Spring Break Comes Alive At Wexler-Grant

Instead of sitting home playing video games, grade-schoolers are spending the week doing handstands around the gym, building airplanes and mini-solar houses, and making new friends, thanks to the lower-school version of a ​“Spring Fun Club.”

The Spring Fun Club is a district initiative introduced this school year to seek to close the social-emotional learning gap that the pandemic exacerbated as a result of remote instruction for two years. 

The spring break program for K‑8 students is running at Family Academy of Multilingual Exploration, Wexler-Grant Community School, Roberto Clemente Leadership Academy, and the Barack H. Obama Magnet University School, which is two more schools than during this year’s winter break in February. 

Dozens of students attended the program at Wexler Thursday, spending hours playing outdoors, doing karate, making friendship bracelets, and performing science experiments.

“Most of these kids have just finished going through the Smart Balance [standardized test] assessment and need a break,” Spring Fun Club Program Coordinator Dianne Stewart said. ​“This is like a temp check on their emotions.” 

So far this week the program has included kite-making and flying, creating bird houses, personalizing bags, and writing in daily mindfulness journals. 

At Wexler students are placed in cohorts of 25 kids based on their grade level. Each cohort is facilitated by two to three paid NHPS staff members and/or high school students. Wexler’s four cohorts include kindergartners, first-third graders, third and fourth graders, and fifth-eighth graders. 

Thursday morning kindergartners designed and assembled wooden airplanes, then put them to the test in the classroom with friendly races. 

The spring break program is a partnership between NHPS and Farnam Neighborhood House/Clifford Beers. 

The program has run from 8 a.m to 3 p.m for the entire week of spring break. It has been specifically focusing on providing students with a safe and active outlet to continue developing social and emotional learning, mindfulness, along with a daily breakfast and lunch. The school district’s Office of Youth, Family and Community Engagement runs the program, which is funded with federal dollars and is aimed at providing enrichment and learning opportunities to help make up for pandemic-connected learning loss.

Throughout the day the students cycle around the building and outdoor spaces to avoid being stuck in a single classroom all day. The program has established a room for arts and crafts and uses the auditorium and gym to host dance competitions and karate lessons. 

Each school is staffed with a nurse, security, and custodians. 

In the gym students in grades 5 – 8 got a lesson in karate and practiced their straight punches with Farnam sensei Ismael Campbell. 

Campbell led the students in a brief karate lesson before allowing them to play with basketballs, footballs, and jump ropes. 

“This is a good start for them to learn to defend themselves,” he said. 

Fifth-graders Adrianna and Ja’Quell met at the spring break program this week. Adrianna, who just moved to New Haven from Seymour, said she has been in need of new friends. She attends Augusta Lewis Troup School; Ja’Quell goes to Celentano.

The two helped each other to improve their handsprings and jump-roping while in gym Thursday.

Wexler serves approximately 90 students this week with a capacity of 100 at each of the four schools. 

The district is also hosting programming throughout the break for high school students. Click here to read a previous story about that. 

On Friday the students are scheduled to celebrate Earth Day by spending lots of time outdoors and decorating Mother’s Day plant pots. 

Farnam Director of Operations Segundo Ruiz and Spring Fun Club Program Coordinator Stewart meet daily with Mindfulness Coordinator Aisha Knox to run an agenda full of breathing techniques and yoga.

“Here the kids are actually getting to interact and re-acclimate into society,” Knox said. 

In one classroom third and fourth-graders built battery-operated STEM projects.

“This week is focused on taking away the heavy stress of technology,” Stewart said. 

Ten-year-old Makala used a screwdriver to attach two wooden boards that would eventually become a mini-hand-crank generator. ​“I like putting things together, because I’m going to have to know this stuff when I get my own house,” she said. 

In addition to her love for animals and a dream to one day become a veterinarian, Makala said she enjoys building and drawing.

Sisters Samiyah and Samirah, 10, agreed that building the STEM projects Thursday was fun and challenging. With assistance from facilitator Christine Boyd, the two worked at constructing their own solar windmill houses. 

Samiyah, who plans to be an entrepreneur, and Samirah, who plans to be a scientist and the first woman president of the United States, said they’ve been enjoying the spring break program so far, particularly the art activities and reading time. 

Hillhouse High School senior Christine Boyd, 19, joined the third and fourth-grade cohort as a facilitator Thursday. She said she has enjoyed the program so far because it has exposed her to new career paths like teaching. 

It has also helped keep her from staying indoors during spring break and playing video games all day. 

“I get to be outside the house more than usual, and I’m getting paid a good bit,” she said. 

Next year Boyd is considering attending Gateway Community College for graphic design. 

She said the program has also been her first work experience, helping her to develop patience. 

“I feel like every high schooler should have this kind of real-life work experience,” she said. 

Eight-year-old Damian was the first in his class to finish building his solar windmill house Thursday. He credited his quick hands and dream of being a construction worker.