Shawnee Mission Recognizes PTA Citizenship Writing Contest Honorees

All Citizenship Contest Honorees
Shawnee Mission School District

The Shawnee Mission School District formally recognized honorees from across the district in this school year’s Shawnee Mission Area Council (SMAC) PTA Citizenship Writing Contest. The program encourages students in fifth grade through twelfth grade to write a poem or essay.

This year’s essay theme, “My Motivation” drew nearly 800 entries from across the district. At the Feb. 11 board meeting, honorees were presented with medals and ribbons and were congratulated for their accomplishments in writing. The recognition ceremony was followed by a reception held in the Center for Academic Achievement (CAA).

Awards of Excellence and Awards of Merit for outstanding interpretations of the theme in the Shawnee Mission School District were presented as follows:

Award of Excellence

Thomas Burns, Brookwood Elementary, fifth-grade, poem

Malia Knight, Santa Fe Trail Elementary, fifth-grade, essay

Reuben Fick, Trailwood Elementary, sixth-grade, poem

Amelia Diefendorf, Highlands Elementary, sixth-grade, essay

Nick Van Deventer, Westridge Middle School, seventh-grade, poem

Samantha Sullivan, Trailridge Middle School, eighth-grade, poem

Alison Vu, Westridge Middle School, eighth-grade, essay

Martha Arvanitakis, Shawnee Mission Northwest High School, ninth-grade, poem

Evangilina Hrenchir, Shawnee Mission Northwest High School, ninth-grade, essay

Maria Heath, Shawnee Mission South High School, 10-grade, poem

Kelly Vanden Bos, Shawnee Mission Northwest High School, 10th-grade, essay

Michael Fitzgerald, Shawnee Mission Northwest High School, 11th-grade, poem

Alice Newell, Shawnee Mission Northwest High School, 11th-grade, essay

Bryce DeBok, Shawnee Mission Northwest High School, 12th-grade, poem

Julianna Kantner, Shawnee Mission Northwest High School, 12th-grade, essay

 

Award of Merit

Haven Bauman, Santa Fe Trail Elementary, fifth-grade, poem

Juliana Jamison, Highlands Elementary, fifth-grade, essay

Ethan Reed, Santa Fe Trail Elementary, sixth-grade, poem

Eva Gazaway, Mill Creek Elementary, sixth-grade, essay

Eli Messerli, Trailridge Middle School, eighth-grade, essay

Campbell Wood, Shawnee Mission East High School, ninth-grade, poem

Olivia Tolleson, Shawnee Mission Northwest High School, 10th-grade, poem

Elizabeth Esrey, Shawnee Mission East High School, 10th-grade, essay

Davis Wright, Shawnee Mission East High School, 12th-grade, poem

All Citizenship Contest Honorees
A student shakes hands with Dr. Fulton.
A student shakes hands with Dr. Fulton.
A student shakes hands with Dr. Fulton
A student looks at the Citizenship contest certificate received.
A student celebrates being an award-winning writer.
Example of the medal handed out to students next to lists of the awardees.