|
In the news: |
|
Pasadena ISD’s continued success to keep students engaged in learning
after the school day has blossomed further with the recent awarding of a
$175,000 grant from the Harris County Department of Education’s
Cooperative for After-School Enrichment Program to Richey Elementary. This year, the HCDE designated Richey as a CASE partnership school, which allowed more funding for the after-school program. The selection process was determined on past successes of the program. “We are very excited about our after-school program,” said Gabriel Gonzalez, principal at Richey. “It upholds a vision that I had 10 years ago for our school.” The title of the school’s program is titled “Camp Richey.” The curriculum is under the direction of the after-school coordinator, Linda Lopez-Hayes and she is assisted by from 15 Richey faculty members in the program. She also has three college students working with the program. The program is set up in a “summer camp” format. All individuals working at the camp have the role very similar to a camp counselor by providing mentorship to the students. This program is open for students enrolled in kindergarten through fourth grade. Currently, 94 students are enrolled with that number continuing to increase throughout the year. To qualify for the program, the parents/guardians of Richey students must submit an application and meet eligibility requirements. Lopez-Hayes said there is a tremendous amount of support from the teachers in this program with each of them assisting in the camp a few days a week. The teachers particularly assist with the activities scheduled in reading, math, science and art. The program also offers daily activities with homework assistance, arts and crafts, health and nutrition, and homemaking. Activities students are involved in are “JumpBunch,” which is a group of organized games where students are involved in various relays and is a way for the students to release their energy by exercising. The after-school program also involves field trips. Field trip destinations that are planned include visits to the Houston Children’s Museum, the Wortham Theater Center and Astros baseball games. Lopez-Hayes said that this allows these students who may have never been to these destinations an opportunity to get to see them. Gonzalez said that when he was a kid in grade school he only had the opportunity to take one field trip. He said he allows more field trips for the students because he wants to make sure they have more opportunities to travel than he did. “This results in the students being enabled to see the world outside of Richey Elementary,” he said. Lopez-Hayes said that because the camp has such a positive experience, she commonly sees children who do not want to leave at the end of the day when the parents arrive to pick them up. The HCDE formed the CASE program eight years ago with the purpose of ensuring that every child in Harris County has access to a quality after-school program. After-school programs are instrumental in keeping kids safe, help working families, and increase academic achievement. The annual funding for this program for has grown from $152,000 in 1999 to $12.7 million presently. The CASE program is funded by entities on the federal, state and local levels. |