If you ever walk the campus of Allen Dale after school don’t be surprised if you still see students in classrooms, out at the track, or cleaning up our campus.  Our after school programs at Allen Dale serve over 200 students during a typical week.  After-school programs are often seen as an effective way to keep children safe and supervised. It is also believed that the after-school hours are an opportunity to further engage students in academic, social, and physical activities.

                                                       Greenie's Club with OSU Master Gardners

Currently Allen Dale has 4 different after school clubs that are run during different times of the week. Our largest after school group is our Run/Walk Club.  Bobbi St. Clair, our PE teacher, organizes, coordinates, and supervises the club.   Students in grades 2^nd – 5^th are invited to participate in this after school activity.  At the peak of Run/Walk, Allen Dale had 100 students participating in the club.  In addition to the students, we also have teachers, educational assistants, as well as parent volunteers participate in the club.   Students run anywhere from 1-4 miles every week.  Students receive incentives for reaching specific mile marks at the end of the 11 week period.

Nevin Van Manen, our music teacher, runs the Choir Club on Monday afternoons.  The Choir Club performs at different events held both inside and outside of Allen Dale.  This club is made up of both 4^th and 5^th grade students.  This month the club performed at our Band/Strings/Choir event, as well as our Volunteer Tea.  The highlight for many of the club members is getting the chance to go caroling around to the different assisted living facilities right before winter break.

With such a strong emphasis on reading, writing, and math, teachers often don’t have time for art during the regular school day.  This year one our 5^th grade teachers, Kim de Young, created The Allen Dale Art Club on Tuesday afternoons for any interested 5^th graders.  Students learn different mediums, elements, and styles of art.  The students will have completed 5 different art projects during the course of the club, and even had the opportunity to create one of these projects with a local artist.  The students will have their art displayed on May 2^nd, at the Grants Pass Museum of Art, during First Friday.

The “Greenies” Club was started this year by three of our 4th grade students, and has grown to 15 members.  The “Greenies” have done everything from cleaning trash around our campus to working with the OSU Master Gardeners to plant Allen Dale’s garden.  Lisa Rist, a parent at Allen Dale, has helped run the club, and comes up with different activities for the students each week.  Three girls came up with the idea, and turned into a successful club, that isn’t going away anytime soon.  Most of these students will return in the fall, and pick up right from where they left off.

I believe it is important that the teachers, parents, and students who are a part of these clubs are recognized for all of their hard work and dedication.  It is programs like these that make our district a special place.