School districts wrap up H1N1 vaccination efforts

Area school districts have come to the downhill slide of H1N1 vaccine distribution in partnership with the Johnson County Health Department. District officials in Blue Valley, Shawnee Mission and Olathe said incidents of illness in their buildings are also on the decline.

By the time students were released on winter break, more than 12,000 people in Shawnee Mission, about 9,000 people in Olathe and about 5,700 people in Blue Valley had received the H1N1 vaccine at a district-hosted clinic.

The Olathe School District expects to finish up providing the vaccine to a few remaining populations that have requested the vaccine in January, said Cindy Galemore, director of health service for the Olathe School District.

Disability association honors local student, teachers

Horizon Academy fifth-grader Nick Hron exhibits two of the most important qualities a student can have, teacher Julie Altman said.

Because of his perseverance and tenacity, which make him a great model for his peers at Horizon Academy, Nick was named the third annual Outstanding Student by the Learning Disabilities Association of Kansas, Altman said.

Altman became Nick’s teacher when he moved to the school because of difficulties he had in reading, she said. Horizon Academy, 4901 Reinhardt Drive, Roeland Park, serves students with disabilities.

State environment calendar includes local student art

Artwork created by four Johnson County students will remind Kansans to not spoil the environment throughout 2010.

Third-grader Mikayla Hogue, from Holy Spirit Catholic School in Overland Park, Peyton Kennedy, a third-grader at Lakewood Elementary School in Overland Park, fourth-grader Caroline Edge from Highlands Elementary School in Prairie Village and sophomore Rachel Carver from Maranatha Academy in Shawnee were named winners in the 2010 Kansas Don’t Spoil It! Calendar Contest sponsored by the Kansas Department of Health and Environment.

Students help scientists with experiment in space

Second-graders at Morse Elementary School are helping scientists with the first-ever butterfly experiment in space.

Hundreds of classrooms, including Patti Gnau’s second-grade class at Morse in Overland Park, are providing a control group as scientists study the effects of zero gravity on monarch butterflies.

Gnau’s students are observing the earthly insect development, journaling and comparing what they find to the development of three butterflies that recently made their home on the International Space Station.

Local students share favorite things about the holidays

We asked third-graders at Sunset Ridge and Ray Marsh elementary schools, “What is your favorite thing about the holidays?” Here are their answers, exactly as they wrote them.

Students from Shelley Kirk’s third-grade class at Sunset Ridge Elementary, 14901 England St., Overland Park.

Katherine L.: My favorite thing about the holiday is when my family visits me almost every holiday.

Jake S.: My favorite thing about the holidays is Christmas and being with family.

Some schools restrict holiday gift giving to teachers

Marla Brems, Overland Park, said giving a gift to her daughter’s teachers during the holidays has always been a fun way to say “thank you” for their work.

The gifts are never very big; some are gift cards so the art and library teachers can buy a $5 smoothie.

But, Brems has also heard of families giving much more. Someone told her last year they had given their child’s teacher a day at the spa and a funded weekend at a shopping center.