Enriching LIFE: After School Program Bridges the Gap and Trains Leaders For activity leader Erik Sanchez, after school begins before school even ends. He’s one of many activity leaders in the Learning in a Fun Environment (LIFE) After-School Program at West Hills College Lemoore. Sanchez will graduate in May with plans to eventually become a biology teacher. In the meantime, he teaches students and assists with extracurricular activities at Lemoore Elementary School all while finishing his associate’s degree. “A typical day for me as an activity leader starts off way before I actually walk into my site,” he said. “I say that because I think about the activities that I will be doing with the kids, answers to questions from the previous day, or what I can add to the classroom to make it more welcoming to the students.” LIFE runs from 2-6 p.m. every Monday through Friday and
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West Hills magazine
serves 800 students from eight area schools. In the Lemoore Union Elementary School District, more than 100 students attend from each school. Another 100 students per school attend the program in the Reef Sunset Unified School District, with the exception of the middle school. Overall, the program employs 69 employees with hopes of growing more each year. Oscar Villarreal took over leadership of the program in 2013 and has advocated for its growth. The program consists of activity leaders, site coordinators, LIFE coordinators and volunteers. Each district is assigned a LIFE coordinator while each school has one site coordinator and six activity leaders. For each activity leader, there is a classroom of 20 students. “I get to meet so many students with different backgrounds and cultures, or even some that have the same childhood I had,”
said Sanchez. “It is a great program for the students to expand their knowledge and express their personalities.” The program is structured so that students receive a snack and rotate through homework help and academic support stations. The academic support side of LIFE includes iReady program implementation. This is an online student-paced program that supports development of math and reading skills. It’s already in place in Avenal and Kettleman City with plans to bring it to Lemoore next.
They also have an opportunity to participate in after-school activities, such as sports, a cooking elective, and even Girl Scouts. In Avenal, students learn sports fundamentals through the Responsible Athletes Program. LIFE also added a new cooking elective at Reef Sunset Middle School where students gain nutritional knowledge and learn recipes. Other students created a mural based off their favorite healthy foods thanks to involvement from the Kings Community Action Organization. The mural was completed in April and is aimed at promoting healthy eating. Overall, LIFE is living up to its mission statement, which says in part that the program provides a quality enrichment environment that bridges the gap between home and school. It’s not only a benefit to the younger students but the employees and volunteers as well. “The LIFE program provides a great training ground for our future teachers,” said James Preston, Dean of Educational Services and head of the T.E.A.M. Teach program at WHCL. “Over the years, it has been powerful to hear from our students how they take what they have learned in their education classes and how they have put it into practice.” It’s something Elyana Salinas, a WHCL graduate from 2011, values about the program. She initially participated to earn community service hours during high school, then volunteered during college at WHCL and is now back as an activity leader with a degree from Fresno State. Salinas is placed at Avenal Elementary School and has plans to complete her credential and become a teacher. “I enjoy working with kids and making a difference in their lives,” she said. “I enjoy being a role model to them. The program influenced me to become an elementary school teacher.” The program empowers students to excel in school and in life, and it also trains up future teachers. All staff attend leadership trainings and gain invaluable firsthand experience in the classroom. They’ll attend their first retreat later this year. “These programs will continue to evolve and new leaders will rise who will make a difference in our students,” said Villarreal. “The cycle will continue for years to come, because we are not just in the business of serving students with quality educational services, but also developing leaders for our future.”
Elyana Salinas, upper left, with some of the LIFE students; Above, Erik Sanchez in the classroom. LIFE is an after-school program for elementary school students that also serves as a laboratory for future teachers studying at West Hills College Lemoore. It runs from 2 to 6 p.m. Monday through Friday and serves 800 students from eight area schools. For more information, visit the website: WestHillsCollege.com/Lemoore, or contact oscarvillarreal@whccd.edu
Spring 2016
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