Shawnee Mission

Gabby Lickteig, Indian Hills Middle School

Generation Changemakers: 5 ‘Next Great Idea’ pitches funded at Shawnee Mission contest

Gabby Lickteig didn’t initially think of herself as an entrepreneur, she said, though the seventh grader knew she had the potential — if she could just overcome the obstacle of an unfocused presentation. “I have a lot of ideas, but I was just bad at sharing them,” said Lickteig. “Now, I’m hoping to connect with someone…

Shawnee Mission brain

Young brains rewired by non-stop screen time in classrooms, neurotherapist tells district

[Editor’s note: The following is part of a limited Startland series, exploring parent advocates’ objections to 1:1 technology initiatives, which typically put a tablet device in the hands of each student and are popularly used as classroom innovation models across Kansas City and the nation.] A rise in ADHD diagnosis and increased risk of suicide…

Photo courtesy of Melanie Haas

Mother stresses lack of parental consent for school devices amid privacy, development worries

[Editor’s note: The following is part of a limited Startland series, exploring parent advocates’ objections to 1:1 technology initiatives, which typically put a tablet device in the hands of each student and are popularly used as classroom innovation models across Kansas City and the nation.] Digital dangers are lurking in Shawnee Mission classrooms, as schools…

Questioning 1:1 initiatives: Tech devices don’t equal innovation, disillusioned parents argue

[Editor’s note: The following is part of a limited Startland series, exploring parent advocates’ objections to 1:1 technology initiatives, which typically put a tablet device in the hands of each student and are popularly used as classroom innovation models across Kansas City and the nation.] A $20 million investment in tech-forward learning environments for the…