Category: Education

Wyandotte County high school seniors named Kansas Honor Scholars

More than 180 Wyandotte County high school seniors have been named Kansas Honors Scholars.

The program through the University of Kansas Alumni Association and KU Endowment marks its 50th anniversary this year. More than 3,600 high school seniors in Kansas were honored for academic excellence and achievement.

High school seniors in the top 10 percent of their class were honored from about 360 high schools.

Usually the program honors seniors at recognition ceremonies, but because of the pandemic, the scholars were honored in a virtual program this year. The program is at kualumni.org/khs. In addition, the association mailed distinctive Kansas Honor Scholar medallions, certificates and letters of recognition to all high schools for distribution to the students.

The program is made possible by KU Endowment, alumni donations and proceeds from the Alumni Association’s Jayhawk license plate program, and allows the University and the Alumni Association to create more scholarship opportunities for Kansas students.

In 2020, the association raised more than $7,000 for one-time Kansas Honor Scholar Scholarships, funded entirely by alumni donations. In addition, two students will receive the $1,000 renewable four-year Herbert Rucker Woodward Scholarship, given annually for more than two decades to Kansas Honor Scholars. Since 1985, more than 18,000 Kansas Honor Scholars have enrolled as freshmen at KU.

Named Kansas Honor Scholars from Wyandotte County:

From Bishop Ward High School: Rachel Cisneros, Alexa Hernandez, Aislinn Jorge, Lizbeth Martinez, Edgar Montoya, Stella Subasic, Nikila Taylor, and Richard Yamamoto.

From Bonner Springs High School: Poneak Alongkornvilai, Emily Ashford, Hannah Baric, Sofia Bowman, Keyana Cruse, Natalie Delgado, Jazmin Graham, Rebecca Graham, Izabelle Koenig, Darrah Lane, Kallie Millison, Maggie Myers, Laura Nobles, Dylan Palmberg, Sierra Pier, Hailey Robinson, Samson Selleck, Bruce Sherrow, Ian Tomasic, Seth Wacker and Sasha Welicky.

From Schlagle High School: Arely Aguilar-Dena, Giselle Alvarado-Ortega, Janiya Burns, Van Lian Cung, Baldemar Funes Hernandez, Giovanny Garcia Mireles, Debra Gunn, Victor Gutierrez-Alvarez, Skyla Her, Kenya Hernandez Lopez, Marae Jackson, Yoselin Juarez, Pamong Lee, Maleah McCluney, Plae Meh, Alondra Mejia Isidro, Briyanna Miller, Jayla Newson, Katherine Pedraza, Angel Pena-Hernandez, Jailyn Polk, Kenia Ramirez, Desiree Rice, Alexis Vielma and Paw Way.

From Harmon High School: Hawa Ali, Lizbeth Ambriz-Fernandez, Jervin Anavisca Rodriguez, Melissa Chavez, Leslie Chavez Hinojos, Danna Chavez Trejo, James Cook, Xochytl De Lara, Miguel Flores, Alex Fonseca Varela, Jessica Hawj, Jacob Ingram, Yanet Jimenez-Pantoja, Alicia Madrigal, Vanessa Morales, Kenly Nicolas-Estrada, Faith Packer, Ehkalu Paw, Deyra Ramos, Karla Ramos, Htay Reh, Fernanda Sanchez Gonzalez, Pamela Segoviano; Oscar Silva Valles, July Soe, Esmeralda Soria Galvan, Angel Temple, Brian Xolot and Kristal Zamudio De la Cruz.

From Kansas State School for the Blind: Rich Yamamoto.

From Piper High School: Blake Beashore, Noelle Collins, Alyson Droppelmann, Payton Fergus, Gabrielle Fisette, Gwen Gambrill, Alyssa Gray, Andrew Hart, Jill Haworth, Olivia Hilty, Samuel Nunez, Jennifer Obiesie, Cassidy Rubin, Alexis Saragusa and Evelyn Vazquez.

From Sumner Academy: Stephen Barratt, Sierra Bilyeu, Andrew Bristow, Farrel Camargo Juarez, Illse Cardenas, Marleny Ceron Larios, Andrew Curts, Ashley Diaz-Rocha, Jacqueline Fernandez, Kymora Freeman, Neymara Freeman, Areli Garcia-Lopez, Jafet Limas, Erin Lynch, Mikayla Mielkus, Perla Navarro-Ortiz, Kacy Pugh, Ashley Robinson, Suzanne Schmidt and Emelin Tapia.

