HOISINGTON – In sports, or elsewhere in the real world, having a “breakout year” is an extremely good thing. It means that someone or something is experiencing an exceptionally rewarding time – operating a level or two above the rest.

Such is the case this year for Reality U, as presented in the Golden Belt by the United Way of Central Kansas. 

On Wednesday, students from USD 355 and St. Joseph’s Catholic School in Ellinwood, Central Plains and Otis-Bison gathered at the Hoisington Middle School for their 2025 Reality U experience.

The interactive program developed by Wichita-based Pando Initiatives has been a fixture on the Great Bend Public Schools calendar for going on 10 years, and has been evolving all the while, noted UWCK Executive Director Charell Owings. The program was incubated at Great Bend Middle School for the first year, before opening up to area schools in 2016. 

“We started out with Great Bend; originally, that first year was kind of a trial run to see what it would look like when we actually did it ourselves, and then next year we added in other schools in Barton and Pawnee counties. We continued to add schools in and some then dropped off, and then this year we added in 10th graders,” she said.

“That was a big leap for us to do that because it did require the facilitation of – and to pay for –  a third Reality U event. We had to make sure that we had the funding for that third event and we were able to make that work this year.”

The Reality U format

Through the years, the basic Reality U format has remained the same. Students preselect an occupation based on their future educational plans and current GPA. From there, they are presented with a profile that may include a marriage partner and/or children, with a monthly salary equivalent to a 26-27-year-old. They take their profiles into the host school’s gymnasium, where a simulated “marketplace” is set up at 12 stations that include expenses such as housing, transportation, insurance, childcare, utilities, food and a special “anything goes” category where a roll of the dice determines a life event. They can change their mind on a life choice by going back to a station as many times as they need, provided they have funds left in their “account.”

Following the chaos of the marketplace, the students then attend several breakout sessions that offer life skills catering to the particular host school’s event. These are presented by community volunteers.

New to the format last year was the addition of a project in the breakout session, where students created Valentine’s Day cards for UWCK’s Boxes of Love project, put together silverware for Ellinwood Heritage Senior Center, and assemble care packages for military personnel in partnership with Dropping 22, Inc.

Wednesday’s breakout sessions focused on educational themes at HMS. They included Barton County Sheriff’s Deputy Taylor Reed partnering with the Hoisington Police Department on “The cost of delinquency.” Nicole Henderson of Mpire Realty Group led a discussion on “Reality After High School” and representatives from KS Works prepared students for job interviews. Shanna Long from the Center for Counseling and Consultation led activities to cope with stress and anxiety. Maddy Casey from Barton Community College provided insight on “College Options” while Lindsey Bogner from the Barton Community College Foundation discussed “Non-College Options.” Barton County Upward Bound also informed students on their program that helps high school students reach academic goals. Nex-Tech provided a deeper understanding of “Digital Safety,” while the Hoisington Fire and EMS departments talked about community engagement and the importance of volunteering.

Wednesday’s estimated attendance from the six schools was 275 students in 11 groups.

The Larned session

The program has now expanded to include high school sophomores who first attended Reality U in middle school. On Wednesday, Jan. 22, USD 495 in Larned hosted the first expanded program of 2025 at Larned Middle School, with USD 496 Pawnee Heights and USD 347 Kinsley-Offerle students in attendance. 

“At Larned, we did get to see what that was like, with the sessions divided up for Larned eighth graders in the morning with their own breakout sessions and then moved to the 10th graders in the afternoon,” Owings said.

“I did get to talk to some of the 10th graders and they said that they had made different choices this time,” she said. “You could see that they had learned from their first experience in eighth grade.”

The inclusion of the 10th graders offers validation of the impact of the program, Owings noted. She added that the gradual evolution of the program illustrates the need for reeducation on several important life skills.

Integral to the LMS session were breakout sessions provided by the following:

- Reality After High School: Ben Ramsey, High Plains Farm Credit  

- The Cost of Delinquency: 24th Judicial District Juvenile Services and Pawnee County Sherrif’s Office 

- Job Interview Preparation: KS Works & JAG-KS  

- Coping with Stress & Anxiety: The Center for Counseling and Consultation, Great Bend  

- Banking & Finance: Fusion Bank  

- Community Engagement & Volunteering: Larned Fire Department

Meeting a need

“When this program was begun in Great Bend, I wasn’t yet the director, but I was a part of UWCK,” she said. “Back then, I could see the need for an extra emphasis on life skills, that we as adults know are necessary but we assume that they would be either taught at home or in a school curriculum setting. In a way, we tend to take these important skills for granted, as well as assume that ‘somebody will teach them sometime.’”

Owings said that a future evolution of the program could also be bringing the students “back to the gymnasium as seniors,” to take part in the session at the booths alongside the participating adult volunteers. “It would be interesting to have those seniors who had been participating right along to see what it looks like from the other side.”

Owings stressed that the program would not be possible without the generous support of the session sponsors and volunteers. 

“We are deeply grateful for the generous support of our sponsors and volunteers, who make Reality U possible for these students,” Owings said. “This program is a vital investment in the future of our youth, and we’re thrilled to see the positive impact it has on their educational journeys. Our goal is for Reality U to help students appreciate the sacrifices their parents and guardians make to provide for them. It also gives students a chance to evaluate their current choices, realize the potential for improvement, and understand that they have the power to raise their grades and aim higher as they work toward achieving their future aspirations. None of this would be possible without the partnership of the schools who attend and the sponsors who fund the program coming to our area.”

About UWCK

United Way of Central Kansas is dedicated to improving lives and strengthening communities by addressing critical issues. Through their Community Impact Programs and funding of non-profit partners, UWCK strives to create lasting change in the areas of education, financial stability, and health. To support Reality U and other programming that UWCK provides, you can donate online at www.uwck.org/donate.