Panasonic making $25,000 donation to USD 232

Wednesday, November 2, 2022

Panasonic held its official groundbreaking ceremony on Wednesday, November 2, to celebrate its new $4 Billion facility in De Soto, which will manufacture lithium-ion batteries for electric vehicles. Excavation work is already underway at the new Astra Enterprise Park site.

Panasonic has a long track record of supporting the communities where it operates, including investing in local education, talent development, mentorship, volunteerism and environmental initiatives. As a first step in the company's new commitment to Kansas and the De Soto community, Panasonic is making a $25,000 donation to USD 232 to support educational opportunities for students.

The administration intends to direct the donation to support academic programming for students in the areas of Career & Technical Education, Real World Learning, and Career Development. USD 232 is excited about potential connections for our students through Panasonic and will engage with the company to identify innovative opportunities for students to participate and discover new career paths in the areas of advanced manufacturing, science, technology, engineering, and mathematics.

Photographs from Event

Photo of check presentation

Pictured left to right: De Soto Mayor Rick Walker, Board of Education President Ashley Spaulding, Superintendent of Schools Frank Harwood, Student Julia Shumaker, Student Ava Dawson, Chairwoman and CEO of Panasonic North America Megan Myungwon Lee, and President of Panasonic Energy of North America Allan Swan.
Photograph of check presentation from Panasonic to USD 232.

Photo of Groundbreaking

Pictured left to right: USD 232 Business to Education Coordinator Kevin Jeffries, Superintendent of Schools Frank Harwood, President of the Board of Education Ashley Spaulding, CAPS Administrator Tim Mispagel, School Board Member Calley Malloy, Executive Director of Secondary Education Brian Schwanz, Student Julia Shumaker, and Student Ava Dawson.

Photograph of ceremonial groundbreaking with USD 232 representatives holding shovels.

Rendering of New Plant

During the groundbreaking, renderings of the facility were released to show what the facility may look like once it is completed.
Rendering of what new Panasonic plant may look like when completed.