<\/p>\n\n\n\n
18 High School Seniors Receive College Scholarships For Excellence in the Literary, Performing and Visual Arts<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n 99 High School Seniors Nominated in Nine Categories<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n <\/p>\n\n\n\n OVERLAND PARK, Kans. \u2013 April 7, 2024\u2013 The Arts Council of Johnson County announced 18 scholarship recipients at the 2024 Shooting Stars Gala on Sunday, April 7 at Johnson County Community College.<\/p>\n\n\n\n This 27th<\/sup> annual Shooting Stars Gala honored 99 Johnson County high school seniors for achievement in the literary, performing, and visual arts through recognition and college scholarships.<\/p>\n\n\n\n This special recognition program was created in 1997 by former Arts Council of Johnson County chairman Bob Endres. Bob\u2019s vision was to create a program that celebrated young Johnson County artists for their artistic excellence in high school.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cArts and creativity are essential to every student\u2019s educational experience,\u201d said Sarah VanLanduyt, ACJC Executive Director. \u201cThe Shooting Stars program celebrates student artists and their arts educators while also recognizing the important role that arts education plays in our schools and students\u2019 development.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Since its founding, the Shooting Stars program has awarded more than $400,000 in college scholarships and $65,000 in teacher honorariums. At the Shooting Stars Gala on April 7, 2024, nine first place scholarships of $1,400 each, nine second place scholarships of $700 each and nine teacher honorariums of $300 each will be awarded. The program is supported by Johnson County and area foundations, corporations and individual donors. Area universities and colleges including Johnson County Community College, the UMKC Conservatory of Music and Dance and Kansas City Art Institute are key program collaborators as well as local arts educators.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Students are nominated by their Arts teachers for this recognition. Arts teachers from schools throughout Johnson County are invited to nominate students each year. To participate in Shooting Stars, students must meet these criteria: live in Johnson County, Kansas; be in the 12th grade and will graduate in the spring; be nominated by an Arts teacher from their high school, and submit an application. Nominations were accepted in October and finalists were named in November. The finalists auditioned or submitted a portfolio of work for review by independent judges in the following categories.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Literature (8 finalists)<\/p>\n\n\n\n Photography (9 finalists)<\/p>\n\n\n\n Production and Design (6 finalists)<\/p>\n\n\n\n Strings (6 finalists)<\/p>\n\n\n\n Theatre Performance (15 finalists)<\/p>\n\n\n\n Three-Dimensional Art (13 finalists)<\/p>\n\n\n\n Two-Dimensional Art (19 finalists)<\/p>\n\n\n\n Voice Classical (13 finalists) and<\/p>\n\n\n\n Winds and Percussion (10 finalists)<\/p>\n\n\n\n 2024 Shooting Stars Scholarship Recipients<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n 2D Visual Art: 1st – Honey Brown Gardner Edgerton High School<\/p>\n\n\n\n 2nd – George Newham Olathe North High School<\/p>\n\n\n\n 3D Visual Art: 1st Lucas Nguyen Blue Valley West High School<\/p>\n\n\n\n 2nd – Alea Schrock Blue Valley Southwest High School<\/p>\n\n\n\n Photography: 1st – Alexa Oatman Gardner Edgerton High School<\/p>\n\n\n\n 2nd – Elizabeth Ford Blue Valley West High School<\/p>\n\n\n\n Literature: 1st – Harrison Jones Blue Valley High School<\/p>\n\n\n\n 2nd – Alexa Newsom Blue Valley North High School<\/p>\n\n\n\n Production & Design: 1st – Ainsley Steenhard Olathe North High School<\/p>\n\n\n\n 2nd – Ellie