ASPIRE to change the world
The new afterschool program is centered on fostering the growth of students in not only academics but on a personal level as well.
A new after-school program at West Central Elementary is striving to imbue a group of 56 students with the skills and behaviors that will make them more well-rounded individuals, in addition to complementary academic support, according to Stephanie Dean, a fifth-grade teacher.
She is the site coordinator for the ASPIRE program, which is made possible through a 21st Century Community Learning Centers Grant, at West Central, and is responsible for seeing it through in its first year. Three other elementa- ry schools in the Rome school system have also brought the program in
this year — Anna K. Davie, North Heights and ElmStreet.
The main focus of ASPIRE is to teach the whole child, Dean said, and educate kids on how to think rather than what to think.
The program is held four days a week — Monday through Thursday — from 3-6 p.m., and students receive a snack and dinner, along with transportation home when they are let out.
Participating students are picked based on their diverse backgrounds, economic status at home and their performance on the Georgia Milestones tests, which some of the students may have done all right on, but they need some extra help. There is a teacher for every 10 students, Dean said.
On Wednesday, students were going over table manners and identifying the various items of silverware in a fine dining place setting and explaining their specific uses. Also, every fourth Wednesday of the month is a professional dress day, as students don
dresses or ties and button-downs while wearing their brag tags throughout the school day.
On the academic side, STEAM — science, technology, engineering, the arts and mathematics — programming is a focus for kids. Last week, students did robotics activities, said Dean. And she is pushing, as a focus, computer science, teaching coding and computational thinking.
ASPIRE also gives these students more one-on-one time with teachers, and is part of the RTI — response to intervention — process, with students getting extended time for direct learning through educational programs. Data will be compiled and given to their teachers in progress reports to keep track of their improvement over the year. Once a month parents are invited to the school to see how they can become more involved in their child’s education,
such as how to help them with homework.
In touching on the holistic education, building a foundation for the development of strong social and emotional skills is being emphasized, as
are soft skills and stress management.
An hour or more each day of the program is focused on enrichment activities, Dean said, including dance, sports, art and music. There is a different theme for each month, and each week has a sub-theme, she added.
Other activities will include taking the kids to Berry College to become familiarized with a college campus, working in Rome Middle’s greenhouse and planting community gardens. The end goal of the program is to have a health fair this spring, allowing students to get a look at some of the careers available to them in Rome’s medical industry.
This early intervention the program affords is aimed at not only better preparing students for success up to their graduation but after as well, Dean said, as well as boosting the graduation rates for minority students.