Weekly Media Roundup: December 14, 2022

Anaconda After-School Program Receives Donation from Gov. Gianforte, KXLF (Montana)

As part of his 12 Days of Giving holiday campaign, Montana Governor Greg Gianforte donated $18,675 of his salary to the Youth Empowerment Services (YES) afterschool program in Anaconda, Montana to assist with facility repairs. “I was blown away, I had no idea. It was the perfect Christmas present,” YES Executive Director Katie Bjornen told KXLF.  Each day after school, YES students participate in engaging activities as well as receive homework assistance, life skills lessons and dinner.

Bentonville School District Partners with a Business to Help with Demand for Care Outside School Hours, Arkansas Democrat Gazette (Arkansas)

To help tackle a waitlist larger than the number of students it serves, Bentonville, Arkansas School District’s Adventure Club is partnering with the Mobius afterschool center to open additional spots to families. “This is a service that we need to provide for our families,” Bentonville Superintendent Debbie Jones said during an October board meeting. “And we would like to take everyone off the waiting list. That is our goal.” In late October, Mobius opened a pilot afterschool program at one of the district’s sites, reducing the waitlist by a third.

Arts and Athletics: It’s Time for Afterschool, The Spirit (New York)

More than 900 students participate in the Arts and Athletics afterschool programs at four elementary schools in New York, where they take part in a wide range of hands-on activities including chess tournaments, creative writing, fencing, musical theater, computer classes, soccer and more. School leaders say the program, which also includes homework help and collects fees on a sliding scale, is essential to the schools’ success and students’ recovery during the pandemic. “Kids have real choices about what they want to specialize in,” Founder Neil Fitzgerald told The Spirit. “Our aim is to challenge kids. They can select their own activities and are encouraged to try out new things where they can expand their interest and reinforce the learning takes place during the school day.”

From Virtual Reality to Careers: How Indiana’s Boys & Girls Clubs Use VR for Workforce Development, Chalkbeat

Using Oculus virtual reality headsets, students at 10 Boys & Girls Clubs across Indiana are trying out landing planes, industrial painting, and more – without leaving their afterschool program sites. The workforce development program, made possible through a partnership with the company, Transfr, is designed to help students explore career options in a hands-on way. “Kids find other options that they hadn’t thought of before,” Lana Taylor, executive director for the Indiana Alliance of Boys & Girls Clubs, told Chalkbeat. “The more exposure they get, the more they think about it.”