The League of Women Voters of Johnson County honored two Shawnee Mission area elected leaders and three third-grade teachers at Rosehill Elementary School for their efforts to “make democracy work.”

Mike Kelly, mayor of Roeland Park, and Lindsey Constance, a Shawnee councilmember, received the honor for creating the Metro KC Climate Action Coalition to coordinate action across the Kansas City metro to address the impact of climate change and improve the area’s climate resiliency.

The Metro KC Climate Action Coalition includes elected officials from several area municipalities and 14 partner organizations.

The three teachers who received the award this year include Meghan Spalding, Lauren Langhofer and Rachel Serna, who created curriculum for their third-grade students at Rosehill Elementary School to foster civic engagement.

Through the coursework, their students learn how local government works and about the kinds of problems it faces. The students discuss what makes a good citizen and ways to make their community better.

Created in 2008 by the League of Women Voters of Johnson County, the Making Democracy Work award celebrates people who demonstrate committed, visionary leadership that strengthens democracy. Recipients’ work must be nonpartisan, informative and replicable.