After-School Programs Engaging SD73 Students

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  Alexandra Inglis, SD73 After-School Activity Itinerant Teacher

While all students in the district are looking forward to the end of their school year, there may be some things they will miss, like connecting with friends and participating in fun after-school programs.

“This year I learned how to play our national sport of lacrosse and got to play basketball with a TRU Wolfpack athlete,” said Julian Cruz, a grade 5 student at Parkcrest Elementary.

He is one of 2,000 students from 13 different schools across the district who took part in SD73 programs provided through the After School Sports and Arts Initiative (ASSAI).

In a report to the final Board of Education meeting of the school year, Alexandra Inglis, the After-School Activity Itinerant Teacher for SD73, said the district offered 55 eight-week programs in arts and sports activities, and 15 five-week cooking programs between September 2018 and May 2019.

“We have professional working artists, TRU athletes, national level coaches, all who bring their passions to our programs every single day,” said Inglis. “One of the goals of our program is to give the students a voice, a choice, in terms of the programming they want to participate in.”

The ASSAI programs run in eight-week cycles, for two to three hours at a time, twice a week. For the most part, programs are aimed at intermediate students in grades 4 to 7, who may not have access to these opportunities otherwise.”

The arts program is a hands-on experience that includes sketching, sculpting and painting. The movement program is about physical literacy and developing students’ confidence so that they may pursue activities and sports of interest in the future. The Cook it, Try it, Like it program promotes healthy eating habits.

Financial support for the SD73 ASSAI programs is provided by the BC Ministry of Tourism, Arts and Culture, the Ministry of Children and Family Development, the City of Kamloops and the United Way.

During the 2019-2020 school year the Ministry of Tourism, Arts and Culture will provide an additional grant to pilot an after-school program for girls in grades 8 – 12.

“We are so grateful to our partners for their funding and support, because these programs really provide a safe space for students to go during those vulnerable hours after school where they can connect with their peers and a safe and caring adult,” said Inglis.