Augusta Student Faith Magruder Among Winners of "My City, My Home" Essay Contest

We would like to congratulate Augusta’s own Faith Magruder on being selected as one of the six regional winners of the “My City, My Home” essay contest.  This annual competition is put on by the League of Kansas Municipalities and invites all Kansas students enrolled in 7^th grade to submit a 500 word essay on what they love about their community and what makes it their “home.”

Faith was recognized as the southeast regional winner on January 26, 2022 at the Local Government Day event, hosted at the Maner Conference Center in Topeka. You can watch the full announcement of all six winners on the League of Kansas Municipalities’ Facebook page.

You may recognize Faith Magruder as being the daughter of former Augusta Councilmember Cale Magruder, so it should be no surprise that she is so interested in serving her community.  The full text of Faith’s essay is provided below.  Please join us in congratulating her and thanking her for showcasing  Augusta!

“My city is my home because of our small businesses, our community, and the variety of activities to do. The downtown area of Augusta, Kansas is a street filled with boutiques, small businesses, and entrepreneurs. The people that you can connect with here really makes home home for me. Friendly business owners that know you by name and memorize your orders can make your day, and the kindness and generosity of this town even more so.

Another reason that this town just might make your day is because of how much of a community we are. A good reason for this is because of our twenty-one churches, five elementary schools, a caring center, and many friendly people willing to help you out. Our schools also do a Giving Tree program that helps kids get things they need for Christmas. My church goes to the caring center once a month to sing and do communion with them as well as an Operation Christmas Child program for Christmas where we fill up shoeboxes with small presents and hygiene items for kids in need around the world!!

My town is also known for its attractions such as eight parks, a theatre, a pool, a splash pad, and so much more. Every time my cousins come to town we take them to the splash pad at Castle Park, and my friend and I love to take her little siblings to the park near our neighborhood. Every year our town has a homecoming parade on State Street with amazing floats from the high school and a firetruck from our police department, and everyone looks forward to it even when it’s still weeks away. Our historical theatre has a Bugs Bunny Club in the summertime that I would go to with my family all the time when I was younger, and some of my best memories are from when I would get all excited to go with my dad and sister. That same sister and I always get a pass to our pool every summer and will spend hours there together!

Augusta is home for me. I grew up here. We aren’t just a town, we’re a community. A family. My parents have connected with many great people since we’ve been here and I couldn’t imagine being anywhere else. The teachers that have been so incredible, the opportunities to give back, the amazing friendships I’ve made here. I couldn’t imagine a better place to be, and it holds a huge place in my heart.”


Faith Magruder with her  "My City, My Home" Award Plaque.