We extend sympathy to family and friends of Ray-Pec Academy Teacher and High School Soccer Coach Jon Shawver, who passed away Oct. 29.
Mr. Shawver had been a teacher in the district since 2005, teaching first at Ray-Pec High School and then at the Academy since the 2011-2012 school year. He was a longtime soccer coach for boys and girls at Ray-Pec High School. Mr. Shawver touched the lives of many students.
A memorial visitation is scheduled from 4 to 7 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 2, at Speaks Suburban Chapel, 18020 East 39th St., Independence. A memorial service is scheduled from 10 to 11 a.m. Sunday, Nov. 3, at Speaks Suburban Chapel.
https://www.speakschapel.com/obituaries
The Ray-Pec High School Band and Orchestra are in Florida! They performed the soundtrack to "Despicable Me" on a Universal Soundstage and learned about sound design and the art of Foley.
Directors are: Jennifer Byrne, Briana Henzel, and Dillon Jarrett.
Earlier this month, 10 Ray-Pec DECA students attended the DECA Missouri State Fall Leadership Conference and Elections in St. Louis. Students attended workshops, a keynote speaker, and training sessions designed to help students develop leadership skills and understand DECA's competitive events.
Ray-Pec student Isabel Blakely was elected DECA District 3 Vice President for the 2024-2025 school year. As part of the State Officer Action Team, she will take part in officer training and planning DECA events for the school year for the state of Missouri.
Back row: Isabel Blakely, Elijah Parker, Jacob Powell, Logan Balentine, Noella Green
Front row: Gio Dominguez Delosantos, Dinah Hodgson, Clara Otta, Claire Driskill, Kiara Powell
Professional development is under way at the Ninth Grade Center! 👏
We are saddened to share the news of a death in the Ray-Pec family.
Jon Shawver, a teacher at the Ray-Pec Academy and soccer coach at Ray-Pec High School, passed away this morning. An ambulance was called to the school early this morning to assist Mr. Shawver. He was transported to the hospital, where he later passed away. We do not have details to share at this time.
Mr. Shawver joined the Ray-Pec staff in 2005. He was well-liked by students and fellow staff members.
Counselors and the district Mental Health Team responded to the Academy today and will be available for staff and students as they return to school next week. We will share funeral arrangements when they are available. Tonight's soccer match has been cancelled.
There was a full house at last night's School Board meeting as the Board recognized special achievements of students and staff.
The Board recognized High School Senior Alex Gawron for being named a National Merit Commended Scholar and 8th grader Kennady Smith for being accepted into the Conservatory Bridges Program at the University of Missouri-Kansas City. The Board recognized Addie Swan for becoming the first All-State girl golfer in Ray-Pec school history, following her tie for sixth place at the state tournament. The Board recognized a panel of students from the Enterprise & Design program at the LEAD Center for their participation in a Real World Learning event. The Board also thanked Karmin Ricker for her leadership in planning the AI and Innovation Summit hosted by Ray-Pec on Oct. 7. The honorees are pictured with School Board Member Janet Jones.
Approximately 60 teachers engaged in the second year of LETRS literacy training during today's professional development!
Language Essentials for Teachers of Reading and Spelling (LETRS) is a professional learning program that provides educators with the skills and knowledge to teach students with dyslexia how to read.
Early childhood speech-language pathologist Susanne Mahoney has been selected to present at the 2024 American Speech-Language-Hearing Association (ASHA) National Conference!
The conference will take place in Seattle, Washington, this December. Susanne has dedicated over 30 years to working with preschool-aged children, focusing on creating and facilitating communication opportunities for students who are nonverbal or minimally verbal. Her passion for helping these students understand and use functional language has driven her to implement innovative, research-based strategies, including the use of Core Words and picture-based communication tools. Core Words are a set of commonly used
words that form the foundation for meaningful expression, especially for individuals with limited verbal abilities.
Help us celebrate Susanne’s continued contributions to the field of speech-language pathology and her commitment to advancing early childhood education. Her upcoming presentation at ASHA will no doubt inspire fellow professionals and contribute valuable insights to the broader speech-language therapy community.
