Community backing fuels healthy focus for after-school program in north Modesto schools

The Stanislaus Union School District has taken on two school-age stumpers, how to get kids to eat their vegetables and how to get past the “How was school?” one-word answer shutdown.

A set of questions posted by a jug of water, meant to start “cooler conversations,” greets parents each day at Eisenhut Elementary’s after-school program. Thursday’s message: Ask three things about their day.

Floating in the “cooler” water was cucumber and mint, a flavor burst decided by vote of the kids.

“We pick the flavor collaboratively,” explained Sargina Yonan, Eisenhut site lead. Raspberry water was a hit. Lemon water not so much. The point is to get kids to choose water over sodas at home, Yonan said, which kids tell her they do.

The front-door display included a bucket of almonds, a donation of cooler conversations sponsors Save Mart and Farm to Kids, a Stanislaus County nonprofit that started this fall, said co-founder Sara Sperry.

“We know sometimes kids go home hungry. This might be their last meal of the day,” said Sperry, part of a five-generation local farming family.

The family-backed enterprise donates to six schools in the Stanislaus Union district, part of a network of donors and an After School Education and Safety state grant that fully fund the after-school program at Agnes Baptist, Chrysler and Eisenhut elementary schools.

Parent fees pay for programs at the other three, but the district continues to apply for more grants, said Michelle Bell. Bell is district coordinator for the THRIVE program, which stands for Transforming Habits, Respecting Individuality, Valuing Education.

All together, the programs serve 500 children, with at least that many more on waiting lists, Bell said. “The need is huge.”

At Eisenhut Elementary just over 100 students take part in the campus after-school program that includes gardening, dance and exercise, healthy snacks, art and academics. Each child takes home a bulging bag of fresh produce and pantry staples twice a month.

“I just like how they help us with homework and we get to do fun stuff,” said 8-year-od Meleiah Tellechea as she painted a watercolor heart.

Beside her, fellow third-grader Miraya Mireles agreed. “They help with homework and you get to play,” she said.

Both girls said they mostly liked the fresh vegetables the children grow and eat. “We’re both picky eaters,” confided Meleiah.

But lettuce wasn’t so bad, Miraya added. “I never tried it before. Lettuce is really good,” she said.

Outside the classroom, raised beds of radishes, carrots, potatoes, cabbage and kale soaked up the afternoon rain. The plants, soil and gardening implements were from donations of the Modesto Garden Club, organizers said. Food help also comes from Second Harvest Food Bank’s Food 4 Thought program.

“We know it’s a lot cheaper to eat unhealthy food,” Bell said. “The life lessons this teaches are invaluable.”

That focus is what program sponsors like Kaiser Permanente and the Center for Collaborative Solutions signed on for.

On the other side of the rain-soaked campus in the school’s multipurpose room, fourth- and fifth-graders danced along with a kids’ music video, pedometers recording every step. The distance traveled counts as Walk Across America miles, matched with fitness and geography lessons.

In another room, kindergartners and first-graders sifted beads out of a tub of rice – “tactile play” – or tried to master a mouse while playing a computer pre-reading game.

“It helps their tech skills and their fine motor skills,” Yonan said, adding “all our games are educational games.”

Get up and move time brought youngsters to the front of the room to bounce along inexpertly with kids doing simple steps to an uptempo beat.

Even in the youngest class, kids helped create the class rules, which can change daily depending on what a class discussion decides is needed, Yonan said.

At the other end of the elementary age scale, sixth-graders did a coding practice run in another room. Teams laid down sheets of paper in a pattern, directing one member to go left, right or ahead to follow the path.

“We’re doing the Hour of Code next week. They’re mapping each other,” said Yonan as class teacher Wendy Sevilla led the teams through the next phase.

“Interesting to learn about,” said sixth-grader Keemyah Scott, who added she loves math in all forms.

“I love how you can tell what the computer will do,” said teammate Ariah Contreras.

The chance to try out coding, discuss class rules and vote on water infusion flavors is all part of the extra that extra time allows, said Bruno Marchesi, chief operating officer with the Center for Collaborative Solutions.

“During the school day there’s a lot of time spent on instruction, and after school provides time for talking about all that other stuff,” he said.

This story was originally published December 7, 2015 at 3:50 PM with the headline "Community backing fuels healthy focus for after-school program in north Modesto schools."