John Hope is thrilled to announce the arrival of Tina Shepard, our new Out of School Time Coordinator. Tina brings a solid track record of creativity in education. She comes to us directly from Rhode Islanders Sponsoring Education (RISE), where she was Scholarship Coordinator. Prior to that, she was with the Urban Collaborative Accelerated Program (UCAP), an independent public middle school dedicated to reducing the dropout rates in Providence, Central Falls, and Cranston. And Tina has long been involved in Project UJIMA, a theater-based prevention program for youth.
In January of this year, John Hope received a generous three-year grant from the United Way of Rhode Island to expand and elevate our Out of School Time programming and to incorporate Place Based Education, which immerses young minds and bodies in local heritage, cultures, landscapes, opportunities, and experiences, and uses these as a foundation for the study and teaching of language arts, math, social studies, science, and other subjects across the curriculum. Place Based Education emphasizes learning through participation; it is the kind of Out of School Time that helps excite young people about learning, thereby keeping them better engaged during their in-school time as well.
Tina is brimming with ideas about how to make Place Based Education work best for John Hope's children and has already been in contact with local organizations - like the Roger Williams Park and Zoo - about potential collaborations. Her goal: "John Hope will become the leading agency providing Place Based Education in Providence."
Clearly, our Out of School Time learners and players are in for some magical journeys of fun discovery. Thanks, United Way of Rhode Island, for making this possible. Stay tuned for more, as the journey unfolds.
And Welcome Tina.
To learn more about Out of School Time at John Hope, and to enroll your child, please call us at 401-421-6993.