There are many points of pride in the Shawnee Mission School District, with students, staff, and entire school communities earning recognition at the state, regional, and national level. Here is a look at recent honors earned in the Shawnee Mission School District:
US News Ranking Shawnee Mission East, North, Northwest, South, and West high schools are all ranked in the U.S. News and World Report list of 2025-2026 Best High Schools in the Country. Shawnee Mission East is among the top five in the state of Kansas. U.S. News and World Report reviewed more than 24,000 high schools to develop this list, based on various indicators including state tests and graduation rates.
Top Elementary Schools U.S. News and World Report recently released its ranking of elementary schools and many of the best in Kansas are from the Shawnee Mission School District, including the top school in the state of Kansas! Corinth Elementary was named the number one Kansas Elementary School. Westwood View and Brookwood elementary schools are ranked in the top 10 in the state. They are joined by Prairie Elementary, Briarwood, and Belinder elementary schools who have a place in the top 25. Ray Marsh, Highlands, Trailwood, and Oak-Park Carpenter are also among the top 40 schools in Kansas. These rankings are among 936 elementary schools in Kansas that were ranked based on state assessment data). Congratulations to all of these schools!
Forbes Update Forbes ranked the Shawnee Mission School District among the top 15 places to work in the state of Kansas. This 2025 ranking was determined based on surveys of more than 160,000 employees who work for companies of at least 500 people.
K-ACTE Recognition Kevin Stalsberg, health science and sports medicine Signature Program instructor, has been named the Kansas Association for Career and Technical Education (K-ACTE) Teacher of the Year. The award honors outstanding secondary-level career and technical education teachers who demonstrate innovation in the classroom, dedication to students, and a commitment to advancing CTE in their institutions and communities. As an honoree, Stalsberg is now in the running for the Association of Career and Technical Education’s Region Five Teacher of the Year, which will be announced in the spring.
National Merit Recently, the Shawnee Mission School District held a breakfast to formally recognize outstanding students honored by the National Merit program. They are among the top students nationwide (based on their results from the 2023 PSAT/NMSQT qualifying test) and are now in the running for scholarship offers.
Shawnee Mission’s Semifinalists this year are: William Barcus and Adeline Clifford, SM East; Alyssa Walker, SM South; Brendan Hunn and Nathan Mestel, SM West.
Animation Awards Animation Signature Program students took part in a 24-hour animation competition this fall. Out of 65 high schools in Kansas that competed, one of Shawnee Mission’s teams, the Tween Titans, earned third place and ranked 53rd out of nearly 700 teams of various age levels that competed nationwide. Teacher Enza Ketcham expressed excitement for this team taking such a high placing, saying several of the team members have only taken 2-D animation in the first months of this school year.
ECKMEA Award The East Central Kansas Music Educator’s Association, ECKMEA, presented Ed Tovar with the Outstanding Young Music Educator in High School Band Award. Tovar is the band director at SM North and band teacher at five North area elementary schools. Award recipients are nominated by a music educator colleague and the executive board evaluates them for contributions to music education to make the final decision. He will be recognized in December at the East Central Kansas Music Educators Mini Convention.
Staff Art Show Winner Earlier this school year, anyone who visited the Board of Education room at the Center for Academic Achievement was able to enjoy artwork created by Shawnee Mission School District faculty members. Now, a prize winner has been named from the very talented group of artists that were featured in this Faculty Art Show. Jackie Stoaks, food service assistant at Crestview Elementary School, submitted a quilted panel of faces and is this year’s honoree. The artwork is called “Celebrate.” As a winner, Jackie received a $250 personal recognition prize and earned a $250 grant for the school’s art department to further support student creativity. The artwork also will be a part of the district’s permanent collection. This is the first quilted textile to be included. Megan Ellis, visual arts coordinator and Lenexa Hills art teacher, coordinated this Faculty Art Show. The Shawnee Mission Education Foundation made the monetary prizes possible and the district is grateful for their support of the show.
Pre-K Teacher Recognized Alyson Rodgers, a pre-kindergarten teacher at Trailwood Elementary, was a recipient of a teacher appreciation surprise recently. She won a Chiefs VIP experience for the Oct. 27 Chiefs football game after being nominated by members of her book club. Rodgers was nominated for her dedication, passion, and skills in the classroom. She is one of two teachers to receive this recognition out of more than 300 applicants.
Horizons Honorees In a surprise announcement, two beginning educators in the Shawnee Mission School District learned they were Horizon Award nominees. The Horizon Award recognizes first-year Kansas teachers “who perform in a way that distinguishes them as outstanding.” The Shawnee Mission School District’s Horizon nominees are Jordan Dombrowski, a secondary Language Arts teacher at Shawnee Mission East High School and Hope Smylie, a third-grade teacher at Rising Star Elementary School. They are now in the running to be Kansas Horizon Award recipients. The Kansas State Department of Education will select 32 teachers from across the state to be winners.
KTOY Nominees Two Shawnee Mission educators have been named district nominees for the Kansas Teacher of the Year award. Julia Orth, a third grade teacher at Nieman Elementary School, represents the elementary level, and Audrey Gilroy, art teacher at Westridge Middle School, represents the secondary level. The Kansas Teacher of the Year award recognizes representatives of excellent teaching in the elementary and secondary classrooms of the state. Both educators will be honored as part of the Kansas Teacher of the Year program.
PLTW Recognition Renee Chambers, Project Lead the Way Engineering (PLTW) Signature Program instructor, has received recognition as a Project Lead the Way Outstanding Teacher in the category of engineering. Project Lead the Way states that teachers and administrators receiving this recognition “inspire, engage, and empower their students by creating transformative learning experiences in their schools through PLTW programs.”
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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