Congratulations to Olathe North Junior Amanda Yoksh and Freshman Daytona Hodson for their hard work with the city to initiate a proclamation from Mayor Copeland and the City of Olathe that May 14-20, 2017 is known as Food Allergy Awareness Week.  Read the proclamation below from the City of Olathe.
Activities to celebrate this week will consist of: Daily announcements and Tweets @JasonHermanON; Food Allergy Awareness Slide Shows during lunch each day this week; Administration and students wearing the teal ribbon that supports Food Allergy Awareness; May 17th Olathe North will host a spirit day, staff and the  student body will wear teal or light blue to show support for food allergy awareness. There will also be a table with trivia and information about safe snack items.  See Amanda, Daytona, or an administrator for any additional information. 

Olathe Proclaims May 14-20, 2017 Food Allergy Awareness Week
[Olathe, KS] [May 12, 2017] –  The City of Olathe Mayor, Mike Copeland, has proclaimed May 14-20, 2017 as Food Allergy Awareness Week. National organizations including Food Allergy Research and Education (FARE), Food Allergy & Anaphylaxis Connection Team (FAACT), and Centerview Food Allergy Management of the Kansas City area would like to invite the community to participate. Food Allergy Awareness Week is an event created to transform how people think about food allergies across the nation.  This week-long learning event provides a platform for schools, physicians and families to share information about food allergies, raising awareness about this potentially life threatening medical condition that affects 15 million Americans, including 6 million children.  Researchers are unsure of why, but food allergies are on the rise. There is no approved treatment and the only proven option is total avoidance of the allergen.
Two local Olathe teens are responsible for initiating the Proclamation from the City of Olathe.  Daytona Hodson and Amanda Yoksh both attend Olathe North High School. 
Daytona Hodson was diagnosed with food allergies by doctors in the Olathe Health System when he was an infant.  He attended most of his elementary school years in Olathe District Schools.  His family recently returned to Olathe and Daytona is a freshman at Olathe North High School.  He is a member of the Olathe North Freshman Baseball team. He serves as a member of FARE’s Teen Allergy Group, FAACT’s Teen Allergy Council, Camp TAG summer camp counselor, and Camp Centerview camp counselor.  He advocates for others like him whenever he can.
Amanda Yoksh’s parents first discovered she had a severe allergy to peanuts when she was 10 months old after she had an anaphylactic reaction to peanut butter. Another reaction at 2 years old would require a blood test to find out what other allergens she had. Turns out Amanda was severely allergic to peanuts and all tree nuts, sesame, soy, coconut. Amanda has been in the Olathe public school system since first grade and have been grateful to meet such helpful and understanding staff in the district. Amanda is now a junior at Olathe North High School. Amanda is co-president of the Olathe North National Honors Society, member of ON Student Council, Link Crew, and is part of the Distinguished Scholar program.  Amanda has made it her goal to reach out to other students with severe food allergies to combat bullying and spread awareness.
Food Allergy Awareness Week provides a unique opportunity to help raise awareness of food allergies and anaphylaxis. Those who are interested in joining Amanda, Daytona, and Centerview Food Allergy Management in our efforts during Food Allergy Awareness Week, can visit www.CenterviewFAM.org. for information about our Food Allergy Awareness event May 17 6-8 P.M. at Thompson Barn 11184 Lackman Road in Lenexa, KS.   For more details about the Food Allergy Awareness Week movement, visit FAACT at www.FoodAllergyAwareness.org or FARE at www.foodallergy.org

 

Graduation tickets are being handed out on 5/10, 5/11, and 5/12 at lunch.  Every senior is receiving 4 tickets.  These tickets will have important meaning if we are unable to have graduation at ODAC.  If the ceremony is forced to be inside the ticket will be the only way family members will be able to enter the North Gym. 

If we are moved inside for graduation, due to weather, only 4 seats are available for senior guests in the gym.  Overflow seating will be located in the south gym where the ceremony will be live streamed.  Also, the live stream will be available online from any computer on the internet. 

Requests for handicap seating must be made through Kathy Stanley in the front office.  Seniors will need to turn a ticket in for a handicap ticket.  Olathe North only has the availability for 80 handicap spots.  Therefore we are asking if you request a handicap space in the North gym that all other guests sit in the bleachers.  We will accommodate those that need to sit together in the handicap section if space is available.  This is a first come, first serve opportunity. 

Graduation Practice is 8:15 in the Olathe North Commons on Friday 5/19/17.  Please make sure you have the following items taken care of. 
1) Go to www.mypaymentsplus.com or Renee Hambleton (Olathe North Bookkeeper) to ensure that all fees have been submitted and paid.
2) Make sure all Jostens orders are in so you can receive your cap and gown after graduation practice.
3) Senior picnic will follow graduation practice.  A separate blog will be completed with Senior picnic information early next week. 
4) Please see the other blog in the newsletter section that speaks to the outdoor graduation. 

On Sunday 5/21/17 all graduating seniors must report to Olathe North by 12:00pm.  Graduates will report to assigned classrooms that they will receive at graduation practice.  The graduates will load busses headed for ODAC at 12:45pm.  We will arrive at ODAC at 1:15pm to line up for the procession into the stadium.  

IMPORTANT MESSAGE: Mr. Herman recommends that graduates are dropped of at Olathe North at 12:00pm and catch a ride home with family from ODAC after the graduation.  We will have 15 one way busses to ODAC, if your graduate needs a ride back to Olathe North after the graduation they will need to sign up for the return bus ride at graduation practice.  We will only hold as many busses needed to return students to Olathe North after the graduation. 

