Kentwood — Endeavor Elementary was a busy place on a recent Thursday afternoon, when “fun” in many forms took over the third- through fifth-grade classrooms.
In one room, fourth-graders Kelly Willy and Milan Khatiwada eyed a chessboard, contemplating their next moves during an intense game; in another, third-graders Brooklyn Harris and Khali Griggs spread icing over shortbread cookies; and, in yet another, fifth-graders Josiah Kimball and Tamia Pinkley and fourth-graders Meliska Ghaley and Kyndal Walker designed fabric bookmarks while learning to operate sewing machines.
In the media center, fifth-grader Sayuri Quiroz-Flores stepped away from a Bollywood dance she had just learned from a local instructor.
“What I like about Family Fun Clubs is you get to know other people and get to know other stuff. You can be friends with everybody here,” she said of the group of peers learning to dance with her.
Around the school, 16 Family Fun Clubs met for activities, ranging from football to martial arts, money management to gardening, journaling to spreading acts of kindness. While the clubs, held during the school day, are about enrichment and recreation, Endeavor staff host them for a bigger reason as well: to cultivate a strong sense of belonging among students.
The 45-minute sessions bring students together with teachers and community members who are sharing activities for which they are passionate. Clubs meet monthly, with students attending three sessions of the same club each semester, and then three more of a different club the next.
Students provide lists of their four top club choices and get placed in one of them, ensuring it’s something they like, said fourth-grade teacher Krissy Alles, the main organizer of the clubs.
Connecting over Games, Crafts & Sports
Family Fun Clubs started last year as an initiative tied to Endeavor’s mission statement: “to inspire a passionate and productive future story for every child — no matter what.” That mission ties to Kentwood Public School’s strategic plan and student vision statements, which include that all students feel like they belong and are valued, said Principal Mark Bea.
You can be friends with everybody here.’
— fifth-grader Sayuri Quiroz-Flores
To meet those goals, Endeavor staff members serve on “action teams” as part of a shared leadership structure, and each team plans initiatives based on their focus. It was the “Belonging & Connection” action team that started Family Fun Clubs as a way to connect students with one another, staff and community members, and to engage students in things they like to do.
The idea came from Alles, who focused on developing a way to improve students’ sense of belonging as part of her work to earn National Board Certification with Teach Michigan. She saw belonging as an area that needed improvement at Endeavor.
“Talking to students and even having them fill out surveys throughout the year (showed) not everyone feels like they belong,” Alles said, “I thought this would be a great, equitable opportunity for the kids. It gets them excited about things they are interested in. They see their teachers getting excited about similar things they like. It also gives them experiences that they (otherwise) wouldn’t have at school.”
Students surveyed about last year’s clubs had a positive experience.
“Kids were able to say, ‘Yes,’ these clubs helped them improve their sense of belonging and helped them meet new friends.”
Also, Bea said he is seeing a decrease in discipline incidents this year. This semester’s data shows about a 50% drop in referrals compared to last semester. He said he credits it to Family Fun Clubs and other initiatives tied to belonging.
“Happy kids equal better behavior. We create happy kids by listening to them, providing opportunities for them, keeping them engaged and bringing (the) community together,” he said.
Teachers said they are enjoying sharing their interests. English language learner teacher Lauren Graham started a journaling club due to her love of writing.
“It’s so great. I feel like we don’t get enough time to write for fun because we are so busy writing for academics,” Graham said. “It makes me really happy that they are able to have the space where … they really get to enjoy writing.”
The clubs are funded through donations from area businesses and other sources.
Along with teachers and staff members, community representatives and parents also lead classes, and the power of those volunteers is evident to Endeavor’s Kent School Services Network community school coordinator Gabi Coti, a member of the Belonging & Connection team. Last year, she led a watercolor painting club and brought in her mom, a professional artist, to help.
“There were a bunch of kids who were so excited and were like, ‘I want to be an artist when I grow up.’
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• Friendship exemplifies district values
