By MIKE COURSON
Great Bend Post
The Great Bend Reading Initiative, or GB Reads, was launched in 2015 with the goal of promoting literacy and family engagement for preschool and elementary students in USD 428. Last year, the students read about Zoey and her cat, Sassafras, in a book that included magic animals, science, and mystery. District Media Specialist and Librarian Holly Tittel introduced this year's book to the board of education Monday night. At 288 pages, "The Wild Robot" by Peter Brown is geared for students ages 7-10.
"We try to mix it up each year," Tittel said. "We do an older book one year, and last year we did Zoey and Sasasfarss, which was a younger one. Next year, we'll go back to a younger-level book but this is for the older."
"The Wild Robot" is the story of Roz, a robot designed to work in factories but who instead finds herself stranded on a remote island. Board members were treated to a book trailer at Monday's meeting. The book asks: can a robot survive in the wilderness?
"Trust me, it is not a scary book, whatsoever," said Tittel. "It seems a little scary in the book trailer but it is not. 'The Wild Robot' is very kid-friendly. I even have middle schoolers who read it in elementary and are still asking - they just came out with a third book - are asking for the sequel and the third book. They are very much engaged with it."
As part of the reading initiative, all USD 428 students grades K-6 will receive a free copy of the book. Various community partners will incorporate the book into presentations for each of the schools. Barton Community College will have its STEM professors in buildings to promote science and technology each Friday. K-State Extension will also offer STEM programming, the Shafer Art Gallery will provide a video to be shown in each classroom, and Kansas Wetlands Education Center staff will visit every school.
READ MORE: A community reading initiative
"We are really excited to have the Shafer Art Gallery on board and Barton," Tittel said. "Those are two new organizations we have not had on board, so we can see the reading initiative is growing in the community, which is nice."
Dan Heath's class at Great Bend High School will produce a kick-off video to be shown at each elementary, and the drama class at GBHS will make a short play based on the book. The Great Bend Public Library and Great Bend Recreation Commission will also offer robot-related programming.
Community business sponsors will be given a robot to signal they are a participating business, and they will be incorporated into a Robots in the Wild Community Scavenger Hunt. Families are encouraged to use the Goosechace app where they can find book-related questions and activities.
The 2024 GB Reads Initiative will begin on Monday, Jan. 8, 2024, and will run for six weeks. Robot training at the Great Bend Public Library is scheduled for Saturday, Jan. 27.