The Foundation

In September, the Foundation recognized Harrisonville High School sophomores, juniors and seniors who ended the 2023-24 school year in the top 15% of their class based on their annual GPA. These students received the Excellence in Academics medallion.

Giving Tuesday, often described as a day for global generosity, is held each year on the Tuesday after Thanksgiving. This year, Giving Tuesday is on Dec. 3, and the Foundation asks you to consider a gift to support our programs.

On Giving Tuesday, we encourage you to honor a teacher who has made a difference in your life or your child's life by supporting our teacher grant program. Teacher grants support innovative classroom projects in Harrisonville Schools. They empower teachers to bring fresh ideas and creative learning experiences to their students — ideas that aren’t covered by current school district funding.

Help us reach our goal of raising $2,000 in just one day — enough to fund two teacher grants and make an immediate impact in our classrooms. Every donation counts!

The Foundation recognized many Harrisonville Schools staff members during the district's Opening Meeting in August.

RJ Knox, president of the Harrisonville Public School Foundation, presented Jason Dieckhoff, the district’s 2024 Educator of the Year and Cass Career Center ag teacher, with a $500 grant. Superintendent Dr. Josh Chastain also recognized Dieckhoff’s selection as a Kansas City Regional Teacher of the Year finalist.

Knox then presented $100 Amazon gift cards to teachers new to the education profession. The funding helps teachers set up their own classrooms for the first time. Gift card recipients were Arissa Carpenter, Elizabeth Coppock, Caroline Dew, Allison Kirch, Makayla Schlesky, Seth Turner, Rachael Murray, Ryan Shurvington, Jenna Evans, Samuel Lenkiewicz, Emma Parker, and Sara Peterman.

Knox, on behalf of the Foundation, also presented the fifth annual Bill Mills Leaving a Legacy mini-grants. The grants are an extension of the Foundation’s Excellence in Academics program, which honors students who complete the year in the top 15% of their class. Seniors who earn Excellence in Academics recognition all four years receive a $500 scholarship from the Foundation and may choose a school-sponsored program, department or extracurricular activity to receive a $250 mini grant from the Foundation. The 2024 Bill Mills Leaving a Legacy grant recipients and the graduates who chose them were DECA, Grace Atkinson; choir, Kenneth Barnard; band, Alyssa Cox; HES special education, Chloe Fitzgerald; volleyball, Lexi George; Key Club, Dayton Hoffman; tennis, Slade Holden; FBLA, Chloe Jackson; HHS math department, Kyle Malkmus and Ann O’Reilly; HHS theatre, Kayla Mason; CCC Health Services, McKenzie Meeks; yearbook, Riley Minsky; HES first grade, Mason Mitchell; track-pole vault, Brooklyn Rhoney; and wrestling, Cayden Ritter. (Pictured)

Finally, the Foundation celebrated three staff members who completed their advanced degrees during the 2023-24 year while taking advantage of the Foundation’s advanced degree tuition reimbursement program. CJ Keeney, Maggie Knight, and Peyton Holden received frames to display their newest diplomas. The advanced degree program provides partial tuition reimbursement to teachers seeking a master's degree or higher in a non-administrative field and staff who are seeking teacher certification, a teaching degree, or an advanced degree in a concentration area.

The Bill Mills Leaving a Legacy mini-grants are awarded to district departments and organizations selected by the Foundation's four-year Excellence in Academics recipients. The grants allow graduating students to recognize and support school programs that positively influenced or greatly impacted their time as Harrisonville Schools students.

Another mini grant went to the Cass Career Center DECA organization. DECA used the funds to take a field trip to Sandlot Goods, the makers of the hats for the Kelce brothers New Heights podcast! Students got to see firsthand how the “Swifty effect” skyrocketed demand when Taylor Swift was spotted wearing one of their hats at Coachella. It completely upended their business in the best way possible. This visit taught them the power of supply and demand and the impact of strategic partnerships on small businesses. Following their visit to Sandlot Goods, DECA students headed to Charlie Hustle. There, they dove into the power of celebrity influence on products and learned all about brand licensing. These hands-on lessons showed them how big names and strategic partnerships can shape a brand’s reach and recognition. This Bill Mills grant was made possible by 2024 Grace Atkinson.

You have until Nov. 15 to nominate candidates for the Harrisonville High School Distinguished Alumni Wall of Fame. This award honors and recognizes alumni who exemplify the values, traditions and successes of HHS. Their accomplishments will inspire and encourage HHS students to do well in their own careers and communities.

The 2025 inductees to the Harrisonville High School Distinguished Wall of Fame will be recognized during the annual Winter Homecoming festivities on Feb. 7, 2025.

