the Champions Committed to Kids program for the past two years, matching children with chronic disabilities or illness with high school athletic teams for an unforgettable experience.
Outside the walls of Nixa High School, McKnight is still in the classroom.
As an adjunct professor for Southwest Baptist University in Bolivar, she taught courses on diversity in athletics for the master’s degree program.
A recipient of the Christian County Optimist Club’s Friend of Youth award in 2009, McKnight also serves on the advisory board for the Nixa Youth Sports Program.
McKnight is a board member with the Nixa Area Chamber of Commerce and served as the Southwest District Awards chairperson for Missouri Interscholastic Athletic Administrators Association.
“(Karen) has given more of her valuable time and resources than anyone I know,” says Nixa Superintendent of Schools Stephen Kleinsmith. “I believe from her giving spirit, she is a resident we can all be proud of, because she has ‘walked the talk.’”
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