We are proud of Shawnee Mission School District students and staff!
We are ALL IN in the SMSD to support student success and the list of accomplishments continues to grow in the 2024-2025 school year. Here are a few recent highlights:
Junior Science and Humanities Symposium National Qualifiers This year, three Shawnee Mission Biotechnology Signature Program students qualified to attend the National Junior Science and Humanities Symposium. They are now preparing to attend the national symposium in Washington, D.C. this April. Qualifying students include Elizabeth Barnes, Shawnee Mission West junior, who earned second place and a $1,500 scholarship, Cooper Grotzinger, Shawnee Mission South senior, who earned third place and a $1,000 scholarship, and Sahira Bhakta, Shawnee Mission Northwest senior, who earned fourth place. Their sponsors are Dr. Kenneth Lee and Zulma Perez-Estrella, Biotechnology instructors.
Social Worker Honor The Kansas School Social Worker of the Year Award was presented to Anne Langdon, who serves Arrowhead in the Shawnee Mission School District. This award, presented by the Kansas School Social Worker Association (KSSWA) is given in recognition of Langdon’s dedication, compassion, and unwavering commitment to supporting students, families, and the school social work community.
Horizons Winner First-grade teacher, Ryleigh Diskin, from Ray Marsh Elementary School is a 2025 Horizon Award Winner. The Horizon Award recognizes outstanding first-year teachers in the state of Kansas.
Lighthouse Honor Roll Merriam Park Elementary School was recognized as a Leader in Me Lighthouse Academic Honor Roll school. The honor was presented to celebrate exemplary academic growth as measured by state standards.
STEM Champion Shawnee Mission West junior and Biotechnology Signature Program student Elizabeth Barnes has been selected as a National STEM Champion, representing the state of Kansas. She earned the opportunity to advance to present her research on microplastics in Washington D.C. this spring.
Battle of the Books Students from all five Shawnee Mission middle schools put their reading knowledge to the test in a district-wide competition. The students had been busy reading books from a reading list so they could answer trivia questions about the subject matter. It was a tight competition this year but Hocker Grove Middle School took home the championship trophy.
Film Award A team of four students involved in Shawnee Mission South High School’s radio and broadcasting program won the Kansas 24-hour film festival. The rules of the festival required the students to write, film, edit and produce a three-minute film in just 24 hours based only on the prompt, “the worst thing to happen is getting exactly what you want.” They also had to include specific elements such as a screen door slamming, a worm’s-eye-view shot, and props like a water bottle and leaves on the ground. This group represents the first team from Shawnee Mission South to win this competition.
Kansas Thespian Festival Shawnee Mission South students shared their production of the musical “Six” at the Kansas Thespian Festival. The performers earned the opportunity as their fall production was adjudicated for both state and national theatre festivals. Only two other schools were invited to perform a main-stage production in the 4,000 seat Century II theater during the festival. Director of Theater Mark Swezey shared it had been about 20 years since South took a performance to state.
Spelling Bee Champion Briarwood Elementary School sixth grader Jiya Bhavsar is the 2025 Johnson County Spelling Bee Champion. Her winning word was acetaminophen. She competed against 76 of the top spellers across Johnson County to claim the title. Bhavsar now advances to the state competition, where competitors have a chance to earn a spot in the Scripp’s National Spelling Bee.
The achievements highlighted here are just a snapshot of the incredible work happening across the Shawnee Mission School District. Together, our students, staff, and community continue to show how they are ALL IN.
Shawnee Mission School District is the third largest school district in Kansas. The district serves students in Pre-Kindergarten through 12th grade in 34 elementary schools, five middle schools, five high schools, and several educational centers. It has been consistently ranked among the finest school districts nationwide for its high student performance. The district’s objective is that each student will have a personalized learning plan that will prepare them for college and careers, with the interpersonal skills they need for life success. The district serves a diverse student population from 14 cities within northeast Johnson County, Kansas, which is 10 miles from downtown Kansas City, Missouri. For more information, visit www.smsd.org.
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