The Eye on Kansas website is now in archive mode only. It remains in memoriam for its initial author and creator, Dr. Tom Gould.

Eye on Kansas was part of Rural Oasis, a resource for Kansans, and was created and was maintained by Kansans. It was a non-profit and accepted no advertising.

Our authors were interested in Kansas and shared many wonderful stories about the people, places and things enhancing this state. Many thanks to them and their viewers.

Spring 2016 Issue

In this issue, we are pleased to recognize the work of two high school seniors from North Central Kansas. These students submitted the top entries in the 2015-2016 Rural Voices Youth Contest.

First Place: Gehrig Geissinger, Abilene High School

Second Place: Maura Kennedy, Frankfort High School

The Rural Voices Contest is sponsored by the North Central Regional Planning Commission (NCRPC), Beloit, Kansas. Each year high school seniors in North Central Kansas are invited to prepare an original work on an assigned theme. The theme for the 2015-2106 contest was "Rural Kansas...My Legacy."

Rural Kansas...My Legacy
By Gehrig Geissinger

My rural Kansas legacy began not in the Salina hospital I was born in, but at Tiffany and Company in New Jersey where my parents met. Both brought up in New Jersey, they got married and were shipped out to Fort Riley because my dad was in the Army at the time. Injured and Honorably Discharged from post, my parents sought out the friendly town of Abilene to raise their child. Spawning from deep farm roots and an age-old cattle tradition, Abilene was the premiere of rural Kansas towns to grow up in.

Click here to read the full story.

Rural Kansas...My Legacy
By Maura Kennedy

Just like the wheat and the trees that grow in my back yard, I too, have grown strong, sturdy roots in this little corner of Marshall County. I was born to parents who were both raised in Frankfort, Kansas, just as their parents were raised in Marshall County. My heart and my home will always be here. Growing up I was told “remember, little eyes are watching”. I was ever aware of that; in a small community like mine, young children look up to the high school students as positive role models. Having a younger sister, this was even more relevant to me. Younger kids watch every move we make and they emulate what they see. I want to leave a legacy for the children of honesty, equality, kindness, compassion and faith. I hope these values will provide me, and countless others, wings to fly away and do great things while remembering our roots.

Click here to read the full story.