Weekly Media Roundup: November 20, 2024

After-School Program Opens in Lewis County for the First Time in Years, WDTV 5 (West Virginia)

Thanks to a partnership between the City of Weston and AmeriCorps, students at Robert L. Bland Middle School in West Virginia will take part in a comprehensive afterschool program this year. “Lewis County has not had an afterschool program for middle school students in several years,” Laura Anderson, program director, told WDTV 5. “We know our students need some assistance with homework and socializing.” The program will provide one-on-one mentoring, arts enrichment, academic support, and more.

'A Dream Fulfilled': Registration Open for Front Royal's New Student Union and Activity Center for Teens, Daily News-Record (Virginia)

After 18 months of community collaboration and preparation, the Raymond E. Santmyers Student Union and Activity Center officially opens its doors this week to teenagers in Fort Royal, Virginia. Reaching Out Now (RON) will oversee the daily operations of the center with guidance from a student advisory committee. “The kids will basically lead the center, guide the happenings. This is their space,” Samantha Barber, founder and president of RON, told the Daily News-Record. The center includes a stage for music and productions, a cafe, a gaming room, a study hall, and community rooms for guest lectures, classes and workshops.

Partnership With Black-Founded Nonprofit Brings Dedicated Learning Space, School News Network (Michigan)

With artwork inspired by the Black Panther movie series, Innovation Central High School transformed its new STEM (science, technology, engineering, and math) Greenhouse classrooms into a welcoming and inspirational space. “The space celebrates their rich culture and heritage, offering students a vivid reminder that they belong in the world of STEM,” Keli Christopher, STEM Greenhouse founder and CEO, told School News Network. “Every student who walks through these doors will know they can have a future in STEM, and a village of support.” Since 2014, STEM Greenhouse has provided afterschool and summer programs to students of all ages in Grand Rapids, Michigan.

Local Youth Program Seeks Community Help to Empower North Tulsa Students, KTUL-TV (Oklahoma)

At YouthWorks’ STAND BY ME afterschool and summer programs in Tulsa, Oklahoma, students who struggle with literacy get help with reading, learn to run a business, and provide community service. At a recent fundraising event, the program invited community members to become pen pals with STAND BY ME students. "We find a huge difference in the lives of kids who are encouraged by people all the time to succeed, versus kids who just get everybody saying, well, since you can't read, no, you can't be a doctor, no, you can't be a police officer, no, you can't be a doctor, [or] a lawyer," co-founder Chris Beach told KTUL-TV. Through the pen pal initiative, Beach said, students will “realize that people do care about them, people love them, and people want to help them to succeed.”