The TOPS is back again at ACE for another semester. This time with goals and plans to be more attentive to student’s needs at ACE for this new semester.
TOP stands for Teen Outreach program and this program goes to different high schools and has students who participate in it do activities and events that give back to the community.
The program is based out of Waterbury but travels to different towns and collaborates with different high schools. The program is focused on impacting students in positive ways to make students see that you can give back to the community in the little ways possible and that the little things can make a big difference.
Semester one at ACE with the TOPS program was a little challenging at first and it was even more difficult when the program wasn’t consistent and that frustrated many students that decided to participate, but we all came together and made plans and goals to do better for the program to be more consistent and successful for this new semester.
Ashlee, a teacher at ACE who is also involved in the TOPS program reveals she is “looking forward to our students getting the opportunity to engage with the community and get over personal differences to achieve a bigger common goal”
She adds “I really think that when this program is ran properly it is a perfect opportunity for students to get involved with the community and see what they can do to be a part of it”
She leaves off by expressing “I absolutely would recommend this program to students inside and outside of ACE”.
Goals and plans that have already been happening is that the TOPS program has reached out to nursing homes to make shadow boxes and become penpals with them.
Another activity students in TOPS were excited to participate in this semester was Read Across America. Our students went to Ellsworth Elementary School and split into groups to lead different classrooms in reading activities.
Valentina a student from ACE that is part of TOPS has also expressed “I want to see more interaction with the community”
“I think we gain how to serve the community and makes up a better person and how we can do better things” She believes this is what we gain from being part of this program
The goals that the TOPS program does have is that they are going to be more consistent and more involved and communicative with the students.
We are all hoping that this new semester will be more hands-on and can’t wait to see what else this program has in store for us.
