Blue Valley Today - Summer 2022

SUMMER 2022

Welcome Class of 2035!

Experience Blue Valley’s Wellness Walk #BVAlumni

15020 Metcalf Overland Park, Kansas 66283

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PRSRT STD SUMMER 2022 • 1

A Message

from the Superintendent What a journey the 2021-22 school year was. Our educators, students, families and community members have risen to many challenges. While it wasn’t easy or perfect, I want to thank you for sticking with us. Our community has always been stronger when we are supporting each other.

As we head into the new school year, we want to remind our Blue Valley community that we continue to focus on our 20202025 Strategic Plan, which I encourage you to check out at www. bluevalleyk12.org/strategicplan. One of the most important skills in today’s world, individually and as an organization, is focus.

This year I saw a return to the sense of pride, spirit and tradition that Blue Valley is known for and that we have needed and craved. I witnessed this in our schools, at sporting events, school musicals, plays, concerts, field days, graduation and several other fun school events. I am excited to see more of this during the 2022-23 school year.

In tandem with our strategic plan, we as a district are focusing on five key areas: • Literacy • Mathematics • Mental health • Expanding the high school experience and partnership with Johnson County Community College (JCCC) • Staff retention

First, I would like to congratulate the members of the class of 2022. Your teachers from pre-K through 12th grade, and the 18-21 program, have instilled the qualities in you to allow you to pursue success. I am proud of you, and I am proud to welcome you to the prestigious group of people known as Blue Valley alumni. Check out page 10 to read about one BV alumnus who climbed his way to success and graciously gave back to this district. Thank you to BVNW alumnus Arash Ferdowsi. Amazing alumni, like Ferdowsi, continue to remind us why Blue Valley is still the one.

As the school year calendar shifts from 2021-22 to 2022-23, I couldn’t be more excited for one date — August 17, 2022. I am counting the days until we welcome back our nearly 22,000 students for the first day of school. I know our staff in the buildings, after a well deserved summer break, are excited to welcome them with smiles and open arms. Among those 22,000 students are our newest kindergarten class, the class of 2035! Check out pages 8-9 to see some great moments captured during their kindergarten roundup this past Spring. I am excited to meet many new families and watch your children grow and thrive in this district.

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These five core areas are vital to providing the best education for ALL students. The district has been focusing on these areas, and our work is ongoing, but we will continue to dive deeper and maximize our efforts in these core areas. To learn more about our work in literacy, mathematics and partnership with JCCC, I encourage our community to check out The Learning

Connection at www.bluevalleyk12.org/learningconnection. The Learning Connection is a resource for all families, from those with children entering early learning to those with graduating seniors. This resource allows Blue Valley to engage with the community on a regular basis and serve as an additional platform to expand families’ knowledge about the district’s learning and teaching initiatives and operations.

While there may be some disagreements, one common thread ties us together and unifies us in our efforts to provide our students with the best educational experience — support for our teachers and staff. Our staff are our heroes, and their commitment to our students is unending. I love our staff. I have been in this district for 23 years and see their hard work and dedication every day, and it’s all because they want to see our students succeed. You will have the opportunity to read about a group of our staff that is essential to our schools, our campus officers and school resource officers, on page 11. Like our educators, this group of staff in our buildings continue to build relationships with students to keep our schools safe.

It will be a busy summer. Our summer custodial and maintenance crews are doing a tremendous job cleaning all of our buildings and getting them ready for the new school year.

We are fortunate to have such a dedicated group of people who take so much pride in the appearance of our buildings. In addition to the regular summer cleaning, Bond 2020 projects are wrapping up across the district. We are excited to highlight all

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 Patrick Hurley, President Kaety Bowers, Vice President Jodie Dietz Gina Knapp Jim McMullen Tom Mitchell Amy Tysseling

the amazing changes and how they have impacted our students and staff in the buildings in the Fall 2022 issue of Blue Valley Today. Thank you so much to our Blue Valley community for investing in our youth and supporting our schools.

Students are home, but there is still a lot going on at school to make sure we are ready to provide the best education possible, in the safest and nicest facilities, for our Blue Valley students.

I know we will continue to rise above challenges this upcoming school year and create meaningful experiences and opportunities throughout our schools. Our students continue to excel in and out of the classroom, and faculty, staff, administration and the community continue to champion them on their journeys. Thank you for your continued support and partnership. I can’t wait to welcome students back for the 2022-23 school year. Enjoy your summer!

Sincerely,

Tonya Merrigan, Ed.D. Superintendent

Website www.bluevalleyk12.org For more information about Blue Valley Today, contact the Communications Department 913-239-4329.

SUMMER 2022 • 3

Blue Valley STEM leads to friendships, real-world experiences

Inside of Blue Valley’s STEM (science, technology, engineering and math) classes, students are putting their heads together to create extraordinary projects, some of which are winning them contests and money, and priceless experiences along the way.

