Points of Pride

Points of Pride: Student and Staff Success Stories

Congratulations to Free State High (FSHS) sophomore tennis player Kinley VanPelt, the singles Kansas Class 6A State Champion, completing her season with an undefeated record of 29-0. Junior Maya Lee finished seventh in the singles state contest.

The district named Melissa Blevins, Sunflower, and Becky Reaver, Cordley, Principals of the Month for August and September after receiving several nominations from staff and parents lauding their leadership and many strengths.

Lawrence High (LHS) senior Olive Harrington received a perfect score on her Advanced Placement 2D Design portfolio. She was one of only 197 students in the world to earn every point possible on this challenging, college-level examination.

Representatives from nine art schools attended Portfolio Day, giving LHS art students feedback on their portfolios and information about college programs and careers in the arts.

The first National Coaches’ Poll, ranked the FSHS debate team of senior AJ Persinger and junior Sophie Racy #6 the country! They are the second team in the school’s history to be ranked in the national poll.

The Lied Center of Kansas named Lysette DeBoard, Woodlawn curriculum a n d instruction coach and fine arts lead teacher, a recipient of its 2022-2023 season’s IMPACT Award for distinguished service to arts education.

Lawrence Public Schools joins the Kansas State High School Activities Association and the National Federation of State High School Associations in the #BenchBadBehavior campaign to encourage all fans – students and adults – to keep it positive and always be respectful, encouraging, and supportive of everyone involved in school athletic events.

LHS thespians and music students Annika Maximox, Peyton Fowler, and Arran Kennedy Orive attended a Next Stop Broadway workshop hosted by Friends University. They participated in a professional audition, received headshots and feedback on their strengths as performers, and sat in on a Broadway Master Class taught by Tony Award-winner Kristin Chenoweth.

Congratulations to the FSHS Kansas 6A State Champion Girls’ Swim and Dive Team, coached by Annette McDonald, Janna Skinner, and Brandy Brandt.

The Lawrence Schools Foundation recognized two community partners as LEAP All-Stars. Jefferson’s Restaurants owner Brandon Graham and Jefferson’s Foundation executive director Pam Kirkpatrick support students’ basic needs through contributions to the I C.A.N. (Classroom Angel Network) Fund. The Douglas County Back2School Community Supply Drive collected, donated, and distributed school supplies to more than a thousand children in need. This partnership included the support of the Salvation Army, United Way of Douglas County; and Demetrius Kemp, community volunteer.

The Lawrence Schools Foundation recognized LHS alumna Brianne Pfannenstiel (Class of 2006), chief politics reporter for the Des Moines Register, as its keynote speaker for its annual Community Education Breakfast.

Elementary music teachers and therapists met with Jake Shimabukuro, a world-famous and highly acclaimed ukulele performer and presenter, for an exclusive professional development and mini-jam session at the Lied Center. Shimabukuro shared with the music educators tips for teaching ukulele to students.

Fifteen high school Child Development Associate students completed their technical knowledge assessment for Infants and Toddlers: Physical Development through the Lawrence College and Career Center and Academy. These students will now begin their early childhood education internship experiences. The Early Childhood Development pathway prepares students to earn their national certification and enter this high-demand field.

The Kansas Leadership Center chose Lawrence Public Schools as one of its 2023 Leadership Transformation Grant partners. These grants provide the opportunity for participants to receive summer leadership training to help create a culture that embraces change, tackles problems, and seizes opportunities. Nearly 100 staff in the school district have completed this training.

The mayor of Lawrence declared September as “Month of the Monarch.” LHS students celebrated by rearing monarchs in biology classrooms. The Environmental Club tagged monarchs at the Baker Wetlands. Guest author Sara Dykman came to talk to students about her book, “Bicycling With Butterflies,” and environmental science students planted a native pollinator garden!

FSHS senior Emma Liu earned a perfect score on her Advanced Placement Drawing Exam. She is one of only 343 students in the world to earn the maximum score on each portion of this challenging, college-level exam. Pictured: one of Liu’s digital works.

Otto Allen and Madysen Stanford (not pictured), of FSHS, and Alden ParkerTimms and Danny Phalen, of LHS, represented Lawrence P u b l i c Schools at the Rotary Youth Leadership Conference.

Liberty Memorial Central Middle School teacher Laura Burris won the Choose My School - Supply Drive and $1,000 from the Kansas State Treasurer’s Office.

Special Olympics of North America spent the day at LHS with a film crew to recognize the progress that LHS has made in its efforts toward inclusion. Special Olympics chose LHS as a model school for helping and recruiting others to make inclusion a priority. They will release the videos in March.

The Lawrence Schools Foundation honored as Student Champions: Evan White and Elijah Sabatini, FSHS seniors, and Jack Ritter and Anna Anderson, LHS seniors.

The National Merit Scholarship Corporation announced 1 6 , 0 0 0 Semifinalists in the National Merit Scholarship Program, including Keaton Xu, Casey Kong, Andrew Bellemere, Steven Tao, Grace Xie, Raina Fair, Arthur Benson, Spencer Doan, Joel Harrison, Jake Chun, May Gao, Jackson Roberts, Emma Liu, and Ethan Elam (not pictured), of FSHS, and Owen Musser, LHS.

Cordley Elementary received two national grants to support its equity work. Fifteen Cordley educators will participate in national Teaching for Black Lives Educator Study Groups. The school also received We Need Diverse Books: Educators Making a Difference funds to purchase picture books.

Kendra Fowlkes of Deerfield Elementary won Commerce Bank’s 50/50 Raffle at the Chamber’s Taste of Lawrence Mixer. She and the Lawrence Schools Foundation each received $715.

LHS celebrates seniors Arran Kennedy Orive, National Hispanic Recognition Program Scholar, and Ayo Obadare, National African American Recognition Program Scholar.

The Kansas State High School Activities Association chose FSHS as one of three finalists for its Performing Arts School of Excellence Award. Free State won this award in 2019-2020.

Milo Bitters, co-head drum major, researched and designed a T-shirt celebrating the 100th anniversary of the LHS Marching Band.

FSHS celebrates seniors Michael Bido, National African American and Hispanic Recognition Program Scholar, and Silvio Liu, National Hispanic Recognition Program Scholar.

The U.S. Department of State and the Fulbright Foreign Scholarship Board announced that Lisa Ball, an LHS science teacher, earned a Fulbright Global Classroom Teacher Award to conduct cuttingedge research, take part in a global education class and symposium, and receive an international classroom placement.

The Kansas Speech Communication Association recognized FSHS speech and debate coach Kelly Thompson as its Educator of the Year.

The Lawrence Lions Alumni Association inducted into its Hall of Honor Michael Gottlieb (Class of 1995), an attorney and partner at Willkie Farr & Gallagher, LLC, in Washington, D.C.; Brianne Pfannenstiel (Class of 2006), chief political reporter at the Des Moines Register; and David Platt, a retired 30year teacher and coach.