Shawnee Mission School District
Encyclopedia
The Shawnee Mission School District (Kansas
Unified School District 512) is one of the major school districts in the Kansas City Metropolitan Area
. Located in northeast Johnson County, Kansas
, the school district enrolled approximately 40,000 students in the 2009-2010 school year. As of 2011, the district comprises 5 high school
s, 5 middle school
s, 38 elementary school
s, and 6 instructional centers. Its headquarters are in Overland Park
.
played a role in school desegregation prior to the unification of the Shawnee Mission School District in 1971. South Park opened in 1948 for white students, leaving African-American students in the inadequate Walker Elementary using an outdated curriculum. Corinthian Nutter, an African-American teacher, resigned in protest and taught the students from her home. 1949's Webb v. School District 90 case paved the way for Brown v. Topeka Board of Education five years later. Skyline Elementary School was presumed to be named as such because you could see the Kansas City, Missouri's skyline from the area around the school at the time. McAuliffe Elementary School in Lenexa, Kansas
was one of the first schools in the nation to open named in honor of Christa McAuliffe
.The district converted from 7-8-9 Junior High model to the 7-8 Middle School model in 1986. The current superintendent is Dr. Gene Johnson.
High School opened September 12, 1922, having cost $950,000 to build. It had 12 faculty members and a senior class of 20. There had been a vote on September 21, 1921, on a "proposal to organize a rural high school district." The school was named Shawnee Mission Rural until 1945, when senior Robert F. Bennett
was sent to Topeka to petition the legislature for a name change to more accurately reflect the school's suburban status. Later elected Governor of Kansas, Bennett was named North's first 'Distinguished Alumnus' by the class of 1975. It was thus named Shawnee Mission High School until 1958, when East opened and Shawnee Mission High School became SM North. The student body of Shawnee Mission High had petitioned the school board to name the new school anything other than "Shawnee Mission East" in an attempt to avoid a renaming of their school. SM West opened in 1962, South in 1966, and Northwest in 1969. Today, SM North is the district's largest both in campus size and enrollment. The average enrollment is between 1,900 and 2,200 students. The school colors are black and crimson and the mascot is the Indian.
, and serves it along with families residing in Westwood
, Westwood Hills
, Mission Hills
, Mission Woods
, Fairway
, northern Leawood
, Overland Park
.
South has a newspaper called "The Patriot" and a yearbook called "Heritage."
and the official school colors are black and gold. West opened its doors in 1962; since then, it has been remodeled several times. Additions have also been made to the school, the most famous of which is "the bridge," an actual bridge between halves of the school that later had classrooms added beneath it. The current principal of Shawnee Mission West is Dr. Charles McLean. As of 2006, its population is 2,042. It's located in Overland Park
at 85th Street and Antioch Road. The former principal, Dr. Karl Krawitz was the NEA III District Educator of the Year for 2004-2005. SM West is home to both an award-winning school newspaper, the EPIC, and yearbook, SAGA. The Epic was ranked the 5th best Newsmagazine in the country by the Scholastic Press Association in 2010. SM West has twice (1986 and 2007) placed second at the National Forensic League tournament for policy debate. SM West has a student body population that is 10% African American, which is the highest African American population of any Shawnee Mission high school. Statistically, SM West is the most ethnically diverse high school in the district. SM West draws its student population from both Overland Park
, Lenexa
, and from small parts of Shawnee
.
at 12701 west 67th Street, between Pflumm Road and Quivira Road. Shawnee Mission Northwest launched the International Baccalaureate program at the start of the 2008-2009 school year.
s (or occupied housing units) and 59,084 families. 69.0% of the occupied housing units are occupied by the owner. The racial makeup of the district is 91.0% White, 2.6% Black or African American
, 0.3% American Indian
and Alaska Native, 2.8% Asian
, less than 0.1% Native Hawaiian and other Pacific Islander
, 1.6% of some other race, and 1.6% of two or more races
. 4.3% of the population are Hispanic
or Latino
of any race.
