Good afternoon, Johnson County! We’re bringing you more mid-week positivity in our roundup of happy things happening around our community.
We kicked off the new year with a resolution to ourselves and our readers by answering one question:
How can we share more good news happening in our community?
Twice a month, we’ll be sharing a collection of some of the happy news that came into our inboxes and across our social media feeds.
How to tell us your good news
If you have good news too, we’d like you to share that with us. You can do so in a number of ways. You can:
- Email us at stories@johnsoncountypost.com.
- Send us messages on Facebook or on X (formerly Twitter).
- Or comment at the bottom of this post.
And now, onto our latest roundup of good news!
Spring Hill student-wrestlers excel at state championship
Spring Hill High School’s wrestling team excelled at the Kansas State Wrestling Championships.
Avery Bartek secured a runner-up finish in boys division, while Gage Wingerter placed fourth in the boys heavyweight division. Meanwhile, Ellie Ruffin placed second, and Campbell Mermis captured the state title, making history as the school’s first female state champion.
Olathe educator Andrew Taylor earns top state honor
Last month, Olathe Northwest High School science and engineering teacher Andrew Taylor was named a 2025 Kansas Master Teacher.
Given out by Emporia State University, the honor speaks to Taylor’s achievements as an educator and role model for students, according to a press release from Olathe Public Schools.
“This is a huge accomplishment for a teacher in our state, and we want to congratulate Andrew on this achievement!” said Brent Yeager, Olathe Public Schools superintendent, in the press release. “It is clear he is not only a role model in education for his students and colleagues at Olathe Northwest but in the state of Kansas.”
Below is a copy of the Facebook post announcing Taylor and some of his fellow educators were nominated for the prestigious program.
Taylor teaches in the Engineering Academy at Olathe Northwest, a four-year, STEM-focused program. He also coaches the FIRST Robotics Team 1710, the Ravonics, which regularly excels at the state competition.
“Learning in my classroom always starts with student questions as they observe phenomena such as infectious disease, cancer, and trendy workout regimens,” Taylor said. “As I guided students through questioning strategies, I witnessed their thinking evolve, as they made deeper observations, formulated their own questions, and developed explanations. While not all students will pursue science, the strategies learned and utilized in my classroom help every student engage their curiosity as they seek to understand the world around them.”
BV West swimmer earns Spirit of Sport award
Blue Valley West student-athlete Jack Punswick was recently selected for the NFHS Spirit of Sport Award.
Punswick, a state champion swimmer and Division I recruit, was diagnosed with Stage II Hodgkin Lymphoma just one day after returning from his first official college visit, according to the Blue Valley School District.
“Despite undergoing chemotherapy, Jack has remained a force in the pool—winning his first race back and qualifying for state,” a district spokesperson said. “His perseverance, leadership and commitment to his team have earned him the prestigious 2024 KSHSAA Spirit of Sport Award.
“Jack’s story is one of resilience, heart and the power of sport to uplift even in the most challenging times.”
OP cafe voted one of best places for remote work
Bear Necessities Coffee and Bar in northern Overland Park was recently voted on MarketBeat as one of the best places in the country for remote work.
Located at 9609 W. 87th St., next to Central Resource Library, Bear Necessities opened in summer 2022. Here’s what MarketBeat staff had to say about Bear Necessities:
“Bear Necessities Coffee and Bar in Overland Park, Kansas, is a welcoming café offering a curated menu of coffee, beer, wine, and cocktails. It’s a favorite for beverages crafted with Huckleberry Roasters coffee beans and house-made seasonal syrups, as well as breakfast burritos and pastries from local bakeries. With comfortable seating, reliable Wi-Fi, and a community-focused atmosphere, Bear Necessities is perfect for remote work, casual meetings, or enjoying a quality coffee experience.”
County ranks high on Forbes employers list
Forbes magazine again placed Johnson County on a list of the top midsize employers in America.
The county ranked No. 245 on the national America’s Best Midsize Employers 2025 list published last month.
According to the magazine, the ranking celebrates the top 498 companies in the U.S. that create great places for employees to work and is based on surveys from more than 217,000 workers at companies with between 1,000 and 5,000 employees from across the country.
Shawnee native graduates from Mississippi university
Katherine Constant-Coup of Shawnee was among 1,500 students on the fall 2024 Graduation List at Mississippi State University. Constant-Coup received the Doctor of Philosophy from MSU’s Bagley College of Engineering.
Lenexa native graduates from Mississippi university
Callie Fisher of Lenexa is among the more than 630 students who graduated from the University of Mississippi in December 2024.
Fisher, who majored in Criminal Justice, received a Bachelor of Science in Criminal Justice from the School of Applied Sciences.
JoCo native makes Wesleyan university dean’s list
Logan Kraft of Olathe was named to the Dean’s List for the fall semester of the 2024-25 academic year at Illinois Wesleyan University in Bloomington, Illinois. Kraft is a first-year majoring in Art.
Two Maryland uni students from JoCo graduate
University of Maryland Global Campus in Adelphi graduated nearly 5,900 students worldwide in the fall 2024 term, including these two students from Johnson County:
- Marie Fongoh Indah of Overland Park, Bachelor of Science in Computer Networks and Cybersecurity
- Nicholas Hamblen of Overland Park, Bachelor of Science Summa Cum Laude/President’s List in Social Science
Four JoCo natives make University of Iowa president’s list
More than 1,000 undergraduate students at the University of Iowa were named to the president’s list for the 2024 fall semester, including the following students from Johnson County.
- Cole Abendroth of Lenexa
- Eleanor Fickenscher of Overland Park
- Matthew Lancaster of Leawood
- Campbell Wood of Roeland Park
JoCo natives make University of Iowa dean’s list
More than 8,700 students at the University of Iowa in Iowa City were named to the dean’s list for the 2024 fall semester, including the following students from Johnson County:
- Syl Brundige of Prairie Village
- Kaelin Davies of Shawnee
- Maura De Cicco of Lenexa
- Zoe Greenwood of Shawnee
- Noah Hanov of Overland Park
- Kate Luty of Olathe
- Julia Malley of Overland Park
- Charles Muehlberger of Prairie Village
- Merrin O’connor of Leawood
- Allison Orozco of Leawood
- Nick Ravnsborg of Shawnee
- Keithan Sharp of Olathe
- Kaden Sorenson of Overland Park
- Cole Abendroth of Lenexa
- Eleanor Fickenscher of Overland Park
- Matthew Lancaster of Leawood
- Campbell Wood of Roeland Park
2 JoCo natives earn faculty honors at Georgia Tech
Two Johnson County students earned the distinction of Faculty Honors for Fall 2024 at the Georgia Institute of Technology in Atlanta, including:
- Alexander Boresow of Shawnee
- John Kelley of Overland Park
2 JoCo natives graduate from Georgia Tech
Two Johnson County students graduated from the Georgia Institute of Technology in Atlanta on Dec. 12 – 14, 2024.
Among the graduates were:
- Logan Heitz of Overland Park
- Tanya Qin of Lenexa
2 JoCo natives make academic honors in South Carolina
Two students from Johnson County were among over 3,750 to make the president’s or dean’s list at College of Charleston in South Carolina for Winter 2024, including.
- Audrey Apprill of Prairie Village was named to the President’s List. Apprill is majoring in Historic Preserv/Comm Planning.
- Sabrina San Agustin of Overland Park was named to the Dean’s List. San Agustin is majoring in Business Administration.
Olathe native made Texas university honor roll
Abilene Christian University has named Caden Caire of Olathe to the Fall 2024 Dean’s Honor Roll. Caire is a senior Kinesiology major.
