T-L Photo/KAILEY CARPINO Bellaire Board of Education members Jim Thoburn, from left, Susan Rataiczak, Treasurer Cathy Moore, Superintendent Derrick McAfee, and board members William Marinelli, Jason Ayers and Jim LaRoche discuss the new school year during their meeting Monday.

BELLAIRE — After Hours Academy, a 21st Century After School Grant program through the Ohio Department of Education, will be returning to Bellaire Elementary School.

AHA provides students with one-on-one tutoring and after-school activities. The program starts on Oct. 2 and runs through Apr. 18.

Alisha Parsons, site coordinator for the Bellaire Elementary, Middle and High Schools After Hours Academy programs, explained that the grant program lasts for five years. After that, the school will have to reapply for the grant to continue the program.

“We are back, and I’m so excited. We found out just a few days before school started this year that our grant was approved. We had some wonderful grant writers that put a wonderful grant together and we got it, so we’re there for the next five years,” Parsons said.

Parsons manages the program through the East Central Ohio Educational Service Center, and she said that the ESC has been busy getting ready for the program to start.

“That is great news that one of our programs is back at the elementary school. A lot of people put in a lot of hard work for that, and it’s great when hard work gets rewarded,” elementary Principal Ben Doyle said.

Parsons said the program will offer an hour before school starts every morning Monday through Friday to provide extra one-on-one help for students who need it. AHA will also provide after-school programming from 3-5:30 p.m. Monday through Thursday.

Parsons said the program offers reading and math enrichment along with positive youth development clubs.

“That’s a big part of the program,” she said.

Parsons plans to have a cooking club after school on Wednesdays. She said that Kellie Cusick, director of curriculum and federal programs, helped get the school a grant from the Ohio River Valley Elks to cover the supplies for the cooking club.

The program will offer many other clubs and activities.

“We have a woodshop carpentry club, and we’re hoping to get archery. I have a meeting this week with the OSU Extension Office to hopefully get archery going down in the school. Then we have our partners, the OSU Extension Office and Southeast, who will be helping us out with the club. OUE tutors will be coming in, and we’ll have counselors two days a week,” Parsons said.

Parsons said that the program is fully staffed.

Before the school year began, the elementary school hosted an open house. Parsons said she attended the open house and handed out packets about the After Hours Academy.

“It was wonderful. I loved everything that you guys did. I ran out of packets before 5 p.m., so the interest was very high. I made sure to get more down there. So they’ve been coming in, and I’m very excited about that. I anticipate a very high number of students at that site,” she said.

Parsons said that Bellaire Middle School and Bellaire High School are currently in year four of the five-year program.

For more information about the program, visit the Bellaire After Hours Academy Facebook page or contact Parson at 740-695-9773, ext. 8417, or alisha.parsons@ecoesc.org.