Extra money from state means afterschool program is here to
stay; program accommodates large groups of students on two
campuses
Gilroy – School’s out for the day but Oscar Mejiia remains in a classroom, attempting to squeeze colorful tiles into a paper puzzle, while sitting alongside laughing classmates.
Sure it’s nearly 2pm and the middle of summer, but for Oscar and about 350 other local students, those after school hours are reserved for recreation and remediation provided by the 21st Century program grant.
While the program serves students year-round, at five sites during the school year, in the summer its offered at Glen View Elementary and South Valley Middle schools, following summer school.
This summer the program was tweaked slightly, to accommodate the large groups of students on two campuses and with activities specifically tailored to math and reading improvement.
“The only thing I said is I want it hands-on, active,” said Karen Spaulding, 21st Century Afterschool program director.
In one room students played Uno and Speed, two card games that help improve math skills, Spaulding said. In the same room, children brushed up their reading skills via computer.
At 12:30pm after lunch and the end of summer school, students head outside for some exercise and follow up the physical activity with homework tutoring. The rest of the afternoon, students – some attend summer school and others are bussed to Glen View or SVMS specifically for the afterschool program – are clustered into separate groups and shuttled to various classrooms for different academic activities.
A five-year grant in its fourth year of operation, Spaulding was set to reapply for the 21st Century grant, but then heard some good news: the state earmarked cash specifically for the afterschool program, more than quadrupling Gilroy’s share.
“The bottom line is it should sustain the program forever,” Spaulding said.
That’s good news for students such as 9-year-old Oscar who enjoys spending his mornings in summer school and afternoons at Glen View’s afterschool program.
“Summer school is fun because we could learn everything,” he said.
