Enka Middle School Creative Clubs for Students! by Kristen Muscaro

Narrative by Kristen Muscaro

 

I am the Student Success Coordinator for the Enka Community School Initiative at Enka Middle School in Candler, NC.  I work in tandem on the project with Anna Gettles who is the Parent/Community Engagement Coordinator.  Other partners involved in this initiative include: Hands On Asheville-Buncombe, United Way’s Middle School Success Initiative, Enka Middle School, and the YMCA of Western North Carolina. 

A large part of my job is to create new and enriching after school opportunities for students, and also maintain and improve opportunities that are already available for students.  So far for this school year, we have continued to offer two existing clubs created last year and have also created two brand new after-school clubs for students this year. 

The Creative Writing Club is in its second year of programming.  The club is a very enthusiastic group of 14 students who love attending our weekly meetings.  I have worked with the Language Arts teacher in charge of Creative Writing Club to strengthen the club curriculum, obtain teacher volunteer support, and bring in guest speakers with backgrounds in the writing field.  Our club goals are to continue bringing in speakers from different writing areas, improve writing skills and penmanship, and also to become more open to all areas in the writing field.  We also hope to publish a book that contains a piece of writing from each member of the club. Each student will get a copy of the book and one copy will go to the school’s Media Center permanent collection. 

The Service Learning Club is also in its second year of programming.  The club has spent most of its time developing and managing our Community School Garden and also volunteering weekly at our local food bank.  The students have learned about gardening practices, food insecurity, and felt the empowerment that comes along with helping others in need.  We have a total of 14 students participating in this club.

The Yoga Club is very new to the Enka Community School, and is in its second week of programming.  We have a total of nine students participating in the club.  The club is lead by a local volunteer/yoga instructor and a 7^th grade Science teacher from our school.  Although the club is in its early stages, the students in the club have said that it helped them relax after a busy school day.

The Knitting Club is also a recent addition to the programming offered by Enka Community School.  The club is lead by one of our school administrative assistants and is also in its second week of programming.  We have had very high attendance, and have a total of 15 girls actively enrolled in the club.  We also have several community volunteers who have attended the club to assist with our beginning knitters. 

Overall, I am having a great experience at Enka Middle and I think we are off to a great start for a successful school year!

Community Schools Collaboration!

Narrative by Dani Nispel

Community Schools Collaboration

Seattle, WA

I work directly in two elementary schools, places I haven’t spent a significant amount of time in since I was actually in elementary school myself. I’ve been helping to coordinate the after school programs. But mostly, I’ve found I’ve been doing a lot of listening. I’m listening to the counselors and what they think their kids and parents need. I’m listening to the family liaisons and what struggles they face. I’m listening to the PTA moms who want to support their schools as best they can. I’m listening to the kids who know that their parents work too many hours as it is.

I’ve worked with after-school programs before back on the East Coast, but those were with middle school students. I think elementary age kids are different, at least for me. I think it’s hard because for kids this age, a lot of things are out of their control. They don’t always get to choose if they’ll be walking home from the after school program, even if it’s dark out by early November. They don’t always get to control if they’ll get to school on time or get picked up on time. There are also some pieces that fall under the “ignorance is bliss” category. At this age, the kids don’t always recognize that they’re getting their dinner here at school because there won’t be food at home: it’s just fun to have pizza and yogurt after school. They don’t always understand that it’s a disadvantage to go home and have parents who can’t help with homework because they don’t speak English: it’s just a pain that they have to do their homework with us.

I get frustrated a lot, either because I feel like I don’t have enough to do during the days or because I feel like there are way too many avenues to start a project. But in the end, when the kids come in at 3:10 everyday and tell me about their days, those frustrations don’t really matter anymore. It’s worth it when a third grader comes in the next day excited because they remember how we did their long division homework together. Or when the parents reach out to me because they want to put together an MLK day of service at our schools.

The day-to-day work isn’t what’s hard. It’s hard because no one tells you what to do. You have to listen and understand and be a part of the community before you can make any kind of difference. But I’m glad I’m here. There are a lot of good ideas floating around. A lot of people who want to make positive changes at our schools. I’m glad I get to be a part of that.

National Service Video Challenge!

        

 

Hey Team, this is your March Monthly Story Prompt.  Looking forward to seeing all your great clips on

Why you Serve!