Parks Gardner Edgerton High School<\/p>\n\n\n\n Strings: 1st – Matthew Lee Olathe Northwest High School<\/p>\n\n\n\n 2nd – William Clark Blue Valley West High School<\/p>\n\n\n\n Wind & Percussion: 1st – Ruby Wagner Shawnee Mission East High School<\/p>\n\n\n\n 2nd – Maren Tims Shawnee Mission West High School<\/p>\n\n\n\n Theatre Performance: 1st – Faryn Clevenger Shawnee Mission West High School<\/p>\n\n\n\n 2nd – Layla Ledford Shawnee Mission East High School<\/p>\n\n\n\n Voice (Classical): 1st – Kaitlyn Rongish Shawnee Mission West High School<\/p>\n\n\n\n 2nd – Noah Tarjan Blue Valley North High School<\/p>\n\n\n\n About the Shooting Stars Program:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n The Shooting Stars Recognition, Scholarship & Awards Program was created in 1997, by former Arts Council of Johnson County chairman Bob Endres. His vision was to create a program that celebrated young Johnson County artists for their artistic excellence in high school. Students are nominated by their Arts teachers each year, and independent judges select the scholarship recipients. The full list of the 99 finalist nominees follows at the end of this release.<\/p>\n\n\n\n About the Arts Council of Johnson County:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n The Arts Council of Johnson County enhances the quality of life in Johnson County by strengthening the arts.<\/p>\n\n\n\n ###<\/p>\n\n\n\n 2024 Shooting Stars Program Finalists, Nominating Teacher and Schools<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Literature (prose\/poetry)<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Nathan Anderson nominated by Kristen Huang, Mill Valley High School<\/p>\n\n\n\n Cil Hoch nominated by Amy Andersen, Shawnee Mission East High School<\/p>\n\n\n\n Natalie Hopper nominated by Amber McElfresh, Heritage Christian Academy<\/p>\n\n\n\n Harrison Jones nominated by Casey Engel, Blue Valley High School<\/p>\n\n\n\n Nathan Montemayor nominated by Deirdre Zongker, Olathe North High School<\/p>\n\n\n\n Alexa Newsom nominated by Kat Buchanan, Blue Valley North High School<\/p>\n\n\n\n Joey Shonkwiler nominated by Anna Hubbard, Kansas City Christian High School<\/p>\n\n\n\n John Wallace nominated by Stacy Goddard, Olathe East High School<\/p>\n\n\n\n Photography<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Jai’den Dirks nominated by Kimberly Ruttan, Shawnee Mission Northwest High School<\/p>\n\n\n\n Elizabeth Ford nominated by Carla Roberts, Blue Valley West High School<\/p>\n\n\n\n Reaghan Gaffney nominated by Caro Thomas, Pembroke Hill Upper School<\/p>\n\n\n\n John Hudson nominated by Kristen Pickell, Blue Valley High School<\/p>\n\n\n\n Alexa Oatman nominated by Mary Schulte, Gardner Edgerton High School<\/p>\n\n\n\n Sebastian Reyes nominated by Ryane Jewell, Shawnee Mission West High School<\/p>\n\n\n\n Alex Robertson nominated by Emily Hensley, Blue Valley North High School<\/p>\n\n\n\n Rue Swanson nominated by Adam Finkelston, Shawnee Mission East High School<\/p>\n\n\n\n Caitlyn Toubia nominated by Melissa Sellers, Olathe East High School<\/p>\n\n\n\n Production and Design<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Rose Cox nominated by Shawnasea Holst, Shawnee Mission Northwest High School<\/p>\n\n\n\n Ian Flynn nominated by Thomas DeFeo, Shawnee Mission East High School<\/p>\n\n\n\n Ellie Parks nominated by Joseph Patterson, Gardner Edgerton High School<\/p>\n\n\n\n Michael Rathman nominated by David Hastings, Olathe South High School<\/p>\n\n\n\n Ainsley Steenhard nominated by Dustin Pence, Olathe North High School<\/p>\n\n\n\n Leo Steger nominated by Alisha Morris, Olathe West High School<\/p>\n\n\n\n Strings<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Sylvia Brown nominated by Jonathan Wiebe, Shawnee Mission South High School<\/p>\n\n\n\n William Clark nominated by Andrew Book, Blue Valley