- Olathe Public Schools
- OPS My Future
OPS My Future
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#OPSMyFuture is a series featuring Olathe middle and high school students who are using what they have learned in our schools to make a positive impact on their future.
Our mission is to prepare every student for their future through our focus on the Portrait of a Graduate. The “Portrait of a Graduate” encapsulates what we want our students to know and be able to do before they leave our school district including Critical Thinking and Problem Solving, Creativity and Innovation, Initiative and Self Direction, Resilience and Social and Emotional Wellbeing, Communication, and Social and Cross-Cultural.
Check out the most recent #OPSMyFuture stories here. Want to nominate a student to be featured? Email your recommendation to communications@olatheschools.org.
Learned Skills in the Workplace
Meet Some of Our Amazing High School Students
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Olathe West Named 2021 Kansas Green School of Year
Solar panels, laser engraving machines, air tightness testing simulator, solder iron, farm bots, and 3D printers are not typically found in a classroom. But the Green Tech Academy is not your typical classroom.
Olathe West High School junior Peyton Phillips has always had a passion for improving the environment and a desire to be an engineer. She was surprised to learn that those two could go hand-in-hand.
“Green Tech Academy students explained to me that they got to learn about the engineering field along with the environment to learn how to build a career and support your community with this education,” Phillips said.
She has been able to do just that. Throughout her years in Green Tech, she has been able to get involved with the community through career events and partnerships with other companies and universities.“I have had the opportunity to visit the Capitol in Topeka for WEALTH (Water, Energy, Air, Land, Transportation, and Health) Day to speak to state representatives about what I would like to see for a greener Kansas,” Phillips explained. “I appreciate that Green Tech has helped me gain my voice in the environmental world and be able to share it often.”
Although the Green Tech curriculum is designed to teach about all aspects of the environment, Phillips believes that she has learned valuable life and technical skills for her future.
“I have been able to gain strength in public speaking and learn different hands-on skills, such as welding and 3D printing and design, which most students don't get the chance to learn about in a normal classroom,” Phillips said. “Thanks to the academy, I know how to speak to those educationally and factually above me while managing to maintain their trust and my creditability as a high school student.”
With their efforts, Olathe West was named the 2021 Green School of the Year Award by the Kansas Association for Conservation and Environmental Education. A Green School is a healthy, environmentally friendly space to work, learn, and play, which incorporates quality, non-biased environmental education across the curriculum, using the facility and grounds themselves as opportunities for educational experiences.
Phillips and the rest of the class held up their plaque proudly, grateful to be named the 2021 Green School of the Year, with the goal to inspire all schools to do their part and become greener for the better.
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BioMedical Engineering Students Conduct EEG Research
Tej Maheshwari, Olathe South senior, was interested in the brain from both his BioMedical Engineering Academy and Advanced Placement Psychology class. Partnering with fellow senior Maggie Ridgway, they decided to study the brain’s ability to focus.
The duo secured an electroencephalogram (EEG) device, which detects electrical activity in the brain. To operate the device, Maheshwari and Ridgway learned how to code, read the data, and figure out how to conduct experiments using a baseline that will lead them to their final research project next semester. Typically, these types of projects, devices, and research would be done in a college setting.
“I believe that it is important for students to try out a career pathway in high school because it allows you to test out career fields that you think you may like without the stress of paying for classes,” Ridgway said. “They may discover a career or career field that they want to pursue before setting foot on a college campus.”Maheshwari networked at the BioMedical Engineering advisory council meeting where a community professional connected the pair with a graduate student who is currently utilizing similar EEG devices in their research. Maheshwari and Ridgway are now meeting with him regularly in hopes of gleaning knowledge from a mentor on EEGs and other research techniques.
“Very few students my age can say they have hands-on experience working with EEG technology. I hope the skills I gain in coding, data analysis, and project management along with the knowledge I gain in engineering and medical science can all advance me,” Maheshwari said. “Knowing I’m about to graduate high school and move on to college, I am excited to use everything I learn from this project to achieve future success.”
Everything we do in Olathe Public Schools is to prepare our students for their future – wherever that may lead them as they leave our halls and enter the workforce, technical school, or college. Maheshwari and Ridgway are looking forward armed with the knowledge they have learned, with the hopes that their #OPSMyFuture is bright.
(Left photo: Senior Maggie Ridgway wears the EEG device and reflects on the raw data coming from her brainwaves. Right photo: Senior Tej Maheshwari poses for the camera while coding the EEG device to provide the results he wants to record.)
