Jones Elementary Partners with Camp War Eagle

Anna Bever, right, child care coordinator with the Jones Center’s after-school program, reads a book Tuesday with Soyla Rodriguez, 7, at the center in Springdale.

Anna Bever, right, child care coordinator with the Jones Center’s after-school program, reads a book Tuesday with Soyla Rodriguez, 7, at the center in Springdale.

Wednesday, February 20, 2013

— The Camp War Eagle after-school program for Jones Elementary School students has only been operational two weeks, but those involved believe its having a positive effect on the students who attend. 

The pilot program is a partnership between the school and Camp War Eagle, a Christian sports, adventure and recreation summer camp for boys and girls ages 7 to 17 from Benton, Washington, Carroll and Madison counties. Students are taken to the Jones Center after school to participate in a activities until 5:30 p.m.

Web Watch

Camp War Eagle

For information about Camp War Eagle go towww.campwareagle.….

Camp War Eagle 365

For information about Camp War Eagle 365 go to cwe365.org.

“It’s a very novel idea for the families of Jones Elementary School,” said Principal Melissa Fink. “We’re mostly Hispanic, and a very high poverty school, so after-school activities just aren’t something our kids are involved in unless it’s something at the school.”

The Walton Foundation pays for the program for first- through fifth-graders and the cost to the families is minimal: $40 per semester, but $20 for students eligible for reduced-lunch prices, and $10 for those eligible for a free lunch. 

“We didn’t want (the program) to be free because that’s just something that we’ve gone away from is giving things out for free,” said Scott Richards, Camp War Eagle 365 director. Camp War Eagle 365 is the organization’s year-round arm offering spiritual growth and character development to campers, with a special emphasis on serving the community, according to their website.

Caleb Ballance, a fourth-grader, is one of the 56 students in the program. His mother works and has father has health issues. Caleb said the program has brought relief to his family.

“My mom can get more work done,” Caleb said. “And if I’m not at home, my dad can take better care of my brother who’s 3.”   

The program has predominantly grown through word-of-mouth interactions, Fink said.

“One day I had a dad come at 2:45 and say, ‘I need to check my child out of school because I have no one to pick him up. I have to go back to work, and his mom is working in Bentonville’,” Fink said. “I said, ‘Oh my gosh have I got the program for you’.”

Fink referred to first-grader Jeremiah Pickering. His mother, Rhonda, said the program has meant much more to her family than just its convenience.   

“He loves it,” Pickering said. “Every day he comes home, he is already wanting to go back. He’s sad when we pick him up.”

Pickering said she appreciates the program mainly because it’s not a day care center. 

During the few hours students are at the Jones Center, they participate in a multitude of activities with themes that range from learning to playing to volunteering. 

“It helps me because sometimes we go to the learning room, and it helps me do my homework,” said Mixtli Maqueda, a fourth-grader.

Like many other Jones parents, Mixtli’s don’t speak English. This is where the program can be especially helpful to kids who cannot receive educational guidance at home, officials said.

“Mixtli’s parents are in the process of learning English,” Fink said. “This is an opportunity for her to get some extra help.”

Help comes from the eight counselors employed at the after-school program, such as Cameron Alexander.

“We’re teaching them life skills, we’re helping them with their homework, and we’re going to do volunteer activities and get them really involved in the community,” Alexander said.

The volunteer aspect was one of the reasons Fink jumped at the opportunity for the school to be the guinea pig of the program.

“(Volunteering) is important at a school like ours because our kids are so accustomed to taking from the community,” Fink said. “We pretty much give our kids whatever they need to succeed: clothing, food, school supplies, mental and physical health services. All of that is available free of charge to students, and we don’t mind doing that.”

“But we want our kids to learn how to give back to the community. So by participating in service-learning projects, they are giving back to a community that so many times gives so much to them.” 

Richards said the program will be evaluated after this semester and a decision made about its future