'Home of the Indians'
Community Newsletter for Shawnee Mission North High School
Shawnee Mission North High School
7401 Johnson Drive
Overland Park, Kansas 66202
January 27, 2016
News from Mr. Wenciker
With the second semester underway I wanted to take this opportunity to remind all parents and students where to find your grade cards through the Skyward Portal as well as some advanced features you might not have been aware of.
To the left side of the screen you will find Grade Cards & Academic Awards. This is where the current grade card as well as historic grade cards are stored within Skyward. If a grade has been changed after the grade card was generated there may be a discrepancy between the transcript and the grade card for a specific grading period. If that arises please contact the SM North Computer Clerk at 913-993-6909 so that the discrepancy may be corrected.
Another powerful feature that many parents are not aware of is the ability to control specific notification sent to them with regards to grades, attendance and progress reports. In the upper right corner of the parent Skyward Portal is the “My Account” link. Selecting this link allows the parent to review important contact information. If any of the information has changed, please contact the SM North Computer Clerk at 913-993-6909 to update the information. Also at this screen is the option for parents to receive Daily Attendance Notifications, Grading Emails, and Progress Report Emails.
Finally with enrollment scheduled for the month of February, please take the opportunity to review with your students the Graduation Requirements. These graduation requirements can be found on the left side of the parent Skyward Portal.
Important Dates
MVP Tier One Training
When you have someone from outside the building (parent, community person, non-certified personnel) going on a field trip with students and will have one on one contact with them, or will at any point be alone with students, or supervising students overnight or outside the school day, they need have gone through the Tier 1 training through Katie Hendrickson’s office.
The schedule for the upcoming weeks/months:
January 28 6pm Hocker Grove
**a date the week of Feb. 1-5 – rescheduling, as last night was cancelled due to the weather, will be up on calendar tomorrow. Will be at Indian Hills at 6 pm**
February 9 10am McEachen – Reservations required
February 24 10am McEachen – Reservations required
March 1 10am McEachen – Reservations required
March 22 10am McEachen – Reservations required
April 12 10am McEachen – Reservations required
April 26 10am McEachen – Reservations required
The International Baccalaureate Program (IB) at Shawnee Mission North is a two-year college preparatory program with a comprehensive academic program designed to address the needs of challenge seeking students.
This edition of the newsletter will highlight IB English and IB Spanish.
Recent events for IB English included the Individual Oral Presentations for Juniors which were held December 11 and 14 and the Individual Oral Commentaries for Seniors, enjoyed January 12-14.
The Individual Oral Commentaries are a two-part exam including commentary and responses. Once entering the preparation room they select a folder in which they will find the works over which they will deliver a commentary. Upon selection, the clock starts beginning the time in which they may organize and plan their thoughts. According to 12th grade IB English instructor, Brad Rose, in some ways, this IOC is similar to a job interview because students do not know what will be asked of them but they must be prepared as experts on their subject, expressing their understandings clearly and effectively.
When the 20-minute preparation time has concluded, students move into the presentation room. They will articulate their mastery and understanding of the works studied this past semester through an individually prepared 8-minute commentary over a poem followed by 12-minutes of discussion over the poem and on other work they have studied.
Learning by Teaching-
In December, IB Spanish students went to Hocker Grove Middle School. During their time at North’s feeder middle school they were able to assist the Middle School Spanish 2 students in preparing for the semester final examination. A return trip is planned for February 4.
Jon Durham, IB Coordinator
Email: jondurham@smsd.org
Website: http://signature.smsd.org/ib/north/pages/default.aspx
Phone: 913-993-6934
Enrollment is Coming to a School Near You
Shawnee Mission North High School will begin on-line enrollment in February for the 2016-2017 school year. The continuing enrollment information will now be verified and updated on Skyward. This new technology resource will give parents/guardians secure on-line access to validate/update important contact information at any time. Please complete the online enrollment process using the link www.skyward.smsd.org for each student attending North High Schools prior to attending the individual planning appointment with the students counselor.
Students will be able to enroll in elective courses through the on-line enrollment system. Counselors will be using data and will be placing students in appropriate core courses. Once their enrollment is complete students will be able to view their course consumption on Skyward.
On-line enrollment schedule is as follows:
Current 8th graders –February 22 - February 27
Current 9th graders- February 15- February 20
Current 10th graders- February 8- February 13
Current 11th graders- February 1- February 6
Our online system can only enroll one grade level at the time. If the student fails to complete their on-line enrollment they will have to make an appointment with their counselor in March.
