Reece inducted into ‘distinguished alumni wall of fame’

A Harrisonville High School (HHS) graduate will become the 53rd alum inducted into the HHS Distinguished Alumni Wall of Fame during court warming activities at HHS on Feb. 14.
Stuart Reece, HHS Class of 1990, has 24 years of teaching and coaching experience. He has been recognized in both areas with numerous awards and honors; however, it is the lessons he teaches beyond the classroom and court that make Reece stand out.
Reece has been the boys’ and girls’ tennis coach for Lee’s Summit North (LSN) since 2003. As part of the program, he created Fun Fridays inviting any youth to enjoy tennis lessons provided free of charge by his players on Friday afternoons. From that, he developed a program through which LSN tennis players traveled to courts near Martin Luther King Junior Elementary School in Kansas City to provide free lessons for children in the inner city. His players also provide morning clinics in the winter at a Lee’s Summit middle school.
His and his players’ outreach work was recognized with the NAIA Team of Character Award and the WDAF/Fox4 Reaching for Excellence Award in 2016. Reece was also selected as a National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIS) Coach of Character.
Reece also created a “no-cut” tennis program at Lee’s Summit North. This philosophy encourages all to participate to learn and enjoy a “lifelong sport.” In its first year, the no-cut program brought in 60 girls to the program (compared to 25). He developed a novice tournament so that all have an opportunity to compete. He was named a USTA National All-Star No-Cut Coach in 2016.
Finally, Reece adopted a “code” for LSN tennis which his players and parents receive at the start of the season, and which are posted at the courts. The “code” states that “playing tennis by the code when you are on the court helps you make your match a positive experience for everyone. Living the code while you are off the court has the same effect.” An example of the code is making a call accurately on the court and in life. This translates to living with integrity so that no one ever questions your judgement or decisions.
Reece currently teaches health at Bernard Campbell Middle School in the Lee’s Summit School District. He has received the Lee’s Summit R-7 Teacher of Distinction Award (2017), and the Lee’s Summit R-7 Excellence in Education Award (2016). He was also a Lee’s Summit Teacher of the Year finalist in 2016.
In 2013, he led the girls’ team to become Kansas City’s only public school in MSHSAA tennis history to win a boys’ or girls’ state championship. As a coach, he was the National Federation of State High School Associations (NFHS) Missouri Tennis Coach of the Year in 2014. He was also the United States Tennis Association (USTA)/Heart of America High School Coach of the Year in 2016. He’s also served as a varsity assistant girls’ basketball coach at Lee’s Summit West and Lee’s Summit High School
Reece earned his undergraduate degree in secondary education/physical education from William Jewell College and his master’s in athletic administration, health and physical education from Northwest Missouri State University.
In addition to Lee’s Summit, he’s taught and coached in the Hillsboro R-3, Northwest, and Macks Creek R-V school districts.
During high school, he was involved in math club, Spanish club, vocal music, scholar bowl, basketball and tennis at HHS.
Reece has been married to Rebekah for 23 years and has two daughters, Julia and Katie. Reece serves as a Deacon in the First Baptist Church of Lee’s Summit and helps sponsor Club-121 at Campbell Middle School. Rebekah (Michael) Reece is the daughter of David and Kayla Michael of rural northeast Gallatin. Rebekah went to school at Tri-County R-7 in Jamesport from 1976 to 1986 and attended Northwestern R-1 at Mendon from 1987 to her graduation in 1989.
The public is invited to a reception to honor Reece from 5:30-6:30 p.m. on Friday, Feb. 14, in the Harrisonville High School library. He will be introduced to the community between the JV and varsity boys’ basketball games that night at approximately 6:45 p.m. in the gym.