C.J. Aldrich This is Me

 Web References

1. 1. Keeping Kids Off the Streets - News - Great Falls Connection - Connection Newspapers

   www.greatfallsconnection.com/a - [Cached]

   Published on: 4/13/2005   Last Visited: 4/24/2005

   C.J. Aldrich, a manager at the Old Firehouse that works at Longfellow's program, said having two sites for Longfellow students to choose from can only help the program continue to grow and include more students. "At the Firehouse, there's more of a focus on individual projects. You can go on the computer or play Xbox. We do have activities each day, like board game day on Monday, community service on Tuesday, tutoring on Wednesday," he said. Community service is a part of the eighth-grade curriculum, and devoting one afternoon to it each week helps the students meet their requirements. "We help make hats for terminally ill children through the Happy Hats program, which is part of their community service," Aldrich said. While the program at the Old Firehouse usually has about 50 students per day, the program at Longfellow is limited to 25 students for each of the three days it's available, he said, but currently about 10 or 12 students participate. "We'd love to take this program into other schools in the Dranesville District. Our mission is focused mainly on this area," he said. Some of the students are enrolled in the program because their parents want them to get some extra help in school, and Aldrich said he's made a habit of talking to some of the teachers before each day's program starts to find out homework assignments so he can make sure work is getting done. "I can ask the students how they're doing with certain assignments and let parents know how much of their homework is done when they pick their child up at 6 p.m.," he said. At the school, Aldrich has received permission from a teacher to leave text books in her classroom and also to use the computer lab and library for students who need to access the Internet for homework, further proving that the students aren't just spending their afternoons playing games. "This is a really good partnership we have with Longfellow, and the kids absolutely benefit from it," he said.

2. 2. The McLean Community Center

   mcleancenter.org/content.asp?c - [Cached]

   Published on: 6/25/2004   Last Visited: 10/16/2006

   C.J. Aldrich
   
   Manager
   
   Old Firehouse Teen Center
   
   703-448-8336