Thursday 28th August 2025

November Pack the Backpack Winner: Zac Ceresa

Pack the Backpack, presented by Central Office Supply, a division of Minuteman and Kix 101.1! Each month during the school year, we will be awarding $101 to a Kix Country classroom to help out with supplies. We will award the prize on the last Wednesday of the month. You can listen to each new winner at 8:30a on the Morning Kix Start.

Our November winner is Mr. Zac Ceresa, 5th Grade Social Studies Teacher at Grinnell Middle School. He was nominated by his co-woker, Brenna Vogel. Here is what Brenna wrote to Kix 101.1.:

I would like to nominate Zac Ceresa for the Pack the Backpack award. He is a first year teacher at Grinnell Middle School teaching 5th grade Social Studies. He has so much enthusiasm for his subject AND for his students! I can hear him teaching because we share a wall and there is so much engagement from the kids because there is so much energy coming from Zac. He addresses them by name in the halls, remembers their birthdays with a note on their locker, and even spontaneously bursts into song! Knowing he is nearby brings a smile to our faces.

Thank you,

Brenna Vogel

Take a listen to our surprise interview with Mr. Ceresa below!

Nominate your Kix Country class by submitting a letter to us at backpack@kixweb.com.

 

More Episodes

the-list-2025
Jonathan Knight

The List for Thursday, August 28th 2025

Welcome to The List,

"Apparently Tom Cruise has a new mission hating Pedro Pascal. Word is, Tom’s in his 60s but still refuses to pass the Hollywood torch. He patched things up with Brad Pitt, but now Pedro bugs him because he does TV and movies. Tom’s like, real stars only pack theaters.’ Meanwhile, Pedro’s out here running the galaxy and HBO. Someone get Tom a juice box."

-----

"Morgan Wallen tells Men’s Journal his escape from fame is hunting with his buddies. He says being in the middle of nowhere helps him chill out and de-stress. Which is fair, because nothing says peace and quiet like blasting ducks out of the sky with your best friends. That’s country therapy…

-----

"A new poll says 72% of us don’t care that Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce are engaged. And yet over a million shares of their engagement post set an Instagram record. So yeah, we don’t care… we just care enough to make it the most talked-about thing on the planet.

-----

"Bill Belichick is 73 and dating a 24-year-old. And now, his girlfriend just filed to trademark the phrase ‘Gold Digger’ for jewelry and keychains. That’s a 49-year age gap, folks. At this point, their anniversary gifts are probably Metamucil and a TikTok ring light."

You can catch The List, weekday afternoons at 4:20 with Jonathan Knight. Only on Iowa’s BEST Country KIX 101.1

 
Listen Now »
the-list-2025
Jonathan Knight

The List for Wednesday, August 27th 2025

Welcome to The List,

Tom Holland says playing James Bond is every British actor’s dream. He told People magazine he already feels like the luckiest kid alive. Honestly, Tom, you’re Spider-Man 007 feels like a downgrade. Do you really want to trade web-slinging for shaken martinis and car insurance commercials?

-----

The NY Post says Kelly Osbourne went off on WWE star Becky Lynch for trashing her dad, Ozzy, during Monday Night Raw. Becky joked the only good thing from Birmingham died a month ago. Kelly clapped back, calling her a disrespectful dirtbag. Somewhere, Ozzy’s like: “Wait… I’m what?!”

-----

A 2016 Morgan Wallen interview is resurfacing where he named his dream lineup: himself headlining, plus Eric Church, Chris Cornell, Drake, and Tim McGraw. That’s not a concert that’s a Spotify shuffle. Imagine Drake and Tim McGraw on the same stage. Talk about a confused audience.

-----

Carly Pearce just admitted on Bunnie XO’s podcast that her real name is Carly Cristyne Slusser. She said Slusser was “a horrible name for a country singer.” Yeah, no kidding. Slusser. Sounds more like a farm equipment brand than a chart-topper.

You can catch The List, weekday afternoons at 4:20 with Jonathan Knight. Only on Iowa’s BEST Country KIX 101.1

 
Listen Now »