There are 93,221 households out of which 29.9% are individuals living alone, 63.4% are families, and 6.7% are non-families with two or more people. 52.2% of households (or 82.4% of families) are married couples living together and 28.6% (or 45.1%) have their own children (that is persons under the age of 18) living with them. Out of the 11.2% of households that have a householder with no spouse present, 44.4% are women living with their own children. The average household size is 2.33, and the average family size is 2.93.
The 50,632 children residing in the district are 23.0% of the total population, and 13,283 (6.0%) are under the age of 5; 13,605 (6.2%) are from 5 to 9; 14,874 (6.8%) are from 10 to 14; and 8,870 (4.0%) are from 15 to 17. 48.8% of the children are female. For 95.1% of the children in the district the householder is the child's parent and 77.3% live in married-couple families, but 1.1% are not related to the householder. Also 21 householders or spouses are under the age of 18.
Kansas
Kansas is a US state located in the Midwestern United States. It is named after the Kansas River which flows through it, which in turn was named after the Kansa Native American tribe, which inhabited the area. The tribe's name is often said to mean "people of the wind" or "people of the south...
Unified School District 512) is one of the major school districts in the Kansas City Metropolitan Area
Kansas City Metropolitan Area
The Kansas City Metropolitan Area is a fifteen-county metropolitan area that is anchored by Kansas City, Missouri and is bisected by the border between the states of Missouri and Kansas. As of the 2010 Census, the metropolitan area has a population of 2,035,334. The metropolitan area is the...
. Located in northeast Johnson County, Kansas
Johnson County, Kansas
Johnson County is a county located in northeast Kansas, in the central United States. The county is largely suburban, being part of the Kansas City metropolitan area, and containing many of its affluent southwestern suburbs. As of the 2010 census, the county population was 544,179. Its county...
, the school district enrolled approximately 40,000 students in the 2009-2010 school year. As of 2011, the district comprises 5 high school
High school
High school is a term used in parts of the English speaking world to describe institutions which provide all or part of secondary education. The term is often incorporated into the name of such institutions....
s, 5 middle school
Middle school
Middle School and Junior High School are levels of schooling between elementary and high schools. Most school systems use one term or the other, not both. The terms are not interchangeable...
s, 38 elementary school
Elementary school
An elementary school or primary school is an institution where children receive the first stage of compulsory education known as elementary or primary education. Elementary school is the preferred term in some countries, particularly those in North America, where the terms grade school and grammar...
s, and 6 instructional centers. Its headquarters are in Overland Park
Overland Park, Kansas
-Demographics:As of the census of 2000, there were 149,080 people, 59,703 households, and 39,702 families residing in the city. The population density was 2,627.0 people per square mile . There were 62,586 housing units at an average density of 1,102.9 per square mile...
.
History
The different districts that unified into the Shawnee Mission School District in 1969 are the Greenwood Dist #35, Shawnee Dist #27, Lenexa Dist #46, Districts #10 & #90, Valley View Dist #49, Overland Park Dist #10, Linwood Dist #1, Roesland Dist #92, Merriam Dist #99, Antioch Dist #61, Westwood View Dist #93, Prairie Dist #44, and Corinth Dist. #82. South Park Elementary school, in Merriam, KansasMerriam, Kansas
Merriam is a city in the northeastern part of Johnson County, located in northeast Kansas, in the Central United States. As of the 2010 census, the city population was 11,003. As a suburb of Kansas City, Missouri, it is included in the Kansas City Metropolitan Area...
played a role in school desegregation prior to the unification of the Shawnee Mission School District in 1971. South Park opened in 1948 for white students, leaving African-American students in the inadequate Walker Elementary using an outdated curriculum. Corinthian Nutter, an African-American teacher, resigned in protest and taught the students from her home. 1949's Webb v. School District 90 case paved the way for Brown v. Topeka Board of Education five years later. Skyline Elementary School was presumed to be named as such because you could see the Kansas City, Missouri's skyline from the area around the school at the time. McAuliffe Elementary School in Lenexa, Kansas
Lenexa, Kansas
Lenexa is a city in the central part of Johnson County, located in northeast Kansas, in the central United States of America. As of the 2010 census, the city population was 48,190. As a satellite city of Kansas City, Kansas, Lenexa is included in the Kansas City Metropolitan Area...
was one of the first schools in the nation to open named in honor of Christa McAuliffe
Christa McAuliffe
Christa McAuliffe was an American teacher from Concord, New Hampshire, and was one of the seven crew members killed in the Space Shuttle Challenger disaster....
