Barstow School breaks ground on new IDEA Space in Leawood, names learning center after donors who gave $2M

The Barstow School in Kansas City, Mo., is crossing state lines into Leawood with IDEA Space KC, an innovative learning center for children across the Kansas City metro area. Above, leaders break ground on the space — which is slated to open in summer 2022.

The Barstow School, a Kansas City, Mo., private school on State Line Road, officially broke ground last week on IDEA Space KC, a hands-on learning center the school says aims to benefit kids throughout the metro, including in Johnson County.

At the official groundbreaking Thursday, Barstow President Shane Foster announced the school’s largest-ever individual donation for the IDEA Space project: $2 million from Dan and Cassidy Towriss. Dan Towriss, 48, is an executive with Indianapolis-based insurance company Guggenheim. Cassidy Towriss, formerly Rudman, is a 2012 Barstow graduate.