After-School All-Stars 2009 Summer Camp
Four Middle Schools Participate In All-Stars Summer Academy
Oct 21, 2009
After-School All-Stars is a program that provides comprehensive after school programs that are fun for kids and also keep them safe and help them achieve success in school and life. It prepares middle school kids for high school, college, and the 21st century by offering academic support, enrichment opportunities, and health/fitness activities. This program takes place during the hours of 3:00-6:00 p.m., five days a week.
The purpose of After-School All-Stars is to keep kids away from drugs, gangs, and violence, as the hours that the program takes place are critical hours in which kids are vulnerable to getting into trouble. Because the program targets inner city kids who are otherwise unable to afford a first-class after-school program like this one, this program is free for all participants, as it is made possible by donations from foundations and corporate sponsors.
The Summer Academy
During the summertime of 2009, participants of After-School All-Stars participated in a 7-week extension of the program that took place from the hours of 8:00-4:00 p.m., from Monday to Friday. Atlanta Public Schools provided their buses for transportation of the kids from their neighborhoods to the schools.
Teachers, coaches, principals, and other employees of the schools supervised the kids and were responsible for running the clinics. Throughout the camp, students were provided breakfast, lunch, and snacks to nourish themselves during the day.
There were a variety of activities that took place during the camp. The Hip-Hop Studio program gave kids from all four schools the chance to write and perform songs on topics ranging from civil rights to oral hygiene. Likewise, the CSI Atlanta program consisted of activities in science laboratories that involved performing research on solving crimes. The MIRACLES Technology program offered the kids a chance to use basic office software, web and graphic design, and clay animation.
Other clinics that the students took part in were jewelry making, crocheting, and drama. There were many destinations that the kids went to for field trips, including Piedmont Park, the Georgia Aquarium, the Martin Luther King Jr. Center, and Dixie Land Park. Students of the summer camp also utilized a program called HOPSports, made possible through a donation from the Atlanta Falcons Youth Foundation and Centennial YMCA.
HOPSports implemented many exercise routines for the kids to participate in during the summer, including martial arts, pilates, and circuit training. An additional activity that took place during the summer program was the literacy clinic, which was led by graduate students from Georgia State University.
The instructors of this clinic assisted the kids develop their skills in reading fluency and comprehension, vocabulary skills, and writing abilities. The Atlanta Dream, a team of the Women's Basketball Association, volunteered to help tutor the students in their reading assignments.
Other Summer Camps Offered by After-School All-Stars
As a result of a generous grant from the Cal Ripken Sr. Foundation, 10 young ladies of Coretta Scott King Young Women's Leadership Academy were able to go to Aberdeen, Maryland for a whole week of excitement. They went with two adult counselors to participate in the Cal Ripken Baseball Camp, a summer baseball camp that teaches life lessons to disadvantaged young people residing in America's most distressed communities. They not only
After-School All-Stars extends its thanks to the Cal Ripken Sr. Foundation for organizing and funding this incredible baseball camp. As much fun as the girls had playing baseball, they had just as much excitement with all the other activities that they participated in at the Cal Ripken Camp. They got in touch with nature by taking hikes in the lush forests and getting views of the gorgeous water while kayaking.
Moreover, they went to some restaurants to eat delicious food, and their bus rides to and from the camp allowed them to strengthen their bonds with each other. This is one experience that the ladies of Coretta Scott King Young Women's Leadership Academy will never forget.
The Atlanta Falcons Youth Foundation has shared a strong partnership with After-School All-Stars for a very long time, and in July 2009 the collaboration has been taken to a new level. During the summer, the students of Harper-Archer Middle School took part in the Kids and Pros Football Camp, a week-long football camp for kids.
This camp was facilitated by former NFL Football Players and took place at Clark Atlanta University. The participants of this camp practiced various drills, including punting, passing, and kicking. This turned out to be an extraordinary camp for the kids and for the coaches. After-School All-Stars extends a special thanks to the Atlanta Falcons Youth Foundation for offering their time and resources for the kids that were served.
Keeping Kids Healthy, Happy, and Safe
In conclusion, the After-School All-Stars Summer Academy of 2009 kept middle school students off the streets and engaged them in enrichment opportunities that consisted of sports, technology, and the arts.
The camps took place at Parks Middle School, Brown Middle School, Turner Middle School, and Long Middle School. There were also two other camps that After-School All-Stars provided, one was a baseball camp and the other was a football camp.
For more information on the schools that are served, please visit Atlanta Public Schools.
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