.The district converted from 7-8-9 Junior High model to the 7-8 Middle School model in 1986. The current superintendent is Dr. Gene Johnson.
Shawnee Mission North High School
Shawnee Mission RuralRural
Rural areas or the country or countryside are areas that are not urbanized, though when large areas are described, country towns and smaller cities will be included. They have a low population density, and typically much of the land is devoted to agriculture...
High School opened September 12, 1922, having cost $950,000 to build. It had 12 faculty members and a senior class of 20. There had been a vote on September 21, 1921, on a "proposal to organize a rural high school district." The school was named Shawnee Mission Rural until 1945, when senior Robert F. Bennett
Robert Frederick Bennett
Robert Frederick Bennett was an American lawyer and the 39th Governor of Kansas from 1975 to 1979.Bennett was born May 23, 1927 in Kansas City, Missouri. He married Joan Gregory, whom he met at Shawnee Mission Rural High School while participating in debate. They had four children: Robert F. ,...
was sent to Topeka to petition the legislature for a name change to more accurately reflect the school's suburban status. Later elected Governor of Kansas, Bennett was named North's first 'Distinguished Alumnus' by the class of 1975. It was thus named Shawnee Mission High School until 1958, when East opened and Shawnee Mission High School became SM North. The student body of Shawnee Mission High had petitioned the school board to name the new school anything other than "Shawnee Mission East" in an attempt to avoid a renaming of their school. SM West opened in 1962, South in 1966, and Northwest in 1969. Today, SM North is the district's largest both in campus size and enrollment. The average enrollment is between 1,900 and 2,200 students. The school colors are black and crimson and the mascot is the Indian.
Feeder schools
- Middle Schools
- Hocker Grove Middle School
- Elementary Schools
- Bluejacket-Flint Elementary School
- Crestview Elementary School
- East Antioch Elementary School
- Merriam Park Elementary School
- Nieman Elementary School
- Santa Fe Trail Elementary School
- Roesland Elementary School
- Rushton Elementary School
Shawnee Mission East High School
Opened in the school year beginning in 1958, SM East is located at Mission Road and 75th Street. SME, SMNW, and soon SMN feature the International Baccalaureate program, one of the few in the region. As of 2008, the enrollment at East is 2,012, making it the second-most populated school in the SMSD. The mascot is a Lancer and the colors are Columbia blue, black, and white. It's located in the suburb of Prairie VillagePrairie Village, Kansas
Prairie Village is a city in Johnson County, Kansas, United States, and is a suburb of Kansas City, Missouri. As of the 2010 census, the city population was 21,447.- History :...
, and serves it along with families residing in Westwood
Westwood, Kansas
Westwood is a city in Johnson County, Kansas, United States. As of the 2010 census, the city population was 1,506. It is a suburb of Kansas City.-Geography:Westwood is located at...
, Westwood Hills
Westwood Hills, Kansas
Westwood Hills is a city in Johnson County, Kansas, United States. The population was 378 at the 2000 census.-Geography:Westwood Hills is located at...
, Mission Hills
Mission Hills, Kansas
Mission Hills is a city in Johnson County, Kansas, United States. As of the 2010 census, the city population was 3,498. The city is a suburb of Kansas City, Missouri, which is adjacent to the east, across the aptly named State Line Road. Mission Hills was originally developed by noted Kansas...
, Mission Woods
Mission Woods, Kansas
Mission Woods is a city in Johnson County, Kansas, United States. As of the 2010 census, the city population was 178.-Geography:Mission Woods is located at...