Congrats to the Boys Cross Country team for winning the conference meet on Saturday! 🏆
Runners earning 1st-Team All-Conference were Carter Younger and Gabe Voelker who was also the conference individual champion. Earning 2nd-Team All-Conference were Chase Davis, Elijah Smith, Jackson Peek, and Brooke Stephenson.
Today five student leaders traveled to Ottawa High School for the Josten’s Renaissance Conference. They discussed what they love best about being a Ray-Pec Panther, and what they would like to do to continue to build a strong culture in the building.
It was a banner day for RPSINGS at the All-District Choir and All-State auditions in Oak Grove on Saturday, October 19th. A new school record was set with 10 singers being selected to the All-State Choir. In total, the West Central District had 286 singers take part in auditions for 24 All-State spots and 10 were claimed by RPHS.
Please share your congratulations with:
Soprano - Gracie Chambers
Soprano - Jillian Fairchild
Soprano, 2nd alternate - Serena Bursley
Alto - Elizabeth Burton
Alto - Annaliese Busse
Alto, 1st alternate -Caitlin Gregory
Alto, 2nd alternate - Serenity Shepard
Bass - Devin Fisher (2 year member)
Bass - Landan Moots (2 year member)
Bass - Mason Rew (2 year member)
3 additional singers were selected as All-State Honorable Mention:
Soprano - Chloe Adams
Tenor - Isaiah Cox
Bass - Cameron Purvis
On Friday, October 11th, the Girls Varsity Tennis team competed in the individual singles and doubles district tournament. 🎾
Senior Dulce Dunham became the school's second two time state qualifier by reaching the championship of the singles tournament! Junior Dailyn Rodriguez finished fourth in the singles tournament.
Dulce will travel to the state singles tournament, which will be played on October 25th at Cooper Tennis Complex in Springfield MO.
On Wednesday Dr. Slagle met with walkers and bike riders at Stonegate Elementary School to celebrate Walk, Bike, and Roll to school day! After greeting the walkers, he joined the bike riders and scooter riders as they left the school. 🚲
Congratulations to Ray-Pec High School Senior Alex Gawron for being named a National Merit Commended Scholar! As one of approximately 34,000 Commended Students – he represents less than 2% of the Class of 2025 nationwide. Excellent work! Way to go, Alex!
A National Merit Commended Scholar is a high school student who scores in the top 3-4% of all PSAT takers nation-wide. Although he will not continue in the 2025 competition for the National Merit Scholarship awards, Commended Students placed among the top 50,000 students out of more than 1.6 million students who entered the competition by taking the 2023 Preliminary SAT/National Merit Scholarship Qualifying Test.
Today the Girls Golf team won the Class 4 District 3 Tournament hosted at Schifferdecker Golf Course for the FIRST TIME IN SCHOOL HISTORY!! 🏆
Earning All-District Honors were Vanessa Ocampo 2nd Place, Addie Swan 4th Place, Ansley Harper 8th, McKenna Raymond 12th. Alexis Brown qualified for the state tournament as well allowing them to compete with all 5 players at the State Tournament for the second year in a row!
Today at the Suburban Gold Conference Tournament the Panthers finished 1st place as a team with all 5 Varsity members earning All-Conference Honors!
Addie Swan 1st, Vanessa Ocampo 2nd, McKenna Raymond 5th, Alexis Brown 6th, Ansley Harper 8th.
Congrats to the cross country teams this weekend! Earning medals at the KC Classic held at Ray-Pec were Keeton Harper and Cooper Blevins.
The varsity boys team traveled to Kentucky and won the Louisville Classic by 40 points! Earning medals were Gabe Voelker, Carter Younger, Chase Davis, and Elijah Smith.
The Ray-Pec A.I. and Innovation Summit was amazing! Thank you to all of the organizers, presenters, and staff who came together to make this professional development day possible! What a fun and engaging day of learning about the future of education and the strategies and tools that will enhance our classrooms and assist our incredible staff!
A new Staff Spotlight? 👀
https://youtu.be/NVzGzOS_zR8
This week Dr. Slagle sits down in the new PAC with Dane Schnake. Dane is the Speech, Debate, and Theater teacher at Ray-Pec High School.
“Final score: Ray-Pec Panthers fall to Lee’s Summit West, 21-14. Fought hard until the end—proud of the effort, Panthers! 🐾 #RayPecPanthers #PantherPride #GameDay”
