New school in Spring Hill; I-35 construction; free admission at JoCo arboretum
The Spring Hill School District will open its fifth elementary school this fall.
Darcy Sly, a former elementary teacher of the year in Spring Hill, is the principal of the new Dayton Creek Elementary School at 21120 W. 188th Terrace in Spring Hill. Sly has taught first through fourth grades and has been an assistant principal at three Spring Hill schools.
The school was financed through a 2018 bond issue approved by voters. A dedication and open house is scheduled for 6 p.m. July 28 at Dayton Creek, which will serve students in kindergarten through fifth grade. Purple and navy are the school colors, and the Cavalier is the mascot.
Also on the horizon for Spring Hill is the district’s third middle school, which will open in the fall of 2023 near 191st Street and Ridgeview Road next to Wolf Creek Elementary School. In addition to the Spring Hill area, the district serves part of south Olathe and a small portion of Overland Park.
Night construction on I-35
Motorists need to be careful on Interstate 35 during the evening and overnight hours as crews repair the pavement on roughly 11 miles of the freeway from 95th Street in Johnson County to the Missouri state line.
Expect nightly lane and ramp closures until late August at various spots. Construction hours for the $1.2 million project are from 7 p.m. to 6 a.m. Sundays through Fridays.
Olathe theater student shines
Justin Cooley, a 2021 graduate of Olathe East High School, has won a $3,000 scholarship from the Jimmy Awards, a national musical theater competition hosted by the Broadway League.
Cooley was among the top four finalists for best performance by an actor.
Liberty North High School senior Ava Wolesky also won a $3,000 scholarship by placing in the top four for best performance by an actress.
Both qualified for the Jimmy Awards after Starlight Theatre chose them as outstanding actor and actress in a lead role in Starlight’s Blue Star award program. Overall, 72 nominees from across the country participated in the Jimmy Awards.
Free admission days at arboretum
Aug. 3 is the next free admission day at the Overland Park Arboretum & Botanical Gardens, 8909 W. 179th St. off U.S. 69.
Other free admission days for the rest of 2021 are Sept. 7, Oct. 5, Oct. 9-10, Nov. 2 and Dec. 7.
Bookmark design contest
Through Sept. 10, the Friends of Johnson County Library is accepting submissions for the organization’s annual bookmark design contest. Entries can be submitted online or dropped at any of the 14 library branches.
Find an entry form and other details at friendsofjcl.org. Artists compete by age group, and the 2021 winners will be announced in October.
This story was originally published July 22, 2021 at 5:00 AM with the headline "New school in Spring Hill; I-35 construction; free admission at JoCo arboretum."