(Pictured: Ridge View Community students proudly display their extended-day enrichment projects.)
When Ridge View Community School (RVCS) in Dexter, Maine, utilized Emergency Relief Funds to establish an extended-day enrichment program for students in grades 3-8, they couldn’t anticipate the immediate positive impact it would bring.
“We wanted to offer our students hands-on opportunities to learn about things outside of their regular curriculum, places where, in essence, they could be learning and not even realize it,” said Pre-K Through 2 Instructional Coach Kelly Gay,
One hundred fifty students stayed after school on Monday and Thursday nights to participate in various enrichment programs and tutoring sessions.
“I look forward to the extended day,” Lizzie, a Ridge View fifth grader, explained, “because there are so many fun activities to choose from!”
Students like Lizzie took part in traditional extracurriculars, like woodworking, baking, and art, spent time outside, practiced robotics, conducted mad science experiments, and had a chance to shake out their energy in dance classes.
Older students visited the Tri-County Technical Center to learn about criminal justice, commercial truck driving, early childhood education, and health occupations. In an effort to include the greater Dexter student community, students from Dexter Regional High School came over to teach lessons from their STEM project as part of their coursework.
Gay remembers how touched she was by the students’ enthusiasm.
“It was so amazing watching the kids leave each night with their finished products and the huge smiles on their faces. The tutoring kids even loved heading to their tutoring sessions as the sessions were engaging and hands-on learning,” she said.
Amongst the creative programming, ensuring student received the tutoring help they needed was still a priority. Students would break off for one-on-one tutoring time with staff throughout the sessions.
“In order to make this plan work, we needed teachers who were willing to either tutor or run an enrichment group. Our staff answered our call for help in amazing ways,” said Gay. In all, 30 educators volunteered for the enrichment programs, and their commitment is evident when you speak to their students.
“I think extended days are so fun because the teachers are so nice, and I learn a lot,” ” said fourth grader Khloe.
According to school data, students who participated in the tutoring and enrichment sessions saw significant gains, especially in math fact fluency and attendance.
“We tracked the attendance of all students at Ridge View Community School as part of our school improvement plan and found that almost all students had a positive impact on their attendance rate. They truly wanted to be there and were sad when the program ended,” said Gay.
Students were not the only ones benefiting from the extended-day enrichment. Gay reported that the program fostered relationships with parents and allowed teachers to design lessons beyond the scope of their regular curriculum, centered around their passions.
“We are proud of our school and our students and are incredibly thankful for the opportunity to provide this for them,” commented Gay. The program was so successful that Ridge View extended it to the 2023-2024 school year, expanding both the tutoring and enrichment programs to the high school.
This learning opportunity was made available through the Coronavirus Response Relief Supplemental Appropriations Act (CRRSA). Visit our office of Federal Response Programming here to learn more about CRRSA.
Did your school use Emergency Relief funds to create engaging student programming like Ridge View? If so, we would love to hear from you. Click here to share your story!
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