West High School<\/p>\n\n\n\n Gabriel Decker nominated by Judy Erpelding, Blue Valley High School<\/p>\n\n\n\n Eddy Jiang nominated by Amy Fear, Blue Valley High School<\/p>\n\n\n\n Matthew Lee nominated by Joel Martin, Olathe Northwest High School<\/p>\n\n\n\n Carter Steenhard nominated by Cecily Mahan, Olathe North High School<\/p>\n\n\n\n Theatre Performance<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Caroline Alley nominated by Jonothan Copeland, Mill Valley High School<\/p>\n\n\n\n Julianna Bowles nominated by David Hastings, Olathe South High School<\/p>\n\n\n\n Brodie Breckenridge nominated by Sara Bryant, De Soto High School<\/p>\n\n\n\n Sydney Carter nominated by Edward Shafer, Olathe East High School<\/p>\n\n\n\n Faryn Clevenger nominated by Derek Cross, Shawnee Mission West High School<\/p>\n\n\n\n Andrew Coddington nominated by Dustin Pence, Olathe North High School<\/p>\n\n\n\n Hannah Hatton nominated by Sydney Kohart, Blue Valley Northwest High School<\/p>\n\n\n\n Layla Ledford nominated by Brian Cappello, Shawnee Mission East High School<\/p>\n\n\n\n Randall Marcum nominated by Starr Peterson, Heritage Christian Academy<\/p>\n\n\n\n Riley Martin nominated by Mark Swezey, Shawnee Mission South High School<\/p>\n\n\n\n Brooke Mertz nominated by Steve Gordon, Maranatha Academy<\/p>\n\n\n\n Leah Pal nominated by Jason Hagg, Olathe Northwest High School<\/p>\n\n\n\n Lily Reiff nominated by Shawnasea Holst, Shawnee Mission Northwest High School<\/p>\n\n\n\n Isabelle VanSyckle nominated by Rachel Cain, Blue Valley North High School<\/p>\n\n\n\n Brooklyn Werth nominated by Kim Spillman, Saint Thomas Aquinas High School<\/p>\n\n\n\n kennedy white nominated by Reed Uthe, Blue Valley West High School<\/p>\n\n\n\n Three-Dimensional Art<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Alex Bergman nominated by Stephanie Kates, Shawnee Mission Northwest High School<\/p>\n\n\n\n Annabelle Cavanaugh nominated by Jennifer Hensley, Shawnee Mission East High School<\/p>\n\n\n\n Adriana Cazares nominated by Lori Ludwig, Olathe East High School<\/p>\n\n\n\n Iris Doering nominated by Tim Barnes, Olathe Northwest High School<\/p>\n\n\n\n Logan Fixsen nominated by Sheila Wilkins, De Soto High School<\/p>\n\n\n\n Mary Glasgow nominated by Chelsie Kane, Saint Thomas Aquinas High School<\/p>\n\n\n\n Anafely Hernandez Perez nominated by Elijah Schraad, Shawnee Mission West High School<\/p>\n\n\n\n Gabriella Jordanova nominated by Carly Kimbrough, Blue Valley Northwest High School<\/p>\n\n\n\n Jillian Kramp nominated by Abbey Thomas, Shawnee Mission South High School<\/p>\n\n\n\n Maeve Marien-McManus nominated by Jason Lips, Pembroke Hill Upper School<\/p>\n\n\n\n Lucas Nguyen nominated by Aimee Price, Blue Valley West High School<\/p>\n\n\n\n Geremi Onentia nominated by Madison Sedillo, Blue Valley High School<\/p>\n\n\n\n Alea Schrock nominated by Michele Foster Lowman, Blue Valley Southwest High School<\/p>\n\n\n\n Sam Smith nominated by Ashley Garcia, Olathe North High School<\/p>\n\n\n\n Two-Dimensional Art<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n AJ Bettes nominated by Douglas Catloth, Shawnee Mission West High School<\/p>\n\n\n\n Honey Brown nominated by Toni Britt, Gardner Edgerton High School<\/p>\n\n\n\n Payton Butler nominated by Melissa Sellers, Olathe East High School<\/p>\n\n\n\n Emma Clement nominated by Erica Matyak, Mill Valley High School<\/p>\n\n\n\n Leo Connelly nominated by Emily Patterson, Blue Valley Southwest High School<\/p>\n\n\n\n Sienna Cox nominated by Terra Henderson, Saint James Academy<\/p>\n\n\n\n Danny Fisher nominated by Allison Mangold, Olathe Northwest High School<\/p>\n\n\n\n Owen Hamer nominated by Sheila Wilkins, De Soto High School<\/p>\n\n\n\n Audrey Hart nominated by Mark Mosier, Blue Valley High School<\/p>\n\n\n\n Lillia Kleinow nominated by Melissa Terryberry, Shawnee Mission