Tomahawk Community Celebrates the End of an Era

Hundreds of people from the Shawnee Mission community attended Tomahawk Elementary School’s “Final Farewell” celebration to welcome a new era for the Tigers.

The event served as an opportunity for alumni, former teachers, and anyone with Tomahawk ties to take a trip down memory lane before the school facility is rebuilt.  

The current building opened in 1955 and has served generations of families. 

“We’ve got three generations that went here,” said Tomahawk alumnus Bill Jehnke.  “My kids and their kids, so, I've seen it grow and just be an anchor for everybody to go on.”

Jehnke was in second grade when the building opened in 1955 and fondly remembers the layout of the classrooms and, of course, the playground. 

“I don’t really remember much, but the playground. Yes. Had a lot of fun on the playground.”

For former Tomahawk parent, Rae Ann Kobylinski, the art room is where she spent most of her time.  

“I want to visit the art room again,” said Kobylinski. “That’s where I personally spent most of my time with the PTA. That’s where we held our meetings.” 

Kobylinski is a former PTA president whose three sons attended Tomahawk between 1986 and 2002. And, while the building holds a lot of memories, it’s the staff that she remembers most. 

“I always felt like the teachers were very caring teachers. They did so many fun things for their students.” 

The evening of reminiscing included displays of archive photos, videos, scrapbooks, and memorabilia. Guests were also invited to sign the wall leading to the library and leave their mark on their former school. 

Tomahawk principal Erin Aldrich says the farewell celebration was a “much anticipated event”- that as soon as the rebuild plans were announced, people started asking about when they could visit the school one last time. 

“I think that when we think about a school building, it doesn't make a community, right?” explained principal Aldrich. “It facilitates the relationships that we have in a space. So, for me, having so many people return and share their memories and things that stood out to them reminds us of what is truly at the heart of our community and what we want to carry into the next space with us as we move forward.”

The Tomahawk Elementary rebuild was made possible as a result of a $264 million bond referendum approved by Shawnee Mission voters in 2021. Construction is expected to begin in January 2024 and the new building is expected to be open for the 2025-26 school year.