ELLY GRIMM
• Leader & Times
Those looking for activities for their children to do later this summer will soon have some options for just that thanks to Seward County Community College.
Seward County Community College's annual Kids College will be Monday, July 15 through Thursday, July 18, and each day has three sessions – 8 to 9:15 a.m., 9:30 to 10:45 a.m., and then 11 a.m. to 12:15 p.m. Kids College is for children entering first grade through eighth grade, and it's $25 for each session, which is for the whole four days. Enrollment began May 20, and those interested in signing their children up must have a notarized form, and they also need to have their ID and a copy of their insurance card. Coordinator Megan Troutner said there will be a wide variety of options for children this summer.
“We'll have classes for arts and crafts, including pipe cleaner crafts, face painting and body painting, photography, hair braiding, and tea party, among others,” Troutner said. “We also have some culinary classes, and some job skills classes, including automotive maintenance, lawn care equipment maintenance and Fire Academy , among others. We also have some computer classes, music classes, sports classes, and recreation classes, so there will be something for everyone who signs up. The last day is always super fun because that's our pizza and swim party, and that will be from 12:15 to 2 p.m. For anyone who wants to see the full slate of classes, the brochure is on sccc.edu.”
With this being her third year in charge of coordinating Kids College, Troutner said there is a lot to be excited about for this year.
“There are several different classes, especially the ones that are more skills-based that can be applied to the future. We've also got several new instructors for this year, which is really neat because that means the program has a wide reach and is reaching not only Liberal but also some of the surrounding communities,” Troutner said. “This is my third year coordinating Kids College, and every year has brought something new, which is great. It's great having that mix of new instructors and veteran instructors. For this year, I'm hoping we get a bigger turnout – we've always had pretty decent enrollment, but my goal this year is to potentially have 100 children enrolled, which we might actually reach. We're also doing more advertising throughout town and putting our posters in multiple different places, and we're talking with all local media. Kids College is just so much fun because not only are these children learning while they're out of school, they're making friends with their classmates and meeting new people. I've really enjoyed it all. My first year, I had a class, and at the end of the week, all of my students had put together a drawing for me thanking me for being their teacher and signed it, which was really cute. Not that I expect that, but knowing I taught these children something and had an impact on them in some way is just the best feeling in the world to me. I love seeing the students grow in their skills and have fun while learning.”
With that in mind, Troutner offered encouragement for parents to sign their children up.
“If you're looking for something for your child to do so they won't be bored this summer, Kids College is definitely the way to go. We've got such a variety of classes, and the instructors are all absolutely great,” Troutner said. “This helps the parents not only get a bit of a break, but it also helps the children learn something new while they're out for the summer as opposed to just sending them to the water park or one of the local parks every day. This is much more hands-on and creative, and again, the children will have just so, so much fun. We even have former Kids College alumni who are now teaching classes themselves, so that speaks to just how impactful Kids College can be. A big thing, for me, is how a lot of the skills-based classes can be applied to real life, whether it's one of the maintenance classes or the cooking class or whatever, and these are skills these children can use on their own. The Liberal Police Department and Liberal Fire Department also have classes they do, maybe they'll inspire some of these children into one of those fields of work. There's just so much they'll learn, and they have so much fun while learning. Anyone wanting to sign up can call us at (620) 417-1170 or email
Overall, Troutner said, she has high expectations for this year’s Kids College.
“My first year being in charge of this was definitely a learning experience because I wasn't aware of the full scope of what all was involved with coordinating everything. Last year ended up much smoother since I knew what to expect, and for this year, I'm thinking everything will end up really well,” Troutner said. “I'm hoping there aren't really any major hiccups that disrupt anything. I feel like we'll see high turnout again like in the past, and I hope the children end up learning a lot. I'm looking forward to us having a great week teaching these children, and I know they're going to have a lot of fun with their classmates. Our teachers are also excited, and Kids College is just a great way to educate children while they're out for the summer. It's just a great experience, and we hope to see you out there!”
