CRESTVIEW — Walker Elementary School kindergartner Zac Smith has no qualms about hanging — literally — with fourth-grader Gareth Aderhold and third-grader Dalton Pickron.
Times like these make the boys' bond grow stronger.
“He calls me Daddy,” Dalton said as Zac hung upside down from Walker’s playground monkey bars.
See photos of the Walker Elementary School afternoon Boys and Girls Club>>
Boys and Girls Club staffers Robbin Grace and Debbie Buckles watched as elementary school kids of all grades snacked, studied and played together.
The Boys and Girls Club of the Emerald Coast took over the former Crestview YMCA after-school program, which now has 35 registered kids, when all Emerald Coast YMCAs closed their doors last fall.
HEALTHY HABITS
Boys and Girls Clubs of the Emerald Coast Chief Executive Officer Shervin Rassa said the program prioritizes academics, healthy lifestyles, good character and citizenship.
Each after-school program begins with a healthy snack. “We get two crunchies: Cinnamon Toast Crunch or Trix," second-grader Brodie Arnett said.
During “Power Hour,” some kids do homework while others settle down with books. Grace and Buckles check the students’ homework before they’re released to outside play.
“It’s not just rubber-stamping it,” Rassa said. “We want to make sure it’s really sinking in.”
On Wednesday, first-grader Cian Weekley eyed a colorful book called, “The Natural World"; the photo of a rattail fish intrigued him and he eagerly read the write-up.
“I’m like, what kind of fish is that?” Cian said. “Some things they say in books — I’m like, seriously?”
RECEPTIVE PRINCIPAL
The club is grateful to Walker Principal Jeanine Kirkland, who enthusiastically accepted their proposal to step in after the YMCA closed its doors, Rassa said.
“She was extremely receptive,” Rassa said. “We made it happen and it was a smooth transition.”
The Boys and Girls Club hopes to expand its Walker program to eventually include children from other area elementary schools, Rassa said.
The school’s multi-purpose room and nearby outdoor playgrounds are assets to the program’s success, he said.
“We can do Boys and Girls Club programming out of a cardboard box if we have to,” Rassa said. “We just need a space.”
Email News Bulletin Staff Writer Brian Hughes, follow him on Twitter or call 850-682-6524.
This article originally appeared on Crestview News Bulletin: At Walker Elementary, Boys and Girls Club instills values after classes