The Georgia College & State University (GCSU) High Achievers Program celebrated Lights on Afterschool Oct. 26 with an excursion to Lake Laurel to learn about local ecology through GCSU’s Academic Outreach Department.
Launched in October 2000, Lights on Afterschool is a nationwide event that shines a light on afterschool programs and their role in the lives of children, families and communities. The High Achievers Program is an afterschool program for high school students that focuses on leadership and personal development through Science, Technology, Engineering, Art, and Math (STEAM) and mental/physical health activities. Being affiliated with the National Afterschool Alliance, the program celebrates this event each year.
“The light of the High Achievers Program is truly the participants. We are the High Achievers family,” said Kenneth Daniels, program coordinator. “Through the consistent and positive programming, they become leaders to their peers. Even when we look at recruiting, it’s the participants who promote the program and are its biggest supporters. It's them who drives the program’s success.”
The program meets three times a week for Academic Support Tuesday, Mental/Physical Health Wednesday, and Academic Support Science Thursday.
Tuesday focuses on hands-on activities that delve into more than one subject. The program strives to answer the ‘why’ questions to promote interest in STEAM activities and future careers.
On Wednesday, students work to understand the importance of mental and physical health by learning how to improve and maintain physical health and navigate their mental wellbeing through dealing with stress, promoting good thinking and more.
Science Thursdays focus on the science aspect of STEAM by allowing students to experience science rather than simply study its concepts.
“Today (Oct. 26) is Science Thursday so this is an example of how our program allows the kids to experience science within their own community. Lake Laurel is only one of our local bodies of water but its ecology can teach our students about Lake Sinclair, local creeks, and the differences of ecology in our area versus other parts of the state or country,” said Daniels.
Director of Academic Outreach Ruth Eilers and her student employees divided the 19 students into two groups for the day. Each group was able to go netting with Eilers and her assistant to have a closer look at the creatures living in Lake Laurel and also hike a short trail around the lake to learn more about the flora growing on GCSU’s East Campus.
“These students will see this content in their classrooms, and having seen it firsthand may make those concepts a little easier to understand. However, seeing the interconnectedness of nature is also important beyond as they are making life decisions,” said Eilers. “The macros that we saw in the stream are impacted by everything around them and are able to tell us a story about the world around them as indicators of water quality. On the trail, students were able to see the changing of the leaves and learn how it becomes new habitats for other creatures and eventually the soil to sustain a new generation of trees and other organisms. This is only one example of the interconnectedness students can take away from this experience.”
Some of the wildlife they were able to see included water mites, fish, tadpoles, baby fireflies, and more. In addition, students learned about water oaks and how mistletoe is a parasite infecting one of the oaks near the lake. During their hike, students learned about the American Hophornbeam, red cedar tree, beeches, the Loblolly pine, hickory trees and more.
“This gave students an opportunity to see how these organisms are able to hide so well in their natural habitats as well as learning to identify them on their own. Many of the students began to recognize the dragonfly larvae immediately and even began to notice the difference between different families of dragonfly,” said Eilers. “This attention to detail is a wonderful skill to hone.”
The High Achievers Program is more than just academic days and excursions like this. The program also does community outreach with local partners, has a summer apprenticeship program that directly involves students within the workforce and designates them as leaders in ongoing summer programs, and takes students on college tours. High Achievers strives to build leaders that not only are educated about the community and STEAM but can give back through service and continue to learn through those experiences.
“This is a safe, nurturing environment that helps to increase the development of our participants and inspires them,” said Daniels. “And even outside of our meetings, these participants are supporting the community and other students within our district. It’s not just an impact on them but an experience that allows them to impact others.”