Wilsona School District RISE hosts Showcase

Lake Los Angeles – Wilsona School Campus – A very special Showcase was held Tuesday, May 10, 2022 that featured students in the WSD/RISE program with their skills and accomplishments in art, coding and Folklorico.

Art creations in many forms were on display as well as carefully recorded art journals, sculptures and wall art. The coding demonstration was incredible. The level of understanding the process of coding and abilities signaled the bright future in a growth industry for these students. The dancing was exciting, colorful and greatly appreciated by the audience. The thunderous applause followed the students as they exited the venue.

Coding and Art is instructed by Ms. Aundrea Romberg. Ms. Susan Gonzalez instructs the Folklorico dancing.

The RISE/WSD Summer Program registration is now open for grades 1-8. The after-school program is now an extended learning program. The days/dates are Monday through Friday, 12:30pm to 5:00pm for the after-school program (except on field trip days) June 7 through June 24, 2022.

The students will participate in STEM, Spanish Literacy, fitness and nutrition and an enrichment program. Space, astronomy, animals and their biomes, field trips to The Science Center in Los Angeles and a trip to Tanaka Farms where students will pick their salad ingredients, make a meal, learn about the engineering of farming and just how farming works is awaiting students.

Dr. Frank Rodriguez, RISE Educational Foundation President remarked, “The Wilsona Showcase demonstrates a balance that we are trying to achieve with our students in the after school and summer programs.

The Showcase demonstrated the technical skills of digital literacy and the ability to code, but also the equally important side of the arts through visual arts, sculpture and of course the dancing. We hope to be able to continue and grow these programs in Wilsona, and in some of our neighboring partner districts like Keppel, Eastside and Palmdale. Additionally, this summer we are going to introduce gardening and an expanded Nutrition offering to the Wilsona summer school students, including a field trip to Tanaka Farms in Irvine, where students will be able to pick the fruits and vegetables they eat for lunch that day.

“Partly because of the pandemic, but also in part because of changing habits like social media, adolescents in the US are going through unprecedented levels of mental health, anxiety and depression issues. We see the ability to offer healthy outlets like gardening ("hands in the dirt"), fitness, dance, art and games as critical components of schooling in 2022, and we are happy to partner with Wilsona and other Antelope Valley school districts in delivering that.

“We were, and are, very proud of what our students are able to accomplish and want to continue to offer them a safe place to thrive.”

Register through: www.riseafterschool.com/registrations or in the office at Vista San Gabriel or Challenger.

Contact: cmorales@riseed.org and 661-481-8667.

Visit: riseafterschool.com

“Our mission is to deliver value-added school programs that support and reinforce academic achievement and provide fitness and enrichment opportunities for students in a safe, structured environment supervised by engaged, caring adults.”

By Shirley Harriman