By MIKE COURSON
Great Bend Post
Laughter is still the best medicine. At Tuesday's USD 428 Board of Education luncheon at Park Elementary School in Great Bend, Principal Kelsey Sciacca told board members it's important to incorporate those laughs into the school day as often as possible.
"We have kids all over the board like every school does," she said. "We have low-economic kids, we have kids who really excel in the classroom and have wonderful home lives, we have some that we are their safety net, so we have to find that laughter every day."
Sciacca was able to brag about a new fundraiser at the school. Last year, Park switched from selling items like baked goods and began selling $20 raffle tickets over a two-week period. Prizes like a Traeger grill, pool passes, Barton basketball passes, and a Keurig coffeemaker made the tickets an easy sell.
"On average, Park School would make between $3-4,000 a year on our fundraiser we would do," Sciacca said. "Last year, we made $14,000. It is a huge improvement for our school. We're working on getting new stage curtains."
There are 264 students enrolled at Park School this year, up 28 from last year. That large number includes 58 kindergartners. The school has nine non-English speaking students who require full support, and 60 English Language students receiving support.