Scholarship Search Engines
• http://e4fc.org/resources/scholarshiplists.html
Educators for Fair Consideration Resource Guide
• Another website Scholarship Search Engine
• www.latinocollegedollars.org
• Website that targets scholarships for Hispanic Sponsored by The Sallie Mae Fund & by the Tomas Rivera Inst.
• www.fastweb.com The Premier Scholarship Search Engine used for Latinos of Tomorrow Scholarship Fest.
• www.gkccf.org/scholarships The Greater Kansas City Foundation webpage with local scholarship listings, also includes the Greater Kansas City Hispanic Scholarship information.
• www.maldef.org/leadership/scholarships/ The Mexican American Legal Defense Fund’s scholarship website. Includes listing of scholarships for Latinos
• www.hsf.net National scholarship funds for Latinos. http://scholarships.hispanicfund.orgNational scholarship funds for Latinos. www.cappex.comGood Scholarship search engine like Fastweb
• QuestBridge is a non-profit program that links bright, motivated low-income students with educational and scholarship opportunities at some of the nation's best colleges.
• www.collegeconfidential.com/ The leading college-bound community on the Web! Hundreds of pages of articles about choosing a college, getting into the college, how to pay for it, and much more. Also, the Web's busiest discussion community related to college admissions and scholarships!
• www.gmsp.org The Gates Millennium Scholars (GMS) Program selects 1,000 talented students each year to receive a good-through-graduation scholarship to use at any college or university of their choice.
www.jackierobinson.org/apply/programs.php Prestigious full and partial scholarship programs for minority students
Federal Student Aid
You can find more information about federal student aid through the following sources:
• Visit StudentAid.gov.
• Get updates and information from the Federal Student Aid Facebook page and @FAFSA Twitter feed.
• Visit the Federal Student Aid YouTube page.
• Download the free publication, Funding Your Education: The Guide to Federal Student Aid by visiting http://studentaid.ed.gov/resources.
• Contact our Federal Student Aid Information Center by clicking the link in the “Contact Us” section of our “Help” page.
Visit the financial aid office at the college you plan to attend.
College Visits
Any interested junior or senior may get a pass from Student Services and attend with teacher approval. All college visits will be held in the Student Services Conference Room unless otherwise noted.
Need Assistance with Completing the FAFSA?
Attention High School Seniors and College Students: Do you need help filling out the FAFSA.
The Hispanic Chamber of Commerce will be hosting a special presentation on Understanding and working through the FASFA process
Date: January 23, 2016
Time: 12:30 PM
Presenter: Kathy Bryant, Academic Advisor - University of Kansas
Location: Hispanic Chamber of Commerce of Greater KC
2001 Grand Blvd Ste 700,
Kansas City, MO 64108
Bring your laptop, tablet, or just pencil and paper!
Notes from the Nurse
Hello North! We are excited to announce that we will be hosting a Health and Wellness Symposium February 25, from 6:30 pm to 7:45 pm, in the gym. This will be a great opportunity for students, parents and the community to learn about concussions, CPR, hydration and sports overuse injuries. There will be presenters from the University of Kansas Hospital Youth Sports Medicine Program presenting and available for questions. No registration is required. Hope to see you there!
Student Council News
Thank you for all the support
Student Council is happy to announce that we donated 2,414 food items and $1,294 to the JCCB. We more than doubled our money donation from last year! Thank you all for your donations!
Congratulations to the Northman Top 18 candidates
Noah Bryan
Christian Damian
Derek Davidson
Adam Dujakovich
Anthony Giambalvo
Corey Goodburn
Noah Hastings
Quinton Jones
Gressi Lopez
Dolan McNabb
Keighan Miller
Tristen Morgan
Frederick Morris
Christian Ross
Buddy Sayles
Angel Whisler
Parker Williamson
Nick Wilson
Adopt-a-Family
Student Council executive board participated in Adopt-a-Family! Our family included a 4-year-old boy, 6-year-old girl, and 12-year-old boy. All students on executive board bought gifts to donate and thoroughly enjoyed picking the toys :) Thank you to senior Ali Patterson for coordinating our Adopt-a-Family.
