Maureen Davis, who taught at Shawnee Mission North for three decades before retiring in 2015, will be inducted into the Kansas Teachers’ Hall of Fame this summer.
Davis is one of seven Kansas educators selected for the hall’s 42nd class, which will be inducted at a ceremony in Dodge City June 2.
The hall of fame has a selection committee that review nominations from 12 districts throughout the state. They judge nominees based on a variety of factors, focusing on evidence of outstanding teaching practice, positive interactions with students, involvement with the community and a “philosophy of education that is a positive example to others.”
Davis started her career at Lillis High School in Kansas City, Mo., in 1974, but came to Shawnee Mission as an instructor at SM West in 1978. She moved to SM North in 1985 and stayed there until her retirement from full time teaching in 2015, when she took the district’s early buyout offer. She is now a part time theatre teacher at Blue Valley High School.
Well known for her leadership of the school’s drama and theatre programs, Davis directed more than 140 plays and nearly 40 musicals during her time at north.
In 2015, she was inducted into the Kansas Thespian Hall of Fame.
Davis is not the only SM North instructor to earn the Kansas Teachers’ Hall of Fame honor. Frank Robertson was inducted in 2002 after a three-decade-plus career in education. Carolyn Jeter was inducted in 1995 after 34 years as a teacher.
