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!