Joco Today

Olathe Public Schools is celebrating American Education Week, Nov. 13-19, by honoring the team of people who work in our district. This includes everyone from bus drivers and classroom teachers to food services workers and administrative staff. It takes all of our staff members to educate the whole child and prepare them for their future.

This week, we want to focus on the Olathe Public Schools Points of Pride. Every school building and facility received a poster, and every staff member received a booklet detailing the 22 facts that wouldn't be possible without the hard work of the district’s 5,000-plus employees.

Schools and community members are encouraged to share Points of Pride facts with their friends and families to honor our staff members.

Staff

• 7 Kansas Teachers of the Year
• 20 teachers earned Presidential Awards for Excellence in Math and Science
• Average of 14 years of experience of classroom teachers across the district
• 18 National Board Certified teachers
• $1 million a year donated back to schools through the Olathe Public Schools Foundation for each of the past four years
• OPSF is the largest K-12 public school foundation in the region
• 2 Kansas Superintendents of the Year
• 15 21st Century Academies offering world-class opportunities for students to earn Market Value Assets through work-based learning
• Proudly serve 5,985 students with special education needs
• Efforts to increase diversity among staff in the past five years

Students

• $45.5 million in scholarships offered to 2022 graduates
• 18 National Merit Finalists in spring 2022
• 2022 Presidential Scholar
• SAT and ACT scores above state and national averages
• More than 60% of secondary students participate in extracurricular activities

District

• Largest district in Kansas City Metropolitan area
• Top Five on the 2021 Forbes list of best Kansas employers
• 58 schools and facilities serving almost 30,000 students
• 18 National Blue Ribbon schools
• 90-plus languages spoken at home by our students
• 85-plus college level courses offered
• First district in the state of Kansas to adopt CrisisAlert for staff

These facts are just a snapshot of the work the Olathe Public Schools educators and staff members do every single day to ensure students are prepared for their future.

Throughout this week, tag the Olathe Public Schools district social media accounts or the schools’ social media accounts and use the hashtag #OPSforTheirFuture to celebrate our staff members.

Original source can be found here.