Weekly Media Roundup: September 9, 2015

Funding a Lifeline for Homeless Youth (Jackson Free Press, Mississippi)

The afterschool program at Stewpot Community Services is helping homeless students in Jackson Public Schools improve their academic standing and live up to their potential. Program staff build relationships with parents and students, providing not only tutoring for young people but also a connection to shelters, health care and other services not traditionally available at schools for families. “We can’t do anything about what’s going on at home, but we can make sure academically you can stay strong and that you become a successful adult,” Yolanda Kirkland, who works with Stewpot’s middle and high school students, told the Jackson Free Press.

Ex-School Nurse Promotes Healthier Lifestyle (The Palm Beach Post, Florida)

Former school nurse Marybeth Peña is using community cooking lessons to teach Indiantown families how to lead healthier lives. At her afterschool program, she shows students that being healthy can be fun – they learn about how to cook fresh food, how to eat a balanced meal and how to prepare nutritious snacks. “She’s doing it in a fun way,” Martin County Health Department public information officer Renay Rouse told the Palm Beach Post. “She is so creative and has a way of reaching people.” Peña’s work is part of the Healthiest Weight Initiative, a statewide program to combat obesity and teach people to live healthier lifestyles.  

Tech Grant Boosts School Announcements (Beloit Daily News, Illinois)

Fran Fruzen Intermediate School students will star as their school’s morning news anchors thanks to a 21st Century Community Learning Center grant. The WFRU news team will rewrite the announcements provided by their teachers, then record, upload and broadcast the announcements throughout the school. The technological elements of the broadcast offer the students an opportunity to utilize the STEM (science, technology, engineering and math) concepts they learn throughout the school day. The news team program is part of the school’s new before-school and afterschool program options, which include tutoring, physical education, art, Lego club and music activities, according to the Beloit Daily News.

Teens, Pittsfield Community Connection Mentors Connect at Ramblewild (The Berkshire Eagle, Massachusetts)

A group of Pittsfield Community Connection (PCC) high school students and their mentors dared to traverse an aerial adventure course, learning to trust and rely on each other in the process. PCC is one of two neighborhood centers in the Pittsfield Housing Authority projects that allow police and other community leaders to engage with at-risk youth through mentoring, afterschool programs and other initiatives. Interim director Scott Murray told the Berkshire Eagle that the Ramblewild adventure park outing was by far the most challenging task the pairs had taken on since the mentoring program launched last summer. Thirty youths between the ages of 12-24 currently participate in the program, and PCC hopes to expand its reach this year.