The Carbon School District weekly update takes time each week to share information with the community about one of the various school within the district. This week shines a light on a fairly after-school program called Rising Raptor Program at Creekview Elementary.

“We are a program that is funded through an intergenerational poverty grant and we are supported by DWS, as well as, Child Care Licensing. So, we are a program that is in each of the elementary schools in Carbon County,” said Site Coordinator, Jimmy Parker. “We provide them with opportunities to learn hands-on, kind of an extension of our teachers and their classroom; we kind of get to do the hands-on fun stuff. I like to say or a fun based program with an educational purpose.” The program is in its second year at the schools and caters to any students in kindergarten through fifth-grade.

Fourteen students from Creekview Elementary who are part of the Rising Raptor Program were given a chance to participate in the NBA Math Hoops in Salt Lake City. Parker explains the event, “They will participate in a tournament with other kids throughout the state of Utah, where they will be able to use their math skills to play a game that also uses the statistics of current NBA players.” The NBA Math Hoops is a board game, with a curriculum that is tied to Common Core State Standards and 21st Century Learning Skills, and it has been shown to improve students’ basic math skills and understanding of statistics.

In each of the elementary schools the average of students who participate in the Rising Raptor Program range from 20 to 30 children. “We service quite a few kids, we give everybody the opportunity to apply for the program. We will be having applications come up for next year towards the end of the school year.” Children that are accepted into the program will have a chance to be part of the summer program that is conducted at each of the schools for three weeks.

The program is always looking for community volunteers to bring great ideas, talents, and skills to share with the students. This opportunity is not only beneficial for children in the program but also for the volunteers to get to know our future in the county.

For more information on the Rising Raptor Program or to volunteer, please call Creekview Elementary at
(435) 637-0828.