Shawnee Mission students and staff were ALL IN during the 2024-2025 school year, earning numerous local, state, and national recognitions.
Here is a look at recent SMSD achievements:
Challenge Award Winners Comanche and Shawanoe Elementary Schools were recognized by the Kansas Public Education Task Force as Challenge Award winners. This honor is given to schools to highlight outstanding achievements based on Kansas Assessment Program results in math and reading, especially for students from ethnic minority groups and those who qualify for free or reduced-price meals.
Cyber Title One of Shawnee Mission’s cyber security teams, the Hills Hackers, won the 2025 National Cal Poly Space Grand Challenge. They claimed first place in their division and earned the highest overall score across all divisions, competing with 50 teams from across the country. This competition is a virtual, game-based cybersecurity competition designed by students at California Polytechnic State University. The purpose is to help students build cyber and information technology skills through games.
Presidential Award Matt Jenkinson, an Indian Woods industrial technology teacher, is one of three people selected from Kansas for the Presidential Award for Excellence in Mathematics and Science Teaching (PAEMST). This honor is given to those who represent the best of STEM education, demonstrating deep content knowledge of the subject they teach and the ability to motivate and enable student success. The National Science Foundation administers this award on behalf of the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy.
KSPA Honors The Kansas Scholastic Press Association (KSPA) honored two Shawnee Mission School District educators for their outstanding work supporting student journalism. KSPA honored Dr. Ryan Flurry, principal of career education campuses and coordinator of career and technical education as 2025 Administrator of the Year. He was praised for his unwavering support of student journalism, press rights, and adviser collaboration across all Shawnee Mission high schools. Shawnee Mission North High School adviser Becky Tate was inducted into the KSPA Hall of Fame. Tate has led SM North’s journalism program for 35 years, and has shaped generations of student journalists and advisers. Her students have earned numerous national awards and she has led both the KSPA and National Scholastic Press Association.
Dale Dennis Award The USA Kansas Dale M. Dennis Excellence in Education award was presented to Octavius Her from Shawnee Mission West High School. This honor recognizes students across the state who have displayed the citizenship, community and school service, scholarship, and strong self awareness that makes them a quality individual.
KIAA Recognition Kent Glaser, Shawnee Mission School District athletic director, was awarded the 2025 Kansas Athletic Director of the Year and District 3 Athletic Director of the Year by the Kansas Interscholastic Athletic Administrators Association (KIAAA). This honor recognizes an administrator’s dedication to developing, enhancing, and preserving the educational values of interscholastic athletics. Glaser was recognized at the KIAAA Spring Conference in Manhattan.
eMagine Awards Students from the Animation and Interactive Media signature program had a strong showing at this year’s eMagine Festival. This is a competition for high school students in the areas of graphic design, web animation, and video. The team secured six out of the 15 available “Top 5” spots in a field of more than 330 entries. Additionally, Maddie Redmond, Shawnee Mission West junior, earned first place in character animation; Ava Winfield, Shawnee Mission East junior, earned second place in character animation; and the AI Art Heist Team earned third place in Animated Short Story.
NJROTC Success The Shawnee Mission North NJROTC team continues its long streak of success after competing in a virtual National Championship. They finished first in armed regulation, second in color guard, third in armed exhibition, and fifth overall.
Kansas City Science Fair Biotechnology students achieved top honors at the Greater Kansas City Science and Engineering Fair. Grand Award winners include Elizabeth Barnes, Shawnee Mission West junior, Anna Holland, Shawnee Mission East High School senior, and Cooper Grotzinger, Shawnee Mission South senior. Dr. Kenneth Lee, Biotechnology Signature Program instructor, was also presented with the Marie Miller Educator Award. This honor is given to those who show outstanding effort toward the motivation of students in scientific exploration.
JAG-K Success High school students involved in Jobs for America’s Graduates-Kansas (JAG-K) programs excelled in regional and state competitions. JAG-K programs are offered to help students graduate and learn career, leadership, and life skills. At regionals Shawnee Mission won multiple state qualifiers in the areas of employability skills, financial literacy, prepared speaking, creative decision making, and project-based learning. At the state level, Shalom Wacha, a freshman at Shawnee Mission West High School, earned second place and was a national qualifier in employability skills. Ivan Cuevas, a Shawnee Mission West senior, earned second place in financial literacy and was a national qualifier. A team including Mason Bowman, Tim Tucker, and Cameron Roberson from Shawnee Mission West earned third place in Creative Decision Making. Overall at state, Shawnee Mission West students earned second place. Analicia Aquino, a junior at Shawnee Mission North High School, earned third place in prepared speaking and is a national qualifier. Chris Tomlinson, a junior at Shawnee Mission North, earned third place in financial literacy and was a national qualifier.
Middle school JAG-K students also earned several recognitions. Westridge Middle School shared that they had eight students qualify to participate in the JAG-K state Career Development Conference competition. Jyzzelle Perez and Hugo Madrid Rodriguez achieved fifth place in the outstanding chapter event. Hocker Grove Middle School also took eight students to the state competition. The team celebrated a third place recognition for Digital Chapter Book.
Wellness Specialist Awarded Teresa Denk-Smajda, SMSD student wellness specialist, was named the Kansas Tobacco Control Champion of 2025. This recognition is given to honor an individual who advocates for tobacco control policies and works to engage youth in tobacco control and prevention activities. This award is presented by Resist Kansas, a statewide, youth-led movement that uses activism to encourage resistance to marketing tactics related to tobacco.
National Security Language for Youth The National Security Language Initiative for Youth announced that Cora Bruce, a sophomore at Shawnee Mission South High School, was selected as a participant and will be studying abroad in South Korea this summer on full scholarship. SM South Arabic instructor Annie Hasan shared that in addition to the Korean language, Bruce is an Arabic student and is on her way to becoming trilingual.
Sporting Samaritan Sporting Kansas City honored Teresa McEntire, Comanche art teacher, as a Sporting Samaritan. This honor is given to celebrate outstanding teachers who make Kansas City a better place to live, work, and play. Christina Lively, Blue KC Vice President and Chief Marketing Officer stated: “For the past three decades, Teresa has poured her heart and soul into educating the next generation on the importance, values, and benefits of art. The unwavering commitment she’s shown to the Shawnee Mission School District is inspiring and we’re honored to highlight an outstanding educator who continues to impact students in their educational journey.”
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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