By TONY GUERRERO
Hays Post
A Fort Hays State University student is introducing an interactive story stroll in Larned this spring, combining story time with health.
The story stroll will feature about 10 podiums managed by the Jordaan Memorial Library. These will provide a place for stories and encourage physical and mental health.
Ryssa Schlaefli is a junior at FHSU and previously had assistant professor Jessica Phelan as a teacher. She has also served as a mentor for Phelan's class through an internship.
"We started working on a grant, Phelan asked me if I would write a story for the story stroll," Schlaefli said.
Schlaefli said working on the Golden Belt Community Foundation grant and writing the first story for the project are not tied to extra credit or her internships.
Schlaefli's story follows a blue flower who feels sad and struggles with self-acceptance. With the help of supportive flowers in the flower bed, she learns to embrace and love herself despite her imperfections.
"Flowers look very different, but they're all beautiful. That's what the story is about," she said.
Each podium will display a page of the story along with self-reflection questions and instructions, guiding readers through the story stroll while encouraging them to explore their emotions.
"Health is more than just physical. It's mental as well. We need those conversations between parents and children," Schlaefli said.
Jordaan Memorial Library, in collaboration with Schlaefli and Phelan, received a $3,000 grant from the Golden Belt Community Foundation.
Phelan said there are two possible locations for the story stroll, but there has been no official decision as the city of Larned has shown support.
The story stroll project is designed primarily for families and children in the Larned area. It aims to encourage families to be physically active together.
"A huge part of that is having a support system, resources, and purpose for doing the activity," Phelan said.
The podiums will feature stories that can be updated regularly and utilized for promotional events.
The podiums, designed to be hip-height and diagonal for easy access by children, will be mounted on metal stands with a protective barrier. The final design is still in development.
While Schlaefli writes the initial story, the mission is for local fourth-grade classes to create their own stories to be featured in the story stroll.
"This is above and beyond just a regular internship," Phelan said.
Schlaefli is majoring in health promotion and fitness instruction, with a focus on community health. During winter break, she plans to finalize her story and finish its illustrations.
Schlaefli said if the opportunity arises, she would also like to bring a story stroll to Hays.
"If a grant opened up that would allow us to do something like that, then definitely yes," she said.
Phelan, a health promotion and fitness instructor at FHSU from Larned, said Sunflower Electric in Great Bend will install the podiums for the story stroll.