FYI, happening at Stratton!

A new Cultural learning afterschool program kicks off at Stratton Elementary School.

Summary:
A local grass roots group started an afterschool program to turn what might seem to be an obstacle, into a strength. The Summit Afterschool Program works with  students from the three most common languages at Stratton Elementary school (among the close to twenty languages represented at the school) to help them with school work and to build community through cultural learning activities.

The Summit Afterschool Program meets at Stratton on Monday, Wednesday and Friday from dismissal time until 4, a total of two hours. The Summit Afterschool Program is a pilot program designed to foster community in a culturally diverse situation. According to principal, Stephanie Eckels, students at Stratton represent close to twenty different native languages. With so many students enrolled in the English Language Learner (ELL) program, there can be obstacles to learning.

Half of the afterschool session will be supporting the students in their school work; making sure they understand directions, working with them on assignments, etc. The second half of the program is a new, innovative curriculum designed to provide opportunity for each of the students to have a “right to speak”.  Many ELL students feel embarrassed by their lack of language ability and are often incorrectly viewed as shy. In this program, topics will be introduced where students will not have existing knowledge and thus they all begin on the same level and can learn together, in contrast to language learning where there is always a difference in ability. An example of an early lesson:  students will talk about a photo they will bring in of themselves taken near their birthplace. Each student is an expert about themselves and can thus tell the group about what is in the photo. The group can then discuss the similarities and differences that are pointed out from each photo.


Summit Afterschool grew out of a group of Stratton dads who met regularly to talk about the state of education in the country and locally. Ideas are fun to talk through, but over time these fathers found the need to act on some of their ideas. In a matter of months, the appropriate permissions were obtained and the curriculum established. Initially Summit afterschool will run as a pilot program from Labor Day until Thanksgiving with fewer than 20 students. There is already a waiting list for additional students to be admitted to the program. For this semester, the organisers are volunteering their time with the hope that funding will be found to hire the needed teachers and other professionals. Should this happen, it would allow an expansion of the program to more students and possibly, additional languages. It is operating currently as a school club. There is no charge to participate.

Summit Afterschool has recruited volunteers from the campus community as well. There is currently a list of nearly a dozen eager undergraduates ready to help. Some of these university students have ability in Korean or Spanish. At least one of them is fluent in both languages!

This past Wednesday, Summit afterschool had a very successful Kick off event in the Stratton Library attended by the organisers, volunteers, and students and their families. Following introductions, the evening was filled with ice breaker games and other fun introductory activities. The meeting concluded with an informal Q&A along with pizza and culturally specific desserts all enjoyed in an environment accompanied by live music.


Background:
Stratton is one of the largest Elementary school in Champaign (after Robeson and Garden Hills) with 450 students. The English Language Learner (ELL) program is larger than ever and currently serves around 80 students. Korean and Spanish are the largest language groups among the ELL students.

Contact information:
Andrew Moss, Director: moss.andrew.p@gmail.com
Chuck Jackson: chuck@cdjackson.net
Hee Young Choi: hchoi28@illinois.edu

Additional documents available:
“Stratton Elementary School and You”
Parent Packet with all registration materials
Parent welcome letter in three languages

The Organising Parents
Meet the Summit Program Staff
Hee Young Choi studied Bilingual/Multicultural Education and ESL in the PhD program at the U of I. He is interested in improving English Language Learners’ (ELL) language and literacy competence and integrating the cross-cultural approach and language learning. His qualifications include an intensive study in Curriculum and Instruction, a wide range of teaching experience, and a strong background in conducting research in both K- 12 and higher education settings.

Mi Kyung Choi majored in English/French in college and studied English literature and Linguistics as a Master’s student in South Korea. When she was studying in the PhD program, she came to the U.S. Currently she is in the Master’s program in the Department of Educational Psychology at the U of I. As she knows the influence of literature in our daily lives, especially the lives of young children, she would like to integrate literature in English education.

Laura DeThorne is an Associate Professor of Speech & Hearing Science, a certified speech-language pathologist, and a mother of two boys. Laura is particularly interested in using play as a way to build friendship and community across children with various communication needs and styles. Laura will be coordinating children’s play activities on ‘Fun Fridays.’

Chuck Jackson is a multi-talented man with a hand in many pots. He originally planned a career in international development and specialized in Women in Development when he was in graduate school. After working as a computer specialist for a large fundraising operation, he started his own business, eventually selling it. A former PTA president at Stratton, Mr. Jackson has worked hard to make sure Stratton is represented to the Board of Education and throughout the school district administration. His countless hours of committee work and of leading other volunteers have made a positive difference at Stratton.

Laura Jackson is a twenty year veteran of the classroom. She is a certified special ed teacher and was case manager for students with various disabilities for the majority of her career. More recently, she has brought her talents to a wider population and currently teaches reading and language arts at Urbana Middle School. Ms Jackson always has a million ideas and her specialty is engaging even the most reluctant student. She has worked with professionals at all levels of education to develop curriculum and present her work to others in the field. Ms Jackson will lead “The Gifted Project,” a series of lessons and activities that will help students identify and explore their individual talents.

Andrew Moss is a Lecturer in English at the University of Illinois, where he completed his PhD in American Literature. He is a former coordinator of elementary arts, sports, and drama programs at Vista del Camino Community Center in Scottsdale, Arizona, and was Stratton’s PTA president in the spring of 2010. Andrew has taught arts and literature to many diverse groups of students and hopes to foster excitement about learning and culture to children at Stratton. He will lead the first three weeks of the program, focusing on language, maps, and stories.

Three Stratton teachers, Jenny Kim, Jana Pedemonte, and Sushma Bridgemohan have generously offered to be a part of Summit Afterschool Program. Their interest in the success of Stratton’s students and their recognition of the ways an afterschool program can help English Language Learners has helped shape the program, and we are very excited to have them.

Many volunteers from the University of Illinois will join the program to help give academic help during homework time, offer language assistance, and act as positive role models during activities and games.

Special thanks to Principal Stephanie Eckels whose support for the program has been essential.