South KC Perspective: Grandview honors alumni, hires former professional baseball player, and other news

South KC Perspective

Grandview awards high school alumni

By John Sharp

Four graduates of Grandview High School received distinguished alumni awards May 30 at the annual alumni awards brunch sponsored by the Grandview Education Foundation.  The awardees are:

Dr. Curtis Smith of the graduating class of 1971 who served as a professor and dean of math & science at Kansas City, Kansas Community College and co-founded the Wyandotte County Ethnic Festival. Smith has been honored as Wyandotte County Historian of the Year and since his retirement has authored several books including Kansas City Kansas Cultural Rhythms in Ragtime & Jazz.

Jonathan Goforth of the class of 1986 who has been nationally recognized in Forbes Magazine and Fortune Magazine for his success as a realtor and who authored How to Sell Homes in a Tough Market.  Goforth continues to support Grandview students by speaking at schools and judging competitions, and he previously served as secretary of the Grandview Education Foundation;

Brian Sloan of the class of 1993 who is the chief executive officer of Wachter, Inc., provides significant financial contributions to organizations that provide services to victims of domestic violence and underserved students, and he also provides hands-on volunteer work to provide housing for homeless veterans and to build and deliver beds to children in need; and

Stacia Williams of the class of 2001 who is a co-founder and wealth advisor at Williams Financial Group that focuses on helping women successfully meet the unique financial challenges they often face.  She also is the founder of Financially Lit, a nonprofit dedicated to providing financial literacy and confidence to college and high school age young women.

The awards are named for the late Jane Bryan of the class of 1947 who served the Grandview C-4 School District for 16 years as a junior high school social studies teacher and for 23 years as the Grandview High School librarian and also served on the Board of Education and the Grandview Education Foundation Board.

The Grandview Education Foundation is a nonprofit that provides funding for scholarships for Grandview High School seniors, grants to teachers for special projects and free books of their choice they can read during the summer and keep for early childhood through elementary school students to prevent a summer backslide in their reading skills.

New Director

The Grandview C-4 School District has announced the hiring of Jeremy Brown, a high school principal and former professional baseball player in the Los Angeles Dodgers organization who knows firsthand how athletics can help youth develop leadership and teamwork skills, as its new activities director.

 Brown will be responsible for creating opportunities for all students to succeed academically, athletically and socially.

He has served as principal of Central High School in the Springfield (MO) Public Schools system and as principal and athletic director of Scott Charter School in Arkansas where he expanded athletic programming.  He has also served as an assistant principal, dean of students, teacher and coach at multiple educational levels.

Brown holds a Master of Science degree in education and a Specialist degree in Superintendency from Arkansas State University and is currently working on a Doctorate degree in school leadership.

New Laws

Area state legislators will report on new state laws approved by the Missouri General Assembly during its 2026 legislative session that adjourned May 15 and how they will impact area residents and our community at a public meeting at 6 p.m. Monday, June 8, in the community room in the front building of the South Patrol Police Campus, 9701 Marion Park Dr., sponsored by the South Kansas City Alliance.

The legislators also will report on important proposed legislation that failed to pass and give their thoughts on four proposed amendments to the Missouri constitution approved by the General Assembly, two of which are extremely controversial, that will be on the August 4 primary election ballot for voter approval and have agreed to respond to audience questions.

Pinnacle Winds

Pinnacle Winds professional concert band will celebrate our nation’s history and honor our veterans at a concert titled America: 250 Birthdays & Counting at 2 p.m. Sunday, June 28, at First Church of the Nazarene, 11811 State Line Rd.

The concert will include patriotic songs such as Hymn to the Fallen, the 1812 Overture and Battle Hymn of the Republic which will be performed by the band conducted by Dr. John Carmichael and the Summer Singers & Friends conducted by Dr. William Baker and the band’s annual performance of the Armed Forces Salute honoring current military personnel, veterans and their families.

Tickets may be purchased at the door for $20 or for only $10 for senior citizens and students.  Admission is free for active duty military personnel and veterans with valid military IDs.