Great End to First Semester
On Wednesday, December 9th, Student Council executive board members celebrated a great semester by eating lunch at Mongolian BBQ with Mr. Kramer, Ms. Gonzales, and Coach Dre. That evening, they volunteered at the Johnson County Christmas Bureau. Students worked at personal care, teen gifts, and clothing sections, and also assisted clients with shopping. They enjoyed interacting with clients and seeing how our food drive
directly benefits our community.
Student Club and Activities News
Pep Club Hosting Spirit Week
Pep Club has been busy rallying student support for the winter sports. Both the boy’s and girl’s basketball teams are off to fantastic starts in league play. Pep Club has been promoting themes for game nights to encourage students to come out and support the teams in unique ways.
An upcoming event that any student can participate in is a Spirit Week running from February 8th-12th. During that week the Northman will be announced and that weekend will be the WPA dance so all students join in on the excitement by dressing up for the given themes!
Chiefs Ambassadors Surprise North Freshman
PSE News
As a building we have also continued to recognize our students for upholding the TRIBE Tenets. For first semester we recognized just over 100 students. Keep up the great work students!!!!
The Coalition
On December 8th, 2015, seventeen members of the Shawnee Mission North Coalition gathered in the evening after school to volunteer at the Johnson County Christmas Bureau. The Johnson County Christmas Bureau is an organization now in its 55th year serving low-income families. Last year, their Holiday Shop served over 13,000 people by providing food, winter clothing, toys, books, personal care items, coats, and more during the holiday season, and the Coalition wanted to help make this year a success, as well. Some members stocked and sorted groceries. Others stocked, organized, and suggested various toys or clothing items for various age groups of boys and girls. Some helped to load the contents from the shop into the clients’ transportation. And many served as shoppers that guided individual families through each section of the shop. Our Spanish-speaking members were especially valuable in helping Hispanic families explore their options and get precisely what they needed. It was rewarding for the students when they saw a parent’s face light up at being able to get a toy their kid wanted that they did not think that they could provide on their own. One shopper picked out a backpack for her son and noted, “My son’s backpack just broke today, and I had no idea how I was going to be able to replace it.” Overall, the time flew and everyone found the experience very fun and rewarding. Student-leader Van Tan organized the event for Coalition. Other students participating were Ella Kim, Katie Cunningham, Nancy Dinh Phan, Johnny Dinh Phan, Johnson Dinh Phan, Mariana Valle Rosales, Shelby Steck, Colin Vera, Audra Nichols, Keenen McCord, Vanessa Reyes Black, Yoon Jeong, Lisbeth Urena, Destiney Dull, Lizbeth Villanueva, and Melissa Gutierrez. The Coalition is sponsored by teacher Bradley Rose.
Debate Season Ends with Success
The Shawnee Mission North Debate team had a great season. With several medals awarded, the debaters have a lot to celebrate.
In December, several debaters competed in the EKNSDA National Qualifying Tournament at Shawnee Mission East. Those teams include Gema Aguilar and Carina Smith, Tyler Ruzich and Calvin Tran, and Valerie Wallingford and Arthur Bagdasaryan. These three teams competed against the top echelon of the district, and gave a tremendous effort.
To culminate the season, four novice debaters qualified for the Sunflower State Tournament in Topeka. On January 8-9, the teams of Tyler Ruzich and Calvin Tran, and Tucker Dickinson and Cale Chapman traveled to Washburn Rural High School to compete against the best novices in the state. It was quite an honor to compete in this tournament, and the team is very proud of our competitors.
We now look forward to an excellent Forensics season and many debate successes next year!
Two teams competed at the Sunflower State Tournament at Washburn Rural High School, on January 8-9. Pictured in the photo above are (from left to right) Calvin Tran, Cale Chapman, Tyler Ruzich and Tucker Dickinson
DECA prepares for State Conference in early March. “BE EPIC” is the international theme for DECA for the 2015-16 school year!
The national theme for DECA this year is "BE EPIC", and that is exactly what the SM North DECA students have done so far during the 2015-16 school year!
Students have competed in four different “Mini-Competitions” in the Fall and January, including contests at Lansing, Blue Valley West, Shawnee Mission East and Leavenworth high schools. In each of those competitions, North’s DECA club has taken more than 15 students, with a large percentage of our students making it to the stage! To place at a mini-competition, you must finish in the top 5 in your category for the test, the role play, or the overall score.
