Cape Central student's puppet theater project aims to inspire young readers, fight illiteracy

Being a member of the Girl Scouts has played a major role in the life of Cape Girardeau Central High School sophomore Katherine Godbey.

Godbey has been a member of the organization since she was in the first grade and has stuck with it despite her former troop dissolving during the COVID-19 pandemic. Recently, Godbey worked independently toward completing her Gold Award project, designing and building a wheelchair-accessible puppet theater for children.

“I hope to have a positive place for little kids to learn to read, and they can learn stuff, like setting, through playing with the puppets to get ideas and grow their imagination,” Godbey said.

The theater resides in the children’s section of the Cape Girardeau Public Library, 711 Clark Ave.

Godbey said she was inspired by a study from the National Literacy Institute that found 54% of adults in the United States are literate below a sixth-grade level.

She partnered with the library’s Youth Services coordinator, Alli Boyer, her Gold Award sponsor. The Gold Award is considered the “most prestigious award” a Girl Scout can receive.

"It started with going to the public library, asking for ideas on how I can help battle illiteracy, which then led to the formation of the puppet theater and the storybooks," Godbey said. "I went back, did some more research, then decided to accept it."

Godbey said she had to submit a proposal as part of the process. After making edits, her proposal was accepted, and she began seeking donations from friends and family and assembling a team of helpers to aid her in learning the necessary skills. She even traveled to Colorado to learn about woodworking from her aunt.

"I gathered my team of individuals, which helped me learn the skills needed, such as woodworking," she said. "From there, it just built up. Eventually, I got the strong people in my group to help transport it to the public library, and I did the finishing touches."

Godbey, who is also involved in Beta Club and plays the flute in Cape Central's marching band, said the project cost approximately $600 and took more than 100 hours to complete.

Now that Godbey has completed her project and turned in all the necessary material, all she can do is wait.

"It's not official yet, but I have turned the paper in," Godbey said. "Hopefully, I'll see a result in the next month."