Weekly Media Roundup: January 6, 2016

Gentrification, the Musical? S.F. Arts Program Explains Kids' Play Featured on 'This American Life' (SFGATE, California)

A group of San Francisco elementary school students recently wrote and performed a musical about the changing landscape of their city, addressing serious issues like rising rent prices, evictions and the tech boom. Students in the nonprofit Children’s After School Arts program (CASA) developed the musical, “City Not For Sale,” with the help of their teachers throughout the year. The play was then featured in a recent episode of the popular podcast “This American Life.” CASA executive director Leslie Einhorn told SFGATE that the play “made me very proud to be part of this community of people who are brave enough… to have these conversations that a lot of people shy away from or think they’re too complex for kids.”

ARJH's After-School Program Lets Kids Continue to Learn (Muskogee Phoenix, Oklahoma)

About 75 Alice Robertson Junior High students are participating in Zumba dancing, art, video coding, robotics and choir after school thanks to a new 21st Century Community Learning Center grant. “We want kids to be where it is safe, supportive and happy,” program director Tammy Pierce told the Muskogee Phoenix. Through Project CREATE, kids are able to partake in a variety of enrichment activities that they may not have time for during regular school hours. They also receive tutoring on core classes and a safe space to spend their afterschool hours four days a week.

BJHS Students Explore New Interests After School (Bedford Now, Michigan)

The traditional school day doesn’t often include lessons in crocheting, juggling or pottery, so Bedford Junior High School afterschool programs are filling the gaps. Each semester, students can participate in special interest clubs like Charity Club, Robotics Club and Book Club, where they can explore new hobbies and skills that don’t fit into their regular school schedule. Many of these hobbies have developmental and academic benefits, according to Bedford Now – for instance, art skills can improve creativity and hand-eye coordination, while juggling teaches improvisation.

Aqua Lab Explores the Heart of the Sea (Catskill Daily Mail, New York)

An award-winning afterschool STEM program at Coxsackie Elementary School is teaching students about chemistry, conservation and biology by giving them an important responsibility—caring for sea creatures, both in their classroom and out in the world. Students in the Aqua Lab maintain fish tanks filled with jellyfish, shrimp and corals while learning about the pollution, overfishing and reef destruction that threaten the animals’ natural habitats. “The goal is to educate the community about the ocean habitat, develop an appreciation for it and to raise awareness of all the dangers these creatures are facing,” program creator Melissa Durant told the Catskill Daily Mail. The program received the “Be the Change for Kids” Innovation Award from the New York State School Boards Association and the SUNY Polytechnic Institute’s College of Nanoscale Science and Engineering earlier this year.