MVSD's After School Program kicked off its spring session on March 9, with 220 elementary students, 40 middle and high schoolers, and 22 Teen Leaders enrolled across the district.
Coming up this month: a Swanton Elementary team will compete in the Destination Imagination tournament in Barre on March 21, and two MVSD teams will face off in the annual Jr. Iron Chef competition on March 14.
Summer registration opens in early April, with programming scheduled June 29 through July 24 at each school, plus a collaborative week with Swanton Recreation running July 27–31. This summer's themes include USA's 250th Anniversary, Our Own Olympics, Around the World, Spirit Week, and Small Town, Big Fun. A newly awarded State Afterschool grant will fund two theatrical productions, culminating in performances for students across the district.
Program leaders are also grappling with ongoing staffing challenges, particularly at Swanton Elementary and MVU, and are evaluating whether raising the hourly pay rate for after school staff — which currently lags behind both school-day and neighboring district rates — could help stabilize coverage.