Saturday, May 3:
- Cinderella, the Musical 7:00P
Monday, May 5:
ELA NWEA MAP Testing
Teacher Appreciation Week Begins
StuCo Mtg 8:05A
Tuesday, May 6:
ELA NWEA MAP Testing
Wednesday, May 7:
ELA NWEA MAP Make-Ups
School Nurse Day
Boys Soccer Games @ IH vs HG 5:00P
Thursday, May 8:
Jr Board Check Presentations 8:00A
East Spirit Wear Sale @ Lunch
Jazz Band 3:50P
Friday, May 9:
Team 8-4 Fun Friday!
East Spirit Wear Sale @ Lunch
The school musical Cinderella opened this week, and the performances have been incredible! Congratulations to all the students involved and thank you to the staff who made it possible — special shout outs to Ms. Opheim, Mrs. Ferguson, Ms. Smith, Ms. Thompson, and Ms. Connor for their hard work and dedication.
There’s still time to catch the show — don’t miss your chance to see it tonight or Saturday evening!
Tickets are available at the door for $5, or through the link below.
Knights of Excellence is a special awards night honoring our 8th grade students. Every 8th grader will receive an award for scholarship and will walk across the stage at SME.
In addition, some students will be presented with special awards for their exceptional contributions in areas such as school involvement, citizenship and service, academic excellence and growth, and upholding our school values.
We encourage all 8th graders—and their families—to attend and celebrate these meaningful accomplishments together.
Event Details:
Date: Tuesday, May 13, 2025
8th Grade Student Arrival Time: 6:00 PM
Event Time Frame: 6:30 PM – 7:30 PM
Student Attire: Business Casual
Guests: Due to limited space, we kindly ask that each student brings no more than 2 to 3 guests.
An email with more detailed information will go out to 8th grade families next week.
We will host an informational wrestling meeting on Friday, May 16, during Knight Time in the cafeteria.
All interested students are welcome!
We’ll discuss offseason opportunities and preview the upcoming 8th-grade and high school wrestling seasons.
If you have any questions, please contact Coach Laird: tannerlaird@smsd.org.
We can’t wait to celebrate the end of the school year with our annual Color Run on Friday, May 23rd. Please review the information and sign up to join the fun!
Reach out to Frances Opheim with any questions or concerns. francesopheim@smsd.org
Every Day Counts: Why Attendance Still Matters in the Final Weeks
Even though summer is near, showing up each day ensures you don’t miss reviews, projects, and important prep for finals or next year!
Summer’s close, but school’s not done yet! 🌞 Keep showing up—every day counts for final grades, review sessions, and fun end-of-year projects.
Here are a few pointers to keep you going:
Show up daily – Every class could have key info or reviews.
Don’t miss reviews – Final prep often happens in class.
Stay in the loop – Avoid missing project updates or changes.
Boost your grades – Attendance affects performance and participation.
Catch extra credit – Some chances only come in class.
Be part of activities – End-of-year events happen during school hours.
Finish strong – Your presence helps wrap up the year on a high note.
The last month is still packed with learning, activities, and chances to raise those grades. Don’t miss out—your presence matters more than ever!
Congratulations to all of those who entered this year's R&D Forum. Indian Hills was well represented!
Award of Distinction Winner
This award signifies superior quality, merit or skill. The quality of the entry must surpass the criteria established for grand awards.
- Luke Ash - How Airfoil Affects the Flight of a Paper Airplane
Grand Award Winners
This award signifies truly unique achievement. Only blue ribbon recipients are considered for this recognition.
- Bruce Bartkoski - What Type of Mouthwash is Most Effective
- Patrick Zueckert - How Heat Reflective are Different Materials
Blue Ribbon Winners
Kate Bunck, Bowman Dean, Julian Dunn-Knuth, William Egli, Harper Grindinger, Elias Henry, Owen Hill, Elias Merklein, Genaro Oliveri, Olivia Oppliger, Robert Parker, Madeline Patterson, Diya Thomas
Red Ribbon Winners
Elias Arganbright, Nathan Dumler, Jillian Eckrich, Ariel Guenther, Emma Hobick, Rory McCoy, Clare McNearney, Ellen Ottomanelli, Hughes Peattie. Pavithra Raja, Leighton Sieve
White Ribbon Winners
Eleanor Aversman, Annie Bowen, Isla Castaneda, Caitlin Dailey, Collins Douglas, Lucille Even, Walter George, Colby Haughton, Jasper Johnson, Jack Major, Jack Mich, Zachary Siders, Charles Morgan, Miles Muehlbach
One of Shawnee Mission’s Cyber Teams, the Hills Hackers, has won the 2025 National Cal Poly Space Grand Challenge — taking first place in their division and earning the highest overall score across all teams! They completed the entire competition and all bonus challenges with over an hour to spare.
The winning team — Miles Muehlbach, Elliot Jaynes, Adam Enslow, Liam Flurry, and George Clifford — are all 8th graders at IHMS.
The Space Grand Challenge is a prestigious, game-based cybersecurity competition created by Cal Poly, challenging students to solve a fictional satellite security cybercrime. SMSD entered five teams across four divisions, with strong finishes across the board — including 2nd and 3rd place in multiple categories.
This marks SMSD’s third year participating under the leadership of sponsor Jessica Tickle, and the first national title for Indian Hills. Congratulations to the Hills Hackers and all who competed — your hard work, skill, and teamwork have made us incredibly proud!
We’re two middle schoolers from Indian Hills who, during a class project, learned about the trapped water theory—how clean water is underground but out of reach for many communities without the tools to dig wells. We were shocked to learn that over 700 million people still lack access to safe water, forcing many to walk miles for dirty water, which harms health and education.
So, we decided to turn our project into real action. Our goal is to raise $8,000 to fund a clean water well in a water-scarce African community, partnering with a trusted nonprofit to make sure every dollar makes a direct impact.
Please go to this website to donate towards helping others have clean water.
Lucille Even and Emeline Wilinski
