Cathy Benson | The Botetourt View

Meagan, Skyler, Lydia, Abby, Taylore, Molly and Catherine take part in gardening with George Sydnor.

After school enrichment classes happen yearly at Botetourt County Elementary Schools. Recently, Breckinridge Elementary principal Laura Camp invited the Botetourt View over for an after school enrichment, sharing the fun with the students enrolled in the classes at the school.

Breckinridge has been a Distinguished Title I school for several years now and after participating in a afternoon of airplanes in Dare to Soar, sports world, gardening, Lip smacking snacks and tied up in knots macrame, it is little wonder the school does so well academically and has great volunteers, too.

The classes have a fee generally for equipment and things used in the classes, but they are generally very affordable. "One hundred of the 260 students in the school signed up for the classes," said Camp.

Erynn Barkett used rockets one week and paper airplanes and art the next to interest students in flying and things that fly in Dare to Soar. A helicopter is on tap for a visit soon. Barkett, who is a pilot among many other talents, is a volunteer and parent at Breckinridge and has completed the volunteer program as have the other After School Enrichment instructors. On Thursday, Sept. 17, that also included George Sydnor, the gardening instructor; Kathy Hicks, the macrame instructor; JoAnn Walthall, sports world, who has facilitated the after school enrichment program for over a decade; and Anne Swandby, Lipsmacking Snacks, both teachers at the school.

The parachute "playing popcorn" looked like loads of fun and plenty of squeals and laughter accompanied the class taught by Walthall. The girls in the macrame class had on their first completed project -- a necklace -- and they also plan to make a bracelet, earrings and an anklet, said Hicks.

In the garden the students have carrots budding in the windows and were hard at work on a poster of their perfect gardens. In Lip Smacking Snacks, they had a spider float and fruit pizza. For the next several week Swandby said they were going to work on Halloween treats.

So for an hour and ten minutes after school, Breckinridge was action packed with fun and interesting activities and smiles were all around.

If your school has After School Enrichment this fall or any other activity you'd like to highlight invite us or send us photos to news@botetourtview.com

-- Cathy Benson

Botetourt Buddies begins the second year

Botetourt Buddies has begun its second year. The Lord Botetourt social group pairs special education students with general education students all year for monthly field trips, parties and get togethers. Vanessa Ramos is a senior this year, and it was her idea last year for the group. And, it really caught on and grew all year long into a really fun place for the students to interact.

Coach Tater Benson and his aides also help with the group. On Wednesday morning, Sept. 23, the students put together a PowerPoint of who they are and what they like. The group members chatted and laughed as they worked at not only getting the PowerPoint right, but also getting the Update in MAC technology was an experience, too! This year they have many activities and possibly a big field trip, so stay tuned, said Ramos.

-- Cathy Benson