Bishop Ward High School has announced that juniors Alexis Wilson and Jared Turrel have been named commended students in the 2016 National Merit Scholarship Program.
Bishop Ward Principal Karen Hopson presented the award to these exceptional students.
“Alexis and Jared have demonstrated outstanding academic success here at Bishop Ward and we are so proud of them,” Hopson said. “We hope that this recognition will help widen their educational opportunities and encourage them as they continue toward success.”
Alexis and Jared were two of more than 1.5 million students who entered the 2016 competition and are being recognized as part of the 34,000 who are in the top five percent. They entered by taking the 2014 Preliminary SAT-National Merit Scholarship Qualifying Test (PSAT-NMSQT).
Three vehicles were in a crash on Sept. 23 on westbound I-70 near the Park Drive exit in Kansas City, Kan.
At about 5:54 p.m., a Chevrolet Impala struck a 2012 Audi that was stopped for traffic, and the Audi then struck a 2010 Audi Q5 that was stopped for traffic, according to the Kansas Turnpike Authority trooper’s report.
The driver of the Impala, an 18-year-old man from Kansas City, Kan., was injured and taken to the hospital, the report stated.
The driver of the 2012 Audi, a 60-year-old man from Topeka, Kan., was injured, according to the trooper’s report.
The driver of the 2010 Audi Q5, a 40-year-old woman from Shawnee, Kan., was not injured, according to the report.
Superintendent Cynthia Lane
The Kansas School Superintendents’ Association has selected Kansas City, Kan., Superintendent Cynthia Lane as the 2016 Kansas Superintendent of the Year. Lane has led the Kansas City, Kan., Public Schools since 2010.
“Dr. Lane is a passionate advocate not only in her district, but for students across Kansas. She has demonstrated a clear commitment to preparing students for success by partnering with the Kansas City community to work to provide the best possible education to all children,” says G.A. Buie, executive director of the Kansas School Superintendents’ Association.
Candidates for superintendent of the year are assessed according to their professionalism, communication, community involvement and leadership in meeting the needs of students. As Kansas Superintendent of the Year, Lane will now be considered for the national superintendent of the year program. KSSA also provides a $1,000 scholarship to a high school senior selected by the Kansas superintendent of the year.
“I am humbled and honored to have been selected for this award,” Lane said in the announcement. “I accept it on behalf of the Board of Education and the team of people in the district and in the community who work tirelessly to graduate each student prepared for college and careers in a global society. This award is a tribute to their commitment to this community, and their dedication to the idea that every student deserves access to a high-quality education.”
The Kansas City, Kan., Public Schools serves 22,000 students preK – 12th grade, almost 90 percent of whom qualify for free or reduced lunch. The district’s focus is on college and career preparation for each student. The Diploma+ program, begun in 2014, has established the goal of graduating each student with a high school diploma, along with at least one of the following:
• At least one year of college completed
• A technical degree or credential
• At least a 21 on the ACT
KCKPS was the first large district in the Kansas City metro area to implement a 1:1 laptop initiative for its high school students, an initiative which Lane helped to spearhead.
This recognition is the culmination of a life dedicated to educational leadership and excellence, the announcement stated. Lane has worked in education for more than 30 years, including the last 14 as an administrator in the Kansas City, Kan., District. Prior to becoming superintendent, she worked as an assistant superintendent, director of special education, associate director of special education, and a building principal. Before returning to the Kansas City, Kan., district in 2001, she served as the director of special education in Spring Hill.
Lane is a member of the American Association of School Administrators, she chairs the Kansas School Superintendents’ Association legislative committee, and has been extremely active with the United School Administrators of Kansas, where she was recently honored with an USA-Kansas Outstanding Service Award. She is a member of the Kansas-Missouri Superintendent Forum and began her leadership career as a member of the Kansas Association of Special Education Administrators.
In addition to her education leadership, Lane is actively engaged in the community. She is involved with the Kansas City, Kan., Chamber of Commerce, Parents and Child Empowerment Services, and serves on the Country Club Bank Advisory Board. Her passion for early education is demonstrated through her continued involvement with the Successful Partnership to Assure Readiness for Kindergarten and Kindergarten Ready Committee.
She received a bachelor’s and master’s degree from Pittsburg State University and doctorate degree from the University of Kansas. In 2013 she was honored by the University of Kansas with a Leadership for Learning Award, and in 2014 received a Meritorious Achievement Award from Pittsburg State University.
Lane will represent Kansas at the American Association of School Administrators’ National Conference on Education in February in Phoenix, and will be considered for the National Superintendent of the Year program.
