Category: Education

Sumner Academy named best high school in Kansas

Sumner Academy, 1610 N. 8th St., Kansas City, Kansas, has been named the best high school in Kansas by U.S. News and World Report.

In the rankings, announced recently, U.S. News and World Report cited Sumner Academy’s 100 percent graduation rate and its 100 percent international baccalaureate participation rate.

Not only was Sumner Academy named best high school in Kansas, it was ranked No. 55 in the nation.

Sumner Academy tied for first place in math and reading performance rank and graduation rate rank nationally.

According to U.S. New and World Report, the 764 students at Sumner Academy are 86 percent minority and 73 percent economically disadvantaged.

The No. 2 school in Kansas was Blue Valley North High School, followed by Blue Valley High at No. 3. Shawnee Mission East High School was ranked No. 4, while Blue Valley West High School was ranked No. 5 in Kansas.

To see more about the rankings, visit https://www.usnews.com/education/best-high-schools/kansas.

Several Wyandotte County students to graduate from Emporia State this weekend

Several students from Wyandotte County are on the graduation candidate list at Emporia State University, which will hold commencement ceremonies May 10 and 11 in Emporia, Kansas.

Three commencement ceremonies are planned in White Auditorium: Graduate degrees at 6 p.m. Friday, May 10; bachelor’s degree from the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences at 9:30 a.m. Saturday, May 11; and bachelor’s degrees from the School of Business and The Teachers College at 2 p.m. Saturday, May 11.

Students who are finishing their degrees in May and August are eligible to walk during spring exercises. There are nearly 600 undergraduates and more than 500 graduate students who are candidates for degrees.

For more information about commencement, including a link to live streaming, go to https://www.emporia.edu/commencement/.

Students from Wyandotte County on the graduation list include:

• Rebecca G. Bishop of Bonner Springs, Kansas, Master of Arts in English.


• Amber Nicole Cox of Bonner Springs, Kansas, Bachelor of Science in Business in marketing with a minor in information systems.


• Jessie Ann Farnsworth of Bonner Springs, Kansas, Bachelor of Science in Nursing.


• Kimberly Denea Pollock of Bonner Springs, Kansas, Master of Science in Special Education with a concentration in high incidence special education.


• Katelyn Amanda Smith of Bonner Springs, Kansas, Bachelor of Science in Education in elementary education.


• Carley Jo Bradshaw of Kansas City, Kansas, Education Specialist in school psychology.


• Michaela Cavlovic of Kansas City, Kansas, cum laude, Bachelor of Science in Education in elementary education.


• Nicholette Renee Daniels of Kansas City, Kansas, Bachelor of Science in Education in elementary education.


• Alexa Raye Elbrader of Kansas City, Kansas, Master of Science in clinical psychology.


• Kendra Shea Enriquez of Kansas City, Kansas, Bachelor of Science in Education in elementary education.


• Kayla Renee’ Gilmore of Kansas City, Kansas, Bachelor of Arts in political science with a minor in public administration.


• Imelda Arelis Gonzalez of Kansas City, Kansas, Bachelor of Science in health and human performance.


• Joshua Michael Hall of Kansas City, Kansas, Bachelor of Science in health and human performance.


• Abigail Denise Howe of Kansas City, Kansas, Master of Science in educational administration.


• Aidan Grey Johnson of Kansas City, Kansas, Bachelor of Science in psychology with a minor in leadership.


• Lisa Pinnell of Kansas City, Kansas, Master of Science in Curriculum and Instruction with a concentration in curriculum lead concentration – pre K-12.


• Katelyn Reiff of Kansas City, Kansas, Bachelor of Science in Education in elementary education.


• Chris Richards of Kansas City, Kansas, Master of Science in Special Education with a concentration in adaptive special education.


• Tyrone T. Weaver of Kansas City, Kansas, Bachelor of Science in recreation.


• Leesa Lyn White of Kansas City, Kansas, Master of Science in Special Education with a concentration in high incidence special education.


• Hannah Jane Williams of Kansas City, Kansas, Master of Library Science with a concentration in youth services.


