From Harford County Public Schools:
Vikings After School Team (VAST) now in place at Magnolia Middle School Magnolia Middle School, in partnership with the Y of Central Maryland, now offers the Vikings After School Team (VAST). The afterschool program, which includes 60 students from grades six, seven and eight, runs Monday through Thursday during the school year from 2:30 to 5:30 p.m.
The Magnolia Middle School community is committed to the “whole child” and understands that academic success is related to enriching the mind, body and spirit of each child. The VAST afterschool program builds academic success while also strengthening the entire child by providing age- and developmentally-appropriate programming in the areas of social, emotional and youth development.
The program is funded through the Maryland State Department of Education’s 21st Century Community Learning Center grant. The purpose of the 21st Century Community Learning Centers is to create community learning centers that provide students with opportunities to complement their regular academic program. The awarded grant is over $300,000 per school year, for three years.
Students in the afterschool program are engaged in a variety of activities, including reading and math intensives and other cultural and socially enriching projects. Activities focus on character education, with an emphasis on respect, caring, honesty and responsibility. At the start of the school year, students select an interest-based service learning project that they plan and implement over the year. Through bi-weekly reflection sessions, students are able to fine-tune skills for civic engagement.
“Anything we can do to extend opportunities for our students is a benefit,” said Laurie Namey, Harford County Public Schools supervisor of equity and cultural proficiency and the Century Community Learning Center Grant manager. “What the team at Magnolia Middle School did to maximize and amplify the program just made it that much better. It’s been a pleasure watching the students get engaged and excited about learning!”
To maximize opportunities for the students, partnerships have been established with numerous agencies who are committed to providing staff, resources, and equipment to ensure the success of the program.
Among the special afterschool activities planned for the school year are trips to the Ward Y Center, where students will have the opportunity to swim, climb the rock wall, and participate in gym activities. A trip to Chesapeake Therapeutic Riding is also scheduled to allow for students to participate in teambuilding and empowerment workshops.
In addition, several parent workshops will be held this spring for participating families. Two of the workshops, “Roadmap to Success” and “Rethinking Summer,” will be held at the Windsor Valley Community Center. The other, “Who are you anyway? Understanding Your Child’s Personality to Minimize Conflict,” will be held at Magnolia Middle School.
“Already, we have seen a positive impact for our students and our families,” said Magnolia Middle School Principal Melissa Mickey. “Recently, I asked a student how he was able to improve his grades. He immediately attributed the improvement to the VAST program!”
So taxpayer funded horsebackriding lessons now being provided by the schools. Fun times…awesome.
So, again the school is doing what the parents should be doing. Parents don’t parent anymore, they’re just handlers. I see it everyday! Handlers.
I don’t know that “A trip to Chesapeake Therapeutic Riding is also scheduled to allow for students to participate in teambuilding and empowerment workshops.” directly translates into riding lessons, but I do indeed hope the kids have fun. They just might learn something too, which would indeed be awesome.
At least these are state tax dollars. If they weren’t coming to Harford, they’d be going to another county…so why not bring them here? It’s not as though if they weren’t used, you’d get your portion back anyway.
So they’ll all take the bus to Mrs Craigs place but they won’t ride. They’ll team build by mucking stalls. Right. To your second point since when is state money not taxpayer money and then given your logic I have no right to concern unless the state taxpayer funded horsebackriding lessons occur in Anne Arundel?
And why just at Magnolia Middle School???
Possibly they applied for it? They have a great administration, so I could see that happening.
Money Tree…how much of your tax payments do you think went into funding this grant? A couple thousand, maybe 3, 4, 5k that you pay in taxes in a state that collects about18 billion or so. Do the math. Probably less than one cent of your money went to this program.
Besides, what’s wrong with helping out these kids? I mean, I know they should have known better than to be born into poor families and therefore should be left to fend for themselves, but still. Try to get in touch with your inner Mother Theresa, and see if you can find it in yourself to cough up a penny for those less fortunate.
You know who won’t get the taxpayer subsidized hirsebackriding lessons? That would be the kids from lower middle class families who can’t afford to send their own kids but won’t qualify for “free” stuff because they supposedly have too much. Those same people will pay for this position “administrator of equity and cultural proficiency” so that person can find ways to redirect monies taken from their own kids and redirected to other kids the county finds more deserving.
Well, maybe you should campaign to have programs such as these expanded to include lower middle class kids as well as lower class. That is what you are suggesting, isn’t it?
I wouldn’t sweat too much over “those same people” who will pay for this position. They are paying even less in taxes, which means they even less of their money is going to this persons salary than yours and mine.
I have to say. Almost a million dollars of our money for some feel good programs sounds wasteful.
Sounds to me like it is a bit more than just a “feel good” program. .Sounds like it’s designed to help a lot of underprivileged kids. Maybe you can attend a few sessions and get back to us about what you see.
Also interesting to note the apparent effort to promote activism which isn’t necessarily a bad thing as long as it’s not driven by an agenda but I’d bet the office on equity kinda does have an agenda. Quote “through bi-weekly reflective sessions students are able to fine tune skills for civic engagement”.
Why don’t you a) call the director and inquire about what these sessions are about, and/or b) attend a session to find out first hand? That way you won’t have to assume that someone has an agenda except for trying to do something that is beneficial for kids who are born into difficult economic situations.
What a great idea to help kids while they’re working parents aren’t home. Also regarding the riding lessons if you read the article, it said a team-building exercise. I’m sure that they will be getting first-hand experience around horses probably for the first time ever. Plus if they’re getting much needed help in a subject that they’re struggling with – what’s the problem.
Why stop there? Perhaps sailing lessons next year…
Anyone who gets bent because a fraction of a cent of their tax payment goes to helping children born into poverty deserves all they anxiety such a fact brings on them.
Next year I hope they take those kids horseback riding AND sailing. And I hope you need medication to cope with it.
The students will most likely not be riding the horses. If it’s similar to other classes they offer, students will learn about group behaviors by working with the horses and understanding herding/socializing, etc. It’s an interesting approach, sort of a unique role playing as well as possibly the first time some of those students have been in the personal space of an animal so large/dealing and talking about personal fears. It will most likely be a hands on learning experience with lots of discussion and evaluation of what they saw and how it correlates to human behavior, not ‘free’ horseback riding.
Plus if anyone knew about the riding center it is more geared to riders with special needs.
This is a needed program for the 21st century, where all white collar jobs are going to be eliminated by machines. Not everyone has bel air standards of living and schools. You guys need to stay positive and support all our youth not just bel air
Where I live, everyone thinks “it was free, it was from a grant!”. They think grants fall from the sky.
The things I wanted to say were already said, but I had to echo them. Our kids got nothing because we both work, pay the bills, not much left over. Then we bought the house twice so the college loans would be reasonable because the same kids getting everything “free” get college almost free. My buddy asked me “don’t you think those kids should have a chance at college?” I said “yes, but shouldn’t they have the same loans when they come out?”
We’re all fed-up, everyone has the same complaints, but nothing changes.