Kevin Malcom Brackney

Kevin Malcom Brackney was born on April 5, 1960 in St. Petersburg, Florida, to Ken and Dolly Brackney, now of Mesa, Arizona. He passed away unexpectedly on February 9, 2016. Kevin is survived by his sister, Kenna Brackney, his wife Terri Brackney, his daughters Nichole (Jason) Sellers, Lauren (Lance) Baird, Erin (William) Cobb, Sara (John) Jakoubek, his son Daniel Brackney, and 10 grandchildren. Kevin cherished each member of this family as the greatest joy of his life. He constantly spoke of them and worked hard to provide for them. He and Terri were married for almost 31 years.Kevin started his career in housing construction, running a framing business with his dad. When he found himself repeatedly teaching math to his employees so they could measure and cut correctly, he realized he had a talent for teaching, and seeing the need, obtained his Bachelor of Science in Mathematics from Ottawa University and later a Masters’ Degree from Northern Arizona University. He started his educational career at Blue Ridge School District, where he taught high school math for 5 years and then served as the junior high school principal for 2½ years. He moved his family to New York to become a high school principal, but after 2½ years there, missing Arizona, he returned to become Principal of Show Low High School for one year and then Superintendent for the next twelve years. When he passed away, he had just recently advanced to Superintendent of the Lexington Life Academy Schools in Mesa, dedicated to serving autistic and other special needs students. This was another way of caring for his family, as he had an autistic grandson and knew that his work there would be of benefit to him as well as many other precious children.Kevin often referred to Show Low School District as The Crown Jewel of the White Mountains. He was an innovative and energetic leader. Everything he did was directed at helping kids grow. He oversaw the development of Show Low’s first written curriculum, aligned to state standards and testing, which empowered teachers and raised student achievement levels significantly. He implemented the Fast ForWord program for struggling readers, a computerized program which retrained the brain and allowed exciting gains for many. From his own childhood educational experiences, he knew that student engagement with learning made all the difference in the world. His search for ways to improve engagement lead him to Capturing Kids Hearts, which taught instructional personnel ways to connect with students and use positive relationships to motivate learning. In addition, Kevin recognized the great value extra-curricular programs played in fostering student growth. He was an avid supporter of the music program, refusing to make cuts to it when other districts did. He worked with the City of Show Low to increase the number and condition of ball fields for athletic activities so that winning on the field and on the courts could translate to winning in school and in life. He even volunteered time as an assistant coach. As state funding for education steadily decreased, he created the Show Low Academy, a program for gifted and accelerated students in grades K-6, which attracted additional students and funding to the district. He pushed for the revival of the Advanced Placement Program for students in grades 6-12, allowing them to earn college credits while still in high school. He also came to recognize that a quality staff was the essence of quality schools and worked hard to retain and attract effective teachers and support staff. Kevin also fought for the School Resource Officer program, where policemen on assignment work directly, daily in the schools, minimizing the problems of violence and illegal drug activity that some schools face. Because of his relentless efforts, Show Low was the only White Mountain district to receive and keep the grant that funded this program. Kevin Brackney’s contribution to the Show Low School District and community of Show Low will continue throughout the rest of their existence.Kevin loved to be in the outdoors. He loved hunting and fishing, walking in the woods, cutting and splitting wood and gardening. He loved doing anything with his family. He was a convert to the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and served a mission in Louisiana. His favorite callings were in the Young Men’s program and Scouts. Kevin Brackney’s life may be summed up in one word. He was a builder. A builder of homes, a builder of a beloved family, a builder of young people, a builder of schools, a builder of communities. Without a doubt, he will be missed.A viewing will be held from 5:00-8:00 P.M. Friday, February 19, 2016 at the Show Low Stake Center of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, 1401 West Deuce of Clubs, Show Low. Funeral services will be held 1:00 P.M. Saturday, February 20, 2016 at the Stake Center with an additional viewing 1 hour prior to the services.