Northwest Arkansas Democrat-Gazette
Soar program shines local light
Rally conducted to kick off annual Lights on Afterschool
SPRINGDALE — Education doesn’t stop at the end of the school day for hundreds of children enrolled in Soar, Camp War Eagle’s afterschool program.
The program’s kids and staff members gathered Tuesday afternoon at The Jones Center for an event intended to show off to community members what Soar students do for three hours each day after school.
The event served as the national kickoff of the annual Lights On Afterschool, a rally set for Oct. 25 to highlight the importance of afterschool programs.
More than 8,000 events associated with Lights On Afterschool are scheduled across the country this month, according to Afterschool Alliance, the Washington-based group that organizes the rally.
Jodi Grant, executive director of the Afterschool Alliance, attended and spoke at Soar’s event.
“I could have gone anywhere in the United States to kick off Lights On Afterschool,” Grant said. “But I had heard about how amazing the program is here at Soar, so I wanted to come here.”
There are more than 20 million kids in America for whom no afterschool programs are available. That has to change, she said.
“We’re going to shine a light on what you guys are doing and all the activities you’re showing us, so people can see what is possible,” Grant said.
Laveta Wills-Hale, executive director of the Arkansas Out of School Network, also spoke and mentioned other very good afterschool programs in the region, such as the Boys & Girls clubs and the Bentonville School District’s Adventure Club.
Soar, launched in 2013, stands for service, opportunity, academics and recreation. It serves a combined 340 elementary students at three schools: Parson Hills and Jones elementary schools in Springdale and Hill Elementary School in Rogers. The Jones Elementary Soar program meets at The Jones Center.
Grant funding makes the program completely free for students. About 77 percent of last year’s students were Hispanic or Marshallese, according to the program’s most recent annual report.
Ben Rediske, Soar’s director, called it a “real honor” to be chosen as the national kickoff site for Lights On Afterschool.
“We work real hard to provide what we do for kids,” Rediske said. “We have high standards and the kids meet them.”
Tuesday’s event had students manning numerous stations where they answered questions about activities and clubs Soar offers, ranging from chess to
drama.
Stephanie Mercado, 11, of Springdale said Soar gets her out of her comfort zone. She’s part of the “Wonder Woman” club that’s meant to instill confidence in girls and encourage them to serve others.
“We are kind to each other. We love each other,” Stephanie said about Soar kids.
Ashly Hernandez, 10, of Springdale’s Jones Elementary has attended Soar for five years. She was on hand Tuesday to talk about her involvement in “The Amazing Shake,” a competition providing students real-world experience developing communication skills, soft skills, business etiquette and poise.
The competition is fun and has helped her shake her shyness, Ashly said.
“It’s going to help me because I’ll get more jobs and speak more loudly and share more of my ideas in class,” she said.
A group of about 20 Soar students offered visitors a sneak peek at a performance of The Jungle Book they’ll be doing Dec. 15 at the Arts Center of the Ozarks. The students sang and danced.
The students, none of whom have been in a play before, have been practicing twice a week for three weeks, said group leader Ryan McQuade.
“I think they’ve all found new confidence in themselves” through the activity, he said.
Jennifer Little, principal of Rogers’ Hill Elementary, said before Soar came to her school three years ago, the vast majority of her students went home and waited alone for their parents to come home from work. Now, more than 100 Hill Elementary students have a place to go when the afternoon bell rings.
“It makes a huge difference,” Little said. “They do clubs, they get help with homework, they go on field trips. But they also establish amazingly positive relationships with their group leaders.”
Soar’s survey of partner schools last year showed 85 percent of teachers thought the program was “moderately or very helpful” in improving classroom academic performance, and 80 percent thought Soar had a moderately or very helpful impact on social and emotional growth, according to the program’s annual report.