TOPEKA, Kan. - The KSHSAA Student Advisory Team has selected Jack Punswick, a senior at Blue Valley West, for the 2024 KSHSAA Spirit of Sport Award and Mary Pennington, a music teacher at the Onaga School District, for the Heart of the Arts.
Jack Punswick, Blue Valley West - Spirit of Sport
Jack Punswick is a member of the varsity boys swim team at Blue Valley West, where in February of 2024 he took home the 6A State Breaststroke Championship. Punswick was the only swimmer to break a minute in the event, winning by more than two seconds in 58.60. The first team all state selection knew his future in swimming was gaining momentum towards competing collegiately.
After returning home from his first official Division I college visit for swimming in early September 2024, Jack was excited about the academic and athletic experiences ahead of him as he planned to enter college as a civil engineering major and swimmer. The following day, however, he was hospitalized on the oncology floor at children’s Mercy Hospital in Kansas City after imaging, prompted by inflamed lymph nodes, revealed an unknown mass on his thymus. They would eventually determine that Punswick would not only be battling to defend his championship but also, Stage II Hodgkin Lymphoma.
In a team meeting this year Jack proclaimed to his teammates, “365 times 0 is zero, but 365 times 1 is 365, so doing one good thing a day is infinitely better than doing nothing.” Punswick was determined to be part of
the Jaguars’ swim team despite the now major obstacle in his life.
Through his chemo treatments and unwavering desire to still be an all state swimmer, Punswick has been an inspiration to the swimming community. In his first high school meet since being diagnosed he won the 100 breaststroke and qualified for the state meet.
For his relentless pursuit of making a difference for his team and others, while battling cancer, Jack Punswick has been selected as the 2024 KSHSAA Spirit of Sport.
Mary Pennington, Onaga School District - Heart of the Arts
Onaga had not been able to secure a full-time teacher for its music program. Enter, Mary Pennington.
Pennington took it upon herself to find time in her schedule to come in two afternoons a week to allow the band program to
continue at our school. “Without her, our students would be getting very few, if any, music opportunities at the school,” said Onaga High School Principal Brian Sixbury.
Even though she is working full-time at Lifecare Center of Seneca, Mary has gone above and beyond to not only work with the students on concert band materials but also pep band and is working towards putting on a production in the spring to give students opportunities to show off their artistic/music skills.
At the semester Onaga was able to find their full-time music teacher but Pennington still felt the commitment to come in to help with the transition twice a week.
Pennington has been critical to arts continuing at Onaga High School and Middle School. Without her contribution to the arts students would be missing out on opportunities, and that is why Mary Pennington has been selected for the 2024 KSHSAA Heart of the Arts Award.
Punswick and Pennington will be honored by the KSHSAA and their schools at an event to be determined. Each will now also be considered for the NFHS Section 5 and national award winners.
For more about the award and past winners click here.