Houston Puts Its “Lights On” For Citizen Schools
Kids and Guest Stars Celebrate After-School Achievement

Not one but three keynote speakers, 250 guests, and enthusiastic kids celebrated the fun and learning of Citizen Schools at Grady Middle School in Houston, Texas, as part of the national “Lights On Afterschool” celebration on October 12.

Campus director Kathryn Nash invited community leaders to speak, and gathered some of her students to demonstrate what they do after school. In response, seventh-grader Kennedy (photo, left) approached her with a poem whose lines begin with each letter of the name Citizen Schools. “Kennedy is very talented in music and writing, and it’s always a great pleasure when she enters the Citizen Schools door to share her latest piece of work,” says Kathryn. This time, she had the chance to share with the whole community. She recited her acronym as the grand finale to the Lights On Afterschool evening—following a salsa star, a state representative, and an anchor for the evening news.

After a skit in which one student convinced another to stick around after school to “meet new people, learn new things, and go new places,” other Citizen Schools apprentices stood up from the audience, proclaiming the new skills they were picking up from the Citizen Teachers who volunteer their time to share their areas of expertise with them at school.

Ryan spoke about how she is learning to advise clients on how to save money from a team of employees at Fidelity Investments.J’Avanti impressed the crowd with her lilting French, absorbed from her apprenticeship “Parlez-Vous Francais?,” led by Nancy Kerschen, a French and film graduate of the University of Texas. “I’m only just beginning, but in ten weeks I bet I could get around France like I was in my own back yard,” predicted J’Avanti. Shaelyn described “Are We Ponds?,” a clean-up project and self-reflection, led by an engineer passionate about the environment.

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Campus director Kathryn Nash invited three prominent guests to highlight Houston’s energetic embrace of Citizen Schools’ community-building educational efforts in hope that one would address the families after dinner. When they all agreed, the night had three keynote speakers. Walter Suhr, an award-winning songwriter from the salsa band Mango Punch, talked about what it takes to turn your dreams into reality.  “It’s only a fantasy without dedication, perseverance and practice,” he told the apprentices. 

State Representative Beverly Woolley discussed the current legislative efforts to fund after-school programming. 

Finally, racing straight from the anchor seat of Channel 11 News, Len Cannon (photo, top) reiterated the role of effort in being successful. 

The Afterschool Alliance sponsored Lights On Afterschool for the seventh time this year, and 7,500 communities and one million Americans were expected to participate. Designed to call attention to “the importance of after-school programs and the resources required to keep the lights on and the doors open,” the celebration was joined by campuses across the Citizen Schools network of middle-school programs.

“All three of our guest speakers understand the importance of being connected to the community,” Kathryn says. “They recognize that these kids are our future.” They, and everyone who attended, got that message loud and clear—in phrases beginning with the letters in “CITIZEN SCHOOLS.”

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