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Oxford Middle School’s eighth grade and Harmony Elementary School’s fifth grade STEM students are exemplary examples of the opportunities and ideas kids have when given the tools to succeed.

Oxford Middle School’s eighth grade STEM team and Harmony Elementary School’s fifth grade STEM team were just two Blue Valley groups that placed in the top 20 of the 2022 Burns & McDonnell Battle of the Brains competition.

Both schools placed in the top five with Harmony Elementary placing fifth and winning $10,000. Oxford Middle School placed second and won $25,000. A Wolf Springs Elementary STEM team and Oxford Middle School seventh grade STEM team also placed in the top 20.

But being in a STEM class in Blue Valley is much more than the opportunity to compete for a grand prize. It is about team work, friendship, creating and discovering new ideas and unique experiences.

As Oxford Middle School eighth graders interact, the camaraderie they have built over the last school year is evident, and the love they have for STEM is apparent as they excitedly discuss and bounce new ideas off each other.

For Oxford Middle eighth grader Rowan Juhl, STEM was his way of getting involved at school as a new student.

“All of these kids are awesome,” Juhl said.

“They are all my friends. I hang out with them at lunch, in classes.”

STEM students spend all year tapping into their creativity. The Oxford Middle School students have had time this school year to code, play with animation, movie making and experiment with virtual reality headsets.

The skills students gain from STEM will carry them through life. Students learn the process of trial and error and how to think outside of the box while still staying true to a project’s purpose.

Jessica Quiason, Oxford Middle School gifted education teacher, said the students also learn conflict and people management.

Ruby Hester, a fifth grader at Harmony Elementary has learned that STEM is everywhere.

“The students don’t always agree,” Quiason said. “Leadership is hard especially among your peers so being able to do people management in a kind and effective way is important.”

“We just think of STEM as science,” Hester said. “But it’s in everything we do.”

For the Harmony Elementary fifth grade STEM team, empowerment and encouragement are paramount.

“We just think of STEM as science, but it’s in everything we do.”

RUBY HESTER HARMONY ELEMENTARY 5TH GRADE

The six students have spent the past school year working together to create one-of-akind projects.

The students have taken part in the national Rube Goldberg competition and learned about architecture and Frank Lloyd Wright. Accompanying that lesson was the opportunity to create a tiny home.

Lexi Blue, a fifth grader at Harmony Elementary, said she will leave the STEM class having learned the need for collaborative communication.

“With this team, we were so together on everything,” Blue said. “When someone was starting to doubt our project or exhibit, there was always five of us to pick them up and say, ‘Hey, it’s going to be OK. We just have to keep trying at this and hope for the best.’”

STEM is much more than the opportunity to create a unique project. The lifelong skills, real-world experience and friendships built through the program enhance the Blue Valley experience.

“They are learning what actual STEM professionals do everyday in their lives,” said Stephanie Brachtenbach, Harmony Elementary gifted teacher. “I think that’s one of the reasons why it’s such a popular program to work with. I also think that because STEM is in everything, no matter what topic we come to, there is some application they are going to be able to learn from and apply it to their regular lives.”

STEM has taught the students a variety of lessons but most importantly how to work as a team and to never give up.

SUMMER 2022 • 5

Stop & Smell the Flowers

Experience Blue Valley’s Wellness Walk Stop and smell the flowers. Close your eyes and take a deep breath. Listen to the sounds of nature. These are the messages those who embark on the wellness walk at Blue Valley’s Wilderness Science Center will encounter.

As guests wind down the half-mile path, they may smell the blooming trees, notice a fragile butterfly taking flight or a small frog hopping across the pond. Maybe they notice the way the trees sound in a gentle breeze or simply the sound a child’s laugh makes as it bounces off the world around them.

All of these small moments, which can instill gratitude even in the darkest times, are ones the Blue Valley Educational Foundation and Keep the Spark Alive Foundation hope to cultivate for visitors who partake in the newly created wellness walk.

Blue Valley’s Wilderness Science Center, located behind Blue Valley Middle and

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Blue River Elementary, is home to 30 acres of land boasting trails, study stations and a learning center.

foundation is about trying to find ways to give kids an alternative.”

The idea to create a trail that recognized

A portion of the winding trails has been set up as a wellness walk, funded by Keep the Spark Alive Foundation, the Blue Valley Educational Foundation and BV Well.

Keep the Spark Alive Foundation, founded

by Nathan and Sylvia Harrell, was created in honor of Chad Harrell, a Blue Valley North junior who died by suicide June 12, 2017.

Partnering with the Blue Valley Educational Foundation on a wellness walk was important to the Harrells because their son was happiest when he was outdoors.