• Cindy Willis of Kansas City, Kansas, Master of Science in early childhood unified.


• Monica Susan Young of Kansas City, Kansas, Master of Science instructional specialist with a concentration in elementary content.


• Jessica Amber Hase Zimmerschied of Kansas City, Kansas, Master of Science in school counseling with a concentration in parallel pathways.

Ground broken for new Donnelly College academic building

Ground was broken Thursday for a new academic and administrative building at Donnelly College, 608 N. 18th St., Kansas City, Kansas. (Photo by Steve Rupert)

Ground was broken Thursday for a new $30 million academic and administrative building at Donnelly College, 608 N. 18th St., Kansas City, Kansas.

The new building is expected to be completed by the summer of 2020, according to Donnelly College officials.

The 72,000-square-foot academic and administrative building will replace the existing buildings on the Donnelly campus, including the former Providence Hospital building. The Providence building will remain until the new building is completed.

“Our vision at Donnelly College is to advance the common good, by being the most accessible and transformative Catholic college in the country,” said Monsignor Stuart Swetland, president of Donnelly College.

“It is to be a place where people, places and spirits are transformed, where lives are changed, where success begins, where the quest for truth, the pursuit for excellence and the building of community can take place in an environment of faith and hope,” he said.

“For 70 years, Donnelly has been an anchor in the heart of eastern Wyandotte, serving generations of students and operating as a catalyst for change in local economies, local communities and as Sister Jerome (Keeler, one of the founders of Donnelly) said, local families.”

He thanked the college’s founding Benedictine Sisters of Mount St. Scholastica in Atchison, Kansas, and the Archdiocese of Kansas City in Kansas, as well as donors to the current fundraising campaign.

Burns and McDonnell are the architects for the project.
This part of the Donnelly capital campaign is the third phase. Earlier phases included a new events center and the renovation of Marian Hall. A new parking garage is another part of the third phase.

Donnelly College is a four-year independent Catholic college sponsored by the Archdiocese of Kansas City in Kansas. It is known as the most diverse college in the Midwest, according to U.S. News and World Report.

More information about the Donnelly building campaign is at www.campaignfordonnelly.com.

Monsignor Stuart Swetland, Donnelly College president, addressed the crowd at today’s groundbreaking for a new academic and administration building. (Photo by Steve Rupert)
Rachel Cruz, at the podium, chair of the Donnelly College board of directors, addressed the crowd at today’s groundbreaking. (Photo by Steve Rupert)
Dr. John Romito, chair of the Transformations Campaign and a member of the Donnelly College board of directors, addressed the crowd at the groundbreaking event Thursday. (Photo by Steve Rupert)
Sister Genevieve Robinson, left, a member of the Donnelly College board of directors and a member of the Benedictine sisters of Mount St. Scholastica, offered an opening prayer at the groundbreaking ceremony Thursday. At the right is Monsignor Stuart Swetland, president of Donnelly College. (Photo by Steve Rupert)
Archbishop Joseph Naumann, also a member of the Donnelly College board of directors, addressed the gathering at the groundbreaking Thursday. (Photo by Steve Rupert)
Archbishop Joseph Naumann offered a blessing at the groundbreaking ceremony Thursday at Donnelly College. (Photo by Steve Rupert)
Ground was broken Thursday for a new academic and administrative building at Donnelly College, 608 N. 18th St., Kansas City, Kansas. (Photo by Steve Rupert)
Ground was broken Thursday for a new academic and administrative building at Donnelly College, 608 N. 18th St., Kansas City, Kansas. (Photo by Steve Rupert)
The audience listened to speeches at the groundbreaking ceremony Thursday at Donnelly College. (Photo by Steve Rupert)
The audience listened to speeches at the groundbreaking ceremony Thursday at Donnelly College. (Photo by Steve Rupert)
The audience listened to speeches at the groundbreaking ceremony Thursday at Donnelly College. (Photo by Steve Rupert)
An architect’s rendering shows the proposed academic building at Donnelly College.