Riverbank Unified School District (RUSD) is offering a new ASSETS program to students at Riverbank High School. ASSETS, After School Student Education Teamwork for Success, Director Vanessa Lopez launched the program in October and it is a federally funded grant that was awarded to the district this past summer.
“This program is going to be a really great opportunity for our students,” said Lopez. “It is a five-year grant so it is going to be trial and error this first year. We are lucky to offer a variety of different things to the students. Another part of this grant is college and career readiness offering students information and workshops on scholarships.”
The program and role are new to Lopez but Riverbank and RUSD are not. She is a Riverbank High School alum, Class of 2009. With support from the district, especially Program/Grant Manager Armando Nunez and Assistant Superintendent Laura Granger, that have helped her navigate through some challenges the program is underway.
The students were surveyed in August and they found that most of the students wanted life skills like how to change a tire and starting a bank account, so the program is geared toward their interests. The program is available to all students at RHS and they must enroll to participate.
For the enrichment portion of the program, they will offer a variety of classes like the cosmetology class in March hosted by Riverbank native and RHS alumni Kristal Austin, owner of Glam Salon. There will be a limited capacity of 25 that will be able to attend the class.
“I am really excited to be working with her,” added Lopez. “She was also looking to give back to the community in some way with her business and this was just a perfect opportunity. We went to high school together. So, it is kind of cool to see that we are both in a position where we can really give back to the youth. At one point, we were those youth that really benefitted from people that inspired us in our life.”
They have plans to collaborate with the Barber College in Riverbank to have a barbershop class. Teachers have stepped up to offer students a few different options like the Lego Building class held every Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday from 3:15 p.m. to 5 p.m. in room 309.
“It (Lego class) is really competitive,” noted Lopez. “They just built the White House. It is amazing the things that they are doing.”
The art teacher is hosting a creative design class after school on Tuesdays and Thursdays where students will create props for the upcoming production in March in collaboration with the drama class. Also, on Tuesdays and Thursdays the fitness center will be open to all students that would like to work out.
New to the program is a Stanislaus State College Tutor that is on campus Monday through Thursday from 3:15 p.m. to 6:15 p.m. to help students with English, Math, and Spanish for those enrolled in the ASSETS program.
Lopez shared that as soon as the last bell rings most students leave the campus and that is when trouble can happen as parents are not home from work yet and students are unsupervised. This program is put in place to prevent students getting into trouble by participating in the after school programs.
“The whole purpose of this is to get students to stay here in a safe place,” expressed Lopez. “There are just a lot of things that could be prevented by them staying in the program and by the time they leave parents are home from work. A lot of those issues that they are facing are eliminated because they are participating in the activities that we are offering on campus after school.”
When the program launched in October, they offered college readiness workshops open to all students. The majority of attendees were seniors and juniors.
They are looking to offer other classes like ballet, yoga, cooking, and other classes that students can engage in and learn. ASSETS hosted a study hall in December where 50 students participated prior to finals and winter break.
The program also has community service opportunities for students. These past few months students assisted in several events like the Lights On, Toys for Tots drive, and the Christmas parade.
The doors are open to all students Monday through Friday from 3:15 p.m. to 6:15 p.m.
“This is very new to me so just really getting used to the kids, getting familiar, building those relationships is important so that we can get honest and genuine feedback,” remarked Lopez. “We don’t want to bring things that are not of interest to them; that is just a waste of time. All the things so far that we have brought are things that they have voiced. So, it is really cool to see that coming to fruition.”
