BROOKSVILLE — A new club at Bracken County Middle School is keeping kids occupied after school.

The Arctic Club is for any student of BCMS and runs Monday-Thursday until 6 p.m.

According to BCMS teacher Stacey Schneller, the students start the afternoon with a snack, followed by 30 minutes of homework help and tutoring followed by recreation time.

“They go through recreation time so they can get up, be active and get the jitters out,” she said. “What we don’t want them to be doing after school is sitting down and listening to a lecture like an extension of the regular school day. This way, they’re active and learning new things.”

Half of the students will go to the academic portion of the club, where they do hands-on learning, while the others go to the enrichment activities, which is different each day, according to Schneller.

Some of the enrichment activities include robotics, construction, photography, Yoga, Zumba, cooking, beginning guitar, painting and coding.

On Wednesday, some students were lined up in a hallway, with a different board game at each group’s station. Inside a classroom, several students were participating in Zumba.

Kaylee Blevins, 11, was playing Bank Account with Devin Pauley, 13. Blevins and Pauley met during the club earlier in the week.

“We’re playing by (Pauley’s) rules,” she said.

“We’re playing by different rules,” he said. “We wanted to play it because it’s different, it’s challenging.”

Blevins said she joined the club, because she wanted to meet new people.

“There isn’t much to do after school, so I wanted to meet new people,” she said. ‘That’s how we met.”

After about 40 minutes, the students moved to a classroom in which BCMS teacher Cody Evans began some hands on learning activities.

“It’s a reading program, so we’re going to do some reading activities,” he said. “They split time with another teacher, so we plan it all together.”

Another group of students played games in the gymnasium.

Ashton Buchanan, 11, while chasing down a ball through the gym, said he joined the club in order to have something to do after school.

“I joined the club because I didn’t really have anything to do after school and I wanted to interact with other people,” he said. “I’ve met some new people and made some friends.”

Once the kids are finished with their activities, they are served dinner before going home.

“Then, we have a dinner and we dismiss,” she said. “The club is over at 6 p.m. and the buses will usually be on the road for about an hour afterward.”

There are four buses that run in the afternoons to drop off kids, according to Schneller.

Bracken County Schools Superintendent Jeff Aulick said the buses are usually on the roads until about 7:30 each evening and will drop the kids off at their homes.

Aulick also said he was pleased to see the students enjoying the club after school.

“This is a wonderful opportunity for students to get enriched through hands on activities,” he said. “From robotics to career related fields, it is a great opportunity for our students.”

A group of Bracken County Middle School students play a board game during Arctic Club on Wednesday. The club is open to any BCMS student and runs Monday-Thursday until 6 p.m.
https://maysville-online.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/08/web1_IMG_0722-1.jpgA group of Bracken County Middle School students play a board game during Arctic Club on Wednesday. The club is open to any BCMS student and runs Monday-Thursday until 6 p.m.

Christy Howell-Hoots

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