Some of the DECA students who have won or placed near the top of their categories include Kimberly and Calvin Tran, Walter Wright, Quinton Jones, Madison Brown, Ariana Williams, Gressi Lopez, Jacob Swearingen, Cassie Davis, Alyssa Vela, Ben Tyrrell, Tyler Ruzich, Emily Kyle, Donovan Deathe, and others.
Our DECA President, Quinton Jones, has been very busy working to assist DECA members as they prepare for the State DECA Conference. State will take place in early March at the Marriott Hotel in Overland Park. We should have over 20 members who are eager to compete at State for an opportunity to earn a trip to ICDC, the International DECA Conference in Nashville, TN in late April. Last year North took 9 students to ICDC, and hope to continue that outstanding effort this spring. Good luck to all the DECA members as they work hard these next few weeks and hopefully months!
Performing Arts News
The Addams Family: A New Musical Comedy
You are invited to spend an evening with the Addams on January 28th, 29th and 30th at 7:00 pm. Tickets are $10 a piece. North is putting on The Addams Family: A New Musical Comedy and would love for you to come have a laugh as they deal with Wednesday falling in love with a “normal” boy and the family he brings with him. This is a fun show that will have you smiling as you leave our theatre.
The cast is as follows:
Gomez Addams...................................................Josiah Moreno
Morticia Addams................................................Aleesha Gonzalez
Uncle Fester........................................................Aliester Hughes
Wednesday Addams..........................................Alex Coddington
Grandma Addams..............................................Edie Wolff
Pugsley Addams.................................................Kori Martiny Lurch...................................................................Brenden Rennick
Mal Beineke ......................................................Alex Leslie
Alice Beineke.....................................................Cassie Diebold
Lucas Beineke....................................................Noah Hastings
Ancestors:
Josh Bartlett
Brahm Berry
Madison Brown
Joseph Coddington
Ethan Frisbee
Erin Grochowsky
Maggie Hendricks
Brooke Howard
Taya McCorkle
Jacob Moyer
Taylor Morrison
Daniel Rader
Lexie Stephens
SMN Choir News
The SMN choirs participated in many events around the holiday season including caroling at the Old Overland Park Farmers Market and Rosewood Manor facility. The choirs produced the 2nd annual Sweet Sounds of the Season dessert show and also performed with the band and orchestra in our Winter Concert.
In addition, SMN Chamber Singers were invited to perform with the Grammy-winning Kansas City Chorale at their Family Christmas Concert at the beautiful Visitation Church, accompanied by members of the SMN Percussion Ensemble. During the last week of the semester, the Chamber Singers were honored to be featured in Dr. Hinson’s Winter Message to the community.
Eight SMN students were selected by blind audition for the Northeast KMEA Honor Choir. They were Maggie Hendricks, Erin Grochowsky, Cassie Davis, Alex Coddington, Braum Berry, Jacob Moyer, Brenden Rennick, and Dan Rader.
Jacob Moyer and Dan Rader were selected for the KMEA All State choir and will perform with that group in Wichita in February.
Also in February, the SMN Choral Department will present Randall Thompson’s Frostiana, a multi-movement work consisting of seven poems by Robert Frost. This concert will take place on February 17 in the SMN auditorium.
David Ewers
Email: DavidEwers@smsd.org
Website: http://smnorth.smsd.org/Pages/SMN-Athletics.aspx
Phone: 913-993-6921
Twitter: @SMNathletics
We are off to a wonderful start to the winter season! All winter teams are underway, and they are performing at a high level. Below you will find a brief synopsis of those winter sports.
Boys’ Basketball
The boys’ basketball team is off to a great start playing a tough schedule against some of the best competition in the Metro area. The team has been ranked in the TWC Metro Super 25 all season long, and began the season with a victory over Blue Valley Southwest, and then finished 4th in the Championship Challenge, one of the best tournaments in the entire Metro area. After the winter break, the team opened Sunflower League play with four consecutive league victories over Olathe North, Shawnee Mission East, Olathe Northwest, and Leavenworth. The team fell to Lee’s Summit (#1 in the Metro) on Saturday 80-76, and looks to rebound in the Nixa tournament January 28-30.
Girls’ Basketball
The girls’ basketball team is currently 5-3, and recently cracked the TWC Metro Super 25. The team has played really well opening SFL play with victories over Olathe North, Shawnee Mission East, and Olathe Northwest before falling to defending state champion Leavenworth on Friday night. The team plays Shawnee Mission East on Thursday before playing in the Topeka Seaman Tournament on Jan 28-30.
