A Sprite is More than a Can of Soda
“What is a sprite?” Sheba Moses, 4H Youth Educator Alcorn University Extension, asked a group of our 5th graders. Most of the kids guessed she was talking about the soda, but Sheba taught our students that a sprite is a character used in computer programming.
Sheba uses Game Changers, a computer coding game, to teach the kids computer coding. “It’s fun to play video games, but we want to develop the students’ mindsets around building their own game,” she said.
We’re so enthused about our partnership with the 4H Extension at Alcorn. The idea for this partnership sparked last year when Sheba and her sorority Delta Sigma Theta volunteered at Operation Shoestring cleaning up classrooms at Walton Elementary. She said she admired our work and wanted to help do more. “I saw how Operation Shoestring worked with kids in underserved communities, and 4H’s mission is to bring programs into underserved communities to enhance people’s lives, so I thought we could form a great partnership,” she said.
And that’s what we did.
In addition to the kids’ coding course, they’re also providing workforce and skills development sessions with our parents. These sessions will teach our parents resume building skills, dressing for success, and interviewing skills. Also, they’re working on a healthy living program and cooking classes for our kids this summer and a home economics class for our parents.
Partnerships like these are essential for afterschool programs to provide programming that compels kids to learn more about what interests them. This exposure is life-changing, especially in STEM learning. According to the Afterschool Alliance, ” A recent analysis of evaluation studies of several afterschool and summer programs showed that high-quality programs could lead to increased interest and improved attitudes toward STEM fields and careers…”
In a modern age of rapid technological advances, STEM learning is so crucial for our kids to pique their interest and develop their skills in career fields that will prove to be invaluable to their future. Partners, like 4H at Alcorn and our supporters, create the opportunities for our kids that will have a positive impact on their lives as they learn, grow, and thrive.