When Rochester Alternative Learning Center (RALC) seniors complete college and scholarship applications, one question often makes them pause: “What extracurricular activities have you participated in?” They ultimately name classes or activities they participated in at some point at the RALC:
“I volunteered with the Foods class at Channel One and helped stock and organize food items.”
“I took the music class with Mrs. B. Does that count?”
“I played in the staff versus student basketball game.”
“Remember that Service Day we did last year? I volunteered at the Senior Care Center.”
“I took the Youth Build class, and we went to ReStore to volunteer.”
Many RALC students don’t have access to ‘extracurricular activities’ outside of school due to financial constraints, transportation barriers, or needing to work in the evenings. Yet, time spent in these activities often leads to feeling a sense of community and teamwork, enhancing belonging and behavior, learning a skill that may become a lifelong hobby, or even developing a sense of what career path they could pursue.
At RALC, the staff acknowledges these benefits are equally as important as the academic standards and do not consider these activities as “extra.” They believe these activities warrant being a part of the school curriculum and culture at RALC.
“We want our students to be exposed to new experiences so they can identify strengths, interests, and passions and carry them beyond graduation,” says Community Schools Site Facilitator Sweta Patel.
So Sweta and the staff changed how the schedules look at RALC. On Wednesdays, students participate in an extended advisory hour, an academic help hour, a mindfulness hour, and four different seminars each quarter.
“Our seminar offerings, now called Student-Centered Learning (SCL), make our Wednesdays special,” says Sweta. “This year, our staff have offered topics like yoga, intro to guitar, chess, dance, and creative writing. We recognized that our offerings were limited to our staff’s expertise and talents, so to expand student options, we turned to the Rochester community.”
This quarter, RALC is partnering with fifteen different community partners to create new options for their students. Examples include Imagination Studio with University of Minnesota Rochester instructors and students (mental health/art seminar); equine therapy with RideAbility; boxing with a USA-licensed boxing coach; self-defense with a local martial arts studio; mentoring elementary school students at Ben Franklin; music lab with Healing Rhythms; volunteering a Channel One; rock climbing at ROCA gym; learning knotless braiding/entrepreneurship with a local hair salon; and hiking, ice fishing, snowshoeing, and visiting local and state parks with Olmsted County Public Health.
“We believe in allowing students choice in the seminars they attend. This increases attendance and engagement,” says Sweta.
Each quarter, staff decide what seminars they’ll offer over the six to seven Wednesdays. The RALC team then creates a registration guide with seminar titles, descriptions, and photos so students know what they can expect. During advisory time, students get to sign up for Student-Centered Learning seminars according to who earned the most learning hours during SCL Wednesdays the quarter before.
“Some may argue that these experiences don’t belong within the school day, but at our school, we argue back,” continues Sweta. “We all agree that extracurricular activities have value, but it’s a matter of access to these opportunities. Because our students can’t always participate in after-school activities, we’re trying to integrate these activities into their school day.”
With exposure to new experiences, opportunities, and career exploration, a particular seminar just might change the trajectory of one of our student’s life.
