Senior Profile: Tyresse Norris

It does not take long to feel the presence of Tyresse Norris in a room. His infectious personality and 6-foot-6-inch frame make him truly larger-than-life. During his time at KHS, Tyresse has left a smile, a laugh or a positive memory with nearly everyone on campus, from his teammates on the football field to the athletic office secretary, Lynn Kavanaugh.

Prior to his junior year, Tyresse was in summer school, where he would hang out with Kavanaugh in the athletic office. With the addition of early morning football practices every Thursday during the season, Tyresse was faced with a tough reality; to make practice on time, he needed to take a cab from the city as early as 5 a.m. Instead, Kavanaugh and Tyresse worked out a plan that Kavanaugh hoped would lessen his load. The Kavanaughs let Tyresse stay the night at their home prior to Thursday morning practices, and even with a family of five at the time, they welcomed Tyresse into their home like one of their own.

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According to Tyresse, Romona Miller, assistant principal, has also been a part of the great support system at KHS, as she has been helping prepare him for college. Like Kavanaugh, Tyresse has left a positive impact on Miller through his great personality.

“Tyresse is one of the most personable, respectful and pleasant young men you could ask for,” Miller said. “If I was a coach, I would love to have Tyresse. He is someone you know is going to give 100 percent and will represent your team or program very well.”

After high school, Tyresse will be attending Missouri Valley College to play football. He plans to study accounting as well as entrepreneurship so he can run his own business and know how to manage his money. He has been involved with the KHS business program and was a member of DECA for the past three years. He hopes to receive the The Pioneer School of Business Scholarship for taking more than six semesters of business classes.

“My sophomore year, I was told by some of the older players on the football team, ‘If a player isn’t focusing up in the classroom or doesn’t have his grades together, [he] won’t have a chance to play in college,’” Tyresse said. “That was a big thing for me. I wanted to get a scholarship and play in college, so I needed to start to really focus in the classroom.”