Nevada OST Success Stories

Success Stories

College dreams Sun Valley after school students are excited about entering into the Nevada State Treasures Scholarship contest on "I want to go to college so I can become a___." The students have been working hard and even enlisted their parents input on this topic. They worked two days on making sure that spelling, and word count was correct. It was really exciting to read about the students aspirations on becoming singers, doctors, teachers, police person and much more.
Barbara Hawkins, Site Corrdinator 21st CCLC, Sun Valley Elementary School, Washoe County School District

Five girls from Alice Maxwell Elementary School were entrants in the Nevada State Fair utilizing the projects they made in their afterschool crochet class. All of the girls placed, one of the girls one the Grand Champion Ribbon for the crochet division, another received Reserve Champion and Blue Ribbons, another girl received a Blue Ribbon and Red Ribbon, the fourth girl received a Blue Ribbon and Red Ribbon and the fifth girl received a Red Ribbon. The girls were so excited to be a part of the State Fair and for the opportunity to participate in their first competition. They all learned life skills that they can continue to utilize. It was great to watch them learn how to crochet and see them at the state competition. We are all incredibly proud of our students and all of their accomplishments!
Alice Maxwell TEAM UP, Washoe County School District

The afterschool tutoring program has been a godsend. This hour of power allows me to work closely with a group of 5th graders that have been stumbling through the steps of double-digit multiplication. The hour allows me to work one on one for a period of time with each student. Their confidence in working these multiplication problems has taken off! I am now having to run from student to student (smile) to meet their demands, "I want more problems to solve!”
Shurz Elementary School 21st CCLC program, Mineral County School District

Not too long ago one of our graduated teen parents came back for a visit. We were not surprised to hear that she was in college and working full time at a reputable bank here in town. Although it was great to see her and the baby again, what she said that evening has encouraged all of us to keep believing in our after school programs. That evening she said you guys were right, true success is to finish what you start. We were very proud. The fact that this student realized the importance of taking full responsibility for her life, and her baby was proof that our before school Character Development Program was transforming her life in a positive way. That was remarkable considering her very aggressive, disrespectful attitude when she first started the program. She is also performing high grades on test in college. Her future is going to be positive because she choosing to remember the simple life lessons our programs have taught her.
Carmella Bernstein, Site Coordinator 21st CCLC at Cowen Sunset, Clark County School District

The month of December has been very busy for the MASH 21st CCLC program at Carson High School. Attendance overall has been steady and consistent, with several new 30+ attending students. The MASH program has been working to add community partners to the program. The Carson High School Career and Technical Education program is providing an enrichment class for 9th graders. Many 9th graders do not have the opportunity to participate in this elective during the regular day. The goal is to give the opportunity to struggling students and heighten their interest in school, continuing education and engagement in school. The Western Nevada College provides students with a career interest inventory that we used with students during the first week of programming. We plan to have the Outreach Specialist, present to the students regarding Western Nevada Community College opportunities, especially in the Career and Tech field. The Carson City Sheriffs Department has agreed to present regarding juvenile legal issues. Were also working with the department and Tri-Net to set up a drug awareness program.
Carson High School 21st CCLC program, Carson City School District

We have a student who is active in our program who has been placed in foster care. Throughout her struggles she has continued to attend our program and maintain her grades. She participates in our dance team and has not missed a practice or performance. During her struggles this semester she has found adults at the afterschool program that she has been able to talk to about her problems. The afterschool program has provided her with a stable family where she could get the support she needed during a difficult time. Rosemary Clarke Middle School, Nye County School District Isaiah is one of our first grade students at Lemaire Elementary 21st CCLC program. After attending this program he has increase his reading level to a 2.8! This is wonderful news since at the beginning of the year he was a at grade level, now he is a grade level higher in reading!
Lemaire Elementary School 21st CCLC program, Lander County School District

Sun Valley TEAM UP/Boys and Girls Club students are attending KidScape Productions, an acting class in which students are working on self-confidence and self-esteem. Currently, the students involved in the program are very shy and are not very interactive with the other students in large group games. However, when observing them in KidScape acting class they are active participants who are demonstrating self-confidence.
Sun Valley Elementary School 21st CCLC, Washoe County School District

This month's success story centers anecdotally on a 2nd grade boy who joined the Program at a time of great disruption and chaos in his homelife. His teacher reports that since participating in the After-School Program, his progress in both behavior and academics has soared. His reading in particular has significantly accelerated, but just as importantly, his attitude and general state of being have become increasingly positive. His teacher further stated that, in her opinion, the program has been the saving of this child.
McGill Elementary School 21st CCLC program, White Pine County School District

