There’s no avoiding chaos when you invite dozens of middle school students to one place at the same time.
But staff at the Firstenburg Community Center and Clark County Family YMCA say, “Bring it on.”
Evergreen Public Schools this year is working with the facilities to provide after-school opportunities to 180 students on some early release days. Students at the district’s middle schools leave around noon on one Wednesday every month, giving their teachers a chance to have time for staff training.
It’s a difficult age and time block to leave children without somewhere to go, district spokeswoman Gail Spolar said. Parents are unlikely to be at home and kids – many are 11, 12 or 13 years old – are probably OK on their own, but why not avoid that if you can?
“It’s not as productive for them,” Spolar said.
Enter Firstenburg and the YMCA. For that one Wednesday each month, bus loads of students make their way to each of the two centers, giving students a chance to play games and sports, swim, study and relax. Parents can pick their children up directly from the center.
At the YMCA on Wednesday, students sprinted around a gym playing dodgeball, curled up in lawn chairs to play video games or splashed in the pool. The program is free, and students can sign up on a first-come, first-served basis each month.
“We’d rather have the kids here than causing trouble at home,” said Eddie White, executive director of the YMCA.
The program was piloted last year with support from the Evergreen School District Foundation, but the district absorbed the cost this year. It was unclear at first with district budget cuts whether the program would continue, but for the low cost – $2,900 out of the district’s $385 million general fund budget – it was worth the price.
“For the kind of equity, access and recreation opportunities, it was worth it,” Spolar said.
Firstenburg and YMCA directors see this as an opportunity to build lifelong users of their facilities, as well.
“These are the kids we see in our programs,” White said. “It gives us an ability to connect.”
Students in Evergreen Public Schools already have free access to Firstenburg under C-Tran’s Youth Opportunity Pass program, which gives students free bus passes and access to Vancouver’s two community centers. Firstenburg director Angela Brosius said this is a chance to build relationships with students who may not otherwise take advantage of the programs at the center and encourage them to return for other activities.
“Busy kids are productive kids,” Brosius said.
At the YMCA, sixth-graders Justin Levin and his friend Kaushik Korutla were tucked in a corner playing Monopoly. They used to go to the same school, Justin said, but now Justin attends Covington, and Kaushik is at Pacific.
“It’s really cool,” he said of being reunited with his friend.
As Kaushik sorted out $100 and $500 bills, he reflected on what he’d be doing at home.
Hmm. Probably nothing, he said.
“I wouldn’t have anything to do,” he said. “We’re not just bored.”
