On Jan. 26, Feb. 2 and Feb. 9, School One hosted its “Beyond School Explorers” (BSE) program, during which Scotch Plains-Fanwood High School and middle school volunteers teach students from a range of grades how to do various activities.
”The classes ranged from Art, Lego Building, Friendship Bracelets, Crochet Kids, Let’s Go Birding, Fun with Food, [etc.],” School One Board of Education President Angela Yas said.
The parents and students were able to read descriptions of the available classes, as well as see the grade range that the class was designed for. Two examples of descriptions of this year’s classes are seen below:
Friendship Bracelets Description:
There’s no better way to celebrate your friends than with friendship bracelets. In this class, we will teach a few fantastic bracelet designs. Students at any skill level are welcome to a class full of fun and laughter.
Let’s Go Birding Description:
Embark on a fascinating journey into the world of birds in our engaging class. From identifying common birds and their habitats to crafting homemade binoculars and exploring the wonders of birds, our interactive sessions are designed to inspire curiosity.
This year was Yas’s first year being one of the Chairs for BSE as well as Phoebe Darwin’s first time as being a Chair for the program. This year’s BSE program had about 37 adult volunteers, 42 high school volunteers, and 23 middle school volunteers.
“I think providing our students with any type of enrichment opportunities can be extremely valuable,” School One Principal Justin Fiory said. “Students showed excitement towards the activities they were doing. It is great when they get to see older students in our district providing them with these opportunities. I think it was evident that our high school volunteers had as much joy teaching the classes as our students did participating in them.”
School One previously ran BSE for years before COVID-19 hit, forcing schools to go virtual and effectively terminating the program for the time being. Because of the years in between the program running, many things have changed.
“One of the biggest changes [to the program] this year is the [number] of high school students that we had assisting with classes,” Fiory told The Fanscotian. “It was so amazing to see so many of our high schoolers working with our younger students. The planning and preparation that went into these classes truly came from the students and they delivered!”
Another change that came with the pandemic was student enrollment: 173 students registered for this year’s program, a decrease from 224 students in 2020. Although this is a serious change, it makes sense since 15 classes were taught this year compared to 20 classes in 2020.
Despite these differences, the program was able to run smoothly, and students enjoyed learning new things and spending time with their friends and older students.
Both Yas and Fiory hope to continue the partnership with SPFHS students as they look forward to the BSE classes available in 2025.
