December 2014 – Page 98 – Welcome to Wyandotte Daily!

KCK school board honors students of month

Students of the month for November included, front row, Aimah Irfan, from Earl Watson Jr. Early Childhood Center; and back row, left to right, Daniel Garcia, from New Stanley Elementary School; Tasha Jackson, from Harmon High School; and Emmanueli Ndihokubwayo, from Argentine Middle School. (Photo from Kansas City, Kan., Public Schools)

The Kansas City, Kan., Board of Education recently honored four students at the Nov. 25 board meeting.

The students of the month included Aimah Irfan from Earl Watson Jr. Early Childhood Center, Daniel Garcia from New Stanley Elementary, Emmanueli Ndihokubwayo from Argentine Middle, and Tasha Jackson from Harmon High School. The students were recommended by Superintendent Cynthia Lane.

The nominations for the students:

Aimah Irfan, Pre-K,
Earl Watson Jr. Early Childhood Center,
Nominated by: Amanda Dendurent, Renne Fensholt and Debbie Byers, preschool teachers.
“Aimah is a very polite little girl at our school. She is kind towards her peers and teachers. Aimah always puts forth great effort in work and play, and makes good choices at school. She is a friend to everyone and always includes her peers in any activity that she may be doing. We are very proud to nominate her for student of the month!” Amanda Dendurent, teacher, Renee Fensholt, special education teacher, and Debbie Byers, para.

Daniel Garcia, 1st grade
New Stanley Elementary School
Nominated by: Allison Butler, teacher
“I chose to nominate Daniel Garcia for student of the month because he is an excellent role model and support to his peers. He is a bright, inquisitive young man who continuously sets the bar for positive behavior in my classroom. Along with aiding his peers, Daniels strives to improve himself each day by choosing activities that challenge him and by eliminating any distractions to his learning. Not only does he lead by example, but also Daniel has a kind and gentle way of guiding his peers to do the right thing and make smart choices. I could not imagine my classroom this year without Daniel’s smiling face!” Sincerely, Allison Butler, teacher

Emmanueli Ndihokubwayo, 8th grade
Argentine Middle School
Nominated by: Kristi Palmer, teacher and James Thompson, teacher
“Emmanueli deserves to be recognized because of the tremendous change he has made in his academics. He struggled with his grades last year, but has worked hard as an eighth grader to turn that around. He currently has straight A’s and has been upset that he has a 96% and wants to raise it. His input and contribution to class is unmatchable. He goes above and beyond in all of his work, wanting to do his best and find things that will make him think and ask questions. His unique perspective is always on point and makes connections between ideas from class and experiences from his life. He is well deserving of this award.” Sincerely, Kristi Palmer, teacher and James Thompson, teacher

Tasha Jackson, 12th grade
J.C. Harmon High School
Nominated by: Steve Howard, teacher and coach
“Tasha was a freshman in my advanced math class and is a proud member of the J.C. Harmon championship math relay teams, for the past three years. Tasha is often sought out by her peers to help them in class. She is an honor roll student, is a member of student council, pep club and an athlete competing in Cross Country and Track. It’s the time outside of school that she puts into her academics that is also extremely impressive. She is part of Saturday Science, Math & Technology Academy 2009-2014, Medical Camp, just to name a few. She is a highly focused, goal oriented young lady that will truly be successful in her future. It is my privilege to write this letter recommending Tasha for student of the month.” Sincerely, Steve Howard, teacher
– Story from KCK Public Schools

Semi vs. Cadillac ends with injury to DeVille driver

A semi and a Cadillac DeVille that were southbound on I-635 near the I-70 exit collided, with an injury resulting, at 11 a.m. Tuesday, Dec. 2.

According to the Kansas Highway Patrol trooper’s report, when the semi made a lane change to the right on I-635, it came into contact with the DeVille, which then hit the wall.

The driver of the DeVille, a 25-year-old Topeka, Kan., woman, was injured and taken to a hospital in Kansas City, Kan., according to the report.

