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You
are here: Standing Tall at Inchelium
by Carmen Peone
Who would have known how much an effective after school program can strengthen kid's lives academically and socially? These programs were mainly created for at-risk students from grades 5-9. However, these programs even strengthen students who are not "at-risk." Every child can benefit.
Rez Stop, which stands for Raising Our Education Zone, Standing Tall On Pride, is Inchelium's after school program. Rez Stop has been up and running for the past four years. The first three years were Federally funded from a 21st Century Community Learning Center grant. We were involved in a consortium including ESD 101 in Spokane and five surrounding schools. Currently, our funding is provided by the Inchelium School District. The school decided to extend the program after the grant was complete because the Inchelium School Board felt Rez Stop was a valuable addition to school programs.
Inchelium is a K-12 rural school of 235 students on the Colville Confederated Reservation in Washington State. The school is located about 90 miles northwest of Spokane on the Columbia River. The reservation is 1.5 million acres, mostly lush timber and wildlife including deer, elk, and turkey. The Inchelium School serves predominantly Native American students (82 percent).
What does Rez Stop mean?
Raising our- stands for staff and students having chosen Rez Stop as our name and identity. We represent a place that is safe, respectful, fun and raises the academic and social standards to higher levels.
Educational- stands for tutoring and enrichment activities that focus on hands-on education through educational games and homework assistance. We supplement the daytime experience with many diverse projects.
Zone- stands for being in a "zone" that is inclusive of respect and positive attitudes. We have incorporated a "word of the week" program involving a word that is positive and used to reinforce positive behaviors and increased homework time. Our goal is to motivate through praise and success. "Hornet Bucks" (our school's mascot is the hornet) are then dispersed to students displaying such behaviors: politeness, hard work, helping hand etc. and are spent at an end-of-year auction.
Standing- represents standing for something great. Our goal is to have well rounded kids. We help them stand against bullying, drugs and alcohol, tobacco and other unsafe behaviors. Students learn of life choices and their consequences. Youth learn to steer their personal vessels in a positive and productive means.
Tall- stands for tall on culture. On the reservation, Native Americans are the majority, yet we incorporate respect of all cultures and values. Youth learn the importance of uniqueness and being special no matter what anyone's skin color is. They learn that different cultures make a complete world.
Pride- stands for teaching students to have pride for self and others, especially within the family unit. We support our school and community at Rez Stop through school pride and community service projects. One activity we engaged in was writing the troops around the country and from the reservation. This also tied into an element of pride in our country.
Rez Stop operates on Monday through Thursday from 3:00 p.m. until 5:00 p.m. including busing home for most students. We enroll about 50 students annually and service between 15-25 youth at any given day. Our first session offers homework help and/or Accelerated reading time (books marked for student reading levels). We then offer snacks at 3:45 p.m. Our second session allows our youth to participate from one of the following: recreation, enrichment, crafts, cultural activities, or educational riddles/scavenger games.
Different activities Rez Stop has incorporated into the program have included: Beading, traditional basket weaving, drum making, climbing wall, educational board games, Lego lab, Math games, pen pals to other schools and our U.S.A. troops, 3-0n-3 basketball, open gym time, games like capture the flag and eight base, treasure hunts, sewing and photography, 4-H projects, relay races, and riddles and many more activities that have captured our youth's attention.
At Rez Stop, we emphasize team building skills, communication, and increasing youth self-esteem. Our belief is that once our students esteem is grounded, their academic levels will increase. In the past four years, this cycle has proven true. Math and English grades have increased by one grade level for 90% of students. The Title One and middle school reading/language arts teacher, Christy Woolum, has remarked that the students grades have greatly increased this year for Rez Stop students. This increase is due to the requirement of having our students read their Accelerated Reading books if they don't have homework during the first session of the day.
Youth thrive on fun learning. Two large scale activities Rez Stop has incorporated into the program include: an annual Science Fair and a Katie Mae Memorial Youth Quest Race (Katie LeaderCharge was a Rez Stop participant from the time the program began. She passed away in July of 2004.) This adventure race includes four elements: canoeing, running, biking, and a challenge course. Kids can sign up to participate as a soloist or as a team of up to four members. It's a one day event honoring teamwork, communication, and sportsmanship.
The Rez Stop Annual Science Fair draws participation from the school and community. Participants can enter as individuals, teams, groups, mother-daughter, father-son, and classrooms. Youth have put a lot of effort into their projects and the pride they gather from those projects is immeasurable. The Science Fair is a great tool to bring the whole community together as one unit.
