News

ELLY GRIMM

   • Leader & Times

The USD 480 school district leadership is always on the lookout for ways to build connections within the community and soon, local businesses will have that chance.

USD 480 and the Liberal Chamber of Commerce are working together for an Adopt A School program, and USD 480 Superintendent Stephen Linkous said he has actually had the idea for a while.

“Something that's happened in the other communities I've worked in is the school district has worked  with the local Chamber of Commerce and local businesses. And I want to emphasize, we're not looking for money, at all, that's not what this program is  about,” Linkous said. “But we have a very engaged community, and the community is very supportive of the schools, but the main goal of  this program is to bring people in and help read with students or help them with math and give the students a bit of an extra push to help them out. When those relationships get built, there's a very positive ripple effect that happens throughout the rest of the community. Another piece to this program is us working with the Chamber of Commerce to see which businesses would come forward, and then we'd match them with the campus(es), and then the building leadership would help with the minutiae details and figure out where to put everyone. There are already some businesses in town that visit the elementary schools and spend some time reading with them or something similar. And the program will be slightly different with the elementary schools compared  to the middle schools and high school, but the main goal is to help give a bit of an academic boost. Other cities I've worked in have had these types of partnerships, so that's where the idea came from because those partnerships have been successful. Also, Rozelle [Webb] and I had briefly talked  about doing this program a little while ago, but then it came up again more recently and we were able  to go a little deeper as far as how it would work, and she was on board with it. It's a great way for businesses  to be more involved in the community, and it's also a great way to spark interest in a potential career field for the students.”

With this being the program’s inaugural year, Linkous said he is excited to see what businesses end up participating.

“The biggest thing is this program would be a great continuation  of what I've already seen in town as far as people in the community really taking care of each  other,” Linkous said. “When I got here after I officially got hired, one of my first events was the scholarship banquet, and I was just amazed at the generosity of the individuals and businesses and civic groups. This program is just a continuation  of that – if you're particularly passionate about reading or writing or math or whatever, having that extra set of eyes in there would be a big benefit to the students, and it'll help them make improvements in their academic work. For businesses who do want to be part of this, they would need  to start with Rozelle at the Chamber of Commerce office at (620) 624-3855 and let her know they're interested in being part of the program. Then, I or a member of the leadership team would meet with the business person to see what all is available, what they would want to help with, etc., and then we'll get in touch with the building leadership and firm everything up and make sure everything works out like it should.”

Linkous added there will be some obvious differences in the program within the different academic levels.

“The overall scheduling is so much different at Liberal High School compared  to the elementary school level and the middle school  level, so there might be a little more flexibility for businesses interested  in being at LHS,” Linkous said. “With the middle schools, as far as the scheduling and how the students work, there are set times for the classes and we can give a more firm 'You can visit at X time' to give some help. And obviously, the course load and work are way more complex at the middle school and high school levels compared  to the elementary school level.”

Linkous added there will be lessons learned for the participating businesses and the students.

“The excitement is really around helping develop more community involvement. The Liberal community is very engaged, and we want to continue that positive trend and help people feel more positively about the schools. There will be those relationships formed, and the people who participate are now part of the USD 480 tradition, which we really want. And then like I said earlier, the students will also, indirectly, learn about local businesses in town and maybe get inspired toward a potential career field, and that dialogue is VERY beneficial for the students and the teachers when it comes to career days and similar events. The reason I went into education is because I enjoyed going to school and had been thinking of becoming a teacher for several years before I ultimately decided, and I want that same spark to be given to these students this businesspeople will be working with. Liberal is a very diverse community with people from all different backgrounds, so this is an opportunity for connection. What this will build up in the students is that feeling of 'There's another adult who cares about me and how I do,' and that's a great feeling. Children's brains are so wide open and willing to learn, and this program is another great way  to help with that. We want to continue building those relationships. Since this is the first year we'll be doing this program, we will be playing things by ear just purely because we're not 100 percent sure what the response will  be – we could have a lot of response, or not, just depending on different variables and circumstances. There's a lot of logistics involved, and we want to be sure everyone is matched up right.”

Overall, Linkous said, there is a lot of excitement surrounding the program.

“I think this program is a great opportunity. There are a lot of people in town who want to be engaged with the school district, and this program is a great  way to do that,” Linkous said.