“There’s a whole lot of things to do here. There’s lacrosse club, basketball club, dance club, football club … and we do all those things. I’m the best defense in football!” he exclaimed.
Noah has been enrolled in both the afterschool and summer programs since kindergarten, and it’s the highlight of his day. “We get out [of school] at 3 o’clock, wait for our teacher, and go upstairs to eat a snack. At 4, we go to a classroom and do homework, and at 5, we have some sort of activity.”
Unlike some of his peers, Noah doesn’t mind homework because of the help provided by OST staff. “My teacher gives us double-page [homework]. Front and back, and then front and back! Two pages! But it educates your brain more, [which] helps you get a good reputation.”
Noah’s favorite subject is science and he is quick to bring up his favorite sci-fi movies like Star Wars and Jurassic World. “We learn about dinosaurs, ancient artifacts, and stuff like that.” In a field trip organized by OST, participants visited The Franklin Institute and “it was fantastic,” he recalled.
He wasn’t always a fan of art projects, but the program has changed his opinion. “What I like … is that they try to encourage us to do it … learn how to do it on our own. They want us to try first, and if we can’t, then they’ll help us,” he said.
Like most kids his age, Noah especially enjoys summer at OST. “Summer, man, I can’t even tell you about summer … summer is awesome! Last summer, we had this thing called a Fun Friday. We had bouncy houses, free ice cream, slides, a pool!”
As a fifth grader, this is Noah’s last year in elementary school. Next year, he’ll move over up to the middle school building which he’s nervous about. But he is excited to be reunited with some older OST friends that will be familiar faces in the halls come sixth grade.
“What I like about the program is that they have a program here and at [the middle school]. Because when we graduate from fifth grade, we can go back there and sign up. I love this place. I don’t want to leave it,” he said.