Boys’ Swim
The boys’ swim team is off to a great start this winter. The team has competed in five separate varsity meets, and we already have multiple state qualifiers. The team is led by Charlie Kaifes, Keighan Miller, Jonathon McMillin, Clayton McMillin, Justin Dukelow, Carter Jacobson, and James Cameron. We have several state qualifiers, and we are beginning to heat up for a great finish. The team is in action on Thursday vs. SMW and SMNW.
Bowling
The bowling team started competition in January by competing in the Lawrence Free State Invitational. The team followed up that performance by hosting Leavenworth and Lawrence Free State in their home triangular. The team is in action on Tuesday night with a triangular against Bishop Miege and Olathe South.
Wrestling
The wrestling team has had some stellar performers during the start of the season. The team started their season by claiming four individual championships at the Leavenworth Invitational. They followed that up with a strong showing at the SMNW Invitational. The team finished up the break by competing in the ultra competitive JOCO Classic at Blue Valley High School. In that tournament, Jose Nippert was 6th, Alonso Salgado was 6th, Cesar Salgado was 2nd, and Nick Carson was 4th. The team will have their Senior Night on Friday, January 22nd before traveling to Piper the next day for the Piper Invitational.
Spring Sports
Spring sports begin on Monday, February 29th! If your son or daughter plans to go out for a winter or spring sport, please take note of the information below:
- Before an athlete can practice or try out, we must have a physical exam on file.
- Only one physical exam is required for participation in athletics, cheerleading, and drill team for the entire 2015-2016 school year.
- The exam must take place on or after May 1, 2015, and must be signed by an MD (medical doctor), DO (doctor of osteopathic medicine), DC (chiropractor), or RPA (registered physician’s assistant).
- Please turn all physicals in to Tammy Rettig, AD Secretary, in the office, unless directed otherwise by your specific coach.
- The concussion form must be signed and turned in.
- The athletic participation packet must be filled out and signed before a student will be allowed to try-out or practice.
SHAWNEE MISSION NORTH HIGH SCHOOL STANDOUT NAMED GATORADE KANSAS BOYS CROSS COUNTRY RUNNER OF THE YEAR
CHICAGO (January 22, 2016) — In its 31st year of honoring the nation’s best high school athletes, The Gatorade Company, in collaboration with USA TODAY High School Sports, today announced Belesti Akalu of Shawnee Mission North High School as its 2015-16 Gatorade Kansas Boys Cross Country Runner of the Year. Akalu is the first Gatorade Kansas Boys Cross Country Runner of the Year to be chosen from Shawnee Mission North High School.
The award, which recognizes not only outstanding athletic excellence, but also high standards of academic achievement and exemplary character demonstrated on and off the racecourse, distinguishes Akalu as Kansas’s best high school boys cross country runner. Now a finalist for the prestigious Gatorade National Boys Cross Country Runner of the Year award to be announced in January, Akalu joins an elite alumni association of past state award- winners in 12 sports, including Ryan Hall (1999-00, 2000-01, Big Bear HS, Calif.), Derek Jeter (1991-92, Kalamazoo HS, Mich.), Candace Parker (2001-02, Naperville Central HS, Ill.), Kevin Garnett (1992-93, Maudlin HS, S.C.), Abby Wambach (1997-98, Our Lady of Mercy, N.Y.) and Mark Sanchez (2004-05, Mission Viejo HS, Calif.).
The 5-foot-7, 110-pound senior distance runner raced to the Class 6A individual state championship with a time of 15:43.40 this past season, leading the Indians to fifth place as a team. The All-Metro Cross Country Runner of the Year as named by the Kansas City Star, Akalu finished 21st at the Nike Cross Nationals Heartland Regional championships in 15:45.60. His winning time of 15:19 at the Class 6A regional championships in Lawrence was the state’s fastest 5K among prep competitors in 2015.
Akalu has maintained a 3.34 weighted GPA in the classroom. In addition to serving as a tutor for his younger siblings and working a part-time job, he has volunteered at the Kidane Mihret Ethiopian Orthodox Church. “Belesti was hands down the most dominant runner I saw from Kansas this year, and it’s amazing to see what he accomplished having never run cross country before this year,” said Jeff Onnen, head coach at rival Shawnee Mission West High. “I think that speaks not just to his talent, but also to his level of dedication and commitment.”
