Rosemead Kiwanis Club    "Serving the Community Since 1945"

AFTER SCHOOL PROGRAM

Rosemead is served by three intermediate level, or 'middle' schools: Muscatel, Garvey and Temple.  Muscatel is part of the Rosemead School District, while Garvey and Temple are part of the Garvey School District. Muscatel has long had a very effective after-school program with Rosemead Kiwanis involvement. In November 2004, Rosemead Kiwanis entered into a three-year agreement with the Garvey School District to provide seed-money and coordinate an after-school program at Garvey and Temple Intermediate Schools.

As a result of this initiative the three middle schools in Rosemead now all have after-school programs, and they are coordinating their efforts. Rosemead Kiwanis efforts have been beneficial to not only to the students involved in the after-school activities, but have carried over to regular classroom studies and to the business and residential community. Opportunities at the Elementary School level are being explored and developed as manpower permits. Still, as Kiwanian Frank Dinoto has observed, "for continued success of this program, added involvement by the business community and parents is essential."

Dinoto's observations are backed up by the realities of education financing.  The "No Child Left Behind" program adopted by Congress in 2001 envisioned after school programs and local accountability to insure quality in American education. But realities of deficits spurred by spending for the war on terror has frozen previously projected and authorized funding increases for this program for two straight years.  As result the after school needs of only 10% of the estimated 15 million children eligible for these programs is actually being addressed.

California, already near the bottom in per student education funding, is one of 26 states that was unable last year to authorize any new after school projects.  Faced with its own deficit problems caused by the restrictions of Proposition 13, the burden of servicing massive bond obligations and the costs of providing services to illegal aliens the states Governor reneged on a promised payback of $2 billion taken from the prior year's budget because the money simply wasn't there.

Cut off by law from additional local taxing capability and dependent upon funding from financially strapped Federal and State sources volunteerism and grants from private sources are the only viable practical solution. Rosemead Kiwanis, part of a family of organizations committed to change "one child and one community at a time," has taken on this challenge.  We have made, as the report below indicates, significant progress -- but Dinoto is correct: more business and parental involvement is essential.

           2005 After School Overview

The persons supervising the after-school activities at the three intermediate schools are:

o  Kreg Asplund, Muscatel,    o  Charlie Corum, Temple,       o   Sean Green, Garvey,

Some of the accomplishments during the first year of operation included:

BUILDERS CLUB INTERFACE

For about ten years, Rosemead Kiwanis has sponsored the Muscatel Builders Club, a Kiwanis-family affiliated youth group whose members are dedicated to service of the school and the community. Strategically it is linked to the Rosemead Kiwanis sponsored Rosemead High School Key Club. Rosemead Kiwanis also sponsors an annual two-day educational and fun snow camp for Muscatel Builders Club members.

During the past year, Temple and Muscatel formed new Builders Clubs, totaling more than 100 members. These new clubs were sponsored by the San Gabriel Kiwanis and San Gabriel Key Clubs since most of the Temple and Garvey students attend San Gabriel High School and not Rosemead or Gabrieliano High Schools.  Having Builders Club involvement on all three campuses helps facilitate the Rosemead Kiwanis facilitated after school programs.

BASIC 2004-2005 PROGRAM:

• At all three schools, students now are remaining on campus after school, under supervision, for from 1200 to 1500 student hours weekly, rather than being on the streets or at home, increasing their academic and personal skills.

• At all three schools, a healthy snack-meal is being provided to all after school students. Rosemead Kiwanis  assisted with the grant request for government cost reimbursement.  An additional supplementary program on Saturdays at Garvey is also being supported, with healthy snack meals being furnished by the Nestle Corporation.

• Temple and Garvey, with a generous gift from Target, each received from Rosemead Kiwanis over 30 educational games; they also received, with a discount from Sears, a pool table or basketball-type game, table tennis, and two air-hockey and two foosball games.

• With grant request assistance from Rosemead Kiwanian Jan Mackay, Muscatel received a grant from the Mr. Holland’s Opus Foundation for 18 string instruments valued at $15,000. They have received ten violins, six violas, and two cellos, all new and high quality. Mrs. Taylor, Muscatel’s music teacher, will have 18 students in a regular daily string class starting in September, 2005; shewill continue to teach music to Rosemead elementary students after-school twice weekly.

• Secured in June, 2005, a $2,500 gift for the after-school program presented by Raquel Donahue, vice president and Arcadia branch manager of CalNational Bank. With the consent of CalNational, the gift is being divided four-ways: Muscatel, Garvey, Temple and Logsdon schools. [Logsdon is a semi-private, non-profit school located in Rosemead, specializing in servicing girls between the ages of 5 and 18 years who have severe emotional and/or behavioral problems. For administrative purposes it is overseen by the Garvey School District. All of Logsdon’s students reside at Maryvale, a residential facility established in 1856 and continuously operated by the Daughters of Charity. Logsdon has a Rosemead Kiwanis sponsored Builder's Club.]

