FALL 2020
• Reinvest. Reinforce. Reimagine. • Congratulations 2020 Graduates • Return to Learn FA L L 2 0 2 0 • 1
15020 Metcalf Overland Park, Kansas 66283
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A Message
from the Superintendent Twenty-one years ago I walked through the doors of Blue Valley High to interview for a position as a high school counselor. I remember the feeling of nervous excitement as I entered the front office that was buzzing with students and staff. Thinking back on that day, I don’t particularly recall the interview questions I was asked or the answers I gave. What I remember most is Marilyn Driskell. Marilyn was the Student Services receptionist at Blue Valley High and the first person I met in Blue Valley. From the moment I stepped foot into the front office, Marilyn immediately helped me feel right at home as I listened to her talk about the district, the community and what she loved about Blue Valley. I left that day knowing that Blue Valley was where I was meant to be, and 21 years later, I still believe I chose the right place to call home. No matter where my career has taken me throughout the district, whether it was counseling coordinator, principal, district administrator or deputy superintendent, I have always felt that the Blue Valley community cares so very much about its youth. We have much to be proud of, but we also have opportunities to learn from each other and grow. Our district continues to reflect a growing diverse community, and with this, comes a responsibility to cultivate a deeper understanding and empathy for the diverse cultures and backgrounds that make up our schools. I will always believe that Blue Valley is stronger because of the beautiful diversity that exists in our district. In this issue, you can read about how the district is working to support and improve efforts around diversity, equity and inclusion.
Blue Valley Schools 15020 Metcalf Ave. P.O. Box 23901 Overland Park, KS 66283-0901 (913) 239-4000 Superintendent Tonya Merrigan, Ed.D.
Board of Education Tom Mitchell, President Amy Tysseling, Vice President Michele Benjamin Jodie Dietz Patrick Hurley Stacy Obringer-Varhall Mike Seitz
As our community and world changes, we need to be able to adapt to those changes for our students. Based on input from our most recent strategic plan, one of the things that we are working on as a district is to be a strategically agile system. What better time than the present to practice our ability to adapt and work together to be flexible based on world events. In the following pages, you will have the opportunity to learn about how the district is putting this adaptability into practice through all of Blue Valley’s behind-the-scenes planning for the upcoming school year. As we embark on the 2020-21 school year, I know we will encounter new challenges and opportunities, and that we will need to face those opportunities together. It will take all of us— staff, families, students and our greater community. No matter what the future holds, I continue to see reasons for hope because I believe in Blue Valley. I believe in the strength of our community. And I believe that together, with our amazing educators, support staff, families, and most importantly, our students, we will rise to any occasion to meet the needs of our kids.
Tonya Merrigan, Ed.D. Superintendent
Website www.bluevalleyk12.org Follow us on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn and YouTube and download the Blue Valley Schools app for day-to-day district news. FA L L 2 0 2 0 • 3
REINVEST REINFORCE REIMAGINE Blue Valley begins construction on Bond 2020 projects over the summer
Students heading back to Blue Valley schools for the 2020-21 school year will notice some exciting changes to buildings across the district, all due to the passage of the district’s 2020 Bond. In January 2020, Blue Valley community members voted to pass a $186,835,000 bond issue that will reinvest in facilities and technology, reinforce school safety and reimagine learning environments and programs that will benefit students and staff for years to come. With the support of Bond 2020 funds, the district began several projects over the summer to reinvest, reinforce and reimagine facilities throughout the district, starting with Blue Valley High. Construction at the district’s original high school included safety enhancements, theater improvements, flooring replacements and the removal of mobile classrooms to make way for a new 12-classroom building addition. This addition will provide three new flexible
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learning spaces and an opportunity to renovate two existing classrooms for a total of 14 classrooms within the addition, projected to be complete in fall 2021. “We are so excited for these needed improvements at Blue Valley High and are thankful to the Blue Valley community for their support in passing the 2020 Bond that allows these improvements to take place,” said Scott Bacon, Blue Valley High principal. “We can’t wait for our students to see the progress and these exciting changes when they return to school this fall.” The addition of flexible learning environments like the ones coming to Blue Valley High is included for several schools as part of the 2020 Bond. Over the summer, the district also reimagined learning environments at Blue River Elementary, Sunrise Point Elementary, Heartland Elementary and Cottonwood Point Elementary as part of an effort
to ensure all school environments can best support students and staff, with the remaining elementary schools scheduled to receive similar upgrades over the next three years. “If you look at our Blue Valley schools across the district, many of them were built more than 25 years ago,” said Tonya Merrigan, superintendent. “This bond gives the district an opportunity to look at how learning has changed and to meet the needs of today’s teachers and students through flexible spaces that allow us to reimagine our classrooms. These flexible environments enhance the opportunities for personalized learning and more easily accommodate increased individual, small group and large group learning, and authentic hands-on learning.” Along with providing flexible learning spaces, the 2020 Bond funds also support the district’s commitment to safe learning environments by reinforcing safety
Architect rendering of Elementary 24 exterior.