"Just a brief note to offer you some praise for the 21st Century program and what it has meant to Vaughn's students. Recently, I was visited by one of my former students, (A.H.) who participated in the program to learn how to play basketball as a 7th grader. "A" had never played basketball. She had to learn the rules and master the skills. In fact, she stayed so determined that she eventually made the Vaughn Basketball team. From here, her new life skills carried her into high school sports where she has played for the past several years on Galena High School's basketball team". "What a joy to hear from a former student and participant in my 21st Century classes who discovered something in herself that she never would have known about without your program. She is a measure of the success your program brings to this school. Thank you for continuing to bring this special program to our students who often need your activities to discover who they are and just how many talents they really possess."
Teacher, Vaughn Middle School, Washoe County School District

I am witting to inform you how my grandson has benefited immensely, due the after school Coyote club program here at Rex Bell E.S. He was behind a full year in reading, and because of the reading class he attends in the program he has been meeting his reading goals. This has helped him build his self- esteem. His parents, teachers, and I can definitely see the progress in all areas of his education. I also have my granddaughter in the program. She has also benefited from the computer class she attends. She has learned how to use the computer educational programs, and is able to operate a computer with much learned skill. She has also gained much progress in meeting her goals in all areas of her education. We can truly say it is a wonderful feeling to see the progress of our childrens education. I would like to give my thanks to all who have made this program available to our students here at Rex Bell E.S.
Sincerely,
Maria A., grandparent at Rex Bell 21st CCLC, Clark County School District

A freshman at Tonopah High School who attends our 21st CCLC program is struggling with Dyslexia. He is a conscientious person, but he has been struggling thus far. He wanted to play football very much. He joined the team and was doing well, but he couldn't keep his grades up. With the help of his parents, the 21st CCLC Tutors, his Special Ed teacher, and his own efforts, he has managed to bring his grades up. Now he is free to play again! It is sure nice to see him smile!
Dyer Elementary School 21st CCLC, Esmeralda County School District

Sierra Vistas TEAM UP has had their enrichment classes enriched in a very special way! An unusual volunteer has stepped forward to teach a knitting class for our program. He is our Deans son, who is 15, a football player, and motor cross enthusiast! The Dean has supplied yarn and knitting needles for the children to use. We assigned 3rd and 4th grade, girls and boys to his class, because alas, our children would probably not volunteer. The first few classes had a rocky start. The kids were whining a bit, but soon they were all happily knitting. One young man went home crying a couple of nights, not because he hated the class, but because he was having difficulty knitting. We spoke with his mother who told us that he was really frustrated, and that he had difficulty with hand/eye coordination, but the class would be good for him. She asked that he get quite a bit of one on one attention to get it down. Our staff accommodated and is he is very happy these days. He is making a small blanket for a stuffed dog he has. He loves knitting! We also had another young lady who wasnt in the class because she left the after-school program early; she spoke to her father to get him to pick her up later so that she could attend the class. She attended for the first time this week, and loves it! This young man is very popular with his students. He is kind, and patient. He does not experience class discipline issues because his students are so engaged. All of his students attend regularly!
Sierra Vista 21st CCLC, Washoe County School District

Last year, our adult education class, Journey into English, was offered and approximately 10 parents regularly participated in the program. By the time the 2008-2009 school year was coming to an end, our principal wanted participation and community involvement to increase for the following school year. After developing a parent center and actively promoting the class during morning announcements, we were astonished to find the number of parents that signed up for the class; the parent class has more than doubled in regular attendance. Many parents are learning English, and are better able to communicate with their children’s teachers. The principal, staff members, and parents have also developed a parent advisory board. Within this group, the principal is able to ask the community members what improvements can be made at school; as well as the parents communicating in an informal, yet effective setting with the principal. The parents are discovering that school is not a place to be scared of, but a place that can bring the community together.
Elbert Edwards 21st CCLC program, Clark County School District

All of the students in the Southside Elementary 21st CCLC are gaining confidence in math. On this weeks assessment in the regular classroom- they all scores between 7 and 9 out of 12. This is excellent growth since they were below 5 at the beginning of the year. Their review skills are getting more consistent and they're making simple mistakes now instead of lacking complete understanding.
Southside Elementary School 21st CCLC, Elko County School District

Elaina has been in our program from the first year. She said that some of her classmates were bullying her and telling her that only bad kids came to our program. She wanted to not come. After we talked to her and explained what the program was all about, she decided it was a good thing to be in AIM 21st CCLC program at Numa Elementary. She has had some self-esteem issues and always feels comfortable here.
Numa Elementary School 21st CCLC program, Churchill County School District