Edge

Wilson Warriors & ProYouth EDGE  

ProYouth welcomes the opportunity to launch their new Middle School EDGE Program in collaboration with Wilson Middle School. EDGE is a grant-funded, high-quality out-of-school program that is offered free of charge. We share the responsibility in helping students achieve academic success in school. It is imperative that your child attends the full program every day. The EDGE Program is an opportunity for your child to receive expanded learning experiences that support students academically, physically, and socially.

EDGE consists of 6 projects that meet or exceed the 21st Century Student Learning Outcomes: Learning and Innovation Skills; Information, Media and Technology Skills; and Life and Career Skills.

• Academic Support – all students in the EDGE program will receive academic support once a week on a weekly rotation in addition to the scheduled daily homework time. Academic support will focus on essential study and organizational skills, note-taking, critical thinking, and academic peer tutoring.
• Exploring Tech - is designed to prepare the student for careers in emerging technologies by beginning at the base level of computer programming, commonly referred to as coding. Students will explore technology used to create stories, games and animations, and apps. The goal is to introduce skills foundational in the fast-changing world of high technology. Opportunity will be provided to participate in First Lego League, a real-world engineering challenge using Lego built robots.
• Digital Media – students will use a variety of digital media to document and share their personal experiences within the community they live in and the world at large. This project will include digital photography with a focus on camera basics, photo editing, photo journaling, animation, and stop-motion video. In addition, students will design, edit and produce a quarterly newsletter titled “Life on the EDGE.”
• Food Tech – students will explore all aspects of starting a school garden from choosing the site and type of garden (in ground versus container or both), cost analysis and funding, design, resources – tools, watering, etc., nutrition considerations, and plant selection. Students will harvest the garden and use their own produce to create fun, tasty recipes to be shared. This will culminate in the creation of a student recipe book.
• Visual & Performing Arts –Students will create and present an original performance based on the literary genre of folk or fairy tale, myth, legend or fable. Students will read a collection of classic and contemporary fairy tales and then write and design their own original production. Students will have shared decision making in regard to set and costume design. The performance may include music and dance. The performance will be shared with other students, friends, family, school staff, and community.
• Reader/Writer Café –Students will write and maintain a monitored blog around themed prompts using a variety of literary forms. An example would be spooky stories and poetry with a read-a-loud of an Edgar Allan Poe poem or a short story like “The Headless Horseman,” by Washington Irving. The prompt might ask students to craft a response to “after years of searching the headless horseman finds his head….” What happens next? Responses may include illustrations, jokes, short stories, poems, etc. that are posted to their blog. Students will present on Fridays their work at “Writer Cafe” in a fun, non-graded venue with constructive peer critique. Students will kick off this project by designing their own coffee cup to be used for their favorite beverage during “writer café.”