“There have been countless studies that talk about how being outside with nature can improve somebody’s mental health,” said Nathan Harrell. “Chad got to a dark moment and somehow decided the only way out was for him to take his life. Our

mental health came out of a capital campaign that raised money to repair bridges at the science center.

The educational foundation’s vision was to create an interactive walk and decided to work with a Blue Valley North art teacher Allison Crane to host a student contest to gather artwork ideas.

About 20 to 25 entries were submitted before Blue Valley Northwest 2022 graduate Julianne Zheng’s design was chosen.

“This piece won above the other entries because it gave that element of stop, think, take a deep breath, listen to the sounds of nature,” said Joy Ginsburg, Blue Valley Educational Foundation’s outgoing executive director.

Zheng’s idea was to create artwork inspired by nature. The designs are simple with thin, clean lines that don’t distract from the environment. The artwork, which can be seen throughout the trail on signs that encourage positivity, features drawings of flowers, ladybugs and sound waves.

“Mental wellness is really important to me,” Zheng said. “I think a lot of students and their parents are really stressed with school and work and it’s important to go out and take a walk to clear your head.”

Most people have been affected in some capacity by mental health struggles.

While Zheng didn’t have anyone particular in mind when working on the project, she drew inspiration from feelings of being overwhelmed and walks she takes outside to clear her mind.

“I’m hoping visitors will take the words to heart and really take time to appreciate the little things or take a moment to stop,” Zheng said.

At the wellness walk’s trailhead is a sign welcoming guests to the path, sharing information about Chad Harrell and informing walkers of the trail’s purpose.

The wellness walk is meant to be a mindful activity — one in which visitors slow down, renew their senses, take in the sights and sounds and find joy.

Nathan Harrell also sees the wellness walk as an opportunity for parents to connect with their kids.

“I want parents to be able to understand how important it is to be very intentional about talking with their kids,” Nathan Harrell said. “I can picture Chad right next to me, taking this walk and just using it as an opportunity to connect. That’s something that now I can’t do.”

Blue Valley’s science center isn’t just open for those who live within the district. The center and wellness walk are open to the public. The Harrells hope the walk draws more people out to the area.

The wellness walk also fits within Keep the Spark Alive Foundation’s mission. The foundation is committed to the prevention of teen suicide and education about mental illness and addresses these pillars by partnering with Blue Valley Schools and offering programs such as Sources of Strength and GiveMe20.

“The third pillar is honoring the legacy of our son’s life and that’s what this walk does,” Nathan Harrell said. “Being able to point to his story, use it as an opportunity to turn a tragedy into something that can help other kids, stop a family from having to go through what we go through — that is an important component for us.”

The wellness walk can help visitors understand the small moments in life, like the smell of blooming flowers or a bird chirping in a tree, which can be the guiding light through a dark time.

“If we make it a standard nomenclature that people are talking about their mental health and put it on par with physical health, then all of a sudden maybe people wouldn’t be so reluctant to tell someone when they’re struggling or ask for help,” Sylvia Harrell said. “That’s what we’re encouraging our kids to do. We can’t help you if you don’t give us the chance.”

The entire community is invited and encouraged to explore the wellness walk, located behind Blue Valley Middle at 5001 W 163rd Terrace, Stilwell, KS.

Nathan Harrell said some parents may not know their kids are going through a hard time. Establishing a connection and having a mindful conversation may help them realize it will get better and they will be OK.

SUMMER 2022 • 7

Welcome to Blue Valley Class of 2035!

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Registration is open for incoming kindergarten families. Please visit www.bluevalleyk12.org/ registration or contact your assigned neighborhood school for more information. Blue Valley’s kindergarten program is designed to develop knowledge and skills in the physical, social, emotional and cognitive areas. Our goal is to help children develop skills and strategies that will help them learn and establish a foundation for lifelong success in education.

SUMMER 2022 • 9

#BVA lumni From the Classrooms of Blue Valley to Founding One of the Largest Tech Companies in the World At age nine, Arash Ferdowsi sat at his parents’ desk with pieces of a new computer spread out. His parents, Gholam and Tahmineh, had purchased him his very own first computer. Ferdowsi assembled the computer piece by piece until it was functional. Little did he know that just 12 years later, instead of assembling a computer, he would be assembling one of the largest technology companies in the world — Dropbox.

Gholam and Tahmineh Ferdowsi separately immigrated in the 1970s from Iran to Kansas City, where they later met and got married. They moved to the Blue Valley School District to provide Arash with the best education possible.

“My parents had heard such great things about Blue Valley and so they decided it would be best to raise me here,” Arash Ferdowsi said. “Education was very important to my parents, but also very important in Iranian culture.”

