By Kelly Irick

The BRIGHT Afterschool program, ran through the UT Extension Union County Office, hosted an afterschool and summer camp program at Big Ridge Elementary to align with the extended Summer School program provided to the county. The program, a grant funded opportunity, offered after school hours Monday through Thursday and full day camps on Fridays throughout the month of June. While attending, students got to move beyond the classroom and participate in career building, hands-on activities geared toward potential career paths and overall life skills that are necessary to become successful adults. During regular after school hours, students engaged in fitness classes to promote healthy minds and bodies, 4-H activities in honor of Dairy month, and STEM challenges to inspire creativity and ingenuity. Healthy bodies and proper nutrition was a big component of the program where educational but fast paced games were weaved in. The games were not only fun and exciting but were exercises designed as play, that taught students the importance of teamwork and leadership. But it didn’t stop there; students were shown how to measure and create healthy snacks such as trail mix and fruit parfaits, which were tied into some awesome 4H lessons. No stranger to teaching the benefits of 4-H programming, Savannah Jones joined the BRIGHT program and taught hands-on lessons to the students about germination, garden mapping, and the kids favorite...DIY ice cream, where they learned how to create their own homemade ice cream with a few simple ingredients, and a little hard work.

The day camp option, which ran on Fridays from 8am to 5:30pm, proved to be a big hit with both parents and the kids. Parents were grateful for a fun and safe environment to send their kids while they were at work, and kids were ecstatic about the opportunity to learn new skills such as sewing, clay crafts, and t-shirt designing. A kid favorite was the opportunity to cut out and sew their very own pillow! Jennifer Smith, one of the teachers who helped with the project, had this to say: “Our BRIGHT summer camp was so wonderful. We had some great activities that challenged the children’s thinking. Our director, Kelly Irick, came up with the best activities and the best schedule. The kids enjoyed coming so much and loved the help of Savannah Jones. They really enjoyed the activities they did with her as well as Mrs. Alyshia. I also learned to sew! It was great for me too!” Students, as well as the adults, really loved the opportunity to learn new life skills that they can implement in the future, which is proof that you are never too young, or old, to learn something new.

A big thank you to the teachers that worked during their time off this summer to help make it an exciting experience for the kids: Jennifer Smith, Torrie Orick, and Renee Bills.
We are looking forward to adding more students to the after school program next school year to make it even more successful. Please email us at breafterschool@utk.edu for more information on enrolling.