Opinion: Wakefield Academy After School Enrichment

The After School Enrichment Program has been in full swing this year at Wakefield Academy.  There were a number of one-day programs in addition to the five 5-week sessions offered throughout the year.  Our final session begins the week of May 9th.

The Enrichment Programs were so popular that student enrollment numbers often exceeded the class size limit, sometimes necessitating additional offerings.  The Arts & Crafts Programs are in demand with elementary students; students can create seasonal crafts, sand art pictures, puppets and much more in just one hour one day a week.  Finally, how about taking a Double Dutch class where two jump ropes turning in opposite directions are used.  There may be one or more jumpers jumping at a time.  Wow!!  These are just some of the many wonderful Enrichment Programs offered by Wakefield Academy this year.  Our most popular courses involve an emphasis on scientific concepts, sports, and hands-on projects.

It should be noted that many of the Enrichment Programs were taught by Wakefield Public School staff.  In addition, we hired three outside companies this year:   Global Child, Wicked Cool For Kids, and The International Chess Institute.  Global Child teaches beginner Spanish to students in grades 1 to 4.  Research shows that the early development years are best for learning a foreign language.  Wicked Cool For Kids offered two different programs throughout the year.  The first was Lego Engineering, which teaches basic engineering concepts, problem solving, and teamwork.  The second program was Basic Robotics with Legos.  The International Chess Institute offered chess classes for students in grades 2-4.  This organization has coached 8 State Champions and 6 National Champions.

The Academy offered many one-day educational programs for students.  The ever-popular Top Secret Science implemented chemistry programs for students in grades K-4 at each elementary school.  Wicked Cool For Kids did a one-day Mexican Tin Art class, allowing students to use their imaginations to create some beautiful pieces.  Before year’s end, we will have a Magic Show, two live animal programs, and a special art class offered by Wakefield’s own Tagg Art Studio.

During the next academic year, After School Programs will offer a special type of enrichment for their students.  Children will have the opportunity to join an Enrichment Cluster of their choice.  Enrichment Clusters are based on the Schoolwide Enrichment Model created by Dr. Joseph S. Renzulli and Sally M. Reis, leading educators in the gifted and talented field.  This model works to develop strengths and talents of all students.  Students will be given a small survey/questionnaire to list five things they would like to learn more about.  The surveys will then be tallied and the top three to five choices will be offered.  We hope to offer two sessions of Clusters next year.  During cluster time, students will spend part of one day each week exploring and researching their topic with instructors acting as facilitators.  They will use a number of different resources ranging from non-fiction books to the Internet, various field trips, and special guests.  At the end of the session, students will create a product to show what they have learned.

Wakefield Academy continues to research and explore new and exciting, educational programs for our students. Additional program information is available on the Wakefield Academy link at www.wakefield.k12.ma.us.