, Fairway
Fairway, Kansas
Fairway is a city in Johnson County, Kansas, United States. It is a suburb of Kansas City, Missouri. The population was 3,952 at the 2000 census.-Geography:Fairway is located at...
, northern Leawood
Leawood, Kansas
Leawood is a city in Johnson County, Kansas, United States. The city is a suburb of Kansas City, Missouri and is part of the Kansas City Metropolitan Area. As of the 2010 census, the city population was 31,867.-History:...
, Overland Park
Overland Park, Kansas
-Demographics:As of the census of 2000, there were 149,080 people, 59,703 households, and 39,702 families residing in the city. The population density was 2,627.0 people per square mile . There were 62,586 housing units at an average density of 1,102.9 per square mile...
.
Feeder schools
- Middle Schools
- Indian Hills Middle SchoolIndian Hills Middle SchoolIndian Hills Middle School is a middle school in Prairie Village, Kansas. Approximately 700 students are enrolled.-External links:*...
- Indian Hills Middle School
- Elementary Schools
- Belinder Elementary School
- Briarwood Elementary School
- Corinth Elementary School
- Highlands Elementary School
- Prairie Elementary School
- Tomahawk Elementary School
- Westwood View Elementary School
Shawnee Mission South High School
Shawnee Mission South's school colors are green and gold and its mascot is Rocky the Raider. The school's mascot was chosen by the first graduating class of 1967. The Raider was chosen as a mascot because of the popular band Paul Revere and the Raiders. Most of the students from South come from the middle school Indian Woods (which was then two separate Junior High Schools - Nallwood and Indian Creek). The school's population in 2006 was 1,805 students, down from a peak around 2,400 in 1975.South has a newspaper called "The Patriot" and a yearbook called "Heritage."
Feeder schools
- Middle Schools
- Indian Woods Middle School
- Elementary Schools
- Brookridge Elementary School
- Brookwood Elementary School
- Dorothy Moody Elementary School
- John Diemer Elementary School
- Oak Park-Carpenter Elementary School
- Rosehill Elementary School
- Trailwood Elementary School
Shawnee Mission West High School
Shawnee Mission West's mascot is the VikingViking
The term Viking is customarily used to refer to the Norse explorers, warriors, merchants, and pirates who raided, traded, explored and settled in wide areas of Europe, Asia and the North Atlantic islands from the late 8th to the mid-11th century.These Norsemen used their famed longships to...
and the official school colors are black and gold. West opened its doors in 1962; since then, it has been remodeled several times. Additions have also been made to the school, the most famous of which is "the bridge," an actual bridge between halves of the school that later had classrooms added beneath it. The current principal of Shawnee Mission West is Dr. Charles McLean. As of 2006, its population is 2,042. It's located in Overland Park
Overland Park, Kansas
-Demographics:As of the census of 2000, there were 149,080 people, 59,703 households, and 39,702 families residing in the city. The population density was 2,627.0 people per square mile . There were 62,586 housing units at an average density of 1,102.9 per square mile...
at 85th Street and Antioch Road. The former principal, Dr. Karl Krawitz was the NEA III District Educator of the Year for 2004-2005. SM West is home to both an award-winning school newspaper, the EPIC, and yearbook, SAGA. The Epic was ranked the 5th best Newsmagazine in the country by the Scholastic Press Association in 2010. SM West has twice (1986 and 2007) placed second at the National Forensic League tournament for policy debate. SM West has a student body population that is 10% African American, which is the highest African American population of any Shawnee Mission high school. Statistically, SM West is the most ethnically diverse high school in the district. SM West draws its student population from both Overland Park
Overland Park, Kansas
-Demographics:As of the census of 2000, there were 149,080 people, 59,703 households, and 39,702 families residing in the city. The population density was 2,627.0 people per square mile . There were 62,586 housing units at an average density of 1,102.9 per square mile...
