By Cara Kelly
With students successfully venting back to school, parents
and children alike are undoubtedly looking for something entertaining
to do after school.
Members of Mountain Alliance hike during a backpacking
trip to Mount Rogers, one of the many trips planned staff
for this year. Photo submitted |
Two non-profit organizations in the area are trying to fill the
void for Watauga youth by providing quality programming to keep
them healthy and active.
Mountain Alliance will host its kick-off event on Aug. 27 in the
auxiliary gym at Watauga High School. The event, which will be
held from 6:30 to 8 p.m., is open to any high school student or
parent who would like to learn about the program and the events
scheduled for this semester.
“There are not a lot of options for our youth outside school
with no YMCA or youth center, so if they don’t play a sport
with the school there isn’t a lot for them to do,” executive
director Todd Nolt said. “They learn a lot but it’s
in a fun, supportive environment.”
Mountain Alliance started in 1990 as a nonprofit dedicated to
teaching students life skills and lessons that are not part of
an academic curriculum in a fun and social setting. The program
strives to develop leadership skills in students through community
service activities and outdoor adventures, and is the only leadership
development program catering to teens aged 13 to 18.
Students are forced to work together and step out of their comfort
zones and recognize the unique abilities of their peers as they
work together towards a common goal. Last year alone, students
completed 1,800 hours of community service.
This year, the Mountain Alliance staff has planned several hiking
trips to Pisgah National Forest and Elk Knob, overnight camping
at Table Rock National Park and climbing trips in addition to
community service projects at the Hospitality House and the Humane
Society.
“One of the neat things we’re offering this year is
a seven-week program for students interested in outdoor photography,”
Nolt said. “The program will culminate in a reception showcasing
their work at Reid’s Café on Nov.7, which will be
in coordination with the area Art Crawl.”
Interested students will have the chance to meet once a week on
Tuesday to learn how to capture their outdoor adventures on film.
“When the weather gets cold, we’ll start moving underground,”
said Nolt, who also has planned trips to Worley’s and Robert’s
caves for overnight spelunking expeditions.
Although there is no membership fee, there are small fees to participate
in various activities. The non-profit derives the majority of
its finances, not received through grants, from an annual climb-a-thon
fundraiser scheduled for Oct. 9 at the high school’s climbing
wall.
Western Youth Network (WYN)
Providing the only structured after-school program for
middle school students, WYN is a grant-funded organization sponsored
by local and state departments of juvenile justice and delinquency
prevention, in addition to the town of Boone, Watauga County
and High Country United Way.
Thanks to generous support, half of WYN students receive services
free of charge, with full price only $20 per week.
The after-school program, which runs from 2:30 to 5:30 p.m.,
is still accepting students.
“One of our unique features is our ratio of staff to kids,”
said Angela Grimes, after school program director. “Some
days it is really one to one.”
Most days, however, the ratio is eight children to one staff
member, excluding the volunteers that donate their time to help
WYN provide the best support and care for students.
“I think as far as a program, what makes us successful
is that we look for qualified staff. We want our staff to have
many years of experience working with kids,” Grimes said.
Each day, students have one hour of tutoring, in addition to
educational but fun activities coordinated by local groups such
as the Arts Council, Watauga County Library and Appalachian
State University Teaching Fellows.
One of the group’s favorite activities, according to Grimes,
is learning to play and make their own instruments with the
Arts Council. Bike riding and inline skating at the Greenway
are always enjoyable days, as well.
Positions in the after school program are still available for
the 2008-09 school year. Enrollment forms are available at westernyouthnetwork.org,
or by calling (828) 264-5174.
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