BIG BROTHERS BIG SISTERS RETURNS

Our Big Brothers/Big Sisters program is BACK this year at NIS! Our third, fourth, and fifth grade "littles" have been so excited to have their McKinley High School "bigs" around to hang out with. While the group has been meeting all school year, we caught up with them recently and everyone was enjoying a game day. Students had their choice of playing basketball, bowling, cornhole, hula hoop, ring toss, bag toss, or doing something quieter like a puzzle.

All of the high school students had to go through an extensive process in order to become a mentor. Those who do it say the experience has been somewhat of a reality check. "I didn't realize how many of these kids needed someone else to support them," says 11th grader Kennedy Barrell. "I hope I'm making their day better by being here."

"They come in here and they're just so excited to see us," says junior Avah Rodgers. "It makes me feel good knowing I'm having a positive impact."

Third grade students put on beautiful performances during their winter concerts in December. Signing new tunes, along with the holiday classics students truly lit up the stage. We were excited to welcome our families back for this exciting event!

AFTER-SCHOOL PROGRAM BEGINS

113 Niles Intermediate students are receiving additional supports through our after-school partnership with the Cadence Care Network. CCN received over a million dollars in grants from the Ohio Department of Education to put an afterschool and summer program in place within the district. This program is implementing evidence-based strategies and activities that meet the academic, social, and emotional needs of all students.