Ownership is essential. Rez Stop students have had the opportunity of having a hand in the planning process. The first three years, students listed the types of activities they were interested in, and staff planned the calendars. This year, youth were literally handed the calendar to fill in the blanks every month, with our assistance. The more youth have ownership, the greater the self-esteem, which creates a more solid and effective program. Program assistant, Janna Seymour and I constantly remind our students that the program belongs to the youth. If they don't feel like playing capture the flag, then they need to meet and agree on an alternate activity.
Janna and I frequently ask our kids what is working and what needs to change. For example, last year we enlisted several staff and community members to come in weekly and tell us about different states they had been to or lived in. Our theme that school year dealt with the United States. About three speakers would come in a month with maps, artifacts, and brochures for the students to view and discover. They loved it at first, but easily tired toward the end of the year. By listening, we have learned that our students like fun speakers who have hands-on activities, but would rather invite two or three per year. We try and reflect the youth's needs to their program.
Staff that have worked with Rez Stop (six in the first three years and two currently, with the assistance of parent volunteers) in the past have learned that the ability to be flexible is a virtue. Factors that can cause storms in our program include: class size, especially during middle school sports; weather, we have one gym and rarely are able to receive gym time during the winter months; and student desire or mood of that day or sometimes week. We often shift our schedule to fit the needs of our students.
Culture is an important piece of our program. We study not only native practices of the Colville Reservation, but also appreciate the non-Native cultures. Many elders have come and shared stories, food, and crafts including regalia construction and Native jewelry. For the past two years, Joyce Kohler, an Inchelium native, has shared her art of basket weaving. The Lakes band, which primarily live in the Inchelium area, were masters of basketry. Joyce has offered two or three projects every winter: various types of basket weaving and woven necklaces.
Recently, Rez Stop purchased a Lego Lab, which has been a great success. Some might question the academic importance of this type of lab. What we have learned, however, is that through using this Lego Lab, students touch base in science, math, reading, and writing. This is another example of fun learning. But Legos aren't just about building objects. They're about building skills, communication, and self-confidence. Several students had Lego projects in this year's Science Fair. Projects included cars and cranes with working engines. The Lego Lab has inspired creativity like no other element in the program.
One of the most important features of Rez Stop includes the volunteerism that takes part in the program. We have on the average of 30 steady parent and community volunteers every year. This year, Rena Tinnell, a parent of a seventh grade Rez Stop student, has invested about 60 hours into Rez Stop. Chris Shaffer, a parent of a 6th grade student, also has countless hours of dedication and support invested into our program. These volunteers are committed to the nurturing of our youth. Programs just don't exist without the dedication of volunteers like Rena and Chris.
Rez Stop flourishes when students succeed. One youth came into the program four years ago. As an 8th grader, he was angry at the world surrounding him. With the support of the program academically and emotionally, this young man became a leader in Rez Stop amongst his peers. This young man, currently a junior at Inchelium, is able to keep his grades at satisfactory levels, opposed to failing levels, and is socially and emotionally stable. The key here is respect and love. Without these two elements, this type of program is less than adequate. Love and respect build stable youth.
Many at-risk students come into Rez Stop and learn that they are special, worthwhile, important, and are respected. They learn that their voice can be heard. They learn there are boundaries and the importance of having them. They learn how to treat others with respect at all times, and learn to work through disagreements. Youth learn how to inspire one another and how to capture a strong support system.
Rez Stop has changed lives in the Inchelium community's youth and will continue to do so provided that children are continually taught positive and useful life skills. Academic education is a priority for this program, however, it's not the main factor. Youth have to believe in themselves in order to achieve. They have to realize how important they truly are and believe there is a special place in life for them. Rez Stop will enforce these values in our youth as long as the program exists. Our goal is to help our youth to thrive in school and society.
Carmen Peone has been involved in Rez Stop all four years the program has been in operation. She began as the Literacy Coordinator and advanced to Director in the spring of 2002. Carmen's priority in her position at Rez Stop is to ensure the success of the youth that come through the program each year. Carmen is active in her community, school, and Church. She is PTO secretary/treasurer, and has been past president. Carmen can be reached at the Inchelium School from 1:00 to 3:00 Monday through Thursday at 509-722-3788 ext. 244 or by sending email to carmen@inchelium.wednet.edu.
©June 2004 New Horizons for Learning
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