Weekly Media Roundup: November 18, 2020

WCU Receives Grant to Improve Skills of Children Who Are English Language Learners, The News Herald (North Carolina)

Thanks to 21st Century Community Learning Centers funding, children who are learning English in Cullowhee, North Carolina can attend a comprehensive afterschool program designed to support their academic achievement. The Language Enhancement Afterschool Program (LEAP) enlists Western Carolina University education students to support Cullowhee Valley School students and their families at Cullowhee United Methodist Church, which donates its space. “I think the greatest thing about LEAP is watching our Latinx students and other multilingual students who came through the North Carolina public schools reaching out and helping Cullowhee Valley’s English language learners to ensure they do well in school and have the opportunity to go to college themselves,” WCU Associate Professor Eleanor Petrone told the News Herald.

Garden Educates Youth While Meeting Neighborhood Need, High Point Enterprise (North Carolina)

During the pandemic, the D-UP afterschool program in High Point, North Carolina has expanded its Eatery Sprout Education Garden program from two to 12 raised garden beds. The program uses the garden to teach about 50 children about gardening, cooking, and healthy lifestyles. Students garden together outdoors and in masks, and the produce is available to the surrounding community. “We’re taking a holistic approach in looking at food security. We’ll always be there to provide food for our families, especially during COVID,” Executive Director Jakki Davis told the High Point Enterprise. “At the same time, the Eatery Sprout is allowing us to educate them about how they can have their own garden and what is healthy to eat.”

Ukiah Unified, City, SPACE Enhancing In-Person After-School Activities, Ukiah Daily Journal (California)

At the Ukiah Unified School District’s afterschool programs in Ukiah, California, children get help with homework, explore robotics, do Science Olympiad activities, take part in theater classes, play volleyball, and more. The school district partnered with SPACE and the City of Ukiah to offer in-person afterschool programs with strict social distancing measures during the pandemic. “The afterschool program has been a huge blessing to our family,” parent Joni Wellington told the Ukiah Daily Journal. “The program gives the kids an opportunity to get out of the house after sitting at home on computers for hours in the mornings. Now their afternoons are filled with exercise, laughter, friendship, and even help with their homework, which makes our family time in the evening more enjoyable too!”

Program Keeps Kids Engaged and Empowered During Struggles of Remote Learning, Pix 11 (New York)

Through daily virtual sessions, the Inspiring Minds afterschool program in New York City is helping more than 300 at-risk teens cope with challenges during the pandemic and stay on track at school and in life. In the program, students connect with mentors, learn about civic engagement from guest speakers who look like them, explore their cultural identity, practice coping strategies for stress and anxiety, and more. “It really made my motivation come back, and I was able to make sense of everything better, because I developed a goal,” high schooler Zindzhi Sonyika told Pix 11. “Even if the goals are a little bit at a time, every week, I always reach them using the tools that I learned.”