“Will we have Kids Club Olympics this year?” Leo asked me.
“Of course, I will send a WhatsApp message to remind your mom which day you’re coming to the community center,” I said to him.
“LET’S GO! HEY GUYS! WE ARE GOING TO HAVE KIDS CLUB OLYMPICS!” Leo shouted to his peers.
Kids Club Olympics takes place the last week of school at our community center. It is structured to have fun games and celebrations such as water musical chairs, superlatives, and ice cream parties. Sadly, due to COVID-19 restrictions last year in June Kids Club Olympics did not take place. But this year, as we were slowly getting back to in-person activities again, and considering all the safety precautions, we decided Kids Club Olympics was happening! To contain exposure, we split up our students into A and B groups, that way groups alternated which days they were in the community center. We also asked all staff and students to adhere to our mask policy during the Olympics.
Every single one of our students was excited for this week but I stand by that Leo was the most excited of all.
I communicated with parents daily via WhatsApp to communicate whether their child had learning hub or virtual programming that day. Parents understood that if I did not communicate with them after 1pm, that meant there was no programming for their child on that day. Although this was the case and parents understood, Leo made sure he messaged me using his moms’ phone every day to double check and make sure I had the “correct” schedule.
“Miss Diana, do we have Kids Club today?” Leo messaged me.
My response was either, “No friend you have Kids Club tomorrow” or “Yes, I will see you later today”.
One thing we can all agree on as the school year was ending, is that there was plenty to celebrate for with our students. Our students were not given many choices this year, they were forced to adjust and adapt to their new learning environment. Although this was the case for our students this year, they did not back down from the hurdles thrown their way. And despite the fact that the Covid-19 pandemic took from us many of our celebration spaces, Leo seemed determined to reclaim the hope of being and celebrating together again.
– Diana Segovia, Elementary Programs Director