Sheila Betz

Sheila Betz is a dedicated educator with 29 years of experience in public education. Her journey began as a high school business teacher before transitioning to roles as a middle school language arts and computer teacher. Later as a CTE director and teacher, she empowered her students with skills to excel as certified computer technicians, programmers, and web design specialists. For the past two decades, Sheila has been a leader at Chinle Unified School District, serving first as a computer teacher and for 16 years as the Federal Programs Director. In this role, she has been instrumental in writing grants, supporting strategic planning and program implementation. Sheila’s passion for education is reflected in her commitment to inspiring children and families by shining light on life’s opportunities and the pathways to access them.
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Kellsie Judge

Kellsie Judge, a resident of South Dakota, has dedicated 10 years of her professional career to supporting students in their educational journeys. With a Masters in Family & Community Services, she brings a families-first approach to her position as the 21st Century Project Director for Black Hills Special Services Cooperative. Kellsie aspires to be a hands-on leader, serving as a positive example for team members and students. She prioritizes empowering our youth by actively listening and creating an open platform where she can ensure student and family voices are heard and valued. Kellsie is eager to expand her knowledge and capacity throughout her participation in the Rise Fellowship, so that she and her sites may continue to grow in enrichment, security, skills, and positive relationships.
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Celeste Rabago

Ya’at’eeh Celeste here, a New Mexican Dine Native, has worked in education for 20 years. She brings a unique perspective to her role as a Lead Experiential Educator and classroom teacher. Through her leadership, Celeste strives to create a local culture responsive environment where every child can connect to the Indigenous cultures, nature, and thrive, to develop self confidence and develop positive empowerment. Her passion to be of service for our next generation of youth shines through in efforts to provide opportunities for growth and development in connecting with nature and culture within her local community. Celeste is intrigued to learn through the opportunity of professional development that the Rise Fellowship will provide.
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Amanda Carlow

Amanda Carlow resides in Pine Ridge, South Dakota as a member of the Oglala Lakota tribe. She has an Associate of Arts from Northeast Community College, Bachelor of Science in Criminal Justice from University of Texas Pan America, Master of Science in School Counseling from Creighton University, and is currently a PhD student at University of Hawai’i-Hilo finishing her dissertation. She is the Director of the Lakota Language Resource Othi at Maȟpíya Lúta Owáyawa where she is able to engage in the language everyday as she works to promote language revitalization. She is passionate about teaching students and adult learners, increasing those who can speak and understand. She is excited for the Rise Fellowship as she is passionate about making a difference in her community and working with and learning from others.
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Alexander Richardson

Alexander Richardson II, a Memphis, TN native, has worked in elementary education for over 13 years. With a Master of Arts in Education degree combined with over a decade of professional experiences in teaching and school leadership roles, Alexander excels in utilizing technological arts training to empower communities. Through his leadership, Alexander strives to create safe learning spaces to empower youth and members of the community because everyone is a star! Regardless of background, nationality, or location his passion for empowering the next generation is exemplified through his efforts to educate and create opportunities for stakeholders in his local community. Richardson is excited about acquiring new skills that the Rise Fellowship will provide.
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Aaron Vaughn

Aaron Vaughn has grown up in South Dakota, and has spent nearly all his life on the Crow Creek Sioux Reservation. At the age of 12, Aaron found his life calling and began mentoring and developing the next generation of men and women who will lead our community towards a better and brighter future. After volunteering over 10,000 hours at a local non-profit called Diamond Willow Ministries, Aaron decided to stay in his local hometown and became the Director of a newly formed year round after school program called the Tokata Youth Center in 2015. Their staff employs 4 strategic priorities to guide their programming: Be like Jesus, Be a Friend, Be a Mentor, and Be Healthy. Aaron has a burning passion to give back and serve his community, while rallying others to do the same.
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News

Meet Geffrey

Geffrey is a rising 6th grade scholar in his first summer enrolled in a BellXcel-powered summer program. Tell us about what you are learning in the program. We learn a lot in fun activities and they teach us math and language arts. In math, I’m learning how to subtract, add, and multiply fractions and decimals. When you go back to school do you feel you will have a head-start? Yeah, I think because most people if they don't go to summer school, they might lose their knowledge about some important stuff. I think I am better prepared for school. Some of my friends in 6th grade told me it’s a review of what they learned in school so I’m getting a head start. It’s making us review the materials. What is the difference between this and school?  I think it’s more fun learning and the teachers have more time to spend with you to teach you things you are having a hard time with. That’s the biggest difference – not feeling so pressured and rushed. What else do you like about the program? I can go up to the whiteboard more and write answers the questions. I can participate more.
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Meeting the Complex Summer Learning Needs of a Rural Community

