Some owls may be endangered species, but the namesake enrichment program for Evanston/Skokie School District 65 is safe for now, helped by a grant from Northwestern.
OWL Adventures in Learning is a free Saturday morning program for third-, fourth- and fifth-graders at Willard Elementary School, 2700 Hurd Ave., who are academically at risk.
NU has decided to donate $7,000 toward the program, which starts Oct 26. This donation covers about half the cost of the program.
“I’m tremendously grateful to NU for its interest in our program,” said OWL coordinator Fran Livatino, who also is a third-grade teacher at Willard. “The use of the lab and the wonderful relationship we have with the students over the years, and now I found out that we’re getting money — it’s fantastic.”
OWL is coordinated by teachers from Willard, parents and student volunteers from NU’s community service organization OASIS.
Eugene Sunshine, vice president for business and finance, said the university made the donation to help District 65 and also to support NU volunteer efforts.
“For me it was a win-win opportunity,” Sunshine said.
NU has a history of cooperation with District 65. Project EXCITE is a collaboration between the School of Education and Social Policy and District 65 that invites talented minority students to participate in various enrichment programs. The Lighthouse Project is a faculty-driven program that provides bilingual education, math and science tutoring, and District 65 teacher training.
“I know that NU has been involved in the process, but (direct) community funding has never been extensive,” said OASIS co-President Meg Rauen. “It’s positive to know that NU is using the money for a good purpose.”
Rauen, an Education senior and site leader for OWL, added that although the program is academic in nature, there is an emphasis on creating a fun environment for the kids.
The three-and-a-half-hour program takes place at the Family Focus Center building, a community center in west Evanston, and primarily serves Willard students who live in that area. The students are served breakfast, and volunteers then work one-on-one with them in math, science, language arts and technology.
Two of the three six-week sessions are held at the Family Focus Center, 2010 Dewey Ave., and in the spring OWL students are transported to NU.
Because of the involvement of engineering Prof. Bill Kath, students can use the computer labs in the basement of the Technological Institute to do simple Internet research or learn basic computer skills, Livatino said.
The program has benefited not only from access to the computer labs but from the student volunteers, she said.
“I attribute the success of the program to the involvement of the NU students,” Livatino said. “I think (the kids) realize that these students are coming to see them and that makes them feel important. They’re more open to learning.”
Volunteers hope to expand the program this year to include planned activities for parents, students and their OASIS tutors.
Despite the grant from NU, the program is still searching for additional revenue to match the remainder of the nearly $14,000 budget, Livatino said.
