Grant Funds New Program Targeting At-Risk Students

SNOW HILL – A new program in Pocomoke is expected to provide at-risk middle school students with a safe place to spend their free time.

On Tuesday the Worcester County Commissioners approved a grant that will allow the Worcester County Board of Education to offer a new recreational program at Pocomoke Middle School. The “Pocomoke Middle School Evening Beta Program” is intended to provide students with safe recreational activities after after-school programs have ended.

“We’re very excited,” said Pocomoke Middle School Principal Matthew Record. “It’s a great partnership.”

The commissioners agreed to provide a $42,000 restricted grant to the board of education to fund the new program.

“As you are aware, this program is intended to help keep at-risk middle school students off the streets and in an environment that is safe and provides opportunities for mentoring, tutoring and activities designed to guide their life choices,” Chief Administrative Officer Harold Higgins wrote in his report to the commissioners.

Commissioner Merrill Lockfaw, a Pocomoke resident, thanked his peers for supporting the initiative.

“I just wanted to say I appreciate my fellow commissioners working with me on this,” he said. “I think it’s a very worthwhile project for the south end of the county.”

Record credited Lockfaw for spearheading the effort. He said that while the evening program would be run by the school system, it would be modeled after Worcester County Parks and Recreation Department programs.

“We’re hosting it at our building but we’re also working with parks and rec,” he said.

While it will be operate similar to a county recreation program, the fact that it’s taking place at Pocomoke Middle will ensure supervisors have knowledge of the children involved.

“We know our kids,” Record said. “We know what they need. Our school staff and the knowledge we have of our kids will help the program flourish.”

He expects parents and students to be excited about the new program, which is set to start the second week of January. It will be open to all middle school students eligible for free and reduced price meals.

Record says parents will be thrilled to have a safe place for their children to stay busy after school.

“Our kids are exercising, they’re moving, they’re collaborating, they’re doing everything we want a young teenager to do and they’re doing it in a safe place under a structured program,” Record said.

About The Author: Charlene Sharpe

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Charlene Sharpe has been with The Dispatch since 2014. A graduate of Stephen Decatur High School and the University of Richmond, she spent seven years with the Delmarva Media Group before joining the team at The Dispatch.