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Energy Superheroes join Lights On Afterschool events in Charlottesville, Denver, Houston – and Mons, Belgium

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Energy Superheroes join Lights On Afterschool events in Charlottesville, Denver, Houston – and Mons, Belgium

By Charlotte Steinecke Posted: Oct 24, 2023

We’re thrilled to share that Energy Superheroes are joining in the nation’s celebration of afterschool programs, Lights On Afterschool! Energy Superheroes are real-life women with superpowers and careers that are leading the energy transition. Many of these women help to power local communities and even afterschool locations! These women are featured in the award-winning multicultural nonfiction children’s book series, Everyday Superheroes. This book series published by WiseInk, shares relatable role models and their stories working in science, technology, engineering, or math (STEM) careers.

On October 26, 2023, Energy Superheroes will be joining Lights On celebrations. These women will be sparking excitement about energy careers, signing and giving away books (Everyday Superheroes: Women in Energy Careers), and building solar robots.

Energy Superheroes will celebrate at these four Lights On locations:  

  • STEAM Discovery Academy, Charlottesville, Virginia
  • Colorado Dream Foundation, Denver, Colorado
  • GROW at BakerRipley Gulfton Sharpstown Campus, Houston, Texas
  • United States Army Garrison, Army Child & Youth Services, Mons, Belgium

Energy is an important part of STEM learning and afterschool programs are a natural space to provide engaging, hands-on STEM learning opportunities. The America After 3PM special report, STEM Learning On The Rise, But Barriers and Inequities Exist, highlights that 73 percent of parents with children in afterschool programs report that their child has access to STEM learning in their program. 

Lights On Afterschool

The 2026 Lights On Afterschool Poster Contest is open

The Lights On Afterschool poster contest is officially open, and this year, we’re looking for any artwork that represents the spirit of afterschool programs. This includes murals,...

Lights On Afterschool

Lights On Afterschool 2025, all across South Dakota

For Lights On Afterschool, I was able to spend a whole week in South Dakota as the guest of afterschool network director Billy Mawhiney. I was asked to share a little bit about my whirlwind...

Lights On Afterschool

ACT Now and the YMCA celebrate Lights On Afterschool in Chicago

On October 23, I had the opportunity to attend ACT Now’s Lights On Afterschool event in Chicago! Hosted in partnership with the YMCA of Metropolitan Chicago, the event began with breakfast and...

Lights On Afterschool

The stars of Lights On Afterschool 2025

From coast to coast, youth, families, professionals, and fans of afterschool turned out in spades for Lights On Afterschool. Despite–and maybe in the face of–much uncertainty around...

Lights On Afterschool

Today's the big day!

Happy Lights On Afterschool day! In Alabama, students and families are mixing pre-Halloween thrills with science skills at a spooky science lab with hands-on experiments, eerie activities, and...

Lights On Afterschool

Boston’s South Station, New Orleans’ Superdome, New York’s Niagara Falls among landmarks that will be lit in yellow and blue for Lights On Afterschool this week

This month, as more than a million people across the country rally for Lights On Afterschool, cities and towns will light landmarks in yellow and blue to show support for afterschool programs. Now...

The 2026 Lights On Afterschool Poster Contest is open

The Lights On Afterschool poster contest is officially open, and this year, we’re looking for any artwork that represents the spirit of afterschool programs. This includes murals, paintings, graphics on social media, and anything else that celebrates afterschool. Be creative! We...

BY: Shaun Gray      03/02/26

Lights On Afterschool 2025, all across South Dakota

For Lights On Afterschool, I was able to spend a whole week in South Dakota as the guest of afterschool network director Billy Mawhiney. I was asked to share a little bit about my whirlwind experience on both sides of the Missouri river. Day 1: Sioux Falls On the first day, we visited...

BY: Jillian Luchner      11/06/25

ACT Now and the YMCA celebrate Lights On Afterschool in Chicago

On October 23, I had the opportunity to attend ACT Now’s Lights On Afterschool event in Chicago! Hosted in partnership with the YMCA of Metropolitan Chicago, the event began with breakfast and mingling before the 100 or so guests were ushered into the event space for an informative and...

