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Sylacauga community organizations participate in new after-school homework initiative to launch in September

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SYLACAUGA, Ala. – A new after school homework assistance program for students will launch the first full week of September. The initiative, coordinated by District 2 Sylacauga City Councilwoman Tiffany Nix, will be a full fledged effort between local charitable pillars of the community.

As she coordinated the program, Nix sought out the help of the Sylacauga Alliance for Family Enhancement (SAFE) and the Sylacauga Parks and Recreation Department. The homework sessions will be held at the Verlie B. Collins Center which is operated by the city’s Parks and Recreation Department.

“I spend a lot of time here at the rec, and I deal with a lot of kids,” Nix explained. “Many of these kids do great in school, but we can’t just be satisfied with some kids doing well. We need to help all children, and this will ensure all children who want help will get that help.”

Nix, along with many parents, admits the work she was asked to do in school was much different than what her children do on a daily basis. “The processes they use in math and other subjects is just different than what we did in school. Sometimes it’s hard for parents to give their children they help they need.”

To take care of this learning gap issue, Nix explained high school and middle school students will be available as tutors. Not only will this enable students to become proficient in school related subjects, but the hours spent tutoring will count towards the community service hours high school students need to graduate.

Sylacauga Parks and Recreation Director Jim Armstrong is excited about the initiative shown by Nix and believes this opportunity will be beneficial to the improvement Sylacauga’s society. “We do not want to leave any child behind. If we can help students become successful, then we will help our society. It takes a village to raise a child, and we are making sure we give very child the opportunity to succeed,” he said.

Throughout the opening phases of this project, Armstrong made sure the Verlie B. Collins Center is equipped with high-speed internet, enabling students to use the technology necessary to complete their work.

To help students have easily accessible technology, RadioAlabama donated two brand-new Google Chromebooks. Students in Sylacauga City Schools now use Google applications such as Google Documents or Google Slides to complete their work.

“As a community-oriented entity in Sylacauga, we pride ourselves in giving back to the community that has been supportive of us,” said Executive VP, Managing Editor, and Director of Business & Digital Strategy for RadioAlabama, Michael Brannon. “We are proud to partner with Tiffany (Nix), Sylacauga Parks and Recreation, and SAFE, and share the same mindset and goals when it comes to the education of the youth in our city.”

The program will also be an opportunity for students to get an after school meal, which is where SAFE comes in to play. Through the League of Municipalities CHAMPS Grant, a foundation grant through Walmart, SAFE will provide food, table, chairs, refrigeration for meals.

“This is the essence of community partnership at its best. Everyone is bringing what they can bring to the table which is amazing,” said Executive Director Margaret Morton. “The meals and help with homework provided in this program is something children may not get anywhere else.”

The weekly program is set to run Monday through Thursday after school from from 4:00 p.m. to 6:00 p.m.

Jeremy Law for SylacaugaNews.com | © 2017, SylacaugaNews.com/Marble City Media LLC. All Rights Reserved.


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