measures at all school buildings. Over the summer, construction teams began outfitting high school classrooms with new thumb-turn door locks that allow staff members to lock doors from inside the classroom in the event of a safety breach. This work will continue throughout the school year and be complete in the spring of 2021. Over the course of the next several years, all schools will receive these upgrades. “Our basic philosophy is one of prevention,” said Dan Carney, director of safety and security. “We want to keep everybody safe and we do that through trusted adult relationships that create an environment where kids feel comfortable coming to an adult they trust regarding matters of safety. In addition to that, we have to layer in these other security measures to address all the other possibilities when it comes to the safety of our kids. We’ve done that over the years,
New polished concrete flooring at Blue Valley West.
Summer construction on Blue Valley High building exterior.
but we need to continue to reinforce those systems with enhancements like these door locks, and it is through bond funds that we’re able to make these advances.” As the district’s facilities age, there is always a need to maintain, refresh and renovate existing spaces. Several buildings received roofing work, flooring replacements, major mechanical upgrades and more to ensure they continue to offer the most optimal learning environments. While the majority of projects included in the Bond 2020 package address existing facilities, the bond is also providing funding to build the district’s newest elementary school, Elementary 24, located at 182nd and Long St. In August, the district broke ground on the new school, which will incorporate several of the enhancements current schools are receiving as part of the bond package, along with a few unique elements to give Elementary 24 a character all its own.
“One of the primary components that came out of our initial programming meeting with board members, administrators, teachers and community members was that we want to bring back the sense of joy to the elementary school architecture,” said Jake Slobodnik, director of facilities and operations. “So you’ll see that the design of Elementary 24 incorporates pops of color, patterns in the brick and lots of outdoor, natural elements and beautiful views to try to make this as joyful a space as possible for those attending elementary school.” Several exciting bond projects lie ahead for the community to reinvest, reinforce, and reimagine Blue Valley. For a look at Bond 2020 projects by school and to see the latest updates on Bond 2020 work, visit the district website at www.bluevalleyk12.org/bond.
New thumb-turn locks allow teachers to lock classroom doors from inside of the room.
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Diversity, Equity and Inclusion
“Games are won in inches,” she says from atop the stage. Pausing to reflect on the famous motto of former Chicago Bears football star William “The Refrigerator” Perry, Lively Paradox founder Dr. Nicole D. Price looks out onto the conference room at Blue Valley School District’s annual leadership conference, pans the audience, and then repeats the phrase again, “Games are won in inches.” Never one to shy away from a good analogy, Price explains that the power behind this motto lies in its simplicity— that even the smallest of gains and the tiniest of steps can have a great impact over time. We must simply have the courage to make progress one step at a time. This step-by-step mindset is one that Price and her team at Lively Paradox, a leadership development and consulting firm, brings to some of the most challenging topics facing the world today. Over the course of the past year and a half, the Blue Valley School District has
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consulted with Lively Paradox as part of the district’s commitment to learning and growing in the areas of diversity, equity and inclusion. “The Blue Valley School District continues to reflect a growing diverse community,” said Dr. Tonya Merrigan, superintendent. “And with this growing diversity, we have a responsibility before us to listen, learn and grow in the areas of diversity, equity and inclusion. Nicole and her team have played an instrumental role in helping us navigate this sometimes challenging and uncomfortable conversation with a deeper sense of empathy so that we can create safer, more inclusive learning environments where every single student feels like they belong and can pursue their passions.” In their workshops with the district, the Lively Paradox team worked specifically with district leadership and staff around the topic of unconscious bias—social stereotypes that individuals form outside of
their own conscious awareness—with the ultimate goal of helping the district build capacity to engage in vital conversations regarding diversity, equity, and inclusion to create safer, more equitable, and more inclusive spaces for all. For Jen Duggan, district parent and Sunrise Point Elementary teacher, this professional learning experience instilled a new sense of hope as she thinks about the future of her son and her students. “My biggest hope is that our kids and our families feel it—the work we are doing and the steps we are taking to become a more equitable place for students,” Duggan said. “As teachers, we need to start that work here and continue to build upon it, so that by the time our students leave Blue Valley, we have produced kids who are open and honest, who understand their bias, and who are kind and compassionate. I think then our students can change the world.” This ongoing work with Lively Paradox provided the district with the education
BLUE VALLEY AT-A-GLANCE AMERICAN INDIAN/ ALASKAN NATIVE AFRICAN-AMERICAN/ AMERICAN: 0.28% BLACK: 3.42% MULTI-RACIAL: 5% HISPANIC: 6.38%
LANGUAGES BY THE NUMBERS
HAWAIIAN/PACIFIC ISLANDER: 0.04%
Blue Valley students identify more than 83 different languages as their primary home language with 11.3 percent of students reporting a home language other than English. The top five nonEnglish home languages reported include Telugu, Spanish, Chinese, Arabic and Korean. Data based on 2019 district count day.
