Weekly Media Roundup: June 28, 2023

Teton County School District Grows After-School Programs Five-Fold, Jackson Hole News & Guide (Wyoming)

Thanks to federal COVID relief funding, the Teton County School District in Jackson Hole, Wyoming increased the number of elementary school afterschool programs it offers from seven to 35 in one year. The district also saw a 55 percent increase in the number of elementary schoolers participating in afterschool programs, and the number of high schoolers mentoring and tutoring younger students after school tripled. “As a country, we now recognize the hours between 3 p.m. and dinnertime are precious and important,” After-School Director Libby Crews Wood told the Jackson Hole News & Guide. “The data shows that when students have enriching and supportive opportunities between those hours, it translates to a sense of belonging, well-being, and produces positive academic outcomes.”

Newly Opened Boys & Girls Clubhouse in Roseland an ‘Investment’ in Santa Rosa Community, The Press Democrat (California)

On June 5, the new Roseland Community Clubhouse building in Santa Rosa, California opened its doors for summer programming for middle and high school students. The 25,000 square foot building includes a science and technology lab, a dance studio, a commercial kitchen and more, and it will enable the Boys & Girls Club of Sonoma-Marin to increase the number of students it can serve by 150 percent. Community leaders say the new Clubhouse is a much-needed resource after years of underinvestment in the Roseland neighborhood. “It tells me that I have a good community, a good, safe community where I am loved,” 14-year-old Nathalia Garcia told the Press Democrat.

Shenandoah National Park Partners with Schools for an After School Pollinator Education Program, WHSV (Virginia)

Four afterschool programs in Harrisonburg and Page County, Virginia partnered with the Shenandoah National Park to provide engaging, interactive pollinator education activities for students thanks to a grant from the National Environmental Education Foundation last school year. Participants explored local parks for pollinators, expanded their school’s gardens and led presentations. “The knowledge and importance and the connections we made with students at all four schools is something they will carry forward in their learning and their community,” Margo Roseum, an education technician with the Shenandoah National Park, told WHSV. The Shenandoah National Park hopes to expand the program next year.

Lights, Camera, Life: After-school Program Teaches NYC Students Filmmaking and More, ABC 7 (New York)

At the Five4Five Films afterschool and summer programs in the Bronx, New York, participants get hands-on training in filmmaking including script writing, editing and videography. “It’s creativity, collaboration, connection, confidence and communication,” co-founder Joshua Raff told ABC 7. “Having the student with a camera in his hand and giving notes to his or her fellow student actor that have never done any of those things before... that’s the essence of this program.” The program is currently offered at eleven New York City public high schools.