Akalu will attend Iowa Central Community College in the fall, where he will run cross country. The Gatorade Player of the Year program annually recognizes one winner in the District of Columbia and each of the 50 states that sanction high school football, girls volleyball, boys and girls cross country, boys and girls basketball, boys and girls soccer, baseball, softball, and boys and girls track & field, and awards one National Player of the Year in each sport. The selection process is administered by the Gatorade high school sports leadership team in partnership with USA TODAY High School Sports, which work with top sport-specific experts and a media advisory board of accomplished, veteran prep sports journalists to determine the state winners in each sport.
Akalu joins Gatorade Kansas Boys Cross Country Runners of the Year Stuart McNutt (2014-15 & 2013-14, Blue Valley West High School), Colton Donahue (2012-13, Blue Valley High School), Jacob Morgan (2011-12, Washburn Rural High School), Evan Landes (2010-11, Mulvane High School), Roy Wedge (2009-10, Lawrence High School), PJ Greer (2008-
09, Saint Thomas Aquinas High School), and Bryce Volz (2007-08, Bishop Carroll Catholic High School) as athletes who have won the cross country award since its inception in 2007.
To keep up to date on the latest happenings, become a fan of Gatorade Player of the Year on Facebook and follow us on Twitter. For more on the Gatorade Player of the Year program, including nomination information, a complete list of past winners and the announcement of the Gatorade National Player of the Year, visit www.gatorade.com/poy.
Girls Swim and Dive
Girls’ Swim and Dive is looking forward to another excellent season in the pool starting this March and hope to improve upon our 13th place finish at the Kansas State Championship meet. The Lady Indians will be led by a strong senior class including Caitlyn Howard, Aleah Sadeghi, Kali Dyche, Emily Kyle, and Hope McAlexander. Both Head Coach Alex Morris and Assistant Coach Katie Sutton will be back for their 3rd season with the Lady Indians, and they are looking forward to helping these ladies better themselves and succeed in the pool.
A special congratulations goes out to current SMN sophomore Joely Merriman who (as a freshman!) broke a 30-year old school record in the 100 backstroke with a time of 1:00.05, previously held by former Mayor of Mission, KS, Laura McConwell. Pictured below is Joely with Mayor McConwell and Head Coach Alex Morris at the awards banquet last spring. Congrats Joely!
While previous competitive swimming or diving experience is preferred, we are open to working with all levels of swimming abilities. It is recommended that you can swim the length of the pool (25 yards) unassisted, but if you are comfortable in water deeper than your head you are more than welcome to join! If you are interested in joining Girls’ Swim and Dive this spring, we will have our first informational meeting on Monday, February 8th after school in the cafeteria, or you can contact Coach Morris at nomorris@smsd.org. Any supporters of the team can join us for our home opener on Wednesday, March 26th at 4:30pm in the SMN pool for the Lady Indians Sprint Invitation. We hope to see you there!!!
Bowling Season Under Way
The bowling season is well underway. January 11 was our senior night. We recognized seniors Matthew Webb and Mackenzie Howell-Painter following our competition against Lawrence Free State and Leavenworth. This season we continue to improve with every meet. We are looking forward to the SMSD tournament on February 9th and 10th. We are also anxiously awaiting the reopening of our home, Mission Bowl in Mission.
Boys and Girls Soccer
Winter weights:
Winter weights has been going since school the start of second semester and all soccer players are strongly encouraged to be in there everyday. Weights runs 3:00 to 4:10 after school, meet in weight room.
Girls Soccer:
Tryouts are approaching quickly, make sure you have your physical and activity packet completely filled out before you are eligible to tryout.
Tryout schedule for high school girls:
Monday, February 29th 3:00 to 6:00 on the stadium field
Tuesday, March 1st 4:00 to 6:00 on the stadium field
Wednesday, March 2nd 3:00 to 6:00 on the stadium field
Teams will be decided before Thursday, March 3rd’s practice. Practice will be 3:00 to 5:30 Monday through Friday until season starts.
