Enrichment cluster knits students, community together.
Dylan Marcelle-Robinson, 11, left, Lukas Reale, 12, and teacher Kim Watkins participate in the 'Knifty Knitting' cluster during the Humewood Community School 'Celebration of Talents' night Thursday Mar 2 evening.
For the past six weeks, students at Humewood Community School ran to school every Friday all eager at what they were about to learn. It wasn't mathematics, English or science. These classes were anything but the typical subjects taught at school.�The teachers, parents and volunteers from the local community just completed a six-week enrichment cluster program instructing grades 1 to 6 students on various topics from knitting and origami to extreme art and salsa dancing.
"There was just a cut in the arts," said Ellen Kelner, a neighbourhood mom who, along with a fellow concerned parent Deborah Adams, first brought the co-operative education program to Humewood last year. "Parents said we don't like it and we're upset."
Kelner quickly got support from the school principal and teachers. She then got approval from the school council and received funding to cover the cost of supplies.
Volunteer support quickly followed with parents and community members offering to lead one of the clusters.
The program proved to be a success in its first year, but everyone seemed to agree it was even better this time around as the community turned out in big numbers at the school last Thursday evening to celebrate the talents of all those involved.
Principal Rita Garry further encouraged people outside the school community, including parents and neighbours, to continually be involved in the lives of local youth.
"What it did was that it exposed children to activities they would never have been exposed to in the normal curriculum," she said. "It sends home the message that learning is not done in a capsule."
Plus, Garry laughed, "It makes my job a lot easier."
Both the students and instructors were laughing, too, as they showed their accomplishments to anyone visiting their booth during the Celebration of Talents night at the elementary school on Cherrywood Avenue.
Teacher Kim Watkins, who led the knifty knitting cluster, admitted her surprise when more boys joined the group in the first week.
"One of the funny things is they said they like to watch wrestling while knitting," said Watkins, smiling.
Lukas Reale, 12, didn't hide the fact he really enjoyed his experience, which seemed to carry over outside the classroom setting.
"I like to knit sometimes when I go home from school and before I go to bed," said Lukas, sitting beside fellow knitting cluster student Dylan Marcelle-Robinson. "It's weird, but it's fun. It's hard to explain."
Visiting parents showed their enthusiasm at the range of topics on display, which included buzz on bees, comic book studio, Hawaiian quilting and puppets alive, among the 32 clusters taught this year.
"The range of activities was amazing as well as what they learned in a short period of time," said Laurie Belzak, whose daughter Aerin Lapointe, 10, just finished participating in the claymation cluster.
The 330 student participants, who got to know each other much better during the six weeks, weren't the only ones who benefited from this whole experience, Kelner noted.
"It really creates a wonderful sense of community," she said, again commending all the volunteers involved. "I think we'll be doing this a long time."