, Lenexa
Lenexa, Kansas
Lenexa is a city in the central part of Johnson County, located in northeast Kansas, in the central United States of America. As of the 2010 census, the city population was 48,190. As a satellite city of Kansas City, Kansas, Lenexa is included in the Kansas City Metropolitan Area...
, and from small parts of Shawnee
Shawnee, Kansas
Shawnee is a city located in northwest Johnson County, Kansas, United States and is a western suburb of Kansas City, Missouri. As of the 2010 census, the city population was 62,209. Shawnee's fur trading and pioneering heritage blends histories of these Kansas Territory townships: Monticello and...
.
Feeder schools
- Middle Schools
- Westridge Middle School
- Elementary Schools
- Apache Elementary School
- Christa McAuliffe Elementary School(Partial)
- Comanche Elementary School
- East Antioch Elementary School (Partial)
- Overland Park Elementary School
- Pawnee Elementary School
- Rising Star Elementary School (Partial)
- Sunflower Elementary School
Shawnee Mission Northwest High School
Shawnee Mission Northwest High School's mascot is the Cougar, and the school colors are black and orange. Its principal is Dr. Bill Harrington. As of the 2005-2006 school year, its population was 1,859. It is located in ShawneeShawnee, Kansas
Shawnee is a city located in northwest Johnson County, Kansas, United States and is a western suburb of Kansas City, Missouri. As of the 2010 census, the city population was 62,209. Shawnee's fur trading and pioneering heritage blends histories of these Kansas Territory townships: Monticello and...
at 12701 west 67th Street, between Pflumm Road and Quivira Road. Shawnee Mission Northwest launched the International Baccalaureate program at the start of the 2008-2009 school year.
Feeder schools
- Middle Schools
- Trailridge Middle School
- Hocker Grove Middle School(Partial)
- Elementary Schools
- Broken Arrow Elementary School
- Christa McAuliffe Elementary School (Partial)
- Mill Creek Elementary School
- Raymond B. Marsh Elementary School
- Rhein Benninghoven Elementary School
- Rising Star Elementary School (Partial)
- Shawanoe Elementary School
- Sunflower Elementary School (Partial)
District centers
- McEachen Administrative Center
- Arrowhead Administrative Center
- Horizons High School
- Broadmoor Technical Center
- Indian Creek Technical Center
- SM Instructional Support Center
Former schools
- Middle/Junior High Schools
- Antioch Middle School (Formerly Milburn Junior High School)
- Broadmoor Junior High School (Now Broadmoor Technical Center)
- Indian Creek Junior High School (Now Indian Creek Technical Center)
- Mission Valley Middle School (Formerly Meadowbrook Junior High School]]
- Old Mission Junior High School
- Elementary Schools
- Antioch Elementary School (Now part of the Shawnee Mission Medical Center in Merriam, KS)
- Arrowhead Elementary School (Now Arrowhead Administrative Center)
- Cherokee Elementary School (Now New Haven Seventh Day Adventist Church)
- Don Bonjour Elementary School (Formerly Central Elementary School)
- Dorothy Moody Elementary School (Closes end of 2011-2012 school year)
- Flint Elementary School (Merged with Bluejacket to become Bluejacket-Flint Elementary School)
- Greenwood Elementary SchoolGreenwood Elementary SchoolGreenwood Elementary is a public elementary school in Greenwood, British Columbia part of School District 51 Boundary....
(Now a Walmart Supermarket) - Hickory Grove Elementary School (Now Horizons High School)
- Katherine Carpenter Elementary School (Merged with Oak Park to become Oak Park-Carpenter Elementary School) (Now SM Instructional Support Center)
- Linwood Elementary School
- Marsha Bagby Elementary School
- Mohawk Elementary School (Now Mohawk Park)
- Nall Hills Elementary School
- Osage Elementary School (Now Osage Park)
- Ridgeview Elementary School (Now Kansas City Christian School)
- Roeland Park Elementary School
- Sequoyah Elementary School (Now Vineyard Community Church)
- Shawnee Elementary School
- Skyline Elementary School
- Somerset Elementary School
- South Park Elementary School (Merged with Merriam to become Merriam Park Elementary School)
- Valley View Elementary School (Now Holy Cross Catholic School)
- West Antioch Elementary School
Demographics
As of the census of 2000, the district has a total population of 219,949 with 93,221 householdHousehold
The household is "the basic residential unit in which economic production, consumption, inheritance, child rearing, and shelter are organized and carried out"; [the household] "may or may not be synonymous with family"....