Arash Ferdowsi attended Heartland Elementary and Cottonwood Point Elementary, then Harmony Middle. During his formative years, he attended Blue Valley Northwest where he was able to find and explore his passions.

“I started learning about computers and programming at a very young age,” Arash Ferdowsi said. “The first knowledge

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came from my dad. He bought me my first computer, and I was so excited.

What was nice, though, was that I got to continue my interests in school. We had programming classes in middle school, and then I took classes over at Johnson County Community College. It was a mix of a nudge from my parents and the opportunities I had in school to explore what I loved.”

Arash said one of the most important pieces of advice he can give to students is to surround themselves with great people; people who will take them to new heights.

While Arash Ferdowsi was able to explore his passions during his time in Blue Valley, what he valued most was the environment.

“Jon actually started with us as our first support rep and community manager,” Arash Ferdowsi said. “We quickly realized that he had a great eye for design and over time he redesigned our products and became the shepherd of our brand. He was a really good friend, even though he went to a rival high school.”

“I definitely felt at home at school,” Arash Ferdowsi said. “Even when I went off to college and made friends, I still felt closer to my friends back home at Blue Valley Northwest. I was on the debate team at Northwest and that helped me venture out of my comfort zone. My teachers were amazing and so generous with their time. I grew up in Blue Valley and it’s a formative time in my life that I look back on positively.”

Upon graduating from Blue Valley Northwest in 2004, he attended MIT (Massachusetts Institute of Technology) on scholarship. At MIT, he and fellow student Drew Houston founded Dropbox — a cloud storage service — in 2007. Within six months of publicly launching, Dropbox had over 1 million users. Today, it has over 700 million users.

One person who helped take Dropbox to new heights happened to also be a former Blue Valley student, Jon Ying. A lifelong friend of Ferdowsi, Ying graduated from Blue Valley North.

This year, Arash Ferdowsi wanted to give back to the community that helped raise him. His initial gift to the Ferdowsi Fund benefiting the Blue Valley Educational Foundation was $500,000, marking the largest donation ever to the foundation.

Arash Ferdowsi structured the gift as an investment that could grow exponentially, which Blue Valley students and educators will benefit from for years to come.

“I think it’s validation for the educators that their work really matters and that they played a big role in my success,” Arash Ferdowsi said.

Beyond the Badge

Blue Valley Campus Officers and School Resource Officers On any given day, officer Tony Latas can be seen at Blue Valley North greeting, eating and playing hoops with students, or at after-school events supporting them.

Wherever you see officer Latas, one thing is for sure — he is keeping the building safe while cultivating relationships. He has truly made North his home away from home.

“It’s personal for me to be here for these kids,” Latas said. “I have a 21-year-old son who has autism. He’s very functional, but his high school experience was not a good experience for him. So I’m here to help all students feel like they have a place in school. I’m drawn to helping students with special needs or students facing troubles, but I’m here for everyone.”

“North made it a home for me here,” Latas said. “The entire school makes it feel like the work I do is important.”

In all middle and high schools throughout the district, there is a campus officer and/ or an SRO — in partnership with OPPD and the Leawood Police Department — assigned to each school. Elementary schools share a campus police officer.

Blue Valley campus officers and school resource officers (SROs) strive each day to build relationships with students.

While safety is of the utmost importance, developing relationships with everyone in the building is the first step in creating a safe environment for students to learn.

Tony Latas, Blue Valley North’s campus officer, exemplifies that every day.

“Tony is 100% student-centered in everything he does,” Blue Valley North principal Tyson Ostroski said. “Kids look at him not just as a police officer but a friend and a resource for support.”

Officer Latas retired after 32 years of service from the Overland Park Police Department (OPPD). He decided in 2018 his path was calling him to work in a school setting. He joined Blue Valley North as a campus officer.

Adam Vendetti has served as an SRO at Blue Valley Academy (BVA) since 2019 and, like Latas, shows his love and passion for the position every day. Students flock to him in the hallways to talk about shoes, cars or perhaps advice on a situation in their life.

school, outside of school and know him on a personal level. Underneath, he’s a person that genuinely cares about all students.”

A former graduate of Blue Valley Schools — where he attended Blue Valley High for three years before transferring and graduating from Blue Valley Northwest in its inaugural year in 1993 — Vendetti is invested in the school community he serves. His work does not stop outside of school hours. Having first-hand experience interacting with students, he brings training tips and helps create programs at OPPD that cater to adolescents.

Like Vendetti and Latas, many campus officers and SROs in Blue Valley are embedded in the school community.

They serve as parents of children in the district, softball coaches, football coaches, sponsors for school activities, advocates for students in the community and more.

“Students don’t look at officer Vendetti as a person with gear and a badge,” Blue Valley Academy principal Scott Kreshel said.

“They talk to him in the morning, during passing hours, after

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