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Prescott Friday Clubs
omething special is taking place on Fridays at Prescott Adventist Christian School in Prescott, Arizona. A Friday Clubs Program that is designed to create partnerships with homeschool families, create opportunities to connect with local businesses, introduce students to various career options, provide service projects for students to give back to their community, and raise awareness of cultural identities is doing exactly all of that. “A big draw for parents is that we are one of the only schools in the area that is doing this type of program as part of the regular school program,” said principal Jennifer Montalban. “We focus on hands-on learning and incorporate career awareness, service opportunities, and cultural learning.” This has gotten the attention of homeschool parents who want their children to have exposure to not only the Friday program but also the weekly chapels and service events. The children enroll in the program and pay a small fee to participate in the activities. “When parents decide that home school is no longer meeting their needs, a relationship has already been established,” said Montalban. “Five of the 12 home school students that we have enrolled in the program this year have already enrolled full time for next school year.” As the program developed, Montalban realized there was an opportunity to partner with small businesses as well. The presenters not only teach a skill but also share how they got into this career and what is required to do the career. In turn, the school pays them a small stipend for their time and materials and promotes their business on the school social media. Some of the
24 Pacific Union Recorder
Arizona Conference
programs this year have included a watercolor and acrylic class, a professor from nearby Emory-Riddle University who introduced aerospace with hands-on airplane design, and a jazzercise business that presented students with an alternative way to stay healthy and fit. “We had an orthopedic technician come to school and put plaster casts on the students, and a physician brought stethoscopes for the students,” said Montalban. “These are cool experiences that some of the students have never done and would not experience otherwise.” Incorporated into the Friday program are service projects. The students have visited nursing homes, assisted in a Salvation Army project, and cleaned up around the Museum of Indigenous People in Prescott. Not wanting to miss an opportunity for learning, that service project was coordinated with a tour of the facility, and students learned about cultures and got a hands-on education using a grinding stone. Each October, Montalban plans an arts and crafts program that will coincide with the Fall Festival. “The students make one item to take home and one item to sell at the Fall Festival,” she said. “It makes about $500 for the program, and we have had bath bombs, tea towels, candles, and baskets.” This past December, the Friday program featured Christmas Around the World. Parents of students at the school created food and crafts that illustrated their ethnic culture’s celebration of Christmas. Combining resources from the community to give the students a multi-cultural, hands-on experience is a hallmark feature of this Friday Club Program. ____________________ By Jeff Rogers