Northwest High School<\/p>\n\n\n\n Abby Lee nominated by Adam Finkelston, Shawnee Mission East High School<\/p>\n\n\n\n George Newham nominated by Michael Albrechtsen, Olathe North High School<\/p>\n\n\n\n Noah Panjada nominated by Stephanie Dalley, Shawnee Mission North High School<\/p>\n\n\n\n Lee Rea nominated by Chris LaValley, Blue Valley Northwest High School<\/p>\n\n\n\n Rhea Sadagopan nominated by Thomas Holland, Blue Valley North High School<\/p>\n\n\n\n Andrea Santamaria nominated by Rodger Messersmith, Olathe South High School<\/p>\n\n\n\n Mallory Terrell nominated by Kristin Howard, Heritage Christian Academy<\/p>\n\n\n\n Samantha Woods nominated by Darby Murdock, Blue Valley West High School<\/p>\n\n\n\n Kate Wren nominated by Liz Smith, Notre Dame de Sion High School<\/p>\n\n\n\n Voice Classical<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Leah Abai nominated by Pamela Williamson, Olathe Northwest High School<\/p>\n\n\n\n Ellison Bonge nominated by Cassie Banion, Shawnee Mission Northwest High School<\/p>\n\n\n\n McKinley Graves nominated by Jessie Reimer, Mill Valley High School<\/p>\n\n\n\n Braden Magistro nominated by Jason Cole, Saint James Academy<\/p>\n\n\n\n Josh McCall nominated by Elise Peterson, Olathe South High School<\/p>\n\n\n\n Emma Molteni nominated by Ken Foley, Shawnee Mission East High School<\/p>\n\n\n\n Kaitlyn Rongish nominated by Derek Cross, Shawnee Mission West High School<\/p>\n\n\n\n Sam Scoggins nominated by Hannah Stevens, Gardner Edgerton High School<\/p>\n\n\n\n Lily Seitz nominated by Kimberly Modelski, Blue Valley West High School<\/p>\n\n\n\n Katie Stegeman nominated by Catherine Boone, Saint Thomas Aquinas High School<\/p>\n\n\n\n Noah Tarjan nominated by Jaclyn Krulik, Blue Valley North High School<\/p>\n\n\n\n Tyler Taylor nominated by Micah Horton, Olathe North High School<\/p>\n\n\n\n Lucy Wittek nominated by Elizabeth Mulkey, Notre Dame de Sion High School<\/p>\n\n\n\n Winds and Percussion<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Ishaan Buddharaju nominated by Justin Love, Blue Valley West High School<\/p>\n\n\n\n Andrea Diehl nominated by Robert Davis, Olathe Northwest High School<\/p>\n\n\n\n Claire Heigele nominated by Jeff Smikahl, Olathe East High School<\/p>\n\n\n\n Griffin Marschall nominated by Matt Bradford, De Soto High School<\/p>\n\n\n\n Kate Marten nominated by Deb Steiner, Mill Valley High School<\/p>\n\n\n\n Ben Nix nominated by Daniel Freeman, Blue Valley North High School<\/p>\n\n\n\n Maren Tims nominated by Bill Thomas, Shawnee Mission West High School<\/p>\n\n\n\n Ruby Wagner nominated by Alex Toepfer, Shawnee Mission East High School<\/p>\n\n\n\n Kevin Ward nominated by Brandon Lesando, Blue Valley Southwest High School<\/p>\n\n\n\n Alex Wood nominated by Chad Coughlin, Olathe South High School<\/p>\n\n\n\n <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" 18 High School Seniors Receive College Scholarships For Excellence in the Literary, Performing and Visual Arts 99 High School Seniors Nominated in Nine Categories OVERLAND PARK, Kans. \u2013 April 7, 2024\u2013 The Arts Council of Johnson County announced 18 scholarship recipients at the 2024 Shooting Stars Gala on Sunday, April 7 at Johnson County Community College. This 27th annual Shooting Stars Gala honored 99 Johnson County high school seniors for achievement in the literary, performing, and visual arts through recognition and college scholarships. This special recognition program was created in 1997 by former Arts Council of Johnson County chairman Bob Endres….<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[114,131,144,130,1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-26983","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-arts-council","category-arts-events","category-arts-in-education","category-shooting-stars","category-uncategorized"],"yoast_head":"\n