By MIKE COURSON
Great Bend Post
USD 428 is closing another chapter on its Great Bend Reads Initiative. GB Reads was first launched in 2015, and the 2024 edition had K-6 students in the district reading Peter Brown's "The Wild Robot." This year's initiative kicked off on Jan. 8 and also included a scavenger hunt with robots hidden around town. Public Information Director Andrea Bauer said this year's program came to a close Wednesday with the Great Bend High School Danceline and a 13-foot robot from Kansas City's StoneLion Puppets performing at each school.
"The robots were definitely a hit this year," she said, "but I honestly think it's our awesome community partners that fed into these themes. From the library to the Great Bend Rec, we just really saw them being so creative with ways to get the storylines and content available to families in so many different ways."
Woodworking and manufacturing students at GBHS helped craft 15 unique robots for the scavenger hunt. Educators were able to keep track of student activity, and prizes were handed out to the best robot hunters.
"Over 130 families participated," Bauer said. "We felt like it was a real engaging way people could see what other students were doing and what other families were doing and get out and explore their community. We enjoyed seeing the little robots and the families' pictures as we went through."
As part of the initiative, all K-6 students in the district received a free copy of the book. With robotics as the theme, students also heard theme-related presentations from community partners like the Great Bend Public Library, Great Bend Rec, Barton Community College, and Kansas Wetlands Education Center.
