By Madison Gaston
If your child is interested in sports, games, art, music, or any other hobby, Oak Hall Lower School’s got it! From martial arts to paleontology, the new enrichment programs and extended day programs provide Oak Hall’s youngest students a wholesome, safe environment to exercise their passions.
Oak Hall Lower School has recently changed the name of the clubs to “Enrichment Programs”, as well as changing the title of aftercare to “Extended Day”. Director of Auxiliary and Operations, Jeff Malloy, along with his assistant Danielle Tripp, met parents and teachers in order to create the new programs. Oak Hall wants to transition its after school programs to more club-like activities so that students don’t dread staying after school, while finding new hobbies without parents having to drive their children around town. The new Extended Day Program has “Fun Fridays” once a month, where the program selects a theme for the students to stay after hours, with activities for each division: Soaring Eagles (Middle School), The Nest (Lower School), and Eaglets (ECLC). The activities range from going to Back to School Bingo Night to Oak Hall’s football games.
Oak Hall Lower School’s new enrichment programs include Legislative Bill Drafting, Intro to Dinosaurs, Vex Robotics, Playing Pop, Private Voice and Trumpet Lessons, Fiber Arts, and Paleontology. The new enrichment programs have teamed up with Handworks Studio, an art company from Philadelphia, to let students explore their artistic abilities. The program’s private piano lessons is the longest running program currently at Oak Hall, and continues to be a tradition for students.
The most popular enrichment programs for the fall semester have been Paleontology, Mathletes, Martial Arts, Art, and Running Club. Sports such as K-5 Swimming, Eaglets and Soaring Eagles Running Club, and Flag Football allow students to exercise and let off some energy from a long day of sitting at a desk. The enrichment program’s deadlines are dependent on the program’s popularity, while the sports programs have enforced deadlines.
With more than 33 years of experience under his belt, Malloy hopes that the new enrichment programs will change Oak Hall’s Lower School for the better! “We have worked hard to provide a free choice environment that allows kids outdoor play, an art station, a manipulative station with things like Legos, a games station with board games and puzzles, as well as Pop-a-Shot, pool, ping pong, and air hockey for our Soaring Eagles and Nest Divisions,” he shared.
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