Olathe board recognizes educators, highlights Prairie Trail and rolls out communications preview for bond election
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Summary
At its Jan. 12 meeting the Olathe board honored educators and students, heard a school spotlight from Prairie Trail Middle School, and heard a communications presentation outlining the district rebrand, web migration and bond-marketing plans for the March 2026 bond election.
The Olathe Public Schools Board of Education used its Jan. 12 meeting to recognize community partners and school leaders, spotlight Prairie Trail Middle School and receive an update from the district communications team ahead of a March 2026 bond election.
Communications staff introduced representatives from Main Street Credit Union and detailed the organization's long-term support for Olathe schools; district materials said the credit union’s giving to the district totals more than $450,000 over two decades.
The board also honored Rick Sola, principal of Chisholm Trail Middle School, as the Kansas Middle School Principal of the Year. Student teams and coaches were recognized for athletics and performing arts achievements, including Olathe North’s fifth straight 6A gymnastics state championship.
Prairie Trail Middle School principal Jenna Jones presented a school spotlight that highlighted community-service efforts (including partnerships with local nonprofits and adoption of Lone Elm Road), robust extracurricular participation (about 90% of students involved in at least one activity at the school) and recent enrollment metrics (Prairie Trail reported approximately 735 students).
Communications staff then reviewed the district’s 2024 rebrand rollout and phase-two work to standardize secondary assets and career-pathways branding. The team described an updated website migration that consolidated roughly 11,000 pages and said the district produced a targeted open-enrollment marketing campaign that generated more than 130,000 impressions and more than 1,000 link engagements. The department flagged upcoming bond communications materials and said it has developed color palettes, iconography and a career-pathways toolkit to help families understand course and program choices.
The district also highlighted internal communications efforts: a monthly parent newsletter (the OPS Insider) and a weekly staff newsletter. Communications staff said the district received strong engagement metrics across social platforms and has a safety-tip line routed through district channels.
No formal board action was required for recognitions or the communications presentation beyond customary thanks and applause.
— Reporting from the Jan. 12 Olathe Public Schools Board meeting.