Walt Disney aptly stated, “Our greatest natural resource is the minds of our children.” In the La Habra City School District, we focus on applying this philosophy at every opportunity, busily tapping into the minds of our children. This year, with the addition of the Expanded Learning Opportunities Program (ELOP) funding, our districtwide offerings have increased dramatically.
All district students have been invited to participate in our before and after school EPIC (Engaging Programs Impacting Children) programs, which are offered at each of our school sites. Our varied and diverse activities include cooking classes, athletics, music, computer science, dance and tutoring. Our dedicated teaching and classified staff, along with the Boys and Girls Club of La Habra and a number of contracted vendors, have enabled us to provide these programs for all.
In addition to our EPIC before and after school programs, all students have the opportunity to join in our BRIDGE (Building Relationships & Innovation to Develop Growth in Education) days offered during the summer, on Saturdays, and intersession dates when school is not in session. These nine hour days are uniquely fun-filled and packed with once in a lifetime experiences, thus ensuring the minds of our students are expanding beyond what they ever imagined possible.
District staff and community partners provide our students with engaging, hands-on activities both on and off campus, with transportation provided to and from outside ventures. For example, students have toured college campuses and attended college athletic events to experience the rich atmosphere of the college environment. Others have participated in campus and beach cleanup efforts to learn the value of service to the community and the surrounding environment, thereby understanding their impact through service. Additionally, students will explore many varied field trip excursions in the surrounding area.
Walt Disney also famously said; “You can dream, create, design, and build the most wonderful place in the world, but it requires people to make the dream a reality.” LHCSD has partnered with many people to make our EPIC and BRIDGE programs a reality. We hired a certificated ELOP Lead at each site to work with the school principal to create a vision and ensure the activities funded with ELOP support the site MTSS and SPSA goals. Our Leads also oversee the daily operational aspects such as securing contracts, advertising programs, registering students, coordinating transportation and nutrition services and purchasing needed materials. In La Habra we are particularly fortunate to have a strong partnership with the La Habra Boys and Girls Club who have expanded their ASES program to provide additional staff and programs for students enrolled in EPIC and BRIDGE. Our Director of Programs and Assessment, Emily Flesher, supports all sites, district departments and outside partners, each of whom has an essential role to play in the success of our EPIC and BRIDGE programs.