Weekly Media Roundup - October 2, 2014

Wake Forest Parents Cheer Transportation to Boys & Girls Club (News & Observer, North Carolina)
Parents in Wake Forest burst into applause at a recent meeting when they learned that their children would continue to have bus service to their afterschool program. For years the option for children to be dropped off at the Wake County Boys & Girls Club had become routine, but this year, due to a drop in 100 bus routes and 4,000 stops to speed up service, the stop had been eliminated.  “Families had to wait for several weeks beyond the first day of school to find out whether they would have service, leaving parents anxious about their children’s after-school plans,” the News & Observer reports.  Families had to apply for stop reassignment and the routes are now being altered on a first-come, first-serve basis, with no guarantees. Leaders at the Wake County Boys & Girls Club are looking into long-term solutions to ensure families have transportation.

Students Restore Atrium in Memory of Librarian (Idaho Press-Tribune, Idaho)
Afterschool students in the West Middle School Leo Club, an offshoot of the Nampa Lions Club, cleaned up the atrium in the middle of the cafeteria and dedicated it to the memory of a librarian and mentor to the students who died in 2010.  The students raised funds with candy and bake sales, car washes, and dances.  Sebastian Griffin, an eighth-grader at West who is hoping to be the Leo Club’s president this year, said he has enjoyed being in the club for the past year, “It’s a fun after-school activity that you can do with your friends and help the community at the same time,” the Idaho Press-Tribune reports.

Students On Track To Graduate Thanks To Success Program (WNCT 9, North Carolina)
The Student Success Academy is helping hundreds of at-risk students in Pitt County get on track to graduate with high expectations—and they’re only in middle school.  Thanks to a $1.27 million grant from the 21^st Century Community Learning Center program, graduation rates have increased from 50 percent to 82 percent because students are actually excited about school, thinking farther ahead about their exciting future careers. “It’s about beginning with the end in mind,” student Javante Mayo tells WNCT 9. “It helps me set goals and talk about how I can achieve my goals.” Pitt County Schools predict the graduation rate to keep increasing each year, now that this program is in place. 

State Rep Promotes After-School Fitness (Cleveland Daily Banner, Tennessee)
Russell Cliche, a representative from The Governor’s Foundation for Health and Wellness, spoke to 30 people from afterschool and extended learning programs about how to help students become more physically active in afterschool programs.  Cliche told the Cleveland Daily Banner that increasing blood and oxygen flow to the brain help the brain’s ability to concentrate, “When you’re moving and learning, you’re creating brain cells.” This is the first year that 21^st Century Community Learning Centers and state-funded Lottery for Education Afterschool programs are required to incorporate physical activities into their programs.