• Thirty students from Muscatel, who have participated in the anti-bullying campaign and/or have displayed good citizenship, participated in one of the two luncheons with the school principal, Kiwanian Dean Wharton. Faculty members select the participating students. McDonald’s at Valley and Walnut Grove is sponsoring this program.

• Rosemead Kiwanian Elizabeth Landing started a weekly crochet after-school program at Muscatel with 26 students, including two boys participating. They made blankets that were given to unwed mothers and their newborn children through the Pregnancy Help Center. Some of the blankets will be on display at the L.A. County Fair. Based on the success of this program Mrs. Landing started a second similar program at Garvey and has been asked to extend her activities to Logsdon School at Maryvale in the summer of 2006..

• Support has continued for the volunteer Science Olympiad program at Muscatel. This program placed first in the County of Los Angeles and second in California in competition with schools from higher income areas. This amazing group of students and teachers want to win top state honors and represent California in the nationals in Indiana in 2006.  Application has been made to Edison for a grant to assist in sponsoring this Muscatel after-school program; we will also be seeking assistance for program counseling from volunteer Edison engineers and JPL retirees.

PROJECTED 2005-2006 INTERMEDIATE SCHOOL IMPROVEMENTS

As part of the three year commitment to the Garvey District, and with a view to our historic relation ship with Muscatel, Rosemead Kiwanis is pursuing the following after-school program enhancements for the 2005-2006 year:

• Providing the four schools with the necessary funds to secure the materials for "The Comic Book Project," which uses the traditional comic book format to connect student artistic skills with literacy and citizenship. Students use their imaginations to create their own comic books, and the program materials include vocabulary building exercises, language arts tools and, most of all, positive messages. This program already has been approved by Muscatel and is pending at Temple and Garvey.

• Starting an after-school class in puppetry and have students develop a play and the puppets for presentation to the school and to their parents, family and friends. 

• Sponsoring at each school, the Youth Leadership Program developed by Toastmasters International to improve communications skills.  This is feasible as part of the Rosemead Kiwanis Toastmasters affiliation.

• Expanding the McDonald’s anti-bully citizenship campaign (above) and student award program (below)at Muscatel to include Temple and Garvey.

• Expanding the Science Olympiad program already in place at Muscatel next year at Temple, and in the future, Garvey.

• Supporting the Summer Band Bridge Program five days each at Garvey and Temple (presently the Garvey District does not have an elementary school band program). The summer program will help 7^th graders to prepare for the intermediate school band, and allow returning students to review materials from first year band. The schools supply the instruments; the funds will be used to help pay for teacher costs.

• Supporting an afternoon reading club at Muscatel, possibly using employees from CalNational Bank to volunteer some of their community service time to the program. The club would be for the high-end reader who normally picks up a book and reads it without assistance. The funds will be used to purchase two “Reading Count” kits that contain suggestions and materials for reading enrichment activities. Discussion groups also will be encouraged.

• Applying for the benefits available from the Office Depot “National Backpack Program” and the “5% Back to Schools” Program.

• Securing a working interface and student involvement in the Rosemead’s Parks and Recreation Department’s programs. [Note 12/05: the full Spring 2006 Department program, including activities both on school campuses and at city recreation centers is now detailed elsewhere on this website].

• Provide a job fair and/or guidance to students for classes or experience needed for specific jobs or future business or professional occupations. This may include having an attorney, banker, real estate broker, sheriff, nurse, etc. come and talk to students possibly interested in their fields of employment.

• Recruiting High School seniors and others who can become involved in the after school program, such as teaching students to crochet, tutoring, provide companionship, play chess or other games, etc.  [ News item, 12/05: The Temple Saturday program prospectively will be receiving tutorial assistance from the Rosemead Kiwanis sponsored Don Bosco Key Club.]

FUTURE ELEMENTARY AND HIGH SCHOOL EFFORTS

Development efforts are underway during 2005-2006 to develop a food services ROP program at Rosemead High School plus possible after school programs for several elementary schools in Rosemead. The latter will hopefully operate in parallel with the RIF (Reading is Fundamental) programs in the affected schools. Progress on these projects will definitely be keyed to availability of additional volunteer resources.

STUDENT AWARDS

• McDonald’s at Valley and Walnut Grove has sponsored Muscatel students selected by teachers in the school’s anti-bullying campaign to have a monthly luncheon with Kiwanian Dean Wharton, Principal. Over 30 students have participated to date. McDonald’s also will participate in other school activities.

• Rosemead Kiwanis Foundation and its special ROSY fund purchased three new Dell computers for awards, one to be given at each of the three schools, to a graduating student who under adverse conditions has been a very good student academically, and has also been of service to the school and his/her family or the community. The school staff selected the recipient, and that student, the student’s parents and the school principal were honored at a Rosemead Kiwanis luncheon in June, 2005.

SUPPORT ACTIVITIES

• Four airline tickets (two each) and costs were provided to Kreg Asplund, Muscatel supervisor of after-school activities, and Rosemead Kiwanian Jan Mackay to participate in the National After-school Conferences in San Antonio, Texas and Washington D.C. They are members of the national advisory committee promoting the need for middle school after-school activities and the sharing of information among schools having or wanting to initiate an after-school program.