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Shawnee Mission highlights student wins, new arts courses and staffing pressures
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Summary
At a board workshop, district fine-arts staff and students showcased awards, expanding K'12 programming (including middle-school animation and a new high-school "Professional Art Practices" course), and warned of continuing budget and staffing constraints that affect music and visual-arts offerings.
The Shawnee Mission Board of Education heard a two-part fine-arts presentation Tuesday that highlighted student awards, new course offerings and ongoing budget and staffing challenges.
Superintendent Dr. Schumacher opened the segment by congratulating students and staff on regional and state honors, including top eMAGINE Media Festival placements and multiple state championships in athletics tied to school programs. "These recognitions reflect the creativity, collaboration, and real world skills our students are developing every day," he said.
The presenters described district-wide visual and performing arts growth: K'12 vertical feeder art shows, nearly 400 high-school R&D art entries, and more than 1,200 works displayed in the district's virtual showcases last year. Staff emphasized collaborative curriculum work: elementary art teachers now meet in PLCs, the middle school "Art of Animation" course is entering a second year, and a redesigned graphic-art-and-design course is intended to give middle schoolers client-facing, real-world design experiences.
"This course is not a prerequisite for the animation programs here, but they collaborate with those animation teachers to identify what would be age-appropriate for these students to learn," a presenter said, outlining how the new pathways feed into higher-level signature programs.
A new high-school course, Professional Art Practices, was highlighted as a career-oriented offering that pairs students with industry clients to complete real projects. Stephanie Dali, an art teacher at Shawnee Mission North, brought three students who described the class's hands-on projects and collaborative mural work. "It's an advanced art class that incorporates a lot of real world learning," one student said.
Presenters also flagged persistent challenges: rising supply costs, difficulty hiring specialized music and strings personnel, and competition for students' time from technology and social media. "Budgets are not doubling as costs rise," a visual-arts coordinator said, urging continued community and board support.
Board members praised the program's breadth and student outcomes. One member requested data on participation rates; departmental presenters estimated that 60' 70% of middle and high school students participate in some fine-arts elective, excluding mandated elementary specials. The presentation closed with an invitation to district arts events and a reminder that students will remain available for questions after the board meeting.
The district said it will continue staffing and curriculum work to sustain the programs while monitoring budget pressures.
The board moved next to assessment and district data discussions.
