Weekly Media Roundup: November 11, 2020

Pacific Building Group Tops Out New Access Youth Academy Building, Times of San Diego (California)

Next year, more than 1,300 students will be able to access comprehensive afterschool programming at a brand-new facility for Access Youth Academy in San Diego. It includes eight squash courts, a computer lab, a college prep room and more. At Access Youth Academy, seventh through 12th grade students play squash, get academic support, connect with mentors, and explore college and careers. Students continue to receive support from the program throughout college and for two years after they graduate. “Access Youth Academy is very excited about this new academic and athletic facility,” Executive Director Renato Paiva told the Times of San Diego. “It will serve as a resource for the entire Southeastern San Diego community.”

Afterschool Program Encourages Young Remote Learners to Unplug, KYW Newsradio (Pennsylvania)

Each Monday through Friday, 49 Parks and Recreation centers throughout Philadelphia are offering free or low-cost afterschool programs where students can go outside and be physically active. “Afterschool Unplugged” activities include sports drills, arts and crafts, and more. The program is designed to help students stay mentally and physically healthy during the pandemic. “This pandemic has meant more screen time than ever, and it’s just really important to get families accessible and affordable physical recreation activities and socialization opportunities for their children,” Parks and Rec Commissioner Kathryn Ott Lovell told KYW Newsradio.

Finding ‘Hope’ for Kids During the COVID-19 Pandemic, LA Downtown News (California)

While Los Angeles schools are operating remotely during the pandemic, the Hope Street Margolis Family Center afterschool program has expanded to provide a supportive environment for students to learn remotely during the day. A community benefit program of Dignity Health’s California Hospital Medical Center, the Hope Street Margolis Family Center offers academic support in a socially distanced environment, breakfast and lunch, and access to computers and Wi-Fi, which many students do not have at home. “As a resource center, as a community center, it was kind of our responsibility to do that and make sure that our students succeeded this year and kind of take a load off of our hard-working parents,” Education Services Coordinator Gina Avila told LA Downtown News.

Afterschool Program Used to Encourage Positive Coping Methods, The Sheridan Press (Wyoming)

This year in the afterschool program at Highland Park Elementary school in Sheridan, Wyoming, students have decorated cards for essential workers, participated in discussions about identifying complex emotions, written and illustrated original books, designed cars out of school supplies, and more. The program is facilitated by two student teachers who are using hands-on activities to teach students positive ways to deal with stress. “When we see children that are in need…we’re all going to come at it and see what we can do to help raise this child in whatever way they need,” Literacy Specialist Molly Swan told the Sheridan Press.