For some students learning in the traditional way does not always cut it and with funding Dr. S.E. McDowell Elementary School was able to offer an enrichment program for select students this year, the first of its kind.

Angela Quade, resource and special ed teacher hired Bonnie Richardson specifically for this program to hold 50-30 minute sessions for some of the kids that need hands-on learning, and to provide music circles for any class who needed it.

Richardson was a special . . .

education aide at McDowell before she retired and then was a supply teacher in some classes. She said she came back because she loves working with the kids and seeing them be creative. She also enjoys incorporating music since she also plays the guitar, she added.

Teachers from every class chose the students that they wanted to take part in this program, and the students had their time slot each week to come and work on their particular project. The teachers chose the students either to help them focus better in class, students who are more creatively inclined, or simply ones that require more activity.

She added that some enrichment programs are for gifted students but when they decided to do it they wanted to make it for a diverse group of students. Richardson got hired to come in four days a week along with giving music circles.

“Well, enrichment was about using your hands to be creative,” she said.

Quade explained that it’s an enrichment program funded through ministry grants to the school as well as from the Leslie and Rossi Smart fund. This specific fund was created by Rosamond Kelford’s family after she passed away. The family took all the donations from the funeral and created the fund to support the kids at McDowell Elementary School. “They’re just beautiful people. So they wanted to put the money into something that could grow and be of use to children at the school because they felt very strongly about education,” said Quade.

Because the family wanted the fund to be ongoing, families are going to be able to donate to this fund yearly. Without the merging of the two funds, they wouldn’t have been able to provide this service, said Quade.

Richardson worked on this program with about 42 children of all ages for six weeks. The kids always did things based on their interests. The kids chose to do things solo or work in a group, it was up to them she added.

“The two little boys that designed where the instruments were going say they’re going to be engineers and so they designed exactly where every instrument was to go,” said Richardson.

Throughout the playground, Richardson pointed out their projects. They made things like wind chimes, birdhouses and tables. The ideas and projects are a collaborative effort between Richardson, Quade and the kids.

The most fulfilling aspect was watching the kids accomplish things after they had doubts and the smiles on their faces after they finished something, highlighted Richardson. She enjoyed seeing the kids support one another and lend a hand when someone felt stuck.

Because they saw the value the program brought to the students at McDowell, Richardson and Quade both agreed that if they are able to get the same type of funding they plan to continue it again next year and this time start it at the beginning of the school year.

Jackson Williams, a third grader, was one of the students that worked on the birdhouse.

The spinner currently in the playground of Dr. S.E. McDowell Elementary School is made of a recycled ceiling fan made by a group of students. Two of the students are Gavin Roy and Nathan Brown.

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