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Weekly Media Roundup: June 27, 2018

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Weekly Media Roundup: June 27, 2018

Chicano Border Activists Pass the Torch to Dallas Students (Dallas Observer, Texas)

“Everyone needs a hero, someone who looks like them,” said Shellie Ross, executive director of the Wesley-Rankin Community Center, after bringing a bus full of students from her afterschool program some 500 miles to the U.S./Mexican border to meet with Chicano activists. During the trip, a border patrol agent with dogs searched the bus before sending the teens on their way. They met with artist Jane Madrigal and Chicano activist Rosie Castro, mother of both the former mayor of San Antonio and a member of Congress; saw a portion of the wall President Trump wants to extend along the border; and learned about important moments in local civil rights history.

The Case of The Murdered Mascot (Webster-Kirkwood Times, Missouri)

At Hixson Middle School in Webster Grove, Missouri, the “murder” of the school mascot, a stuffed Siberian Husky, set off a mystery that drove students to spend their time in the summer program trying to figure out who had committed the crime. The students started the investigation at the crime scene, a book storage room, and used the English, math and science knowledge that they had gained during the school year to further their investigation. Throughout the program, the children built on that knowledge to try to find the culprit, while gaining investigative, critical thinking and analytical skills. As Hixson Summer Principal Greg Fick told the Webster-Kirkwood Times, “"We don’t want it to be like regular school… [We] build on critical thinking, problem-solving skills.”

Kids Create Original Performance in African Drum, Dance Class at Miami Summer Camp (WLRN, Florida)

At Miami Park Elementary School in West Little River, Florida, students use music in their summer learning. To connect the students, most of whom are African-American, with African culture, Concerned African Women organized a summer camp centered around learning to play traditional music from African countries. Children pick up drumming skills, write their own melodies or just dance their hearts out. The program culminates in a performance for parents and other members of the community to give the students a chance to show off their musical talents. Renee Chavez, one of the group’s drum instructors, summed up the program to WLRN: “We want them to be inspired by it and to find their own core.”

Not Lost in Space (Monterey County Herald, California)

STEM Space Camp is all the rage at San Antonio Elementary School in Lockwood, California. At the week-long summer learning program, students learn about the science, math, technology and engineering concepts that go into space travel and exploration. Then they put what they learned to work building tiny space shuttles, using scientific methods in experiments, and launching rockets they built. They also meet an astronaut. Will Franzell, STEM Economic Administrator at the Monterey County Office of Education, told the Monterey County Herald, “Our students need to be prepared for those STEM careers and the economic opportunities.”

Weekly Media Roundup: February 26, 2025

Discover How the Leaps After School Program is Transforming Lives at Harrison Elementary, News Channel 9 (Tennessee) At Harrison Elementary’s Leaps After School Program in Chattanooga, Tennessee, students are publishing a newspaper focusing on Black historical figures to be displayed...

BY: Magen Eissenstat      02/26/25

Weekly Media Roundup: February 19, 2025

Durham Teens Fight for After-School Program Funding Amid Youth Gun Violence: 'My Safe Space,' ABC 11 (North Carolina) In Durham, North Carolina, teenagers rallied together to urge Durham City Council members to increase funding for afterschool programs, sharing how critical these...

BY: Magen Eissenstat      02/19/25

Weekly Media Roundup: February 12, 2025

'He Invests His Own Money': After School Program Started by Pasco School Employee Still Going Strong, WFTS-TV (Florida) In the 1980s, Eugene Scott founded an afterschool program called This Is How We Do It to provide food, music, dance, mentorship and more to students in his Pasco County...

BY: Magen Eissenstat      02/12/25

Weekly Media Roundup: February 5, 2025

Claysburg-Kimmel Touts New Programs for Students, Altoona Mirror (Pennsylvania) Students at the Bulldog After-School Club in Claysburg, Pennsylvania are participating in new educational activities with a Beam mobile projector that transforms the center into an interactive visual playground. The...

BY: Magen Eissenstat      02/05/25

Weekly Media Roundup: January 29, 2025

Afterschool Program Introduces West Columbia Students to Technology, The Facts (Texas) Students at West Columbia Elementary in Texas are taking part in hands-on science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) activities in the new Robocatters afterschool program, which already has a long...

BY: Magen Eissenstat      01/29/25

Weekly Media Roundup: January 22, 2025

Another Year, Another Long Waitlist for BUSD After-School Program, Berkeleyside (California) Due to ongoing staffing shortages, more than 200 students are currently waitlisted for afterschool programs at Berkeley Unified School District. Parents in the district’s PTA Collaborative on...

BY: Magen Eissenstat      01/22/25

Weekly Media Roundup: January 15, 2025

New 4-H Program Will Bring STEAM to Area Students, KNEB (Nebraska) Students in rural Expanding Learning Opportunity programs in Nebraska are exploring aerospace, electronics, engineering, robotics and more thanks to a partnership with 4-H. The Think Make Create Lab is a six-by-12 mobile trailer...

BY: Magen Eissenstat      01/15/25

Weekly Media Roundup: January 8, 2025

Parks and Recreation Secures Grant to Bring Physical Activity Education to Youth in Afterschool Program, WBIW (Indiana) More than 50 students in the Banneker Afterschool program in Bloomington, Indiana are taking part in fun physical activities this year led by Indiana University School of...

BY: Magen Eissenstat      01/08/25

Weekly Media Roundup: December 18, 2024

Mason City YMCA Teaching Social and Emotional Skills to Kids, News-Press Now (Iowa) Students in the Mason City YMCA afterschool program in Iowa practice communication, emotional regulation, empathy and more in twice-weekly social and emotional learning sessions, learning, for instance, to take...

BY: Magen Eissenstat      12/18/24

Weekly Media Roundup: December 11, 2024

Usher Helps Cut Ribbon On New Content Studio at Metro Boys and Girls, WSB-TV (Georgia) This week, superstar Usher visited the Whitehead Boys & Girls Club in Atlanta, Georgia, to unveil a new content studio he donated featuring soundboards, mics, computers and other audio equipment. The...

BY: Magen Eissenstat      12/11/24