Weekly Media Roundup: January 4, 2022

Popular After School Program Returns to Lexington Public Library, Fox 56 (Kentucky)

Recognizing the community’s need for more afterschool programs, the Lexington Public Library is opening programs at its Northside and Village branches in Lexington, Kentucky, offering STEAM (science, technology, engineering, arts and mathematics) activities, homework assistance, snacks and reading enrichment to elementary school students. “The library is about community, and it is about lifelong learning so whatever you are wanting to learn, whether it is in a book, or whether it is how to make something, or just to make a connection with another person. We are here for all of that,” Heather Dieffenbach, executive director of the Lexington Public Library, told Fox 56. “The library and our partners are committed to being a resource to families here in the Bluegrass and providing a safe environment where children and youth are able to grow and thrive.”

Boys & Girls Club Opens New Building in Mission, Lake County Leader (Montana)

After four months of remodeling, the Boys & Girls Club of the Flathead Reservation and Lake County in Montana opened a new center in Mission last month that includes a kitchen for cooking classes, a ‘quiet room,’ a computer lab, and more. The new center is one block from St. Ignatius Elementary and was previously owned by the city. A large group of volunteers made the renovation possible, and remodeling costs were covered by an anonymous donor. “I’m glad the kids are going to have this space and I hope this solidifies for the community that we want to be here, that we want to be part of the fabric of this community,” Director of Operations Amy Vaughan told the Lake County Leader.

How One School is Helping Gen Z Teens Reconnect, Sacramento Bee (California)

Each afternoon after school, students at Florin High School in Sacramento, California can choose to build robots, take part in Dungeons & Dragons games, bake cookies, attend tutoring sessions or participate in dance clubs. Approximately 15% of the student body participates in the federally funded afterschool program that is helping students reengage after years of social distancing and remote learning. “There’s that sense of belonging,” Florin High School Vice Principal Edward Lee told the Sacramento Bee. “Do I feel safe when I’m at school? Do I feel like I belong at school? And that’s something that Dungeons & Dragons does; volleyball does that. ... When we give (students) those opportunities, they feel like, ‘Hey, I can be at my best; I’m accepted.’ And they feel better about themselves. In turn, they do better academically.”

Afterschool Program ‘MicroSociety’ Gives Kids Life Skills in West Little River, CBS Miami (Florida)

At the ‘MicroSociety’ afterschool program in Miami, Florida, elementary schoolers roleplay in a model community, creating a constitution and applying for ‘jobs’ such as postal worker, artist, or shop owner. Students learn about civics by participating in the model town’s local government and running for elected office. “They bring up any issue that they’re having with any employee or any of the ventures and they talk about it at town hall meetings and then they come together for problem-solving,” New Jerusalem Community Development Corporation Director Sabrina Floyd told CBS Miami. The program is run by the New Jerusalem Community Development Corporation with funding from The Children’s Trust.