5 minute read
Leawood named best small city in America
from December 2019
by Le Journal
SMILES IN THE SUN
At Geezer Park, ranked first on Yelp’s best 10 playgrounds in Leawood, juniors Emma Grojean and Mason Lewis eat Kansas City Joes’s barbeque, ranked 11th on Yelp’s best restaurant in Leawood. (Photo by Kate Vankeirsbilck)
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All is Good in Leawood
Local Municipality wins Best Small City in America. BY KATE VANKEIRSBILCK REPORTER
Leawood, Kansas was awarded the Best Small City in America for the second year in a row by WalletHub in October.
The grading scale that decides the best city consists of five components: affordability, economic health, education and health, quality of life and safety. Each are scaled on a 100 point scale and ranked on how they score in each category.
Cities are weighted differently for each category according to the population of the city. Leawood has a population of about 35,000 people according to a 2017 census. A small city is defined as having a population between 25,000 and 100,000 people, and there were 1,268 cities in that category.
“I feel like everybody who lives here is very nice because everyone knows each other and wants to keep the community clean since it is a very family friendly neighborhood,” Leawood resident sophomore Elise Stringer said.
Leawood was ranked in the second percentile for affordability. Affordability was measured by the cost of living, household income and home ownership. In economic health based on population growth, unemployment rate and credit score, Leawood scored in the 68th percentile.
“I have seen younger families move into neighborhoods, creating an increasing value of homes,” Leawood resident junior Lindsey Dougherty said.
In education and health, Leawood ranked 41st which is based on high school graduation rates, access to healthy foods and amount of people with insurance. In the quality of life category, Leawood ranked 722nd which covered the average commute, bike rental facilities per person in the city and the amount of department stores in the area. Then, a safety component was involved consisting of violent-crime rate, property-crime rate and motor vehicle crash deaths per capita, and Leawood ranked 191st. Overall, Leawood was in the 99th percentile, or the top 1 percent.
“I think we have a beautiful city along with beautiful neighborhoods and outstanding schools,” Mayor of Leawood Peggy Dunn said. “We also have residents who continually try to improve their quality of life volunteering and offering their help.”
Fighting for All Lives
Sister Helen Prejean spoke about the death penalty Nov. 7.
BY KATE VANKEIRSBILCK REPORTER
Sister Helen Prejean, a well-known Roman Catholic nun and death penalty abolitionist, spoke about the death penalty and encouraged students to get involved with Missourians for Alternatives to Death Penalty Nov. 7.
Sr. Prejean just released her third book in August titled, “River of Fire: My Spiritual Journey,” and she is currently on a book tour talking about her experiences writing about and walking with those on death row. “I have been on the road for 10 days straight for this stretch, but soon I get to go home and then I am off to go to Connecticut,” Sr. Prejean said.
Seniors in Faith-Filled Life have been studying her first novel “Dead Man Walking” which follows a man on death row and was made into an Academy Award-winning movie.
“When Sr. Prejean came and spoke it really correlated with what we were learning in Faith Filled, and it reinforced my thoughts on capital punishment,” senior Anna Switzer said.
Senior Rachel McRae heard about a case through twitter of a man in Texas on death row named Rodney Reed who was convicted of murder. People of Texas believe that Reed has been wrongfully convicted. For Reed, he is one of many who are believed to be innocent that are on death row and there have been celebrities advocating for his release such as Rihanna, Kim Kardashian West and Beyoncè. McRae has gotten involved by signing the petition and encouraging others to do the same, posting on social media and calling the Texas Governor Greg Abbott to request leniency on the sentence.
“Sometimes I feel so small and incapable,” McRae said. “But having a real life angel like Sr. Helen tell me that I can do it reassures me that one small act of protest can inspire others.”
Theology teachers Polly Holmes and Bonnie Haghirian ate dinner with Sr. Prejean at Journey to New Life House, a restaurant that is also a place where women coming out of prison can live and work. They were
with Sr. Prejean, Brother Louis, Sisters of St. Joseph and Sr. Rose who founded the restaurant. Conversation consisted of each person telling their personal trial and arrest stories due to protesting to everyday things according to Holmes.
“I loved it that there is this touring celebrity sitting with ex-felons and nuns, and she was in her element,” Holmes said.
Sr. Prejean also spoke at Rockhurst University, and has been coast to coast and everywhere in between. The tour started in her home state of Louisiana and took her to California all the way to Massachusetts.
Students went to hear her talk at both schools. Senior Elizabeth Finn, who listened to her at Rockhurst, thought it was very interesting because she went more in depth about her upbringing and her experiences on death row with the inmates. According to Sr. Prejean she is motivated to help others because she knows they are human beings and don’t deserve death as their punishment.
She got involved with defending those on the death penalty in 1980s when she started as a pen pal to Patrick Sonnier, a man on death row for murder and rape, and has continued spreading her message for equality for all life.
“I’ve been so seared by watching people being strapped down and killed,” Sr. Prejean said. “I know what my mission is to get my story out, and the tours give me even more opportunity.”
PREJEAN’S PASSION
Sister Helen Prejean talks to the school Nov. 7 about her new book “River of Fire: My Spiritual Journey” and her mission to end the death penalty. (Photo by Kate Vankeirsbilck)
