09/16/2026
The McPherson County Community Foundation [MCCF], in collaboration with the Center for Advanced Professional Studies [CAPS] Network and all McPherson County public school districts, is proud to announce the county’s first CAPS Design Challenge, on Thursday, September 24.
The event is being hosted in partnership with McPherson College, who is providing lunch for all participants, in addition to the use of their Campus Commons facility. This Design Challenge will bring together 75 students from across McPherson County to tackle a real-world challenge presented by a local business, nonprofit, or community organization.
The Design Challenge is an educational opportunity for students participating in the exploratory initiative of McPherson County CAPS. Rather than completing a traditional classroom assignment, students will work in teams to identify a problem, develop potential solutions, and present their recommendations to a real-world “client.”
The idea for a McPherson County Design Challenge grew after members of the local CAPS Steering Team attended a similar event in Great Bend. During that event, students from the Great Bend school district and other area high schools worked with Kansas 4-H to address a real marketing challenge: how to attract a new generation of young people to participate in 4-H.
The experience gave McPherson County educators an opportunity to see students apply their classroom knowledge to a challenge they might not encounter until college or the workforce.
“Seeing the innovative ideas of high school students come to life at the CAPS Design Challenge in Great Bend was eye-opening.” Jim Ostlund, Director of Development at MCCF said, “We immediately saw how hosting our own Design Challenge could be a powerful way to help educators, community partners, and students themselves realize what’s possible when we give young people the opportunity to put their talents to work on real-world challenges.”
The McPherson County Design Challenge will provide students with that same opportunity while introducing them to the broader goals of the county’s newly established CAPS program.
McPherson County CAPS is a partnership among all county school districts designed to expand career-focused education opportunities for local students. The program complements traditional classroom learning by allowing students to explore careers, work with professionals, collaborate with peers, and apply their knowledge to authentic situations.
“The Design Challenge is a great introduction to CAPS because it allows students, educators, and community partners to experience CAPS rather than simply hear about it,” said Brandi Martinez McWilliams, McPherson Schools Director of Curriculum & Instruction. “It puts students in an authentic, hands-on situation where they have to collaborate, communicate, think critically, solve problems, and apply what they know to a real-world challenge.”
Each participating school will select 15 students, with a total of 75 students taking part. Students will be divided into teams that bring together participants from different schools. Working with students they may not already know is an intentional part of the experience, reflecting the collaboration and adaptability often required in professional settings.
Teams will then receive a challenge facing a local business, nonprofit, or community organization. They will have approximately two hours to understand the issue, develop potential solutions, and prepare a presentation.
At the conclusion of the work period, each team will present its recommendation to the organization that provided the challenge and a panel of community judges.
Judges will include community members from across McPherson County with experience in business and professional settings. Teams will be evaluated on the strength of their ideas, quality of presentation, ability to answer questions, and the likelihood that their proposed solution could effectively address the challenge.
Winning teams will be recognized at the conclusion of the event, with their ideas potentially being considered for real-world use by the community client.
The Design Challenge is one of the first steps in the development of McPherson County CAPS. The program will continue its exploratory work with area school districts throughout the coming school year, with the goal of incorporating more CAPS elements and career-focused learning opportunities into local courses and curriculum over the next two years.
By bringing students, educators, businesses, nonprofits, and community leaders together, the inaugural Design Challenge offers a glimpse of what is possible when learning extends beyond the traditional classroom and students are given the opportunity to solve problems that matter in their own communities.
“CAPS gives students the chance to think differently, collaborate with others, and explore interests that connect to future careers and passions.” Hillarie Hecox, Moundridge High School Principal said, ” We love seeing students become engaged, creative, and confident as they discover learning in new and authentic ways.”
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