theleaven.com | vol. 35, no. 37 | may 9, 2014
Leaven photo by Joe McSorley
John Paul II seventh-grader William Sharpton is impressed by the money raised by his classmates at a May 2 assembly, as Erin Sutherlin (middle) and Sarah Gress look on. The event was the culmination of the school’s weeklong celebration of the canonization of their namesake. John Paul II was canonized in Rome on April 27, along with Pope John XXIII.
School honors its namesake
By Jessica Langdon jessica@theleaven.com
O
VERLAND PARK — It’s not often students can say that their school’s namesake became a saint in their lifetime. But when it happens, it warrants something big — like the weeklong celebration that took place at John Paul II School in Overland Park. St. John Paul II was canonized in Rome on April 27 while most of the students were sleeping. So the missions committee that works with the school devised a celebration that not only honored the life of Pope John Paul II, but dovetailed with this year’s faith theme for archdiocesan schools — “Proclaim it: In Spirit, In Word, In Deed.” Kicking off the week on April 28, students in preschool through eighth grade donned T-shirts commemorating the canonization — which caused a bit of a stir wherever they went. (One teacher took her own children into a convenience store, where an employee noticed their shirts and shared
Leaven photo by Joe McSorley
Overland Park Fire Chief Bryan Dehner thanks the students at John Paul II School in Overland Park for their many donations. The money will be used to purchase stuffed teddy bears that stock Fire Department vehicles and are used to comfort young children during emergency calls. He is flanked by Sarah Gress (immediate right) and Bea Lacy. his own story of meeting Pope John Paul II.) Classes throughout the week featured the new saint, while students un-
dertook little acts of kindness at home to raise money to brighten the lives of others, said Susie English, the school’s principal.
“We asked the parents to not just give [the money] to them, but to have them earn it,” she said. Students then brought in their earnings, which went to buy stuffed teddy bears to stock Fire Department vehicles. The firemen use the bears to comfort young children during fires or other emergency calls. When at the final assembly, the collected donations and some teddy bears were handed over to Overland Park Fire Chief Bryan Dehner, he commended the students’ generosity. “Every time we go on a run, a part of your school is in that fire truck because we’ll have a bear in that truck at all times,” Dehner told the students. The assembly concluded with a routine based on the music to Anna Kendrick’s “Cups” song, but with lyrics penned by longtime teacher Marty Owsley. Instead of verses that start with, “When I’m gone, when I’m gone; you’re gonna miss me when I’m gone” the students sang: “John Paul II, John Paul II, they’ve made a saint out of you. All the good things you have done; All the converts you have won; Oh, you’re heaven’s favorite, John Paul II.”