By COLE REIF
Great Bend Post
At least week’s USD 428 Board of Education luncheon at Great Bend High School, high school staff honored the late Kerri Batman for the memorial she left for the school’s Family and Consumer Sciences (FCS) department.
Batman taught FCS for more than 30 years at Great Bend High School before she retired for good in 2019. Batman passed away last June, and teacher Cara Negaard showed her appreciation for the donation at the luncheon.
"Kerri was wonderful," said Negaard. "She was a passionate FCS teacher and huge mentor for myself. I was not that surprised when I got a call saying she wanted our department to have that money specifically for FCS."
Negaard said the FCS department has not spent any large amounts from the $11,315 memorial as they have purchased a few sewing machines and materials. There were plaques made to be displayed in the FCS room at the high school, honoring not just Kerri but her whole family.
"Her whole family supported us," said Negaard. "Kerri was a big part of these meals at the school board luncheons over the years. Her husband was roped into helping with a lot of the food prep. I know there were nights she was up in the middle of the night and her husband was helping her with the smoker. It's the whole Batman family support."
Batman retired the first time in May 2017, but after the next FCS teacher lasted just a semester, Batman returned to the classroom to finish out the 2018 school year. The same thing happened in 2019 before Batman retired for good.