Garden City teacher outlines new youth engagement program to bring students into city services

Becca Bernpin, a Garden City High School social studies teacher, presented a plan for a grant-funded youth engagement pilot at the Garden City town hall on Tuesday, Sept. 30, describing a semester‑long program that will give students hands‑on exposure to city services and a chance to present action steps to the commission.

The program is significant because it pairs classroom civic instruction with local government site visits and a public presentation component, giving students who face transportation and access barriers a structured opportunity to engage with municipal operations.

“Last semester I happened to have 25 girls who had opinions and ideas and we didn't have enough time,” Bernpin said, describing how the idea developed with city staff to create a more school‑focused engagement offering. She said the grant (an “Engaging Equity” award) funded two semesters as a trial run. Bernpin said participating students will visit local facilities — Buffalo Dunes, the waste management site and the Administrative Building — and will take part in a one‑day simulated board meeting before attending multiple actual commission meetings. She said the pilot will launch next Thursday with sessions that start at 7:30 a.m. so district transportation can be used.

Bernpin said the program is designed to align with Kansas state standards for history and government, and that participating students will identify a local issue during the semester and present an action step or solution to the commission in December. She said the pilot will include students who take courses through Edgenuity, noting that course participants sometimes have limited human interaction and that the pilot offers an in‑person option.

When a commissioner asked how many students would participate, Bernpin said each semester will include between 15 and 20 students. “We will have a good showing, and we'll get to this one more time. So we'll be here, second semester as well,” she said. Bernpin also asked for the commission’s attendance at the students’ December presentations.

Bernpin credited city administrative staff for collaboration on logistics and cited that roughly 53% of Garden City students remain in town after graduation as part of her argument for early civic exposure. She said the program intends to make participation accessible for students with transportation limitations and for students who do not speak English, and noted that presentations may include students’ native languages.

The commission did not vote on or direct formal action during Bernpin’s presentation; she described a funded pilot and requested commission participation in student presentations. The program will proceed under the implemented grant terms and the school’s coordination with city staff.

Bernpin invited commissioners and members of the public to attend the students’ December presentations and future program sessions.