Olathe’s Got Talent finalists set for April 29 show

Twenty finalists have been selected to compete at “Olathe’s Got Talent,” an evening filled with these Olathe students showcasing their various vocal, dance and instrumental talents. When it’s over, more than $5,000 in scholarships will have been awarded to the top performers.
Finalists, by school, are:  Maddie Tyson from California Trail, Eli Hoedl from Chisolm Trail, Sydney Muder from Frontier Trail, Bethany Wray from Heritage Christian, Brooklyn Funk from Indian Trail, Kendall Ficken from Millbrooke, Ayshah Kern from Northview, Jessica Chitwood, Evelyn Dubey and Wyatt Walberg from Olathe East,  Alice Liu, Sophie Schulte and Kavya Nataraj & Group from Olathe North, Thomas Barnes, Max Cooper and Riley David from Olathe Northwest, Andrew Allen, Kyle Kersten, Chase Simmons, Peter Winslow, Alexia King and Brittany Taylor from Olathe South, and Garrison Galley from St. Thomas Aquinas.  Alternates are: Summer Darpinian from California Trail, Dwayne Ellis from Olathe North, LyLena Estabine and Elizabeth Booze from Olathe Northwest and Shailyn Ross from Santa Fe Trail.

Optimist oratorical winners

Pictured are Olathe Noon Optimist President Kris Kirkes; Second-place Eliza Woodside; First-place Brylee Andersen; and Third-place Drew Langston

The first level of competition on the road to the World Oratorical Championship Contest presented by Optimist International took place at the North Lindenwood Support Center March 22. Winners (boy and girl) receive first-, second-, and third-place medals and a small monetary award from the Olathe Noon Optimists.

“Olathe’s Got Talent” seeks students to apply for April 29 show

“Olathe’s Got Talent,” an event which showcases Olathe students and their various talents, is now accepting applications for participants for the April 29 show. Many applicants choose to perform a vocal, instrumental, dance, gymnastic, etc. act, while other students may compete in visual arts or in a newly added category which challenges them to create a video. This year’s video theme is “What the World Gains from Optimism.” More than $5,000 in scholarships will be awarded this year.

Second graders through seniors who reside in Olathe and who are public, private or homeschool students are eligible to apply in the performance category, while the visual arts and video category is restricted to juniors and seniors attending an Olathe School District high school and residing within district boundaries.

Grant helps students think, design, print in 3-D

Students watched eagerly to see the 3-D printer begin to form their design. Once complete, their project had to be evaluated and possibly redesigned. The process of designing, evaluating and redesigning is one of the valuable lessons students learned in the Technology Education class. Photo by Marlene Colgan

Three-dimensional printers are changing the way scientists and inventors solve problems. They can be used to create prosthetic limbs, replacement parts for many types of equipment, and build small models. Some of the young inventors being impacted by 3-D printers are at Mission Trail Middle School.

Students in Richard Hinderliter’s Technology Education classes got their first taste of 3-D printing this fall thanks to a $5,000 grant from the Olathe Public Schools Foundation. Only one other middle school has a 3-D printer at this time.

“I’d read about the technology of 3-D printing and seen cool projects that students were doing with the printers elsewhere,” Hinderliter said. “The more I found out about them, the more I wanted one for my students.”

Special Ed services overview on tap for school board meeting

During their regular monthly meeting in January, members of the Olathe Board of Education will hear a presentation on the district’s special education services. The meeting will begin at 6 p.m. Thursday, Jan. 5 in the Education Center, 14160 Black Bob Road, Olathe.

The presentation by Director of Special Services Lanie Fasulo and Assistant Superintendent of General Administration Erin Dugan will cover student enrollment, Individuals with Disabilities Education Act categories, staffing, and funding in special services. District programs are provided for students from early childhood through post-secondary.