"This is fantastic. You are doing a lot of stuff that teachers used to be able to do during the school day," Assemblywoman Jenne told Morristown Central School Superintendent Douglas McQueer, After-School Program Director Angela Calkins.and After-School Coordinator Drew Walldroff.
The after-school program, which runs from 3:15 to 5:15 p.m. on school days, launched this past fall at Morristown Central School.
Morristown was the recipient of a $992,000 grant awarded to the district and St. Lawrence-Lewis BOCES with funding through the Empire State After-School Program.
The district, which receives $198,400 each year through the five-year grant program, is using the funding for homework and tutoring assistance and academic enrichment activities, as well as offering healthy after-school snacks and making community connections for students with organizations in the greater Morristown area.
Ms. Calkins said the district has offered two eight- to 12-week sessions this academic year and will double that number during the 2018-19 school year.
A 16-day summer program is also planned for this July in coordination with the community's summer recreation program.
District officials said part of the after-school programming is an after-school homework club offered for students in grades K-12.
"We're seeing a lot of homework grades going up since we started the after-school program. The big thing is the kids are getting their homework done before they leave school, and that is taking some of the pressure off families," Ms. Calkins pointed out.
Mr. McQueer said a partnership with the Ogdensburg Boys & Girls Club has been very popular with Morristown students.
"We had 96 students sign up for the Boys & Girls Club. Our students are bused to the club on Tuesday and Thursday afternoons," he noted.
School officials said enrichment activities have ranged from clubs for journalism and literature review to walking for exercise and cooking.
There was also a four-day safe boating course offered for students, and members of the state police have visited and put on programs for students and community members.
Mr. McQueer said school officials envisioned 60 to 70 students would take part in the first year of the program. But he said enrollment numbers have been nearly double that projection.
"We do have more participation with students in grades K-6, but we even have older students coming in to help the younger kids in the cooking club," he pointed out.
Assemblywoman Jenne said she was impressed when she saw a number of lower primary grade students working with a high school science teacher.
The students had previously made volcanoes as part of the after-school program and spent a recent afternoon learning how to combine substances so lava could flow out of the volcanoes.
"The kids were having a great time while the teacher was offering a STEM lesson, and the students were just having fun making a bit of a mess outdoors with their projects," she noted.
Assemblywoman Jenne, the parent of two pre-teens, noted the after-school program benefits many parents as much as students.
"The after-school program includes a 5:15 p.m. bus run so many of the students are likely arriving home just after their parents have returned home from work. This means many parents no longer have to worry about either finding quality after-school child care or having their kids home alone for an hour or two before they get home from work. This program is a win for the kids and a win for parents," she said.
She said funding initiatives to expand after-school and community school programs in recent years is beneficial for all students and can significantly benefit districts with high poverty level populations.
"The Empire State After-School Program was designed for high-needs school districts with a child poverty rate of over 30 percent in the 2015 census," Assemblywoman Jenne said.
"I was really impressed with what I saw and heard during my visit to Morristown. They are the first district in the state, I was told by school officials, to have their program up and running," she noted.
"The administrators and staff are still in the process of rolling out their program and learning as they go. I can only imagine what the program is going to look like in a few years and the positive impact it’s going to have on students' lives," Assemblywoman Jenne said.
IN THE PHOTOS:
TOP PHOTO:
Students in an elementary science club at Morristown Central's Green Rockets Rising designed some volcanoes and then used some common household products, including vinegar, to replicate lava. Assemblywoman Addie A.E. Jenne watched as the students revelled in the outdoor activity. Pictured are (clockwise from bottom left): Tyler Clement, Colton Thompson, Kylie Morrow, Brody Livingston, Cora Brown, Alenia Cyrus, Carter Barkley, Walter Kring, Neveah Saunders, Hunter Lalonde, science teacher and K-2 Science Club instructor Kristen Armstrong and Kinley Lalonde.
In the background are Morristown School Superintendent Doug McQueer and After School Program Director Angela Calkins.
BOTTOM PHOTOS:
Students in an elementary science club at Morristown Central's Green Rockets Rising designed some volcanoes and then used some common household products, including vinegar, to replicate lava. Assemblywoman Addie A.E. Jenne watched as the students revelled in the outdoor activity.
Students in an elementary science club at Morristown Central's Green Rockets Rising designed some volcanoes and then used some common household products, including vinegar, to replicate lava. Assemblywoman Addie A.E. Jenne watched as the students revelled in the outdoor activity.
Students in an elementary science club at Morristown Central's Green Rockets Rising designed some volcanoes and then used some common household products, including vinegar, to replicate lava. Assemblywoman Addie A.E. Jenne watched as the students revelled in the outdoor activity.
Students in an elementary science club at Morristown Central's Green Rockets Rising designed some volcanoes and then used some common household products, including vinegar, to replicate lava. Assemblywoman Addie A.E. Jenne watched as the students revelled in the outdoor activity.
Assemblywoman Addie A.E. Jenne (right) discusses the Green Rockets Rising after school program with Assemblywoman Jenne told Morristown Central School Superintendent Douglas McQueer and After-School Program Director Angela Calkins.
Assemblywoman Addie A.E. Jenne (right) discusses the Green Rockets Rising after school program with Assemblywoman Jenne told Morristown Central School Superintendent Douglas McQueer, After School Program Director Angela Calkins and After School Coordinator Drew Walldroff.
Assemblywoman Addie A.E. Jenne (right) discusses the Green Rockets Rising after school program with Assemblywoman Jenne told Morristown Central School Superintendent Douglas McQueer, After School Program Director Angela Calkins and After School Coordinator Drew Walldroff.