After the graduation is completed, graduates will have a recession out of the stadium to return their red stole and receive their diploma.  Graduates and families then have the opportunity to return to the football stadium for pictures. We will clear ODAC at 4:30 so that Olathe South can prepare for their graduation that evening.

Keep checking the newsletter blogs for more information about graduation.

±Thursday May 11th – Academic Signing Ceremony
±Tuesday May 16th- Senior Finals 2,4,6 (Advisory Lunch Hour)
±Wednesday May 17th- Senior Finals 1,3,5,7
±Thursday May 18th- NO SCHOOL FOR SENIORS!!!  
±Friday May 19th– Graduation Rehearsal (8:15 Continental Breakfast in the Commons, 9am graduation rehearsal in the Main Gym) and Senior Picnic
±Sunday May 21st– SENIORS REPORT TO Olathe North to load busses FOR GRADUATION AT 12:00pm.  Graduation begins at 2pm @ ODAC or ON.  Project Graduation buses load at 9:30pm.

Outdoor Graduation Coming This May
 
As you know, the Board of Education approved an exciting change that will impact the families of graduating seniors. Beginning this year with the Class of 2017, the board has moved graduation ceremonies outdoors for the Class of 2017 as a way to better accommodate the families of large graduating classes. The date for graduation will remain Sunday, May 21, but the times and locations will be as follows:

• Olathe East High School graduation at 2 p.m. at College Boulevard Activity Center
• Olathe North High School graduation at 2 p.m. at Olathe District Activity Center
• Olathe Northwest High School graduation at 7 p.m. at College Boulevard Activity Center
• Olathe South High School graduation at 7 p.m. at Olathe District Activity Center

If weather indicates a need to move indoors, that decision would be made by 9 a.m. on graduation Sunday and ceremonies will take place at home high schools. Notices would be sent via the Blackboard communication system to parents, and posted on the district website and social media sites. There will be NO message if outdoor graduation will go on as planned.
All seniors will be allocated a number of graduation tickets to be used ONLY if graduation is moved indoors to the school’s gymnasium. Overflow seating will be available in the south gym with a video stream.
 
 (More Details will placed on the Blog next week about specific expectations for graduation.)
 
 
Este mayo se realizarán las ceremonias de graduación el aire libre
 
Como usted sabe, la Directiva de Educación aprobó este emocionante cambio que impactará a todas las familias de los estudiantes seniors que se van a graduar. Comenzando este año con la Clase 2017, la directiva ha movido las ceremonias de graduación al aire libre para de esa manera poder acomodar en un solo lugar a todas las familias del gran número de clases que se van a graduar. La fecha de la graduación sigue siendo el domingo 21 de mayo y los horarios y los lugares son los siguientes:
· Graduación de la Escuela Preparatoria Olathe East a las 2 p.m. en el Centro de Actividades  College Boulevard
· Graduación de la Escuela Preparatoria Olathe North a las 2 p.m. en el Centro de Actividades del Distrito de Olathe
· Graduación de la Escuela Preparatoria Olathe Northwest a las 7 p.m. en el Centro de Actividades College Boulevard
· Graduación de la Escuela Preparatoria Olathe South a las 7 p.m. en el Centro de Actividades del Distrito de Olathe
Si debido a inclemencias del clima la ceremonia tuviese que realizarse puertas adentro, la decisión será tomada para las 9 a.m. el mismo día domingo y se llevará a cabo en la escuela preparatoria a la que asiste su estudiante. Dicha información será enviada a los padres por el sistema de comunicación Blackboard, publicada en el sitio del internet del distrito y, en los medios sociales. No enviaremos ningún mensaje si la graduación se lleva a cabo afuera como está planeado.
 
A todos los estudiantes seniors se les dará un determinado número de boletos para ser usados SOLAMENTE si la graduación de ceremonia se hiciera puertas adentro, en el gimnasio de la escuela. Las personas restantes tendrán asientos en el gimnasio sur de la escuela con la proyección de la ceremonia a través de un video. 
 
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ON Senior Academic Signing
Thursday, May 11, 2017, During Advisory/ART
 
Open to seniors who:
 
Are on track to graduate in May
And meet one of three criteria:
 
HAVE BEEN ACCEPTED BY A COLLEGE, UNIVERSITY, OR TECHNICAL SCHOOL WHICH IS
OFFERING YOU SCHOLARSHIP MONEY BASED UPON YOUR ACADEMIC PERFORMANCE.
 
 
HAVE BEEN ACCEPTED BY A COLLEGE OR UNIVERSITY WHICH DOES NOT OFFER
SCHOLARSHIP MONEY BASED UPON ACADEMIC PERFORMANCE IN HIGH SCHOOL (I.E. IVY
LEAGUE SCHOOLS, STANFORD, M.I.T. ETC.)
 
 
HAVE COMMITTED AND PRE-ENLISTED IN ONE OF THE BRANCHES OF THE U.S. MILITARY
(ARMY, NAVY, MARINES, AIR FORCE, COAST GUARD, THE RESERVES).
 
By May 1st,

• Fill out the online registration at

http://tinyurl.com/ONAcademicSigning2017

• Bring a copy of your award, admittance, or enlistment letter to room 003
• And email a “headshot” photograph of yourself to:

RBELSKEON@OLATHESCHOOLS.ORG