Thank a Tradesperson on Sept. 17

The Shawnee Mission School District is shining a spotlight on a group of skilled individuals who are #KeepingSMSDStrong. Sept. 17, 2021, is National Tradesperson Day.

Shawnee Mission’s Operations and Maintenance (O&M) team maintains the district’s 5.4 million square feet of interior building space and more than 800 acres of outdoor space throughout the year. It takes teamwork from the entire O&M Team, including the utilities department, grounds department, painting department, warehouse department, and building crafts department to keep the SMSD operating and maintained.

“Our staff members are dedicated to providing state-of-the-art facilities for the Shawnee Mission School District,” Judd Remmers, assistant director of facilities shared. “Our team works hard to ensure learning environments are safe, functional and appealing for students, staff, and our communities.”

Featured in the photos:

Amanda Odom serves as a pool technician for the SMSD, making sure pools are ready for student practice and competition. She said she enjoys working on pools and the opportunity to work in a job that keeps her active and busy.

Joe Applebury Has served as an electrician for the SMSD for 24 years. One of his favorite aspects of the job, he said, is the variety. Every day brings new problems to resolve across the district. “Each day you don’t know exactly what you are going to be doing,” he shared.

Sydney Gillett has painted buildings across the district for 40 years, saying he loves working in the schools. “We all try to do a good job,” Gillett shared. “If students have a nice, clean environment it helps them.”