Choose your own adventure
Beyond the Bell breaks from the traditional after-school model with an ever-changing mix of activities designed around what middle schoolers actually want to do.
Willoughby Eastlake City Schools’ Beyond the Bell program creates an after-school experience where middle school students can explore their interests, strengthen their skills and find new passions.
On the threshold between youth and adulthood, middle school students are faced with more difficult coursework, independence and long-anticipated freedom. At a juncture when kids are starting to figure out who they are, it’s also the perfect time for exploration and enrichment.
Enter Beyond the Bell, a newly launched after-school program designed for students grades 6-8. In a novel partnership between Willoughby-Eastlake City Schools and the West End YMCA, the initiative gives students a place to learn, play and explore.
Director of Pupil Services Heather Dodd says the idea grew from listening to the families and students the district serves.
“We wanted to create something specifically designed for middle schoolers, not simply extend an elementary childcare model into middle school,” she says. “Our goal is to provide engaging, age-appropriate activities while giving middle-school students meaningful voice, choice and independence in a safe, supervised environment.”
Beyond the Bell isn’t your typical after-school program where everyone follows the same schedule every day, and that’s intentional.
Families said they were interested in homework help, tutoring, STEM, coding, robotics, arts, music, cooking, sports and fitness. There are also plans for leadership and service projects, life-skills activities, career exploration, clubs and field trips.
The partnership builds on an already strong relationship between the schools and the YMCA, which has experience creating safe, structured after-school environments.
Variety is key. “We don’t want every afternoon to look the same,” Heather adds. “Middle school students have different interests, so part of the vision is to offer variety and student choice.
“Providing academic support when students need it is key to the success of Beyond the Bell, but this is about much more than homework,” Heather says. “We want students to build friendships, discover new interests, be physically active, develop leadership and life skills, connect with positive adults, and have experiences they might not otherwise have access to.”
Look for these monthly stories to cover topics from grades K-12 in the Willoughby-Eastlake City Schools System. For details, visit WESchools.org. The Beyond the Bell program runs Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays from 2:30-4:30 p.m. in the middle schools. Register your student online.
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