Good afternoon, Johnson County! Twice a month, we share 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!
Overland Park earns sustainability certification
Overland Park is now the first city in Kansas to earn LEED Gold certification — a national recognition of sustainability leadership.
The certification, awarded through the U.S. Green Building Council’s LEED for Cities and Communities program, measures cities’ performance in quality of life, energy use, emissions, transportation and innovation.
Overland Park’s efforts include integrating sustainability across city operations, reducing vehicle miles traveled through transit planning and developing strategies for climate readiness.
The city will work with the U.S. Green Building Council to identify additional improvements for future recertification.
Two Blue Valley grads named U.S. Presidential Scholars
Blue Valley North graduate Sriram Srinivasa Kalki and Blue Valley West graduate Leena Dudi have been named 2025 U.S. Presidential Scholars — one of the nation’s highest scholastic honors for high school seniors.
Only 161 students nationwide earn the distinction each year, recognizing academic success, artistic excellence, leadership and commitment to service. Only one other Kansas student received the distinction this year.
Both Kalki and Dudi are 2025 graduates of the Blue Valley School District.
Blue Valley School District named one of the best in the nation
School rating site Niche, ranked Blue Valley School District the 63rd best district in the country for 2026, putting it in the top 1% of districts nationwide.
It also makes BVSD the highest ranked school district in Kansas.
Niche uses statistics, reviews from students and parents from the U.S. Department of Education, test scores and graduation rates to make its determinations.
Olathe high schools recognized for performing arts
All five Olathe high schools’ performing arts departments were recognized as 2025 Commended Performing Arts Schools of Excellence by the Kansas State High School Activities Association.
Only 18 other schools across Kansas received this recognition. KSHSAA evaluates the debate, speech, music and theater programs at each school.
Hundreds run for KU Edwards Campus fundraiser
About 450 people participated in the University of Kansas Edwards Campus’ annual Rock Chalk run, which raises money for student scholarships.
The October 5th event included a 5k and 10k race, local vendors and live music.
Olathe grad featured on The Voice
Olathe Northwest High School graduate Max Cooper III is making his way through the singing competition The Voice. He’s currently in the Top 48 and is being coached by crooner Michael Bublé.
