Month: December 2015

Sporting KC signs free agent Mapp

Sporting Kansas City has signed veteran midfielder Justin Mapp, the club announced on Monday.

Mapp becomes the first free agent signing in Major League Soccer history after the league introduced free agency in the new collective bargaining agreement earlier this year.

“Adding an experienced player of Justin’s caliber is a great start to our offseason,” Sporting KC manager Peter Vermes said. “He fits very well into our model of play and brings a lot of qualities that will help us reach our goals next season.”

Mapp, 31, has recorded 23 goals and 70 assists in 318 MLS appearances (including postseason) since being drafted fourth overall in the 2002 MLS SuperDraft. His 65 regular season assists rank third among active players in MLS.

“Sporting Kansas City has always been a team and organization I have respected, and now I am very happy to be a part of it and play in front of such passionate fans,” Mapp said. “I am thankful and appreciative for my time at Montreal, and I’m looking forward to the 2016 season in Kansas City.”

Mapp spent his rookie campaign at D.C. United before joining the Chicago Fire, where he helped the club reach the playoffs six times between 2003-2010. He left Chicago in July 2010, having won two Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cups (2003, 2006) and a Supporters’ Shield title (2003) to go with MLS All-Star (2005) and MLS Best XI (2006) honors.

After contributing four goals and eight assists from 2010-2011 with the Philadelphia Union, Mapp was selected by the Montreal Impact in the MLS Expansion Draft ahead of the 2012 campaign. He has spent each of the last four years with the Canadian side, where he currently ranks second in club history with 21 MLS assists and fifth with 83 regular season appearances.

In 2013 and 2014, Mapp tied MLS career-highs with eight assists and helped Montreal win consecutive Amway Canadian Championship titles, landing tournament MVP honors both times. He was an inactive MLS All-Star in 2013 as Montreal made its first ever appearance in the MLS Cup Playoffs.

Mapp earned eight caps for the United States Men’s National Team between 2005 and 2007, including three games played at the 2007 Copa America in Venezuela. He also represented the U.S. at the U-17 and U-20 youth levels.

Park University announces Wyandotte County graduates

Park University has announced several graduates from Wyandotte County.

Commencement was held Dec. 12 at the Community of Christ Auditorium in Independence, Mo.

Those on the list either lived in Wyandotte County or attended a high school in Wyandotte County.

The degrees received and the students included:

Graduate degrees:
Master of Business Administration:
• Damon Wooten, business administration, Alexandria, Va., attended Sumner Academy of Arts and Science, Kansas City, Kan. Wooten also earned a graduate certificate in health service management and leadership.
Master of Education:
• Sara Marie Gearheart, teacher leadership, Kansas City, Kan., attended Piper High School.
• Frances Elaine Rodriguez, educational leadership, Kansas City, Kan.
• Master of Healthcare Administration:
• Brittany Schalice Robinson, Kansas City, Kan., attended Schlagle High School.
• Raid Fakhry Shorman, Kansas City, Kan.
Master of Public Affairs:
• Karen Amber Kelly, nonprofit and community services management, Kansas City, Kan., attended Bishop Ward High School.
Graduate Certificate:
• Bobbie G. Stewart-Thomas, Kansas City, Kan., attended Wyandotte High School.

Undergraduate degrees:
Bachelor of Arts:
• Melanie Diane Gonzalez, criminal justice administration – law enforcement and Spanish, Kansas City, Kan.
Bachelor of Public Administration:
• Paul O. Abanishe, Kansas City, Kan.
• Eunice Oregel, public service, Shawnee Kan., attended Wyandotte High School. Oregel also earned an undergraduate certificate in terrorism and homeland security.
Bachelor of Science:
• Paula Engetschwiler, management, magna cum laude, Kansas City, Mo., attended Muncie Christian School, Kansas City, Kan.
• Anthony Thomas Fenner, business administration – finance, magna cum laude, Kansas City, Kan.
• Samuel Aldon Miller, management, summa cum laude, Edwardsville, Kan.
• Krista Elizabeth Sheckells, business administration – marketing, Kansas City, Kan., attended Basehor-Linwood High School, Basehor, Kan.
• Adam Robert Shirley, biology, Bonner Springs, Kan., attended Bonner Springs High School.
• Vanessa Kay Thomson, management – accounting, cum laude, Kansas City, Kan., attended Valley Center, Kan., High School.
• Jennifer L. Tuttle, fitness and wellness, magna cum laude, Kansas City, Kan., attended Joplin, Mo., High School.
• Shun’Nita S. Washington, business administration – management, Kansas City, Kan., attended Schlagle High School.
• Maretta J. Williams, management – computer information systems, cum laude, Kansas City, Kan.

Assisted living community residents to participate in art workshop

The Piper, an assisted living and memory care community at 2300 N. 113th Terrace, Kansas City, Kan., will hold an art workshop, “Portrait of a Family,” at 6 p.m. Dec. 14.

It is the second art workshop in a series of three in which families and children will work with Kansas City Art Institute Hugh Merrill to create a collage artwork representing each family. The artwork is made from reproductions of photos, and stories about childhood are included.

The first session was Dec. 1, and offered instruction in scanning photos and mapping participants’ childhoods. Seniors and their family members brought in their family photos.

At today’s program, participants will cut and paste to make a collage of multiple family images. Family members will be prompted to write stories, make lists and use their childhood maps from the first week to complete the collages.

During the final session at 6 p.m. Jan. 11, the collages will be returned to the families as they complete their two pieces of artwork.

“It’s such a great honor to have someone with the stature of Hugh Merrill come to our community for this wonderful project,” said Steve Shields, co-owner of The Piper. “This will be a great opportunity for our residents and their families to work with a professional artist to come together and make more than just art. They will make a lasting memory that will become a keepsake to pass on to future generations.”

Participants for the workshop will include residents of The Piper and their families, as well as anyone who may be considering a move to The Piper, seniors living in the Hazelwood neighborhood, and those who are “friends” of The Piper.

The Piper was built according to the Household Model, developed by co-founders Shields and LaVrene Norton. It strives to make a cultural change in the way care is given to residents. It’s staffed by familiar caregivers who are there to partner with residents as they live life with a strong measure of independence and responsibility.

– From Brian Spano, public relations, The Piper