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East Iredell offers after-school clubs to students
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Published: November 5, 2009
The door to Kenitra Waddell's classroom was closed on Wednesday afternoon, the hallway outside empty and quiet.
But through the door, the muffled sounds of drums and children could be heard.
The students, clustered in small groups about the classroom at East Iredell Elementary, were all tightly gripping drum sticks as they got ready to participate in the school's new drum club.
On Waddell's command, the students began to bang their buckets, drums, bongos, chairs and even the tables in tune with one another.
"I think drums are cool," said Kaylon Gryder, 10. "I like the beat of drums and wanted to play because I never played before."
The drum club is one of more than a dozen new activities being offered for students this year at the school.
Teachers wanted to give students opportunities to be exposed to new experiences.
In past years, the school has only had one after-school club, the Jump Rope Club, according to Niche Faulkner, school counselor.
Now, every Wednesday, more than half of the school's population, 300 students, participate in the club of their choice.
They can choose from clubs such as volleyball, jump rope, drama, drums, dance, yoga, Spanish, technology, origami, book club, newspaper, art and music. The students will have the opportunity to try a different club in the spring.
Yoga Club
Yoga instructor Kelly Hogan positioned herself on top of tables so students could get a better look at her poses as they sat perched on their floor mats.
One at a time, they demonstrated the positions they had been practicing at home, creating their version of poses such as "the one legged downward dog" and "Eagle."
Third grader Brandon Cruz, 9, was eager to show Hogan he could do the "Eagle" pose, which he called, "the falcon."
"I like doing all the poses," he said. "I get to stay after school with all the teachers because it helps my body learn more."
Fifth grader Molly Davis said she chose the yoga club because it puts her at ease.
"Yoga helps me relax," the 10-year-old said. "It's really fun to do... when I'm stressed out it helps me get more calm."
Jump Rope Club
The Jump Rope Club was the first club at the school, formed three years ago to help the students get additional physical activity.
"A lot of these kids go home and play video games and we're trying to offer them an alternative to sitting around watching TV," said teacher Allison Chundrlek.
The Jump Rope Club, along with the other groups, will perform during a show to be held at the school in December.
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