LHS graduate praises district at fundraiser

Annual breakfast showcases diverse achievements of nine area students

Lawyer Kannon Shanmugam holds degrees from Harvard and Oxford universities. And he argues cases before the U.S. Supreme Court.

But he wouldn’t be where he is today without the support he received growing up in Lawrence, he said.

“I wouldn’t have achieved all I have in life without the education I received here,” the 1989 Lawrence High School graduate said Thursday.

Shanmugam spoke to a crowd of about 450 at the Lawrence Schools Foundation’s Fifth Annual Community Education Breakfast on Thursday. The event raises funds to support the district.

Shanmugam praised the district for its teaching, but said Lawrence’s public schools face competition from private schools and other districts for students and teachers.

“The challenge that the Lawrence district faces in the years to come is not only to maintain these standards, but to raise them,” he said.

Supt. Randy Weseman showcased the diverse achievements of nine local students:

¢ Dravid Joseph, West Junior High School ninth-grader, a Kansas Learning Quest essay winner;

Virginia Curran, Lawrence, left, visits with lawyer Kannon Shanmugam, a Lawrence High School graduate who argues cases before the U.S. Supreme Court, during the Lawrence Schools Foundation Fifth Annual Community Education Breakfast. Shanmugam was the keynote speaker Thursday.

¢ Sara Yilmaz, LHS sophomore, a Model United Nations outstanding delegate;

¢ Tim Clark, Free State High School sophomore, a Kansas City Area Teachers of Mathematics contest winner;

¢ Alex Kim, LHS junior, a Congressional Arts Competition winner;

¢ Mallory West, LHS junior, a Kansas State All-Around Champion Gymnast;

¢ Nash Riggins, FSHS sophomore, a National Council of Teachers of English Writing Award winner;

¢ Timmia Hearn-Feldman, LHS junior, National History Day champion;

¢ Jelani Porter, a Free State Community Transition Program student, Job Olympics winner;

¢ And Alan Shi, Southwest Junior High School seventh-grader, winner of the Individual State Elementary Chess Championship.

Weseman said he was proud of all the district’s students.

“They deserve the best education we can provide,” he said.

The foundation supports strong community-schools relations. It rewards teachers and students and supports staff development. Its top benefactor is the district’s early childhood programs. The foundation gave about $154,000 for early childhood programs in 2005.