From Turner High School: Ashlyn Bakersfield, Bridget Barcenas, BriAnne Blackmore, Cyra Chronister, Andrea Esquivel-Valencia, Rachael Everitt, Dylan Franklin, Karla Gutierrez-Duarte, Emilyanna Her, Jennifer Interiano, Anai Melendez, Kassandra Munoz, Lesly Romo, Patricia Salazar, Anastacia Santos, Yesenia Siguenza, Judith Silvestre, Telicia Soto, Kimberlee Xiong and Selena Yang.

From Washington High School: Layla Carr, Ardesia Carter, Brianna Castleberry, Elana Collins, Nu Eng, Julia Estrada, LaNita Gomez, Christopher Her, MiMi Htay, Chyler Hughes, Vidal Lopez, Sian Mang, Monica Medina Cabrera, Eh K’Pru Moo, Isadora Moua, M’ia Nance, Juan Olivas, Thawng Pum, Mana Thang, Za Thang, Edgar Valles-Acosta, Sarenity Xiong and Neramit Yangsansoen.

From Wyandotte High School: Deylon Burton, Lucero Cardenas Vargas, Evelyn Chela-Anaya, Carlos Cisneros, Andrei Colado, Melisa Delfin-Anzures, Jenifer Delgado Hernandez, Alondra Diaz-Delgado, Saul Franco Morales, Brayan Guzman-Bustillos, Paul Helton, Anissa Love, Laura Macias-Martinez, Vivian Maradiaga, Jose Marrufo, Dulce Martinez Luna, Edgar Mendez-Cano, Heidy Mera Paredes, Katerin Molina Peraza, Kelvin Montenegro Marroquin, Valeria Nunez-Contreras, Ximena Ordaz, Cecilia Pan Wai, Sydrionna Rolls, Saira Ruelas Violeta, Jonatan Ruiz-Meza, Anahi Salas, Luis Salazar-Machado, Jesus Salinas-Oseguera, Cynthia Vasquez and Itzel Yanez.

Students named to honors lists

Two Kansas City, Kansas, students have been named to honors lists at Simpson College.

Bryce Yoder of Kansas City, Kansas, has been named to the fall President’s List at Simpson College, Indianola, Iowa.

Patricia Telthorst of Kansas City, Kansas, was named to the fall Dean’s List at Simpson College.

Yoder qualified for the academic honor with a 4.0 grade point average during the semester. Yoder attended Piper High School.

Telthorst qualified for the academic honor by earning a minimum 3.7 grade point average during the semester. Telthorst attended Piper High School.

Simpson College is a private, liberal arts college founded in 1860 in Iowa with campuses in Indianola, West Des Moines and online.

Opponents, proponents discuss public funding of private schools

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Opinion column

by Murrel Bland

It was an interesting discussion about public money being used by private schools when the Legislative Committee met Friday morning, March 12 via Zoom. The committee is a function of the Kansas City, Kansas, Area Chamber of Commerce.

Dr. Alicia Miguel, the Kansas City, Kansas, School District superintendent, expressed her opposition to two bills in the Kansas Legislature – Senate Bill 61 and House Bill 2119.

The House bill would allow educational savings accounts for private schools. Dr. Miguel said that is just another name for vouchers. She said this legislation that would take money away from public schools should be of concern for the general public and businesses. She said that there is concern that if public money goes to religious schools, there is an issue of separation of church and state.

Libby Knox, who is director of development for the Catholic Education Foundation, had opposing views. She spoke in favor of Senate Bill 61. She said the legislation would expand the areas in which tax credits could be used. She said presently there are needy persons who are excluded. She said the program exists according to narrow guidelines established by the courts.


Knox said she was not speaking in favor of House Bill 2119. She said the needy persons helped by the program have a 99 percent high school graduation rate.

Edwin Birch, the executive director for communication and marketing for the Kansas City, Kansas, School District, said he worked for the Kansas City (Missouri) School District, and saw charter schools take away substantial funds from the public school system. Birch also worked as public information officer for the Unified Government of Wyandotte County and Kansas City, Kansas.

Stephen Linkous, the chief of staff for the Kansas City, Kansas, School District, said he comes from Denver where charter schools diluted funds for public schools.

There was discussion about Senate Bill 50 which, passed out of the Senate 35-3; it would help assure sales tax is collected on internet sales.

Also discussed was the legislation that would affect STAR bonds; The minimum for a STAR bond financing project would be $75 million; Mike Taylor, the lobbyist for the Unified Government, said that a $50 million minimum would be more practical. A STAR bond project uses the money that would normally be collected from sales tax to pay for infrastructure such as streets and sewers.

Murrel Bland is the former editor of The Wyandotte West and The Piper Press. He is executive director of Business West.