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5-3-18 — Early May 2018 Awards
May 3, 2018
Animal Health Academy Students Earn Invitations to Agriculture Camps
Five students from the Animal Health Academy located at Olathe North High School have been selected to the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service AgDiscovery Program. The national program hosts 22 camps across the country and only accepts 16 students per camp.
Abby Basile will attend an animal science and health camp located at Fort Valley State University.
Brooklyn Reynoso and Brynnan Pounds will attend a combination camp, which incorporates animal, plant and agribusiness disciplines, located at Iowa State University.
Julia Pearce and Irina Honc will attend an animal science and health camp located at Kentucky State University.
“It is a very competitive process to be selected for one of these camps,” Animal Health Academy Facilitator James Estes said. “We are very proud of our students.”
These immersive two-week camps provide discovery of career paths in the agricultural field while learning from university professors, practicing veterinarians, industry representatives and government officials.
Olathe Staff Member’s Work Published
Olathe Public Schools Library Media Coordinator Lori Franklin recently had an article published in Teacher Librarian, The Journal for School Library Professionals. Her article was a long-form selection detailing how staffing has evolved over the years in the Olathe Public Schools library media program.
“I feel so incredibly grateful to work for this district and to support our hard-working, innovative school librarians and the library clerks who work alongside them,” said Franklin.
Olathe Administrator Earns Leadership Award
Brent Yeager, Olathe Public Schools executive director of general administration – elementary programs, recently received the 2018 Iron Horse District Community Leadership Award during the Heart of America Council of Boy Scouts of America Community Leadership Breakfast.
“This award is a recognition of the quality programs put in place in the Olathe Public Schools and further recognition of the importance of our strong partnerships with outside organizations,” said Yeager.
Olathe Student Earns First Place in National Competition
Olathe North High School junior Reem Atallah earned first place in Human Resources Management Series in the Distributive Education Clubs of America (DECA) International Career Development Conference. Atallah received this award in front of a crowd of nearly 20,000 people in the Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta, Georgia.
“Reem has been a remarkable competitor and leader in the Olathe North Chapter of DECA. She is a critical part of a strong Olathe North DECA executive team and she established our first formal competitive event preparation program for its members,” Olathe North DECA Co-Advisors Andy Pollom and Stacie Palmisano said. “She is very poised, hard working, professional and an incredible communicator. We expected her to do very well in her event and it was not a shock to us that she won.”
Ravenwood Elementary Earns State Awards
Ravenwood Elementary has earned two Promising Practice Awards from the Kansas State Department of Education in partnership with character.com.
“Ravenwood's staff definitely deserves these awards for their full implementation of Positive Behavior Intervention Supports and relationship building with students,” Ravenwood Principal Christi Gottschalk said.
The awards were given for the Tiger Families program and the Positive P.A.W.S. and Tiger Blue for Success program. Each program targets specific relationship-building attributes and promotes a safe, engaging learning environment.
The Kansas Schools of Character Award program recipients are schools and/or districts that have worked to enhance social, emotional and character development and have demonstrated education principles that include creating a caring school community, engaging families and community members as partners in character-building efforts, fostering self-motivation and implementing meangingful and challenging academic curriculum that respects all learners, develops character and helps students succeed.
Two Olathe Elementaries Earn State Honors
Two Olathe elementary schools have received honors from the Kansas State Department of Education (KSDE). Fairview Elementary received the KSDE Challenge Award in third-grade reading and math. Central Elementary received the KSDE Challenge Award for Academic Achievement in fourth-grade math.
KSDE Challenge Awards recognize Kansas schools that are making a notable difference in student achievement despite facing significant challenges in the school population.
“We are very proud of the students and staff at both Fairview Elementary and Central Elementary,” Olathe Public Schools Executive Director of General Administration – Elementary Programs Brent Yeager said. “Both schools provide excellent learning opportunities for their students and these recognitions confirm the work they are doing is making a difference for learners.”
Olathe Students Earn Scholarships for Talents
At the Olathe's Got Talent showcase, nine Olathe students received more than $8,700 in scholarships and prizes for their vocal and musical talents.
Santa Fe Trail Middle School eighth-grader Luis Gomez Campos received the Show Stopper award which garnered a $1,500 prize.
Audience "Fan Favorite" Award went to Briarwood Elementary fifth-grader Colin Kaberline. He received $250.
Brett Taylor, Olathe Northwest High School junior, received the Heise-Meyer Visual Arts $1,000 scholarship.
Elizabeth Booze, Olathe Northwest High School sophomore, received a $1,000 scholarship from the Olathe Noon Optimist Club.
Renaissance Infrastructure Consulting sponsored a $1,000 scholarship that was awarded to Leah Sewester, Olathe Northwest High School junior.
Walmart West sponsored a $1,000 scholarship that was awarded to Olathe Northwest High School senior Veronica Palii.
Alana Schmalzried-Lugo, California Trail Middle School seventh-grader, received a $1,000 scholarship from Olathe Health.
Emma Whitney, Olathe Northwest High School freshman, received a $1,000 scholarship from Enterprise Bank & Trust.
Madison Hadl, Olathe North High School senior, received a $1,000 scholarship from Johnson County Community College.
Ten Olathe Students Qualify for National Competition
At the SkillsUSA Kansas State Championships, 10 students received first place and have qualified for the national competition which will be held June 25-29 in Louisville, Kentucky.
The Opening and Closing Ceremony (OCC) Team received first place. Students on the team are Grace Muller, Ashton Albright, Brandon York, Ryan Reidmiller, Dorian Coleman, Jada Carpenter and Jamie Edwards.
The Chapter Display Team received first place. Students on the team are Kimma Edwards, Alexis Ortiz and Luke Robinson.
“I am so proud of the work and dedication that was put forth by our students in preparation for the SkillsUSA Kansas State Championships,” Olathe Advanced Technical Center Administrator Amy Stolz said. “Our students spent hours preparing for each of their competitions and their hard work paid off. They all represented Olathe extremely well.”