It’s 4 p.m. at S.S. Conner Elementary School’s district-run afterschool program, and cheerleaders are pumping up a group of 70 students as they enjoy a healthy snack.
Now with full bellies and high spirits, the students go into classrooms and center themselves with deep breathing exercises and social and emotional learning practices. Then it’s on to fun, hands-on learning and, at last, an epic game of kickball in the gym.
“Our students have so much fun here,” said Erica Kennard, a media specialist at Conner Elementary who coordinates their afterschool program. “It’s a wonderful opportunity to be involved with.”
“Our top goal is to keep our kids safe and give parents a high-quality option for their student after the traditional school day ends,” Devenshire said. “And by having our campus personnel run these programs, they know the students and what they need and how they can help them.”
The district selected the initial 56 schools using an equity lens. The district-run program currently serves more than 3,000 students.
“The response so far has been overwhelmingly positive, and we are excited to watch this grow and serve even more students in the future,” Devenshire said.