GODDARD, Kan. (KSNW) – KSN News also traveled to Goddard as part of our 3 in the Community initiative.
Teachers help tornado-damaged school in Andover
When a tornado damaged Prairie Creek Elementary School in Andover in late April, Goddard teachers came up with Pennies for Prairie Creek. Students brought in loose change to donate to the cause.
Overall, about $300 was called for the school.
“We’re a Goddard community, but we’re also part of the community as a whole, which is Wichita and Maize and Andover and anyone, and so we really try to do a good job of teaching the kids about being a part of that community and giving back to others, so it was a great opportunity for us to kinda blend that into what we teach and we try to instill in the kids,” Ashley Miller, Oak Street Elementary principal, said.
On top of the money, Goddard teachers used their own to buy classroom supplies for the teachers. It took them two trips to deliver it all.
Goddard school focus on student mental health
Goddard schools is focusing on mental health before students get to high school.
Goddard Middle School has Capturing Kids’ Hearts and LeadWorthy.
LeadWorthy teaches students how to build self-confidence. The class is taught by Mindy Barr. She uses her own experiences to connect with students.
“I have anxiety and depression. I, you know, have had other things happen in my life, and I disclose that to my kids not so that they feel sorry for me or anything, but I think more so it makes me more relatable,” Barr said.
Barr says if your child is not the outgoing type or even one who struggles, they might feel left out. She aims to change that and enjoys seeing how successful her students become.
“My hope is when they leave my class, they don’t need me. They don’t the teachers here at Goddard Middle School. They don’t need Goddard Middle School or Goddard Public Schools. They can be out there and be champions for doing the right thing and building those connections and being problem-solvers which is really what we need in our country,” Barr added.
Project Lead The Way
Project Lead The Way has been implemented in the Goddard district, and it provides transformative learning experiences, hands-on STEM courses K12 for students.
One teacher, Melissa Haney, teaches science to 450 kindergarten through fourth graders, but she does not do it with just a textbook.
She uses hands-on teaching to text the kids how to solve real-world problems.
“I want them to come to science, and I want every single kid to take something home. take something with them from science that day. I want them to, I want to light that spark. I want them to want to have conversations with their parents, and I want to instill some kind of excitement about science so that they want to take science classes,” Haney said.
Haney is so passionate about science and engineering, she created a coding club for fourth graders. She says one of her favorite parts about teaching is when she gets calls, texts and emails from parents gushing about their kids taking what they learned home.