Wabash is a small, tight-knit community, with a population of just over 10,000, located in the north central part of Indiana. While rich in local pride and natural beauty, it is a struggling community, with over 13-percent of its residents living below the poverty level, according to the U.S. Census Bureau. Prior to the Power Scholars Academy (PSA) programming in rural Wabash, Indiana, Stacey Fry, Director of Youth Development at Wabash County YMCA, recalls driving by homes over the summer and seeing children sitting idly on front steps, or playing outdoors alone. “That drive home from work felt sad,” she reminisces. "We saw a need for summer learning. Our local districts weren’t able to provide that, but the need still existed.” Now, every summer, many of those same children can be found immersed in local schools, gaining key academic and social-emotional skills. The summer learning program combines fun, dynamic literacy and math instruction with hands-on enrichment, making for a holistic experience that prepares scholars for school-year success. “They are learning in a classroom setting and it feels good,” said Fry. “When we all work together, the children benefit.” In 2015, in their quest to address the achievement gap in their local community, the Wabash County YMCA in partnership with the Y USA Achievement Gap programming connected with BellXcel. The program has earned measurable scholar and educator outcomes ever since. “That’s why we still have a partnership with the schools, because we provide a good return on investment. They are able to show their students are making strides in the summer,” Fry says. Professional Development Equips Educators Teacher empowerment via BellXcel’s professional development is at the core of the PSA program. Prior to the summer program, educators receive in-person and virtual training in program administration, curriculum & instruction, culture & climate, evaluation & assessment, family engagement, and scholar management. Professional development prepares partners to implement a high-quality summer program that meets the needs of their learning community. “One good benefit of being a BellXcel partner is the trust. If we have challenges, there is a whole team of people who are ready to help us,” says Fry. Academic teachers in Wabash are all local certified school teachers. This ensures that instruction is of the highest caliber, and aligned with school year success. “We are able through BellXcel to offer so much more professional development in a concentrated way, than what teachers receive over the school year.” One of Fry’s poignant stories that captures the program’s power involves a PSA academic instructor who has been a local educator for over 20 years. The educator expressed that she was drawn to PSA due to its intentional instruction, and small group environments. The PSA program in Wabash maintains a ratio of 1 academic teacher to 12 scholars. “She said to me, ‘I get to see these kids I saw before in a whole different light. I pour into them academically, but have the opportunity to see their creative side and that’s lost in the school-year classroom," Fry says. “She sees these glimpses and that touched me. She gets revitalized with the same kids she spends time with during the school year.” Strengthening Schools The PSA has also helped connect the local Y with local schools over the summer and combine resources to offer much more than the usual summer camp type activities such as sports and recreation. She also credits the Y’s strong relationship with the State of Indiana’s Department of Education and local school districts to address the achievement gap. “I have the privilege of deepening those relationships, and working closely with the school principals, to ensure they are seeing the outcomes and are connected to our mission,” she says. “Schools are working as hard as they can. They don’t have significant resources to move that needle. So, it’s nice to fill in that gap and take that off their plate so they can focus on what they do best.” Safe Environment to Thrive PSA is not only addressing the educational gap. Educators have also seen some secondary benefits, such as keeping children occupied, safe, and healthy. Often, Fry says, parents leave their children at home with older siblings, a less than ideal situation. Summer scholars receive free breakfast, snack and lunch and the program is provided at no cost to participating families. “For most of their summer, we are able to nourish them and enrich them in a safe environment,” Fry says. “We are in a childcare desert. If we can lower the stresses faced by parents, it positively impacts the scholars.”  
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Professional Learning that Leads to Increased Teacher Satisfaction … and Scholar Success!

Q&A with Beth Putnam, Assistant Director, Department of Alternative Education, Saint Paul, MN The mission of the Department of Alternative Education in Saint Paul, Minnesota is to provide focused daytime, extended day, and summer learning opportunities to support student achievement leading to graduation. Power Scholars Academy (PSA) has been a summer learning program at Saint Paul Public Schools for seven years. In your opinion, what distinguishes Power Scholars Academy from summer camps and other programs? Power Scholars Academy offers a unique experience to students in both structure and content. Due to collaborative use of funds, scholars attend more hours and days than in most of our other programs, making it possible to teach core academics in the morning with licensed staff and enrichment, including field trips, in the afternoon with YMCA staff. The number of scholars working with each adult is lower than in most other programs, making differentiated one-to-one and small-group instruction more feasible. The literacy curriculum reflects the racial and cultural identity of students who attend, and data shows it is successful in meeting its intended results. As a bonus, scholars get to take books home. What elements of the PSA program are particularly conducive to the success of scholars and educators? The PSA curriculum, including assessments, supports teachers in knowing exactly what each scholar needs. Staff receive extensive training, materials are high interest, and scholars are able to do interest- and community-based experiential learning in the afternoons—these are all benefits leading to success. It is the perfect opportunity for scholars to stay physically active, maintain their academic skills, and develop social and emotional and leadership skills while learning more about their community, other people, and themselves. How does PSA empower educators during the summer, and is this impact being felt in the school year? Many of our PSA educators come back year after year. Although the school-year curriculum and instruction may be different than what is used for PSA, what is learned during PSA professional development and throughout the session becomes part of how staff approach and carry out their work during the school year. The close student and staff relationships built during PSA provide a solid basis for those whose work together continues past the session, ultimately increasing student success and staff job satisfaction.
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Video Tutorials – Remote Quality Reflection Tool