BY: Lucy Maddox      10/31/25

The stars of Lights On Afterschool 2025

From coast to coast, youth, families, professionals, and fans of afterschool turned out in spades for Lights On Afterschool. Despite–and maybe in the face of–much uncertainty around federal funding and policies, plus a government shutdown, the country shined bright for the 26th annual...

BY: Ursula Helminski      10/24/25

Today's the big day!

Happy Lights On Afterschool day! In Alabama, students and families are mixing pre-Halloween thrills with science skills at a spooky science lab with hands-on experiments, eerie activities, and hair-raising fun. In California, families will enjoy a Dia de los Muertos celebration to honor culture,...

BY: Lucy Maddox      10/23/25

Boston’s South Station, New Orleans’ Superdome, New York’s Niagara Falls among landmarks that will be lit in yellow and blue for Lights On Afterschool this week

This month, as more than a million people across the country rally for Lights On Afterschool, cities and towns will light landmarks in yellow and blue to show support for afterschool programs. Now in its 26th year, Lights On Afterschool is the only national rally for afterschool programs, which...

BY: Charlotte Steinecke      10/22/25

Lights On Afterschool events across the country will spotlight the fun, hands-on STEM learning opportunities afterschool programs provide

From programming robots to launching rocket parachutes, students in every part of the country are exploring STEM (science, technology, engineering and math) at Lights On Afterschool events this month. Organized by the Afterschool Alliance, Lights On Afterschool is the only national rally for...

BY: Charlotte Steinecke      10/21/25

Digital billboard from coast to coast will shine a light on how afterschool programs help students reach their potential

Afterschool champions led by the Afterschool Alliance, the National League of Cities and the National Summer Learning Association are joining Clear Channel Outdoor (NYSE: CCO) for a large national visibility campaign across nearly 2,000 digital billboards as part of the 2025 national...

BY: Charlotte Steinecke      10/20/25

Superstar USHER to serve as honorary chair for Lights On Afterschool

R&B superstar USHER is lending his voice to the call for more afterschool programs by serving as Honorary Chair of Lights On Afterschool for the second consecutive year. Organized by the Afterschool Alliance and now in its 26th year, Lights On Afterschool is the nation’s only national...

BY: Charlotte Steinecke      10/17/25

Let’s celebrate Lights On literacy in 2025

By Meredith Scott Lynn, Founder and CEO of WRiTE BRAiN WORLD. Hello, afterschool angels and expanders of learning! Here’s the dealio we all know to be true: when learning is fun, disguised, inspiring, colorful, and rela Janerl Lampson, the principal of Expanded Learning in...

BY: Guest Blogger      10/02/25

The 2026 Lights On Afterschool Poster Contest is open

The Lights On Afterschool poster contest is officially open, and this year, we’re looking for any artwork that represents the spirit of afterschool programs. This includes murals, paintings, graphics on social media, and anything else that celebrates afterschool. Be creative! We...

BY: Shaun Gray      03/02/26

The stars of Lights On Afterschool 2025

From coast to coast, youth, families, professionals, and fans of afterschool turned out in spades for Lights On Afterschool. Despite–and maybe in the face of–much uncertainty around federal funding and policies, plus a government shutdown, the country shined bright for the 26th annual...

BY: Ursula Helminski      10/24/25

Meet the Arya, the winner of the 2025 Lights On Afterschool poster contest

Lights On Afterschool season is officially underway, and you may have already spotted this year’s ! We sat down with the talented artist behind the design, 12-year-old Arya Bhatt of East Brunswick, New Jersey, to hear about her afterschool experience and the inspiration behind her artwork....

BY: Maria Rizo      09/25/25

Celebrate Lights On Afterschool with a Lights On Afterschool swag kit!

Looking for swag to celebrate Lights On Afterschool? We’ve partnered with S&S Worldwide to offer afterschool programs that have registered for Lights On Afterschool this week, an opportunity to win one of five S&S Lights On Afterschool Easy Packs! A Turnkey Kit for 50 Participants:...

