After School Adventure, 21st Century CCLC

Clarke County Schools

Principal, Mrs. Niquitha Merida

Superintendent, Mr. Larry Bagley

Grove Hill After School Adventure (GHASA) 21st Century Community Learning Center (CCLC) served the afterschool needs of 100 families in rural Grove Hill, Alabama. The program, comprised of students from Pre-K through twelfth grades, provided homework assistance, remediation, enrichment, and a STEAM-focused curriculum. Grove Hill Elementary was the host site that also welcomed students from Wilson Hall Middle and Clarke County High School. Pre-school through third grade students learned to code using manipulatives and beginning coding programs. Older students used coding to create new programs and interactive games. Students, parents, partners, and the faculty participated in several ongoing community service projects. These projects fostered a sense of community pride and civic duty. GHASA partnered with the local police department, fire department, town council, and the mayor of Grove Hill. These partnerships led to the development of a community garden and assistance with the GHASA Summer Camp program. Produce from the community garden was donated to the Senior Center, Southern Care Hospice, and Grove Hill Memorial Hospital.  A dance team was formed, financial literacy was provided, a nutrition curriculum was taught, and a career fair was hosted on the Grove Hill Elementary site. Ninety-eight percent of the students who attended GHASA regularly had a better daily attendance rate compared to their peers. Ninety-four percent showed an improvement in the areas of reading and math.