The eligibility requirements are as follows:

1. The nominee must be a graduate of Harrisonville High School.
2. A period of 10 years must have elapsed between graduation and nomination for induction.
3. Posthumous nominees will be accepted.
4. The nominee has displayed exemplary achievement in his or her area of specialization; or received recognition, honors and awards on the local, regional, national or international level; or demonstrated service in the community in which he/she lives.
5. A personal statement of 250 words or less by the nominator illuminating the nominee’s impact and contributions that warrant the nominee’s selection to the Wall of Fame.
6. Any supporting material such as newspaper articles, stories or letters of recommendation should be submitted with the nomination form. The selection committee will review only the information provided and will not do further research.
7. The committee will score the nominee’s main area of nomination (exemplary achievement, honors & awards, service to the community). Nominees will earn bonus points for work in areas beyond the primary nomination area.
   
   

Anyone may nominate a graduate for consideration. The nomination form is online at www.harrisonvilleschools.org/foundation.

The Harrisonville Public School Foundation hosted the annual Alumni & Friends Golf Tournament in mid-September at Hoots Hollow at County Creek Golf Course. The tournament was part of the Harrisonville High School’s Homecoming festivities.

The Foundation will use the proceeds, totaling more than $8,000, to fund its programming including teacher grants, the Advanced Degree Teacher Initiative, the Excellence in Academics program and scholarships.

Golfers in the winning foursome were Jason Bottorf, Connor Newth, Justin Miller and Chris Gartelos.

In the B Flight, David Edwards, Ron Gough, Shawn Wilson and Cliff Southard made up the winning team.

Contest hole winners included Men’s Longest Drive, Spencer Morse; Women’s Longest Drive, Patty Land; and Closest to the Pin, Blake Mills.

More than 100 golfers competed in the four-person scramble tournament on Friday, Sept. 27.

The True Wildcat sponsors for the event were Phoenix Restoration and Dr. Shaun and Susan Holden.

The Royal Blue sponsors were Cass Regional Medical Center, Family Center Farm & Home, Sherwood Community Bank, Holland’s Auto Sales, Hollis + Miller Architects, Edward Jones - Spencer Morse, Big Yield Agriculture, Pearson Family Foundation and CBIZ.

The White/Hole sponsors were Commerce Bank, Harrisonville Kiwanis Club, Harrisonville Rotary Club, Reece Nichols Smith Realty and Hawthorn Bank.

Wildcats who graduated in 1974 and 1994 recently celebrated their class reunions!

If your class has reunion plans, then please share the details with us. We want to help you announce your reunion to your classmates and highlight photos from your event.

Show your Wildcat spirit by purchasing a yard sign that sports your favorite activity.

The yard signs (sign/stake/hardware) are $60 each, and each individual personalized plaque is $12. On each plaque, you may choose any message up to 15 characters. Maybe it's soccer, baseball, choir, tennis...whatever! Or, maybe you'd like it to say alumni, #WildcatFamily, your last name or Class of ’25?

Orders will be placed on the 15th of each month. Payment is required before we finalize your order. You will be notified via email when your sign or plaque is ready to pick up at the district administrative office, 503 S. Lexington.

Place an order at https://forms.gle/s8hCrRPLdP15xkZFA

You can pay online at https://www.zeffy.com/.../82ff5a24-43dc-4ffb-acde... or you may mail or drop off your check made payable to the Harrisonville Public School Foundation to:

Harrisonville Public School Foundation

503 S. Lexington

Harrisonville, MO 64701

All proceeds benefit the Foundation's programming including teacher grants, district grants and student scholarships.

We encourage our alumni to stay connected to Harrisonville and HHS.

• Follow our district Facebook page at www.facebook.com/HarrisonvilleSchools and high school Facebook page at www.facebook.com/HarrisonvilleHighSchool.
  
  The Foundation Facebook page provides regular updates on Foundation activities, photos of our work in action and opportunities for you to support the Foundation's work.
  
  The Alumni page is the "go-to" place to get information on alumni events and news, connect with classmates and share reunion information. To submit information for the alumni page, email jill.filer@harrisonvilleschools.org.
  
  
• Subscribe to the district's twice monthly e-newsletter, Connections. To receive Connections, email jill.filer@harriosnvilleschools.org

Harrisonville High School alumni, please forward this newsletter to your classmates and encourage them to complete the Alumni Contact Form. We use the submissions to maintain an active listing of HHS alumni.

Click here for Alumni Contact Form

Email: jill.filer@harrisonvilleschools.org
Website: www.harrisonvilleschools.org/foundation
Location: 503 South Lexington Street, Harrisonville, MO, USA
Phone: 8163802727
Facebook: facebook.com/HarrisonvillePublicSchoolFoundation