Barton Community College

08/25/2026

A legend in Barton Athletics history who went on to build an incredible legacy at the University of Kansas. Congratulations to Ray Bechard on his 2026 induction into the Kansas Sports Hall of Fame! 🏐👏

A legend in Barton Athletics' history before carrying on at the University of Kansas...
Congrats again Ray Bechard adding to your legacy with your 2026 induction into the Kansas Sports Hall of Fame!
(Pictured with BCC Chairman Mike Johnson, BCC President Dr. Marcus Garstecki, and BCC Athletic Director Trevor Rolfs)

08/24/2026

🎓 Earn your high school diploma and take the next step!

Barton Community College’s Center for Adult Education is hosting orientation Sept. 14-17, with multiple times available. Attending orientation is the first step to join the next nine-week session of classes, beginning Sept. 21 or 22.

✅ In-person orientation to get you started
✅ Morning and afternoon class times available
✅ Classes meet Mondays and Wednesdays or Tuesdays and Thursdays
✅ Full support staff to help you succeed

📍 The Center for Adult Education is located at 1025 Main Street in Great Bend.

Sign up today by contacting Gina Owen at [email protected] or (620) 786-7565, or visit adulted.bartonccc.edu for more info!

Barton's Center for Adult Education The Center for Adult Education offers: Adult Basic Education classes. General Education Development (GED) testing. Use the navigation on the left to learn more about each offering. Hours Office Hours/Class Hours 8 a.m. - 4:30 p.m. Monday through Friday GED Testing...

08/20/2026

🎬 Barton’s Early College Opportunities helped Louis McVey get a head start on his future before he even graduated high school.

The Otis-Bison High School valedictorian earned his associate degree through Barton while balancing sports, activities, and high school classes. 🏀🎓

Now, Louis is headed to Washington University in St. Louis with plans to become an emergency medicine physician. 👏🐾

📹 Watch Louis’ story to hear how getting an early start on college helped prepare him for what’s next!

To learn more about Barton's Early College Opportunities, visit highschool.bartonccc.edu. 🌐

08/19/2026

First day in the books! 📚✏️🎒🐾

It was great to see our Cougars back on campus today as we kicked off a new semester at Barton!

Welcome back, Cougars! Here’s to a great year ahead! 💙💛

08/19/2026

Talk about a great way to start the school year! 🐾📚

Members of the Barton Men's and Women’s Basketball teams, Barton Volleyball Team, Barton Student Ambassadors, and Bart the Cougar helped welcome students back to school this morning at Park, Jefferson, Eisenhower, and Lincoln elementary schools! 🏀🙌

We loved seeing all the smiles, high fives, and excitement as students headed into their first day of classes. 💙💛

Wishing all of our area students, teachers, and staff an amazing school year!

📷 For more photos, visit: https://flic.kr/s/aHBqjD2JGN

08/18/2026

Once a Cougar, always a Cougar! 🐾🏐 Congratulations to Barton alumnus and legendary volleyball coach Ray Bechard on his induction into the Kansas Sports Hall of Fame! 🥳👏

The magical ride for Ray Bechard continues with his selection to the Kansas Sports Hall of Fame. Induction is set for this Sunday at Sporting Park in Kansas City, Kan.

A native of Grinnell, Kan., Bechard grew up in a sports family. He played multiple sports in high school and would go on to play basketball at Barton Community College, where the Cougars were 45-13 in his two years.

Bechard did not compete athletically at Fort Hays State University where he completed his college education, but his passion for coaching was stoked during his time in Hays. He began his coaching career at Lewis (Kan.) High School where from 1980-83 he coached girls’ volleyball and boys’ basketball.

Barton Community College then came calling for a women’s volleyball coach in 1985. Over 13 seasons, he transformed Barton into one of the most dominant junior college programs in the nation. His teams compiled an astounding 716–60 record, winning the Jayhawk Conference title every season under his leadership and making 12 NJCAA National Tournament appearances, never finishing lower than fifth nationally. Bechard’s success earned him induction into the Barton County Community College Athletics Hall of Fame.

In 1998, Bechard accepted his dream job as head coach at the
The University of Kansas, where he would spend the next 27 seasons reshaping the Jayhawks’ volleyball program into a nationally respected force. Under his guidance, Kansas reached the NCAA Tournament 13 times, including its first ever Final Four appearance in 2015, and captured the program’s first Big 12 Conference Championship in 2016. Bechard finished his KU career with a 496–313 record, making him the winningest volleyball coach in Kansas history. Bechard’s accolades are extensive. He was named Big 12 Coach of the Year five times, earned three AVCA Regional Coach of the Year honors, and coached 26 All Americans across his collegiate career.

In recognition of his four decade impact on the sport, he was inducted into the American Volleyball Coaches Association (AVCA) of Fame in 2025.

08/18/2026

🎓✨ Kindergarten, here they come!

Barton’s Child Development Center recently celebrated four Pre-K graduates as they get ready for their next big adventure: kindergarten! 💛🐾

Congratulations to our graduates! We’re so proud of you and excited to see what comes next! 🎉📚

📸 Check out more photos from the celebration: https://bit.ly/4qkstBz

08/17/2026

🎉 Celebrating the people who make Barton a special place!

During the President’s Forum Aug. 11, Barton recognized eight employees for reaching milestones of 5, 10, and 15 years of service. 💛🐾

🔹 Jeremy Coombs, 5 years
🔹 Mollie McReynolds, 5 years
🔹 Kim Neifert, 5 years
🔹 Jenni Bauer, 5 years
🔹 Zac Bauman, 10 years
🔹 Nicole Barr, 10 years
🔹 Trevor Rolfs, 15 years
🔹 Brandon Steinert, 15 years

Thank you for your dedication to our students, colleagues, and the Barton community! 🎊

📰 Read the full story: https://bartonccc.edu/news/service-awards-fall-26

📸 For more photos, visit: https://flic.kr/s/aHBqjD2bgQ

Interested in joining the Barton team? Visit jobs.bartonccc.edu.

08/15/2026

🧬🔬 Science, technology, and innovation are taking Barton beyond the classroom!

Barton Life Science Professor Alex Oleg Ravitskiy, DVM, PhD, recently shared his expertise with educators and healthcare professionals from across the country as a presenter at the 2026 Anatomage Conference in Santa Clara, Calif. 🥼🫀

His presentation explored how Anatomage technology can create more interactive, clinically focused learning experiences for students. 💻🦴 It's all part of how we are helping students find more useful ways to understand how anatomy connects to real-world healthcare and STEM careers! 🧠🩺

Way to represent Barton, Dr. Ravitskiy! 👏🐾

Read the full story ➡️ https://bartonccc.edu/news/anatomage-oleg-ravitskiy and check out some of these images at the conference and of Dr. Ravitskiy using the Anatomage table during events and during classes!

Anatomage

08/14/2026

📦Cars are packed. Rooms are filling up. Families are hugging a little tighter. And our Cougars are HOME.💙

🐾There’s nothing quite like Move-In Day! The excitement, the nerves, the first look at your new room, meeting your roommate, and realizing a brand-new chapter is officially beginning.

Whether Barton is a familiar place or you’re stepping onto campus for the very first time, we’re so excited you’re here. 💙

Welcome home, Cougars! Here’s to new friends, new memories and one incredible year ahead. 🐾

For more photos from today, visit: 📷 https://flic.kr/s/aHBqjD2kRS