SAUGUS — The Belmonte STEAM Academy and the middle school presented the progress of the enrichment programs to the School Committee on Thursday.
Traci Rodrigues, enrichment program coordinator at the middle school, was the first to present.
The program has seen a great spike in growth, with the first fall session hitting 149 students with an additional 10-15 daily drop-ins for the homework help group “Strategies of Success.” First winter session had 160 students showing up, and second Winter session had another boost to 173.
Rodrigues then showed off a picture of an empty middle school cafeteria. She has named the photo “Lack of Lingering and Love of Learning.”
“Usually this space (cafeteria) used to be filled with a lot of children,” she said. Now those lingering kids have shifted to participating in enrichment programs.
Rodrigues continued that it has been heartwarming to witness the excitement in classrooms and the students are participating, collaborating, and supporting one another.
“As the program grows, we’ve seen positive impacts in both educational outcomes and individual confidence. However, one of the most remarkable results has been the sense of community it has fostered,” she said.
Second winter, the most recent session, involved programs such as Finance with Fitz, Dungeons & Dragons, Next Gen Gamers, Chess, Improv Drama, ELA Support & Goal Setting, Cricut, Pottery, Bracelet Boutique, SMS Swifties, Fit Check Fam, and S.O.S HW Help.
“Looking forward, if the program continues, I do look forward to more ways in which we can involve the community. Maybe with more guest speakers,” she said. I also was excited to explore the opportunity of inviting 5th graders to come up in the Spring for an enrichment. Moving forward, we will provide a safe, dynamic environment where the kids can thrive and learn.”
For the upcoming Spring session, which will run from April 14 to May 30, students can expect Dungeons & Dragons, Chess, Improv Drama, End Zone Queens (Girls’ Flag Football), and End Zone Elite (Boys’ Flag Football) on Mondays and Wednesdays.
For Tuesdays and Thursdays, there will be track, basketball, pottery, Fit Check Fam, Color Splash, Next Gen Gamer, and Bracelet Boutique. Also, homework help will be provided on Mondays, Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays in room 155.
Students from the middle school were also at the meeting and talked about the programs they were involved in and how much they enjoyed them.
Next up was the enrichment coordinator at the Belmonte STEAM Academy, Brigitte Vaudo.
“The enrichment program at the BSA was very successful. The program enhanced our students’ learning experiences, allowed them to gain confidence, make new connections with peers, and develop new interests,” Vaudo said.
Like the middle school, the BSA had an overwhelming participation level. Four sessions were hosted with 37 clubs, 38 teachers, and a total of 815 participant opportunities.
The Spring session has bracelet making, Girl Talk 101, singing club, bulldog striders walking club, book club, Girls on the Run, cheerleading skills, board game club, and homework skills.
“With the immense interest and tremendous success of this program, I plan to continue to cultivate enrichment teachers, build additional variety of club offerings, and keep the school community updated on BSA enrichment programs,” she said.
The academy’s enrichment program also received a large amount of feedback from parents who expressed gratitude and excitement for the programs. Students were also invited to speak about their clubs at the meeting.
One parent who spoke was the chairperson of the 5th grade PTO, Lynn Tall, who said a big problem she’s seen is with the large number of classrooms for just one grade, making it difficult for kids to get proper attention. Tall stressed that none of this was the fault of the teachers.
“With enrichment, our experience has been so positive. It took a kid (her son) who had high anxiety, fight or flight (and) deep executive function issues, and he flourishes under these small group settings,” she said.
Tall continued that the teachers create a sense of camaraderie and trust that can’t be done in a regular-sized classroom.
“Like I said, we’re going to bring the program back, and we would like to expand on the program,” School Committee Chair Vincent Serino said. “Just listening to you, the kids, the parents. It’s a top-notch program. It will be back, and we’re going to expand. Thank you guys for everything.”
Committee member Stephanie Mastrocola said, “I just want to say that I’m so proud of the kids honestly. Every single one of you who got up to the podium said that you developed new connections with new friends, and that, to me, is why I continue to want to run and sit on this panel to make it better for you guys. Thank you so much and thank you to everyone who runs the program.”
