By Valentina Platt-Higgins

One of the most popular after school programs organized by RCDS is the Student-Centered Outreach, Partnership, and Enrichment (SCOPE) program, which runs on Mondays and Wednesdays from 3:00 PM – 5:15 PM. SCOPE partners with three middle schools in Port Chester: JFK, Thomas A. Edison, and Park Avenue. The program runs from January through February to teach 4th and 5th graders. This year, fourth grade primarily focused on reading, grammar, and government: they chose different books to read each time with the kids throughout the program. Fifth grade focused on humanities and the Civil Rights Movement, where they complete different reading and writing activities related to different parts of American history. Each grade consists of two classes, led by a classroom leader and three to five volunteers who also help teach and assist with activities. In the middle of each lesson, there is art time, which is run by Elsa Reisman ‘27. 

Lavender Kerridge ‘26, a fourth grade classroom leader, is currently focusing on teaching government systems. After this unit, Kerridge said, “we are moving onto annotation practice in addition to recognizing the elements of a story (setting, climax, conflict, resolution), and then they all write their own stories.” Julia Burgess ‘27 and Mia Herz ‘26, the two fifth grade classroom leaders, focus on teaching the kids about the Civil Rights Movement. Herz said, “We learn about important figures like Harriet Tubman, Susan B. Anthony, and Cesar Chavez and topics like the Bill of Rights, the Civil War, women’s suffrage, the United Farm Workers Association, and more. A daily lesson usually starts with an interactive activity to get the kids engaged in the lesson, then we usually have discussions, do a reading, watch a video, and practice writing, in addition to art and library.” The students are currently working on a final project, in which Burgess said, “The kids will be making posters about a group, person, or event that we learned about that they would like to dive more deeply into.” During art time, run by Reisman, the students are working on activities related to identity, and now moving towards social justice. Reisman said, “The most recent art projects are self-portraits to reveal pieces of their identities that would otherwise be left unseen, and artwork to stand up for something you care about in our community.”

SCOPE is an enjoyable opportunity to bond with children in our community. Kerridge said she enjoys teaching, and loves their “tradition of word searches as a warm-up to the lesson. All of the kids get very excited and competitive about who can find all the words first.” Similarly, Burgess said her favorite part of SCOPE is “getting to bond with the kids and forming a different classroom dynamic each year. This is my third year being a part of SCOPE, so I have gotten to know many kids with whom I have formed close bonds. Spending time with the kids and making this a fun part of their day is what I enjoy the most.” For Herz, the part she enjoys the most is, “getting to know the kids throughout the program. Usually they are shy and quiet in the beginning, but by the end of the program I really get to know their personalities and interests. I also love seeing how they might get excited about a topic we are learning or a project we are working on.” As the art leader, Reisman said her “favorite part of SCOPE is seeing the artwork the kids made at the end of the art time, and being able to see how much their creativity shines through.”

If you are passionate about humanities and english, and want to help make a difference in the community and in the kids’ education, SCOPE is the program for you. Despite not originally being interested in teaching kids, Kerridge said that, “for the past 2 years, I have literally only worked with kids ages 4-10, and they’re pretty fun to be around.” According to Burgess, “SCOPE is a fun way to relax and have fun during the winter, when the weather is cold. I joined because I thought it would be a great opportunity to get to work with local kids and give them access to resources that they otherwise might not have.” Herz said, “It’s really nice because over the years I might get one of my students’ siblings, or a kid from fourth grade moves to fifth. So, I have really have gotten to know these kids and their families.” Since Herz is also a classroom leader, she enjoys that she also has “more control over the curriculum. Over the years this has led us to make changes to fit the kids interests more and make the activities engaging and fun.” 

Overall, SCOPE provides students within our community with lessons about English and humanities, and is a fun opportunity for students to build connections with younger kids.