Friday, March 11th practice will be 1:30 to 3:00
Spring Break Practice Schedule: (Stadium field)
Tuesday, March 15 8AM to 10AM
Wednesday, March 16 8AM To 10AM
Thursday, March 17 OFF
Friday, March 18 8AM to 10AM
Saturday, March 19 8AM to 10AM
Monday, March 21 3:30 to 5:30PM (Stadium field)
Boys’ Swim and Dive Late-Season Update 2016
The boys’ swim and dive team is well on its way to another outstanding season for Shawnee Mission North. With only 1 meet still to go before State, we have all three relays and one individual swimmer qualified to compete at the State meet. The 200 Medley Relay of Charlie Kaifes, Julian Rivera, Keighan Miller and Carter Jacobson shattered our 29-year old school record at League with a 3rd place finish and a new record of 1:43.77!
Charlie Kaifes has two State Qualifying times in the 100 Backstroke, and the 50 Freestyle, and has never been faster than he is right now. He shattered the 100 Backstroke school record at League with a time of :56.47 and finished 4th in the backstroke. He also qualified for State in the 50 Freestyle at League with a 6th place finish and a time of :23.07.
Carter Jacobson swam a fantastic 50 Freestyle all weekend at League, and finished 10th in the individual 50 with a time of :23.58. He will try to qualify at the last chance meet at Free State on Feb. 11.
The 200 Freestyle Relay will compete at the last chance meet on Feb. 11th for one more chance to break the school record, but at State will likely consist of Keighan Miller, Clayton McMillin, Julian Rivera and Carter Jacobson.
All of the other swimmers worked hard to improve each meet, and did a super job. Some of our new swimmers really dropped a lot of time in their races, and had a great finish to their seasons as well.
The Indians competed on February 6th and 7th at the Sunflower League Championships in Olathe. We shattered two school records and had almost every swimmers swim lifetime best times for Personal Records. State Championships will be held in Topeka, KS on Feb. 19th and 20th.
The six seniors on the team have been working hard to lead the team and have a positive influence on all of the younger swimmers. The seniors are, in photo order:
Boys Basketball News
The boy’s basketball varsity team is currently 6-3 overall, 4-0 in the Sunflower League. The main focus is to improve team chemistry and implement and correct new and old offenses and defenses. Next week we travel to Nixa, Mo. and compete in their tourney and hope to bring back first place.
Ladies Golf News
2015 was a great stepping stone for the SMN Lady Golf team. We improved in the league standings and Freshman Katlyn Killen was our first golfer to reach state in 26 years.
The cold weather is nearly done and thoughts of spring have us thinking of outdoor fun. Ladies time to stop lying on the ground and start thinking about golf. A wonderful sport to enjoy for the rest of your lives. A pre-season golf meeting will be held in March.
St. Andrews Golf Course in Overland Park will be having the Girl’s High School Golf League again this summer and we are planning on entering a team this year. Either 8 weeks on the Par 4 course getting to meet, compete and learn how to play golf against golfers in the Sunflower League. Or for 6 weeks (for new golfers) on the Par 3 course. Contact Maureen Farrell at St. Andrews or Coach Mansfield for more information. This is an opportunity to learn the game, go out and have fun, meet your competitors, make new friends, get involved and most importantly have fun.
This is a great way for young ladies to get involved in a school activity and develop a connection to North and make new friends. We encourage ladies interested in learning and competing next fall to contact Coach Walter Mansfield at 913 993-7067 or nomansfi@smsd.org .
Katlyn Killeen
Julia Hernandez, Delphia Halagin, Elizabeth Colburn, Amanda Colburn
Katlyn Killeen
Community News
Communities in Schools
Hello everyone! My first semester at North was amazing and full of activities. Communities in Schools held five Outreach Dental Clinics with Health Partnership Clinic in the SMN Multi-Purpose Room and served over 100 students with exams, x-rays, cleanings and sealants. There are 2 more scheduled for second semester and we will continue to schedule them as needed. Coach Dre, Student Council and I held a coat drive during the Public vs. Private basketball tournament in December. Over 100 coats, sweatshirts, hats and gloves were collected for the SMSD Clothing Exchange Center. I partnered with SMN Social Workers, the City of Mission and North Faculty Fund and we were able to provide food and gifts to 17 families for Thanksgiving and 28 families for Christmas. I am currently adding a food pantry to my room (Room 17) for an additional resource for our students. I also have hygiene products such as deodorant, shampoo and conditioner, school supplies and breakfast and snack items. Second semester we have more dental clinics, visits from local Trade Schools, a Career Fair, Reality U$ and much more! I encourage all of you to come visit my room and see what Communities in Schools has to offer!
Miranda Green, Communities in Schools Site Coordinator
Email: MirandaGreen@smsd.org
Phone: 913-993-7175