Houlton Southside School after-school program offers fun, growth for 10th year

HOULTON, Maine — The 21st Century after-school program has been running at Houlton Southside School for 10 years. For those 10 years the program has provided kids with homework time and academic enrichment, while also giving them a safe place to stay when their parents are still at work.
    The program was created from a grant through the federal government that was established due to the No Child Left Behind Act. Houlton Southside School librarian Suzann Lawlor has been the program coordinator for the last few years. She is in charge of the paper work, programming, outside contacts, and making sure the program is running smoothly.
Lawlor says that the program has grown significantly in recent years.
“When I first took over we were just running two days a week and probably had 20 to 30 kids,” said Lawlor. “Now we run it four days a week, Monday to Thursday and we have anywhere from 60 to 111 kids.”
According to Lawlor things can get a little hectic when there are over 100 students. Luckily there are seven staff members who work directly with the students during the program.
The program begins at 2:30 p.m. with a snack. Following snack time students have an hour devoted to homework and tutoring. Many staff members are still in the school at this time, so students are often able to see their classroom teachers. At 3:40 p.m. the program switches to enrichment activity time.
Activities range vastly and include arts and crafts, open gym, drawing, Dance Dance Revolution, Wii, digital storytelling, photography, board games, skiing, snowshoeing and painting. There have also been plays, family movie nights with the Temple movie theater, and workshops that teach cooking and how to make musical instruments.
Children taking part in the program are full of praise.
“I think the program is good. I like the games,” said 6th grade student Ben Tuttle. His brothers Matthew and Andrew were in agreement, saying that it’s fun and allows them to get their homework done.
5th grade student Izabel Sgiers also appreciates the program.
“You can finish your homework and not go home and stress out about it,” she said.
Rachel Carmichael teaches grade 4 reading, writing and social studies at Southside. She takes part in the after-school program by helping kids with home work and enrichment activities.
“A very large portion of my homeroom attends the program so I definitely see results when it comes to academic improvement, quality of work, getting work in on time, and simply being more social and having opportunities to try new things,” said Carmichael.
Lawlor says that the hope is that students’ grades will improve through the program. By taking part in the after-school program, they can get extra help on concepts they haven’t quite grasped in class. Additionally there is the physical activity, fun, and social interaction. Parents can even take part in the activities if they want to.
When asked how she feels about the program going into its 10th year, Lawlor emphasized the impact the program has had on kids lives.
“I think it’s a great program that has helped a great number of kids over the years,” she said.
For more information on the 21st Century after-school program, you can contact Suzann Lawlor at the school by calling (207) 532-6027.