John Gurney Park cleanup

HART — Spitler Elementary’s Project FOCUS (after school program) will be going to John Gurney Park in Hart to help clean for Global Youth Service Day on Saturday April 12 from 10 a.m. to noon. Community members are encouraged to come on out to help.  If you need any additional information please contact the Project FOCUS coordinator Jason Stariha.

Project FOCUS (For Our Children’s Ultimate Success) is an out-of-school collaboration consisting of five community learning center programs that implements mentoring, civic engagement, high adventure and academic enrichment activities. The mission of Project FOCUS is to produce quality, motivated citizens through safe and fun educational enrichment opportunities that will broaden the horizons of both the students and their community.

Based on similar socioeconomic characteristics, the community learning centers are located in Baldwin Community Schools (elementary and middle), Hart Public Schools, Hesperia Community Schools (elementary and middle), Walkerville Community Schools, and White Cloud Public Schools (elementary and middle), and are for first through eighth grade students in those districts. Project FOCUS receives funding through a 21st Century Learning Center grant from the Michigan Department of Education.

Working together with the schools, Project FOCUS positively impacts families and helps to improve academic performance. The program offers age-specific and mixed group programming, cultural sensitivity, and mutual respect between children and staff. The overriding strength lies in our integration with each school’s curriculum, community, and a friendly learning atmosphere that takes each child’s interests and uniqueness into account.  If you have a student who attends school in the Baldwin, Hart, Hesperia, Walkerville, or White Cloud districts, falls within the grades noted, and would like to participate, please contact the specific school’s site coordinator.