Homework Club Celebrates End of School Year

WHITESBORO – More than 100 students from Middle Township School District celebrated the end of the school year May 11 as the Martin Luther King (MLK) Homework Club gathered to recognize certified teachers and community volunteers for their support. 
Started eight years ago, the club was established to “provide students in grades K-8 with a safe place after school to focus on academic, social, emotional, and recreational needs,” according to teacher Sharon Rementer, who supervises the club on behalf of the school district.
The students receive homework help, special program opportunities, a hot meal, and organized recreation after school from 2:30-6 p.m. four days a week at the MLK Center, 207 W. Main Street.
“What better way to get your homework done and then get dinner,” said Rosie Jefferson, Homework Club director. The club is run by the Concerned Citizens of Whitesboro, Inc., (CCWI) who partnered with the school district for the effort.
“This is a win-win for everyone,” Jefferson added. “The kids get to see their teachers outside of the classroom and develop a rapport with them; they get help with their homework, and this year we have a nutrition specialist who has been helping us provide healthy meals.”
Jefferson has been part of the club for about eight years, and both her children attended. “My oldest started as a volunteer for the club when he was in high school,” she noted, “and went on to receive a scholarship from CCWI for college. My youngest started coming when he was in the third grade and now he’s a sophomore in high school. He did exceptionally well in school and ended up helping the younger kids with their homework.”
Jefferson credits another Whitesboro resident, Robert Matthews, with the idea of the club. “He’s retired military and was used to having an after-school program,” she recalled. “He saw this big facility (MLK Center) and started doing activities here. I think he started with a summer league for the kids, which blossomed for the adults and then eventually we started the Homework Club.
“He asked me to stop by one day, and I did,” she said, “and I fell in love with it.”
Matthews is recreation superintendent of Middle Township.
Most of the students and teachers are from the elementary schools, although there is a small group from the middle school. Title 1 funding to the school district is used to pay for the teachers, busing, supplies and instructional needs, according to Rementer.
Title 1 funding was authorized under the No Child Left Behind (NCLB) legislation in 2002. According to the state Department of Education website, it is “intended to ensure that the most financially and socially disadvantaged children have a fair, equal and significant opportunity to obtain a high-quality education and reach proficiency on challenging state academic standards and assessments.”
“We use the same curricula at the center as we do in our classrooms and students have demonstrated improved reading and math performance on standards-based assessments and reading benchmarks,” Rementer added. “The teachers use the data they get from the assessments to learn what the students already know and what they are ready to learn next, to monitor student growth and to determine which students may need additional help.
“The assessments are heavily researched and scientifically provided to help teachers guide each student on his or her unique path to mastery,” she said.
The program is open to all Middle Township students “who would benefit from an after-school homework club,” Rementer said, “not just for struggling learners.”
“It’s a great way to meet new people who you don’t normally see in school,” said Tania Fernandez, 13, a seventh grader and Homework Club member.
Iyanna White, 13, another seventh grader, agreed, saying she enjoyed “hanging out with friends and getting help with her homework.”
Seventh grader Kimberly Garcia, 12, said she also enjoyed interacting with the younger kids.
Rementer said the club provides a volunteer opportunity for middle and high school students, especially those who need to fill requisite hours for student honor societies.
More than 100 students enrolled in the club this school year, according to the club supervisor, and students can enroll at any time during the year. “Students also can be recommended by teachers who are slipping in grades or not completing their homework,” she added. At times, they’ve had to turn away students because of lack of space and availability.
The partnership between the school and community also includes daily motivating recreational activities and a nutritious dinner. Nutritionist Muriel Anderson said she tries to prepare foods that include more fresh fruits, lower salt and sugar content, and organic vegetables. “It’s a little hard when you try to cook for 100 different people with different tastes, but we do a pretty good job keeping in mind allergies, health and nutrition,” she said.
Donations are used for food and other expenses not covered by Title 1 funding, and Jefferson said to date the CCWI members have paid for them “out of pocket. We’re thinking we may do some fundraisers because the costs are increasing,” she noted.
Although school officially ends June 16, the program closed May 11 because program funding had been used, according to Rementer. “We run the program from October-May,” she said, “but because we added more kids which meant adding more teachers, eventually the funds run out.”
Jefferson said the students are encouraged to seek homework help from their teachers in the classroom if they need it, especially since now many of them have developed a relationship with their instructors. She also directs a nine-week summer camp that begins June 26 that includes breakfast and lunch, and many of the same students.
To contact Karen Knight, email kknight@cmcherald.com.