‘I love these’: Shell Knob students gifted new shoes

September 12, 2025

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‘I love these’

Shell Knob students gifted new shoes

Emerson Bishop was ecstatic to slip on her New Balance sneakers.

“I love these,” “I’m never taking these off,” and “These are exactly the ones I wanted!” echoed throughout the halls of Shell Knob School District this past week as the district’s 152 students each received brand-new sneakers.

The sound was music to the ears of Superintendent Dr. Chris Conyac who has dreamed of this for more than a year.

“This has been on my heart for a long time,” Conyac said after handing out boxes of shoes to fourth and fifth grade students Thursday morning.

Fifth grader Emerson Bishop beamed as she slipped on her pale blue New Balance shoes.

“This feels really great,” she said, admiring the shoes. “I love the color and how they fit. It’s just so cool.”

Fourth grader Connor Nichols added that his new shoes were comfortable, fit great and he loved the look.

“This means a lot,” he said with a big smile.

The shoes were made possible by grant funding from Silver Dollar City Foundation. Conyac and her team though went above and beyond ensuring they had sizes just right for every student and gave students dozens of options to choose from.

“We have some kids who have never shopped for their own pair of shoes before,” she said. “It’s been so nice to see the excitement on their faces.”

Conyac said Shoe Carnival in Branson was helpful, even giving her hours of attention as she sorted through boxes to make sure each student would receive the shoes they wanted.

For a lot of the older students, they weren’t just grateful for the gift, but they recognized the shoes were an opportunity to take a burden off their parents.

“Most of our cross-country and basketball kids, they picked out shoes for their sport so their parents wouldn’t have to pay for them,” she explained.

Silver Dollar City Foundation is a 501c(3) private foundation dedicated to helping children and families in Stone and Taney counties. To learn more, visit SilverDollarCityFoundation.com.