Maybe not the most cutthroat volleyball game one has ever seen – but definitely the cutest.
Daniel Island School’s Extended Day program, the Ocean Club, took to the court last Friday afternoon for a friendly game of volleyball. For a lot of the school’s younger students, it was their first time trying out the sport; some students learned the game inside the school’s gym while others grabbed some pompoms and foam fingers to cheer on their friends from the sidelines. VIEW PHOTOS.
Learning something new is all part of Lights on Afterschool, a nationwide event celebrating afterschool programs and the important roles they play in the lives of children, families and school communities.
Lights on Afterschool is being recognized on Oct. 23, but several BCSD Extended Day programs, such as the Ocean club, are hosting special events this month to highlight the many ways the programs support district families.
Berkeley County School District has a total of 25 schools that operate a school-led daycare program within their building after school hours. However, employees and families affiliated with any one of these programs know all too well: they are so much more than daycares.
BCSD Extended Day Specialist Kristina Goff said it takes a special person to help run these afterschool programs.
“We’re providing a service to our working families, and I’m really proud of the fact that we are providing safe, fun, engaging and enriching programs,” she said, adding that site directors and counselors work hard to make them great programs. “They’re dedicated and loyal, and they just care about the kids.”
Schools participating in the Lights on Afterschool initiative decided to provide opportunities to students that they might not otherwise have access to. Daniel Island School chose to lead a sports project under the theme “Youth Voice and Leadership.” The theme focuses on empowering students to make a positive difference in their community.
Nakia Denmark-Asby, director of the school’s Extended Day program, worked with P.E. teacher Mark Heintzleman to organize a Volleyball Game Day for the Ocean Club’s kindergarten through fifth grade students, and there was also a community service component: parents were invited to come cheer on their children and donate nonperishable items for the Lowcountry Food Bank.
Denmark-Asby is in her seventh year with the Ocean Club and her third year as the club’s director. She has a passion for working with children and likes providing a service that helps students whose parents are still at work when the school day is over.
“I feel like these kids are my children when they’re in my care,” she said. “We’re nurturing, teaching basic core values and showing love – just being there for them.”
Extended Day is about more than just watching the students; counselors and directors really reinforce students’ learning. They provide snacks, help students complete their homework and incorporate socio-emotional learning. Each week, programs introduce a Word of the Week that is a character trait to focus on; some recent words were “compassion”, “fairness” and “self-care.”
Programs will also incorporate STEM lessons and art activities, or have special guests come and work with the students through in-house field trips.
On top of all that, it helps families.
“It is a huge service,” Denmark-Asby said. “And I commend our parents here because we have very strong parental support.”
Learn more about BCSD's Extended Day programs.
