An Update on the CoR Clark Afterschool Partnership from Tym House, Minister for Youth and Young Adults

Phil told me a story a few weeks ago about an interaction he had with the art teacher at Kilgour. The teacher told him that a few Clark Montessori students were helping at the school that week, and the teacher happened to strike up a conversation with them. Her main question was inquiring about things they liked about Clark as a school. In typical teenage fashion, they weren’t very exuberant in their response. But then the teacher asked them if there was at least one thing they enjoyed about their day. That’s when one student chimed in saying, “You know what? There is one thing…” The teacher then said the student proceeded to tell them about our after-school program here at Redeemer and how nice the student thought it was that we opened our doors for them and their peers to wait for their rides, have a snack, and just have a space to be. How amazing is it to think that the best part of a student’s school day is knowing they can be here at Church of the Redeemer after school gets out?!

Clark Montessori students continue to show up in large quantities after school. We have seen at least 135 students show up one time (and that’s just counting the names of students we’ve been able to catch in the quick coming and going of all of them). That number is likely closer to 150. Having started the school year with attendance in the high 20s/low 30s, we are seeing an average number of 40 students show up at Church of the Redeemer when school lets out at 3pm, and in October alone, our numbers have been averaging 50 students. We also recorded our two highest days of attendance for the school year on October 24 and 25, hitting a total of 69 and 80 students respectively!

Not only have we seen an increase in students’ participation after school, we have also been able to meet other needs Clark Montessori has presented. One example being that we were privileged to host the Clark Montessori senior class on Wednesday, October 12, while their classroom space was being used for testing accommodations for sophomore and junior students taking the PSAT. We also continue to be in communication to determine other ways Redeemer and Clark Montessori may be able to expand our partnership to collaboratively meet the needs of the students and their families.

Our busiest time with students is from 3pm-3:45pm when the students first get out of school, and they are hanging around waiting for their rides or bus to pick them up. However, the goal moving forward is that we will be operating from 3pm-5pm, Monday through Thursday, allowing students a safe space to be after school. While our space is simply open for just hanging out, we would also like to fill that time with things that would be beneficial to the students, such as homework help and tutoring, health and wellness programming, and college prep and planning. We would even love to have one-off type of presentations or activities where teens can learn valuable life skills around things like financial literacy, cooking, mechanic work, sewing, etc… The possibilities are endless with the things we would like to provide, and we are building a good foundation with a school that values this type of wholistic formation and a base of students that want these kinds of things. This is where you come in!

As we continue to develop our partnership with Clark Montessori and offer a safe space for students to be after school, there are several ways we could use your continued support:

1. Prayer – Pray that we may discern how the Spirit is moving to allow us at Church of the Redeemer know the best ways to love and serve the students and families at Clark Montessori, and how we can be the best neighbors to this important community organization.
2. Presence – With increasing numbers, extra adult presence is vital. Even in the beginning phases of building this program, having several adults present that can be a friendly face and a kind presence helps the Clark community know we are a place their students can belong. If you can drum up simple conversation, hand out a snack, or give someone a cup of hot chocolate as they stop by for a few minutes, we need you. Seriously, it is a small but effective way to be Jesus to someone in ways you’d never imagine possible.
3. Pop-Tarts – Okay, so not just pop-tarts, but any kind of snack donation you might be able to give would be super helpful. Or, if you can contribute financially to help pay for some of the snacks we order, that is just as helpful. As you can imagine, these teens are always hungry, and with lunch earlier in the day for most of them, they’re coming out of school ready to eat while facing up to an hour and a half commute time to get home if they are catching the Metro as their mode of transportation.

Really, any support you can give to the after-school program will be appreciated, so we thank you for your consideration. SIGN UP to volunteer if you can! If you have any questions regarding this ministry, please contact Tym House, Minister for Youth and Young Adults.