![Shawnee Mission Students Named Winners in State PTA Citizenship and Reflections Contests]([{"url":"https://resources.finalsite.net/images/f_auto,q_auto,t_image_size_1/v1590611235/smsdorg/xthmhrbnig2utgkvr2aq/PTAArts9777.jpg","width":256},{"url":"https://resources.finalsite.net/images/f_auto,q_auto,t_image_size_2/v1590611235/smsdorg/xthmhrbnig2utgkvr2aq/PTAArts9777.jpg","width":512},{"url":"https://resources.finalsite.net/images/f_auto,q_auto,t_image_size_3/v1590611235/smsdorg/xthmhrbnig2utgkvr2aq/PTAArts9777.jpg","width":800},{"url":"https://resources.finalsite.net/images/f_auto,q_auto/v1590611235/smsdorg/xthmhrbnig2utgkvr2aq/PTAArts9777.jpg","width":835}])
Students from across the Shawnee Mission School District (SMSD) are Award of Excellence and Award of Merit winners in the 2019-2020 State of Kansas PTA Citizenship Essay and Poetry Contest and the State Reflections Contest, as announced by Kansas PTA.
Citizenship winners, in grades 5-12, entered into a state-wide contest with written essays or poems conveying their interpretation of the theme, “The Leader In Me”.
Citizenship honorees are:
Award of Excellence: Essay
Marley Riscoe, fifth grade, Rosehill Elementary
Greta Kelly, seventh grade, Westridge Middle School
Nathan Phillips, eighth grade, Westridge Middle School
Kaleah Petersen, 10th grade, Shawnee Mission South
Emilia Gibbs, 11th grade, Shawnee Mission East
Alice Newell, 12th grade, Shawnee Mission Northwest
Award of Merit: Essay
Jayce Lind, fifth grade, Bluejacket-Flint Elementary
Award of Excellence: Poetry
Carolyne Graham, fifth grade, Brookwood Elementary
Gabriela Gonzalez, sixth grade, East Antioch Elementary
Oscar Ohly, ninth grade, Shawnee Mission Northwest
Campbell Wood, 10th grade, Shawnee Mission East
Grace Rippee, 11th grade, Shawnee Mission Northwest
Trinity Martin, 12th grade, Shawnee Mission South
The Citizenship theme changes each year, as it encourages students to think about their role in their community. The theme for the 2020-2021 Kansas PTA Citizenship Program is “Caring for my Community Looks Like…”
Kansas State PTA Reflections Award of Excellence winners:
The National PTA Reflections contest invites students of all grades and abilities to participate and explore the arts. Students submitted their completed works of art in one or all of the available arts categories with their interpretation of the theme, “Look Within”: dance choreography, film, production, literature, music composition, photography, and visual arts.
Dance Choreography
Harlow Bivens, Pawnee Elementary
Claire Martin, Corinth Elementary
Molly McCracken, Indian Woods Middle School
Film Production
Ellie Burgess, Belinder Elementary
Olivia Garza, Lenexa Hills Elementary
Ashleigh Neyman, Shawnee Mission West High School
Literature
Emma Hobick, Westwood View Elementary
Brendan Few, Sunflower Elementary
Lachlan Smith, Westridge Middle School
Emmett Liljegren, Shawnee Mission East High School
Music Composition
Jiya Bhavsar, Briarwood Elementary
Reagan Schneider, Highlands Elementary
lshya Bhavsar, Indian Hills Middle School
Andrew Schnake, Shawnee Mission West High School
Photography
Katie Barnes, Christa McAuliffe Elementary
Delani Luttrell, Mill Creek Elementary
Oliver Whitman, Trailwood Elementary
Nia Duvall, Shawnee Mission North High School
Visual Art
Nixon Katzenmeier, Trailwood Elementary
Ari Conner, Lenexa Hills Elementary
Nicole Kahn, Indian Hills Middle School
Alyvia Downey, Shawnee Mission North High School
Eleanor Watts, Pawnee Elementary
All PTA units are encouraged to host a local Reflections Contest, with those winners moving into the Shawnee Mission Area Council District PTA (SMAC) Contest, then advancing to the State of Kansas PTA, and on to the National PTA Reflections Contest. The theme for the 2020-2021 Reflections program year is “I Matter Because…”