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Morristown’s new after-school program praised by Assemblywoman Jenne

Posted 6/6/18

MORRISTOWN – Morristown’s new after-school program received praise from Assemblywoman Addie A.E. Jenne, D-Theresa, after she visited the district recently. Jenne said she was thrilled by what she …

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Morristown’s new after-school program praised by Assemblywoman Jenne

Posted

MORRISTOWN – Morristown’s new after-school program received praise from Assemblywoman Addie A.E. Jenne, D-Theresa, after she visited the district recently.

Jenne said she was thrilled by what she saw and heard during a recent visit to the Morristown Central School District's Green Rockets Rising after-school program.

"This is fantastic. You are doing a lot of stuff that teachers used to be able to do during the school day," Assemblywoman Jenne told Morristown Central School Superintendent Douglas McQueer, After-School Program Director Angela Calkins and After-School Coordinator Drew Walldroff.

The after-school program, which runs from 3:15 to 5:15 p.m. on school days, launched this past fall at Morristown Central School.

Morristown was the recipient of a $992,000 grant awarded to the district and St. Lawrence-Lewis BOCES with funding through the Empire State After-School Program.

The district, which receives $198,400 each year through the five-year grant program, is using the funding for homework and tutoring assistance and academic enrichment activities, as well as offering healthy after-school snacks and making community connections for students with organizations in the greater Morristown area.

Calkins said the district has offered two eight- to 12-week sessions this academic year and will double that number during the 2018-19 school year.

A 16-day summer program is also planned for this July in coordination with the community's summer recreation program.

District officials said part of the after-school programming is an after-school homework club offered for students in grades K-12.

"We're seeing a lot of homework grades going up since we started the after-school program. The big thing is the kids are getting their homework done before they leave school, and that is taking some of the pressure off families," Calkins pointed out.

McQueer said a partnership with the Ogdensburg Boys & Girls Club has been very popular with Morristown students.

"We had 96 students sign up for the Boys & Girls Club. Our students are bused to the club on Tuesday and Thursday afternoons," he noted.

School officials said enrichment activities have ranged from clubs for journalism and literature review to walking for exercise and cooking.

There was also a four-day safe boating course offered for students, and members of the state police have visited and put on programs for students and community members.

McQueer said school officials envisioned 60 to 70 students would take part in the first year of the program. But he said enrollment numbers have been nearly double that projection.

"We do have more participation with students in grades K-6, but we even have older students coming in to help the younger kids in the cooking club," he pointed out.

Jenne said she was impressed when she saw a number of lower primary grade students working with a high school science teacher.

The students had previously made volcanoes as part of the after-school program and spent a recent afternoon learning how to combine substances so lava could flow out of the volcanoes.

"The kids were having a great time while the teacher was offering a STEM lesson, and the students were just having fun making a bit of a mess outdoors with their projects," she noted.

Jenne, the parent of two pre-teens, noted the after-school program benefits many parents as much as students.

"The after-school program includes a 5:15 p.m. bus run so many of the students are likely arriving home just after their parents have returned home from work. This means many parents no longer have to worry about either finding quality after-school childcare or having their kids home alone for an hour or two before they get home from work. This program is a win for the kids and a win for parents," she said.