Park Elementary School Principal Kristi Franks isn't sure exactly when the school was "adopted" by KU School of Medicine-Wichita. But she does know that the relationship plays a big, positive role at Park, an inner-city school with a high percentage of at-risk students.

Park, located on Main Street just north of downtown, is one of Wichita's oldest schools, dating back to the late 1800s. Franks said she's been told that employees and students at KU Wichita started helping it about 21 years ago. The relationship has evolved over the years. At one time, for instance, a telemedicine hookup in the school nurse's office connected to the medical school. Medical students have served as mentors and tutors to Park students.

Presently, KU Wichita hosts a school supply drive for all grades of Park students each fall that generates pencils, notebooks, backpacks and all the other things kids require.

"They always bring over just a huge bunch of stuff," Franks said. "It helps our kids get started off right."

About 95 percent of Park students qualify for free or reduced lunches, according to Park social worker Lori Mueller. The school serves some students who live in homeless shelters or crisis centers with their parents.

For Halloween, KU Wichita supplies a bus for Park to transport third-graders to the medical school campus for trick-or-treating and an opportunity to interact with employees and students. "It's like the whole building interacts with the kids," Mueller said.

At Christmas, second-graders at Park submit a wish list that finds its way to secret Santas at the medical school.

"I'm so glad that the school sponsors Park Elementary," said Shirley Dunn, KU School of Medicine-Wichita fiscal analyst. "It's been a pleasure to buy holiday gifts for the students. Having raised two boys, I especially enjoy shopping for a girl's gift."

The second-graders also attend an event at KU Wichita where Baby Jay, dressed in a Santa suit, hands out the packages. They return to school with many of their wishes fulfilled.

"The excitement and chaos is fun to watch when they're finally given that okay to open their gifts," Dunn added. "It's been a wonderful way for me to give a little back to the community for the past 17 years!"

"They come back and their faces are just lit up," Franks said.

"Everyone wants to show me, ‘Look what I got, Mrs. Franks!' That "can be a pretty big deal" for kids whose parents may not be able to give them more than socks and underwear for Christmas, she added.

Students get to practice their handwriting by crafting thank-you notes.

Rachel Salazar, the mother of three students at Park, understands the relationship between KU Wichita and the school better than most. She attended Park herself 20 years ago and vividly remembers trips to the medical school.

"At Halloween, we would go over and they would have a little haunted house and let the kids go to offices and trick-or-treat. At Christmas, everybody would have a Santa Claus (from KU Wichita). They would pass out gifts and candy canes to everybody. It was really sweet, really kind of them to do that."

Salazar also recalls medical school personnel providing Park fifth-graders with backpacks and other school supplies as they were graduating and preparing to attend middle school. She remembers JayDoc, the original mascot for KU School of Medicine, making a few appearances at Park and says she's almost positive that a tutor who helped her tremendously was a medical student. Salazar studied nursing before putting that career on hold to start her family.

When Salazar enrolled her children at Park, she was shocked to find out the visits were still taking place. Salazar's children haven't experienced KU Wichita yet because they are too young. Victoria, Arianna and Annaira are in pre-K, kindergarten and first grade, respectively. But Salazar, who works as a paraeducator at Park, has seen how much the older students still get out of the relationship.

"It just reminds me how fun and exciting it was when we used to go do things (at KU Wichita)," she said.

Beyond material goods, Franks and Mueller said the connection between the two schools may be more important for another reason. Park students "get a chance to see the KU medical school, which really ties in with us," Franks said, explaining that Park is an AVID school, which stands for "advancement via individual determination."

"It's all about college," she said. "We serve a pretty diverse and at-risk population. We want them thinking in that light. We want our kids to go to college."

This year, Park fifth-graders also visited the medical school's Simulation Center, where they learned about the high-tech manikins as well as the basics of CPR.

The connection with KU Wichita "has been inspirational for our students," Mueller said. "I feel like it's an all-year-long relationship."

Above, left: Two Park Elementary School students hug Baby Jay Santa during their special holiday visit to KU School of Medicine-Wichita in December 2018.

Above, right: Park Elementary School students vote on decorated pumpkins during a Halloween event at KU School of Medicine-Wichita.

This article was first published in KU School of Medicine-Wichita's Embark Magazine.