A 24-year-old male passenger in the Cadillac was not injured.

The driver of the semi, a 60-year-old man from Marion, Kan., was not injured, according to the report.

Murguia files for third term as UG commissioner

Commissioner Ann Brandau Murguia filed Monday for re-election for the 3rd District Commissioner position for the Unified.

Commissioner Murguia first won election to the 3rd District seat in 2007. She also won re-election in 2011.

“It has been an honor and a privilege to represent the people of the 3rd District. I appreciate all the help and support my constituents have given me over the years. I value the importance of this position to our community, and if reelected, look forward to working hard to continue our good work and successes.”

The biggest challenge in the next four years will be to grow the community’s tax base so that it doesn’t have to raise property taxes, she said. She added the 3rd District has been successful in attracting businesses including a grocery store and new developments during the past four years.

Commissioner Murguia said her re-election campaign is focused on continuing the surge of economic development that has taken place over the last seven years, the emphasis of strong code enforcement on commercial and residential property owners, and the importance of supporting the need for adequate and efficient public safety services—Fire and Police departments.

She said she is proud of the economic development success and neighborhood revitalization the 3rd District has experienced since she became a Commissioner in 2007. She mentioned the Rainbow corridor in Rosedale with $60 million redevelopment, including retail, commercial, residential and partnership with Kansas University Medical Center.

“In the 3rd District we have added 100’s of jobs and provided residents with improved retail opportunities and services,” she said. “We were recently able to open a new Walmart Neighborhood Market and thanks to the collaborative efforts of the Unified Government, businesses, and the community residents we hope to continue to bring in even more businesses and commercial opportunities.”

Commissioner Murguia highlighted the street and curb improvements that have taken place in the 3rd District. She said again a combination of the Unified Government, local businesses and community involvement were the main reasons for the success of that program. She said that the community appreciates the repairing of the streets and that it has revived neighborhood pride in the community.

“People tend to take better care of their property when they see this kind of investment and improvement to their neighborhoods,” she said. “What also helps is strict and strong code enforcement on those who neglect and create public safety hazards on their property to the detriment of the responsible and hard working residents who are taking care of their homes and businesses.”

Public safety is also one of Commissioner Murguia’s main priorities. She said that the 3rd District residents have indicated that is one of their most important requests from the Unified Government.

“Timely and efficient Police and Fire protection are always mentioned at all the neighborhood meetings I attend. I am committed to ensuring the availability and the effectiveness of public safety services to the 3rd District.” She said one of her main goals if elected is to open a new public safety facility next to the new Walmart that will provide much needed space for the South Patrol division.

Commissioner Murguia said she is committed to providing quick and timely constituent service. She said it is important for the 3rd District residents to know they have a voice in their local government.

“I first ran so that our community could have a voice in how our Unified Government governed and provided services. I pledge to continue to work hard and try my best for everyone in the 3rd District,” she said.

Commissioner Murguia is the executive director of the Argentine Neighborhood Development Association, a position she began as an unpaid volunteer in 2006 and is now a full-time job. She was previously employed as chief operations officer at Community Housing of Wyandotte County. She has a Bachelor of Science from Ottawa University and a Master’s in Business Administration from Baker University.

She is presently a member of the Kansas Board of Regents and Board of Trustees at the University of Missouri –Kansas City. In 2011, the Hispanic Chamber of Commerce of Greater Kansas City named her their Humanitarian of the Year for her work with the Latino community. In addition, she graduated with the class of 2011 in the Leadership Kansas Program affiliated with the Kansas State Chamber of Commerce.

She has also served on the Wyandotte County Parks Foundation Board, co-chaired the Frontiers Project at KU Medical Center, member of the Argentine Activities Association and member of Our Lady of Unity-St. John the Evangelist church.

Commissioner Murguia has been a resident of the Argentine neighborhood in Kansas City, Kan., since 1997. She is married to Carlos Murguia. They have three children. She is an active member of her local neighborhood association—VANA.