The SM North Athletic and Activities Foundation ceremony has been going on for 17 years. In those 17 years, the foundation has increased the amount of scholarships from 8 to 12, hoping to continue increasing those numbers. The ceremony, which started as originally intended to be a class reunion for former football players, has now become an opportunity for all Shawnee Mission North athletes.
This is important for the school, considering it is unusual for a scholarship program like this one to be awarded in a public school setting. “You’d have to look long and hard to find an endowment to a foundation like this one that has about half a billion dollars to support scholarships for graduating students,” said former Shawnee Mission North athlete Jim Ballou. To earn these scholarships, students must both have participated and achieved academic standards and served in the community.
Ballou said he appreciates the “excellent support” from the school’s administration and the fully supported donations from Shawnee Mission North’s alumni. “We’re very grateful and blessed to have had the support of the alumni, our endowments are worth about $460,000,” Ballou said.
