Lee’s Summit North students rub shoulders with lawyers, judges

Thirty social studies students from Lee’s Summit North High School learned about the legal profession and the importance of an independent judiciary while participating in the Sept. 14 annual meeting of The Missouri Bar in Kansas City, Mo. They also met a few judges.

Accompanied by teachers Jennifer Mooney and Tavish Whiting, the students attended two plenary sessions of professional development seminars, which focused on artificial intelligence and the importance of storytelling to enhance legal arguments in the courtroom.

Students in attendance were: seniors Hannah Edwards, Emily Gerber, Alexis Griffin, Gigi Harris, Sabra Hasek, Victoria Jamaleddin, Amy Kilgore, Cheyenne Kitzmann, Brooke Lally, Nia Lange, Ayaan Musse, Regan Potts, Samuel Pratt, Cameron Riffle, Addy Ross, Michael Schwetz and Zakiyyah Winston; juniors Sarah Ahern, Danielle Barnette, Megan Carlson, Tia Kahwaji, Xavior Lewis, Olivia Little, Wyatt Thompson and Simon Zoroya; and sophomore Keegan Pohl.

Special ed leader receives statewide honor

Emily Miller, the Lee’s Summit School District’s assistant superintendent of special services, is the 2017 recipient of the Missouri Council of Special Education Administrators Recognition Award.

The award, presented Sept. 24 in Osage Beach, honors significant individual contributions to the field of special education administration.

Miller has shared educational structures, processes, and lessons learned with many other educators across the state. In addition, the Missouri organization’s officials said Miller’s efforts are fully in line with the council’s initiative to “reinvent” special education as a part of a unified system of education that benefits all students, including those with special needs.

Miller has worked for the Lee’s Summit R-7 School District for 16 years and also has experience as director of special education in Harrisonville and Buellton, Calif.

She previously worked as a special education process coordinator at Pleasant Lea Middle School and taught special education at Bernard Campbell Middle School, both in the Lee’s Summit district. She also taught elementary students with special needs in Virginia.

College Night is next week

The Lee’s Summit School District will host the district’s 30th annual College Night from 6:30 to 8 p.m. on Oct. 10 at the Pavilion at John Knox Village, 520 N.W. Murray Road.

Students from all Lee’s Summit R-7 high schools, as well as surrounding area school districts, are invited. Representatives from more than 120 higher-education institutions, including military and trade-specific schools, will be available to talk with students.

All grade levels are welcome, although juniors and seniors are especially encouraged to attend with their families.

To best use their time at the fair and increase time with college representatives, students are highly encouraged to pre-register at http://strivefair.com.

Family ties instrumental in Hurricane Harvey gift

Sometimes, it’s who you know.

Wanting to help victims of Hurricane Harvey, Mason Elementary School recently raised $3,087 for a Houston school district that’s led by the uncle of two Mason students.

The students, Skylar Watson and Makayla Watson, are nieces of Rodney E. Watson, superintendent of the Spring Independent School District just north of downtown Houston. Watson is a former Lee’s Summit R-7 elementary school principal. The family relationship provided a Texas connection for the students’ generosity.

The fundraiser, which included a coin collection, was organized through the school’s Student Council.

More than summer reading at Summit Christian

Summit Christian Academy said 56 students — a record number — completed the requirements to be Reader Leaders for the current school year.

The students, in first through sixth grades, spent part of their summer reading a book from an approved list and completing a written summary and/or visual report of the novel.

The Reader Leaders had a chance to present their reports at a recent outdoor luncheon. This is the eighth year that SCA has honored students through the Reader Leader program.

Two decades of learning at Cedar Creek

Cedar Creek Elementary School celebrated its 20th anniversary Sept. 22 with events that included an all-school assembly and a PTA-sponsored picnic.

At the assembly, students saw presentations from Lee’s Summit School Superintendent Dennis L. Carpenter, as well as the Lee’s Summit West High School drumline members and cheerleaders.

Cedar Creek opened in the fall of 1997. An expansion was completed during the 1998-99 school year.

Volleyball team to raise money for cancer fight

The Lee’s Summit West High School volleyball team will host its 10th annual Dig for the Cure fund-raiser on Oct. 9 at the school’s fieldhouse.

As in years past, Dig for the Cure will feature a court procession to honor cancer survivors and fighters as well as to remember those lost to this disease.

Lee’s Summit West will compete against Lee’s Summit North High School, with the freshman match beginning at 3:30 p.m. and the junior varsity match beginning at 5:30 p.m.

The survivor/fighter procession will begin at approximately 7 p.m., followed by the varsity game.

Beneficiaries this year include the Center for Hope and Healing, an organization focused on helping individuals with illness and their families; Bags of Fun Kansas City, which provides toys to children with cancer and other long-term illnesses; and the Children’s Mercy Hospital Facility Dog Program/Canine Assistants, a therapy dog organization.

The event will include a silent auction and raffle.

This story was originally published October 3, 2017 at 11:45 AM with the headline "Lee’s Summit North students rub shoulders with lawyers, judges."