JUNCTION CITY, Kan. – The Geary County Schools USD 475 Board of Education approved the hiring of Courtney Eichhorn and Alicia Scofield to leadership positions within USD 475 on Monday night.
Eichhorn will take over as Associate Superintendent, while maintaining her current role as Executive Director of Special Education in USD 475, following the retirement of longtime USD 475 employee Deb Gustafson. She brings a wealth of knowledge and experience to her future role as she has spent time as USD 475’s Director of School Improvement and was also the Assistant Director of Special Education from 2019 to 2022. During her tenure, Eichhorn has worked at Junction City High School, Junction City Middle School and the Freshman Success Academy to go along with her time at the district office.
Scofield was named Director of Teaching and Learning on Monday. She will also continue in her current role as the USD 475’s Director of School Improvement this upcoming school year. She has been a staple in the district since 2005 as she has been the Director of Student Services as well being the principal at Ware Elementary from 2019 to 2022. Prior to her time as principal, Scofield was an assistant principal at Ware for four years and has experience as a student services facilitator and Special Education teacher in USD 475.
In addition, the board of education also approved the hirings of Easton Burgardt as head boys’ basketball coach and Madison Gritton as boys and girls golf coach at Junction City High School on Monday Night.
Burgardt, who is currently an 11th grade ELA teacher, has worked with the boys’ basketball program as an assistant coach the last seven years helping lead the Blue Jays to heights never seen before in program history, including a state tournament appearance in 2022-23 as well as the program’s first Centennial League championship during the 2023-24 season. Burgardt, who has also served as the assistant boys’ golf coach during his tenure, graduated from Kansas State University in 2018 and recently completed his master’s degree in educational administration from Emporia State University in 2022.
Gritton, a 2016 Junction City High School graduate, will take over both golf programs at the high school after a successful collegiate career that saw her shine at Fort Hays State University. As a Tiger, Gritton was a four-time MIAA Academic Honor Roll selection and posted a stroke average of 85.4 during her senior year. She is currently a biology teacher at JCHS as well as the NEST Club sponsor. Gritton, who has coached both collegiate and youth level student-athletes during her tenure, not only helped usher in the inaugural season of the girls’ golf program at Junction City High School in 2015 but was also a part of the Blue Jays dance team and National Honors Society. She was a first-team all-state selection her senior year and placed sixth overall at the 2015 Class 6A State Golf Tournament. Gritton graduated from Fort Hays State University in 2020 with a degree in biology and minor in chemistry.