District Students, Staff Receive Honors
Kopplin Selected to Play on Generation X Team
Shane Kopplin, a junior soccer player at Olathe East High School, has been selected to play for the United States Generation X Team. He will travel to Italy in mid-October, to represent the United States in three competitions. The Gen X team develops players to potentially play on the U.S. National team. Kopplin is one of the 15 to 17 players selected fromapproximately 1,000 players, representing 33 states, and is the only player from Kansas or Missouri.
Dahl to Study in China on NSLI-Y Scholarship
Andrea Dahl, a junior from Olathe North High School, has been awarded a National Security Language Initiative for Youth (NSLI-Y) scholarship for 2015-16. Dahl studied Chinese in China this summer. She was one of only 620 students from across the United States who received a scholarship to study Arabic, Chinese, Hindi, Korean, Persian, Russian or Turkish overseas this year. While in China, Dahl received formal instruction and informal language practice in an immersion environment. The NSLI-Y program seeks to increase the number of Americans who can engage with native speakers of critical languages. The goals of the
NSLI-Y program include sparking a lifelong interest in foreign languages and cultures, and developing a corps of young Americans with the skills necessary to advance international dialogue and cross-cultural opportunities in the private, academic and government sectors.
Griffin Honored as Band Educator of the Year
Eric Griffin, band teacher at Mission Trail Middle School, has been selected by his peers as the Outstanding Middle School Band Educator of the Year by the Northeast Kansas Music Educators Association (NEKMEA). In order to be considered for this award, the recipient must have been in teaching for at least 10 years, a member of KMEA and the program must have shown improvement and/or consistency over the years. Griffin will be honored at the 2015 District mini-convention at 1 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 5 at Blue Valley High School.
Wendleton Honored by KAEA
Megan Wendleton, an art teacher at California Trail Middle School, was honored by the Kansas Art Educators Association as the Kansas Outstanding Middle School Art Educator for 2015-16. Wendleton was nominated by retired art teacher Ellen Taylor, who had the opportunity to work with Wendleton. “Megan is always positive, friendly and eager to help out in any way possible,” Taylor said. “She has proven herself to be a reliable and conscientious member of our art education community.” Wendleton will be honored at an awards banquet during the KAEA fall conference on Oct. 9 in Pittsburg, Kan.
Two More Named to All-Honor Choir, Orchestra
Cole Bellamy and Alexander Jackson, both of Olathe North High School, were selected to perform in the National Association for Music Education’s All-National Honor Choir and Honor Orchestra, respectively. Both will perform at the Grand Ole Opry in Nashville, Tenn., in October. Bellamy and Jackson have been named two of the best of the best from approximately 2.5 million high school musicians from across the nation. Bellamy is a bass singer and is under the direction of Dr. Garrett Epp at Olathe North. Jackson plays the viola in the Olathe North symphony orchestra and is under the direction of Cecily Noel-Mahan. Bellamy and Jackson are two of only 19 Kansas musicians who help make up the approximately 650 student musicians of the all-national band, choir, orchestra or jazz band.