In our efforts to support you in using the Remote Quality Reflection Tool, we are pleased to provide the following videos that offer guidance, suggestions, and best practices when completing indicator ratings and reflecting on quality. Each video focuses on specific areas related to the tool purpose, use and completion, evidence collection, and making the data actionable within your remote learning programs. We hope you will find this information helpful as you rate and reflect on your program quality. Additionally, we encourage you to contact us with your feedback or if we can be of assistance. Introduction to the Remote Quality Reflection Tool [embed]https://youtu.be/T4ej-UlPKcY[/embed]   1. Purpose, Goals and Evidence [embed]https://youtu.be/tgyNhkawlnM[/embed]   2. How to Use the Remote Quality Reflection Tool [embed]https://youtu.be/Mznx3gGqeNw[/embed]   3. Evidence Collection [embed]https://youtu.be/gNSA9JXuvPg[/embed]   4. Reflection and Continuous Improvement [embed]https://youtu.be/0GBFU26DxAY[/embed]
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Investment Leads to Impact in Washington, D.C.

It’s a bustling summer morning outside of Seaton Elementary School in the historic Shaw neighborhood of Washington, D.C. Eager children, led by their parents, stream into the school. They come from different age groups, races and backgrounds, but they share something in common. The children, enrolled in the YMCA of Metropolitan Washington’s school-based Power Scholar Academy (PSA), are all excited to learn. As the K-6 scholars kick off their day, they are greeted with a familiar, endearing smile. “Good morning Ms. Janice!” the scholars exclaim one by one, as they greet Janice Williams in the lobby. With smiles radiating from ear to ear, the enrolled students, known as scholars, then embark on a full day of learning and enrichment at the Y’s summer learning program, powered by BellXcel. Since 2013, the evidence-based summer program has empowered thousands of children through a holistic learning experience that has boosted scholars’ academic and social-emotional skills, as well as their self-confidence. “Every day is a day where you’ll find scholars running to the program because they are excited about what they gain,” says Williams, YMCA of Metropolitan’s Senior Vice President for Program Development. For her local community, Williams is more than a nonprofit administrator. She is a tireless and passionate supporter of expanding afterschool and summer learning for children from under-resourced communities. She has been with the YMCA for nearly 45 years, and with PSA since its inception. “Many of our schools that are in under-resourced communities don't have the opportunity to meet the needs of all of the students that they have identified as struggling students,” she says. “We're able to identify the particular area of challenge for scholars, and really put the resources in place to guide them to be more successful.” “We have been so fortunate to have BellXcel’s support in Washington, D.C. Before, there were camp programs. There was summer school. But there was something missing,” Williams said. “PSA is among the best programs out there because it not only provides opportunity for academic support, it also provides opportunities for scholars to learn new things through enrichment. It's supported by committed educators who want to be a part of a program that allows them to connect and provide young people with the social-emotional learning that is critically needed.” With an educator to scholar ratio of 2 to 24, William says the program’s small group environments are a key differentiator. In each classroom, a certified teacher and teaching assistant lead individual, small group, and whole group exercises, in dynamic learning environments. With the utilization of instructional coaches and other support staff rotating, it is not uncommon to see upwards of three to four educators in a classroom, all working together to provide an exceptional high-touch learning experience. “This kind of learning style really does impact our ability to provide them with the necessary support to thrive,” Williams says. “There is a high value in that child-centered learning. We are also excited about the peer-to-peer learning that the program supports and empowers.” PSA also empowered educators with 21st century instructional skills and strategies they can transmit into the classroom in the school year. Among teachers surveyed, 87 percent said site leaders were highly supportive of educators; 89 percent said teaching in PSA was rewarding, while 80 percent of teachers want to work with the program again. “We are pretty fortunate to be able to have scholars that are receiving something during the course of the summer, as well as educators, who apply their learnings into the classroom in the fall,” says Williams. “The partnership is critical because BellXcel allows the YMCA to present itself to the community with a stamp of excellence. They bring the kind of skills and resources that are going to enhance the school community and allow it to reach the level and the goals that the school has in mind.” Williams says the demand for evidence-based summer learning programs in her community remains high, and advocates for continued support. “I would truly invite any funder to go and visit a site. It is truly something that you have to witness to be able to see what the scholars are receiving and the type of investment that is being made, and having scholars learn, thrive, and really the impact on not only the summer learning, but the true impact that it allows, and the potential of each and every scholar to succeed and excel.”   [embed]https://youtu.be/sW6lBeXp9gc[/embed]
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