BY: Shaun Gray      09/04/25

Chatting with the Lights On poster contest winners

Photo by Jeswin Thomas on Unsplash Sophia and Elizabeth are youth participants at RAD ART, a key component of the Houston Healthy Hip-Hop initiative in Houston, Texas. Led by Ms. Harper, the afterschool program director, RAD ART offers a unique blend of artistic exploration and personal...

BY: Shaun Gray      08/22/24

Meet the winner of our Lights On Afterschool poster contest

This year’s poster was created by Elizabeth F. and Sophia P. from Houston Healthy Hip-Hop: RAD ART, an afterschool program in Houston, Texas. Elizabeth and Sophia’s artwork features youth engaged in various afterschool activities, from science experiments and break dancing to space...

BY: Shaun Gray      08/15/24

The stars of Lights On Afterschool 2025

From coast to coast, youth, families, professionals, and fans of afterschool turned out in spades for Lights On Afterschool. Despite–and maybe in the face of–much uncertainty around federal funding and policies, plus a government shutdown, the country shined bright for the 26th annual...

BY: Ursula Helminski      10/24/25

Lights On Afterschool events across the country will spotlight the fun, hands-on STEM learning opportunities afterschool programs provide

From programming robots to launching rocket parachutes, students in every part of the country are exploring STEM (science, technology, engineering and math) at Lights On Afterschool events this month. Organized by the Afterschool Alliance, Lights On Afterschool is the only national rally for...

BY: Charlotte Steinecke      10/21/25

Connect STEM learning to career pathways this Lights On Afterschool

By Abigail Darlington, Director of Communications at STEM Next Lights On Afterschool is the perfect moment to celebrate and uplift the role afterschool programs play in sparking interest in STEM and connecting youth to future careers. At STEM Next Opportunity Fund, we are celebrating Lights...

BY: Guest Blogger      10/16/25

Celebrate Lights On with the 4-H STEM Challenge

By Annia Quiroz, Integrated Marketing Manager at National 4-H Council. Looking for a great way to engage kids in STEM during this year’s Lights On Afterschool? The National 4-H Council's 2024 4-H STEM Challenge, Food for Thought, might be the kit for you and your participants. STEM...

BY: Guest Blogger      09/27/24

Make math magic

By Laurie Posner for Mizzen Education. Just in time for fall and Lights On Afterschool, Mizzen Education and Learn Fresh have teamed up to bring you exhilarating, free content specially designed for afterschool programs to help build math skills. The fun begins with NBA Math Hoops! Invented...

BY: Guest Blogger      09/18/24

The stars of Lights On Afterschool 2025

From coast to coast, youth, families, professionals, and fans of afterschool turned out in spades for Lights On Afterschool. Despite–and maybe in the face of–much uncertainty around federal funding and policies, plus a government shutdown, the country shined bright for the 26th annual...

BY: Ursula Helminski      10/24/25

Boston’s South Station, New Orleans’ Superdome, New York’s Niagara Falls among landmarks that will be lit in yellow and blue for Lights On Afterschool this week

This month, as more than a million people across the country rally for Lights On Afterschool, cities and towns will light landmarks in yellow and blue to show support for afterschool programs. Now in its 26th year, Lights On Afterschool is the only national rally for afterschool programs, which...

BY: Charlotte Steinecke      10/22/25

Celebrating Lights On Afterschool with SHADES of Development in Knoxville, Tennessee

I spent Lights On Afterschool in Knoxville, Tennessee, with SHADES of Development! We kicked off the day at a Grab and Go breakfast hosted by United Way and sponsored by the Knoxville Utilities Board (KUB). This was the first year SHADES partnered with KUB for Lights On (KUB reached out, seeing it...

BY: Lucy Maddox      11/12/24

It’s Lights On Afterschool season!

It's on! Lights On Afterschool is back for its 25th year—please join us in the nation's only celebration of afterschool and out-of-school time programs! With 10 weeks until October 24, now is the perfect time to register and begin planning your event. Explore our planning guide to...

BY: Lucy Maddox      08/16/24