New after-school program showcasing future opportunities for Waynesboro students

Published: Aug. 12, 2022 at 12:11 PM EDT

WAYNESBORO, Va. (WHSV) - Although it is only the first week of school for students and staff at Kate Collins Middle School, they are already eager for the start of a new 10-week after-school program called the ‘On the Road Collaborative’.

“It’ll help provide that equal access for students that need somewhere to be after school. Plus it helps to connect us with the community which is something that we really really desire to be more connected with the community,” Kate Collins Middle School Principal Marcia Nester said.

Former JMU basketball star and Staunton native Angela Mickens is in her first year as Program Director for On the Road and says the program is about showing kids their potential.

“We provide career enrichment courses and what are those, those are the community coming into the school and teaching the kids what they do for a living,” Mickens said.

Entrepreneurs in the area, as well as business owners, law enforcement, and skilled trade workers, will visit with students four days a week starting in September.

“It’s closing the gap when it comes from when the kids leave school and what they do after school. We are big about exposure who knows, transitions start in middle school you know what I mean and I think it’s important for the kids to be exposed to what’s out there in the community,” Mickens explained.

Mickens will be on-site during school hours to provide one-on-one and group sessions and teach students about things like time management and teamwork, which Principal Nester says is at the heart of the school.

“That encouragement and that relationship and be able to build that as well as having that program, to offer another opportunity for our students in this building that they get to stay and be part of. And I’m excited to bring the community in and make those connections,” Nester said.

The On the Road Collaborative is currently looking for volunteers and staff for positions like program specialists, and you can learn more about these opportunities by visiting their website.

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