s (or occupied housing units) and 59,084 families. 69.0% of the occupied housing units are occupied by the owner. The racial makeup of the district is 91.0% White, 2.6% Black or African American
African American
African Americans are citizens or residents of the United States who have at least partial ancestry from any of the native populations of Sub-Saharan Africa and are the direct descendants of enslaved Africans within the boundaries of the present United States...
, 0.3% American Indian
Native Americans in the United States
Native Americans in the United States are the indigenous peoples in North America within the boundaries of the present-day continental United States, parts of Alaska, and the island state of Hawaii. They are composed of numerous, distinct tribes, states, and ethnic groups, many of which survive as...
and Alaska Native, 2.8% Asian
Asian American
Asian Americans are Americans of Asian descent. The U.S. Census Bureau definition of Asians as "Asian” refers to a person having origins in any of the original peoples of the Far East, Southeast Asia, or the Indian subcontinent, including, for example, Cambodia, China, India, Indonesia, Japan,...
, less than 0.1% Native Hawaiian and other Pacific Islander
Pacific Islander
Pacific Islander , is a geographic term to describe the indigenous inhabitants of any of the three major sub-regions of Oceania: Polynesia, Melanesia and Micronesia.According to the Encyclopædia Britannica, these three regions, together with their islands consist of:Polynesia:...
, 1.6% of some other race, and 1.6% of two or more races
Multiracial
The terms multiracial and mixed-race describe people whose ancestries come from multiple races. Unlike the term biracial, which often is only used to refer to having parents or grandparents of two different races, the term multiracial may encompass biracial people but can also include people with...
. 4.3% of the population are Hispanic
Hispanic
Hispanic is a term that originally denoted a relationship to Hispania, which is to say the Iberian Peninsula: Andorra, Gibraltar, Portugal and Spain. During the Modern Era, Hispanic sometimes takes on a more limited meaning, particularly in the United States, where the term means a person of ...
or Latino
Latino
The demonyms Latino and Latina , are defined in English language dictionaries as:* "a person of Latin-American descent."* "A Latin American."* "A person of Hispanic, especially Latin-American, descent, often one living in the United States."...
of any race.
There are 93,221 households out of which 29.9% are individuals living alone, 63.4% are families, and 6.7% are non-families with two or more people. 52.2% of households (or 82.4% of families) are married couples living together and 28.6% (or 45.1%) have their own children (that is persons under the age of 18) living with them. Out of the 11.2% of households that have a householder with no spouse present, 44.4% are women living with their own children. The average household size is 2.33, and the average family size is 2.93.
The 50,632 children residing in the district are 23.0% of the total population, and 13,283 (6.0%) are under the age of 5; 13,605 (6.2%) are from 5 to 9; 14,874 (6.8%) are from 10 to 14; and 8,870 (4.0%) are from 15 to 17. 48.8% of the children are female. For 95.1% of the children in the district the householder is the child's parent and 77.3% live in married-couple families, but 1.1% are not related to the householder. Also 21 householders or spouses are under the age of 18.
External links
- Official website
- Summary of the school district from the Kansas State Department of Education website]
- http://atruthfulwestwood.org/Images/school_closing_history.pdf
- Myers Reports on Military to Oldest Friends, a September 2005 article about the return of General Richard MyersRichard MyersRichard Bowman Myers is a retired four-star general in the United States Air Force and served as the 15th Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. As Chairman, Myers was the United States military's highest ranking uniformed officer....
to Shawnee Mission North - Corinth Elementary School