Umana Barnes After School Program
History
Mario Umana/Joseph H. Barnes Middle School enrolls 810 students and is the largest middle school in Boston. The after school program began in September of 2001 as the New Arrivals Program, which focused on students who recently arrived in this country from Central and South America. From its inception through June of 2004 the program continued to target this specialized group of students and their families. During this time the program grew from an original enrollment of 35 to more than 85. In September of 2004 under the leadership of a new principal, Dr. Jose Salgado, the program was opened to all students and the enrollment swelled to 285 students.
Program Offerings
Currently Umana/Barnes offers an after-school program with 400 student seats conducted by 40 certified teachers. The program runs three days a week throughout the year and is focused on literacy, math and MCAS prep. Each student has an MCAS Coach, test preparation materials, and parent involvement. Academic goals are supported by partnerships with MIT, Gear Up, YMCA, PTC (16th largest software company in the world), City Year, New England Aquarium and Harborside Community Center.
After school programming is coordinated with school day and extended day academic programming to maximize impact. Comprehensive support is also offered to parents and families. As such, it is a highly integrated program, drawing on the resources and strengths of many different school and community groups to meet the needs of the whole family.
A music program was added in March of 2004. This year the program has been expanded to include voice and keyboard training. Cooking classes have helped to raise money for the program by selling some of the delicacies that they prepared. Several students who have “grown up” in the program are now volunteering their time to help others.
Staffing
The relationship of the school teachers and the after school staff is excellent. Many of the daytime teachers work in the after school program teaching in the academic portion of the program and a few continue in the recreational/athletic component. This working side by side with after school staff has been beneficial to both staffs and, most importantly, benefits the students. It should be noted that the directors of the program Christine Buttiglieri and Jim McGrane share a special bond with the day staff. Buttiglieri is employed by the school as the librarian. She is a member of the Instructional Leadership Team and the Whole School Improvement Plan and is also a union representative. McGrane retired in 2001 after having worked for 36 years at the school. McGrane is a highly experienced educator and community leader who was one of the architects of the New Arrivals Project. Both have much credibility among the staff.
Communications
A variety of forums are used for staff meetings and communication between the after school program, the school, and the community. McGrane, Program Coordinator, chairs a monthly meeting of the After School Advisory Board, a group made up of all of the key program staff, school faculty and administration, and collaborative partners. These meetings serve as a central communications vehicle for all issues relating to the program. McGrane’s office is housed in the Umana/Barnes school, which ensures ease of communication between after school program staff and school faculty and administration. There are also monthly meetings of all program staff and weekly core staff meetings. McGrane brings information from all these meetings to his daily contact with Mr. Salgado, Principal of Umana/Barnes Middle School. He also has regular input in the meetings of the school’s Instructional Leadership Team. This collaboration reinforces using the student work in the classroom as the foundation for future learning.
Facilities
The program has excellent space negotiated through the Umana/Barnes Middle School, and the Harborside Community Center. Indoor space includes the school library, two large, glassed in rooms and access to the computer lab. Additionally, through the Harborside Community Center, there is a large multi-purpose gymnasium, swimming pool and locker room.
Challenges
The greatest challenge for the program has been keeping the students interested and maintaining attendance levels. Middle school students can be quite mercurial in their interests. What appeared to be great one week becomes less interesting the next. It is important to monitor attendance in activities, see what is working, what is not and tweak the offerings to make them more appealing. In order to help reinforce the excellent 90% attendance rate the program has a policy which stipulates that a call is made to a parent if a child is expected at the program and they do not attend. Students may be excused from the after school program for such contingencies as doctor’s appointments, school meetings, family emergencies, etc. However, a student with three unexcused absences is no longer eligible to be part of the program. 100% of the eligible students returned to the program from last year.
Benefits
The benefits of having a school based after school program are many. First and foremost it provides the students with a venue where they can be safe and participate in a wide variety of activities that pique their interest. At the same time it offers comfort and peace of mind to working parents to know that their children are in the care of professionals who are positive role models for their children. Children are also provided with an opportunity to receive academic help/enrichment in English/Language Arts and Mathematics. This has proved most beneficial in raising their academic standing. Students needing assistance with homework have an opportunity to work with a professional. Students who participate in the after school program perform better academically, tend to make excellent choices in friendships, and become more involved in their community.