ASIAN: 14.45% CAUCASIAN/WHITE: 70.41% Data based on 2019 district count day.
and courage to take the next step on its journey to improved diversity, equity and inclusion. Independent of the leadership training with Lively Paradox, the district hosted 10 Zoom conversations with alumni, students, families and staff as part of a virtual listening tour over the summer, providing an opportunity for participants to speak openly about race, share personal experiences related to diversity, equity and inclusion, and be part of Blue Valley’s growth and improvement moving forward. For Blue Valley West junior Esha Parikh, these conversations provided her an opportunity to get in touch with the district and open up about her own personal experiences, while working with others to be part of a solution.
that need to be discussed. By normalizing these conversations, voices can be heard and people can educate themselves. A lot of racism stems from a lack of education, and with these conversations, I believe the district will be able to empathize with its students and help them.”
“I’m happy and appreciative that Blue Valley is creating a way for students to connect with the district through these conversations, because conversations on racism need to be normalized,” Parikh said. “It shouldn’t be a topic that people shy away from. Today’s world is changing, and along with that comes different norms
“Our students, families and staff have taken the time to share their stories and we encourage them to continue using their voice,” said Tom Mitchell, Board of Education president. “We are hopeful that the work of the new Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Board Advisory Committee will help us to continue to listen, to engage
While listening continues to play an important role in the district’s work around diversity, the Board also voted to take formal action with the addition of the new Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Board Advisory Committee. This committee will advise the Blue Valley School District on all areas of diversity, equity and inclusion, resulting in thoughtful actions that respond to the needs of all students and staff.
in these important conversations and to guide our action moving forward as we all work together to be a part of creating more equitable and inclusive environments.” Although the Blue Valley community continues to use its voice to affect change and partner with the community on diversity, equity and inclusion, there are still inches to gain and work to be done. “The issue before us regarding diversity, equity and inclusion and how we treat each other is not a new problem but one that has been around for centuries,” Merrigan said. “We would be naive to think we can fix this overnight, but we are committed to becoming a better Blue Valley one day at a time. I will always believe that we are stronger because of the beautiful diversity that exists in our community, and this will be the work of Blue Valley for as long as I am here. Together we will work side by side with our community to become a better Blue Valley—step by step, day by day, and inch by inch.”
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Dressed in their caps, gowns and protective face masks, the Class of 2020 sits socially distanced on the high school football field as they eagerly await the start of a celebration long overdue— their high school graduation. For many students, graduation from high school marks the completion of 13 years of academic and personal growth on the path to adulthood and independence. It is a time to celebrate accomplishments as well as bonds formed with friends and educators.
Photo by Gabi
Although this year’s ceremony looked much different than in years past due to the COVID-19 pandemic, this milestone celebration was perhaps more meaningful than ever as students, families and staff members gathered to celebrate this special group of seniors who showed remarkable resilience during unprecedented times.
Alexander I BV W Spotlight
The Blue Valley School District is proud to honor and celebrate this year’s seniors for their dedication, resolve and ability to overcome adversity. Congratulations, Class of 2020. You did it!
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Return to learn BLUE VALLEY SCHOOL DISTRICT PREPARES TO WELCOME STUDENTS BACK FOR THE 2020-21 SCHOOL YEAR
Walking up to the front office of the school building, district coordinating nurse Tara Asher prepares her mental checklist as she embarks on her walk-through of a day in the life of a Blue Valley student. Opening the office door, she is greeted by the friendly wave of the front office receptionist seated behind a plexiglass shield. Beneath her facemask, Asher is unable to see the receptionist’s wide smile, but her cheerful demeanor reveals just how excited she is to have people back in the school building. It has been nearly five months since schools were closed due to COVID-19, and although there are still a few weeks remaining before students return to learn, buildings are far from quiet as behind-the-scenes workers prepare for a safe and healthy school re-opening following Labor Day.
