Connecting to Community

Projects in Hesston, Kansas that are working and easily

replicated in your community

Susan LambHesston USD 460 BOE

Director, Hesston Community Foundation

Dyck Arboretum, Hesston

• Purpose—educate students about and increase their connections to their home community

• Camp is held mid-July so as not to compete with so many other activities

• Students are entering 6th or 7th grade• Monday through Friday 9:00 to 2:00• We home base at our local library• Our camp fee is $35 for the week• Includes lunch and a bucket hat

Our camp logo….

• Pre-survey kids on first day• Record thoughts on their experiences throughout the

week • Post survey to get a picture of total experience

Every group has its own personality

• Campers see facilities at Emergency Services and Police Department and hear from our city administrator, street supervisor and director of parks

• Campers tour Excel Industries and BMG of Kansas• Campers visit: three banks real estate company insurance lumberyard optician decorating business printing business• Tour our college and retirement center

Most groups bond by the end of the week

Community Service

• Friday of camp week• Complete a local project• Some years kids get a choice• Usually the favorite activity

Painting community signsCleaning library books

CAMP 2015

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uY7nrb0A__0

Supplemental Activities

• Fortune Cookie Message• Community Postcard• Theater Candy Skits• Episodes of the “Andy Griffith Show”

Andy Griffith Show Episodes

• https://youtu.be/mBhTdEH0diQ?t=288

Post-Camp Activities• Kids share about camp at Lions Club, Chamber• Kids help with community events at library,

Dyck Arboretum, etc..• Kids assist with the Lions Club Pancake Feed,

one of our primary funders• I sometimes can help to connect them with

other local opportunities

Morning with the SWATHERS

• Friday morning of high school homecoming• Graduates from local high school return to

speak to students• Alumni speakers meet off site for breakfast• Move to school for a school-wide assembly• Keynote alumnus speaker gives address• Students move to small groups w/ alumni x 2

• Develop partnership with USD to hold event• Select date and venue• Secure a keynote speaker• Secure 15-25 alumni speakers• Kids select small group presentation choices

Event To-do List

• Speakers share about their experience as a student in our district

• Speakers summarize their post-high school education/training

• Speakers talk about work experiences• Speakers give insights about life experiences• Students, alumni and school have been very

positive about this event

THE BIG FIT

• Hesston piloted a week-long summer camp called “THE BIG FIT”

• Emphasis was in three areas: physical-mental-social fitness

• Daily activities in each area followed or proceeded by a healthy lunch

• Great for relationship building across the grade levels for elementary age students

STEAM After School Program

• Through our community foundation partner organization we funded an after school program focusing in the STEM plus Arts area

• We engaged multiple stakeholders and built relationships with community and school

• Kids were able to build skills away from the “ball”

• Invested in Legos and archery equipment that will stay in community

Building Relationships

• Our town and county has a large number of manufacturing jobs—AGCO, Excel Ind.

• Finding a good work force is challenging• Our USD is looking at new ways to partner

with industry in preparing students for a variety of careers

• We are planning a mini-summit with industry and education in early 2016