Representatives from several organizations gathered in the Heskett Center on Tuesday night to discuss the roles their groups have in local education.
The organizations included the Wichita Art Museum, Music Theatre Wichita, Exploration Place, Credit Union of America and Storytime Village.
The discussion, titled “Cultural Institutions and Educator Support,” focused on what each organization does in terms of furthering K-12 education and supporting education professionals.
Among the educational programs that the panel members discussed were financial literacy classes and free school supplies for teachers through the Credit Union of America, as well as the science camps, musical theater programs and reading curriculum provided by Exploration Place, Music Theater Wichita, and Storytime village.
The panel members and faculty from the College of Applied Studies also discussed ways in which Wichita State can collaborate with these groups to help further their goals.
“The goal for this event was to allow our students, stakeholders and faculty to see the opportunities that are available in the city of Wichita and to connect our future teachers and future counselors to those opportunities for students and families,” Christie Henderson, an assistant clinical professor in the department of Intervention Services & Leadership in Education, said.
Henderson, who has a background in school counseling, addressed the panel members after their presentations.
“As a counselor, working with pre-k through fifth grade, every one of your programs is something that I can use to connect to a kid who is reluctant to come to school,” she said.
The panel was part of the Corbin Connect Speaker Series, a series of discussions focused on different aspects of the education profession. Faculty and students were invited to attend and ask the speakers questions.
“Going into education and wanting to be an administrator, I’m always looking for ways to learn about things going on in the community for students,” Airianna Sallaz, a secondary education biology major, said.
