Janet Sims
Janet Kaye Sims, 64, Hutchinson, died June 21, 2007, at the University of Kansas Medical Center, Kansas City.
A memorial celebration will be held at 2 p.m. Saturday at Trinity United Methodist Church, 1602 N. Main Street, Hutchinson. Private burial will be at Prairie Lawn Cemetery, Peabody.
The family has requested that donations be sent to Janet K. Sims Memorial Education Scholarship at KU as well as KU Medical Center's Langdon Center for the Aging-MDA Clinic. Please visit her web site at www.janetksimsmemorial.com for memorial information and to submit memories.
Janet K. Sims was born in El Dorado on April 4, 1943, the first girl of Paul and Gladys Jewell in Burns/Peabody. Janet graduated from Peabody High School in 1961 and received her bachelor of science in elementary education from the University of Kansas in 1965. She also continued her education receiving her master in elementary guidance and counseling in 1967 from KU. She furthered her personal goals by receiving her education specialist degree in 1987 from Wichita State University.
Janet spent her life in the pursuit of education excellence. She started her career in elementary education in Turner then taught third grade at Cherokee Elementary in Overland Park. Most impressively, Janet spent 18 years as principal at USD #313 in Buhler, at Obee Elementary School. Janet retired in 2005 from Obee but could not walk away from education. She then directed Buhler's English as a second language program as well as the Newman University ESL program. She spent many hours as a part-time administrator at Pleasant View Academy and was the coordinator for the after school tutoring program-ESSDACK for the Hutchinson school district.
Among her numerous accolades, her most significant were being selected the State of Kansas Blue Ribbon School/National Blue Ribbon School in 1998-1999. She also was a multiple Fulbright Memorial Scholarship recipient in 1999 and 2004. That honor took her to Japan, Thailand, and Vietnam. She was the 2001 KAESP Kansas Elementary Principal of the Year and in 2002 was awarded the NAESP National Distinguished Principal in Washington, D.C.
Janet is survived by a daughter, Shera A. Sims, DDS, and husband Triet Vu of Harrisonville, Mo.; her mother, Gladys Jewell of Peabody/Manhattan; brothers, Rex Jewell of Manhattan and Robert Jewell of Olathe and their families. Janet was preceded in death by her father Paul Jewell, brother Arthur Jewell, and sister Janell Jewell.
— paid obituary