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“It’s really been a collaborative effort and boots on the ground since we were shut down in March,” Asher said. “We have so many great people in Blue Valley who continue to look at the services they provide for the district and what they can do to make those services better, keep everyone safe and minimize the risks. There are people in the district whom I never dreamt I would work side by side with to address student safety and health. It’s been an eye opening for me to see how much our health can touch every aspect of our lives.” As the district’s coordinating nurse, Asher has spent the last several months not only hiring and preparing nurses to welcome students back to school, but also working collaboratively with several
groups in the district to better understand how COVID-19 affects the day-to-day operations in Blue Valley and help inform preventative practices based on that information. Stepping out into the hallway, Asher is immediately prompted by directional signage displayed on the floor and on the walls. Provided by the district’s printing services department, these guides help with traffic flow, reduce congestion in hallways and provide markers for social distancing to help remind students about safe practices throughout buildings. While there are several visual reminders, not all prevention efforts are noticeable to the human eye. “We are looking at all aspects of Blue Valley from how we clean and what type
of cleaners and machines best tackle this disease, to our air quality, HVAC systems and so much more to understand how it affects our veteran teaching staff all the way down to our early education students,” Asher said.
nutrition services. “Our staff has put in a tremendous amount of work to reimagine the meal service experience, going above and beyond to provide a variety of options so that students still have choices that they have come to enjoy.”
In an effort to combat the spread of COVID-19, the Blue Valley School District will be increasing the amount of outside air ventilation introduced into facilities, schedule more frequent air exchanges, and change air filters with greater frequency. In addition, the district is following guidelines from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and Johnson County Department of Health and Environment to define best practices for cleaning. The district has been teaching and promoting daily cleaning and disinfection for years with the use of a hydrogen peroxide-based hospital-grade cleaner, but will be adding a layer of germ killing to sanitation best practices, including Purell sprays that use ethanol, Clorox Total 360 Disinfectant Cleaner and a product that uses Stabilized Aqueous Ozone to clean and kill bio microbial growth.
The majority of student meal options will be prewrapped and prepackaged, and students can expect to encounter food service staff wearing masks and gloves while serving and preparing food. Modifications are also being put in place to minimize common touchpoints in the cafeteria, including virtual order-ahead options and student swipe cards to avoid paying lunch balances through keypads.
Beyond the physical changes to the learning environments, the district has worked to ensure that every aspect of the school day experience is safe for in-person learners, from the moment students arrive in the building to the time they leave to head home, including historically high-traffic environments like the school lunchroom. “We knew that when we reopened buildings, the school lunch experience was going to have to look different in order to support a safe environment with limited touch points, while also providing healthy and nutritious options for students,” said Charles Rathbun, director of food and
While the district has been hard at work preparing buildings for in-person learning to resume, Blue Valley recognizes that face-to-face learning is not a viable option for all families. In addition to creating safe in-person learning environments, the district also coordinated with several groups to reimagine an evolving learning environment, planning for multiple learning scenarios to ensure the needs of all students could be met. “On the academic side, our main priority was to design learning experiences to meet the needs of all families, while maintaining the high quality educational experience that Blue Valley families have come to know—regardless of an in-classroom or virtual setting,” said Adam Wessel, director of virtual learning. “In addition to an in-person learning option, we are excited to provide a full-time virtual program using Blue Valley-created content so that our students can continue to learn the same curriculum as their in-person peers. This virtual program was designed by the Blue Valley teachers who know our courses and students best. They have put
in an incredible amount of effort to design approximately 130 virtual courses since the end of June.” Whether in Blue Valley buildings or outside of the classroom, one thing is certain—the health and safety of the Blue Valley community is a shared responsibility. “We need everyone involved on our teams to make sure that we minimize these risks,” Asher said. “That’s going to start with educating our staff and our students about COVID-19, but also parents taking a hard look at their kids and asking themselves ‘Is my child their best self today, or is there something that I need to be concerned about as a parent before sending them to school?’ We want to make sure that we’re doing our due diligence to keep everyone safe, while also showing one another kindness and grace. I have faith in our community and believe if we work together, we will do the absolute best we can to minimize the impact of COVID.” For more information, visit www.bluevalleyk12.org/BackToSchool.
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