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Coyote Den provides afterschool fun, help for students

When Chambers Prairie music teacher Linda Pyle realized there was a need for extra afterschool support for some students, she stepped up!

Linda realized some families might be challenged to find transportation home from an afterschool program, so she brought the program to them. Once a week, Linda and her husband Dave, a student teacher at Chambers, volunteer their time at a nearby apartment complex where several Chambers Prairie students live.

The Coyote Den—named after the school mascot—offers students a place to do homework and engage in games and activities with their friends. They meet the kids as they get off the bus and gather with community partners to give kids a healthy and safe afterschool activity. Teachers volunteer to help with homework, and Chambers Prairie administrators bring popsicles, play board games, and even shoot hoops!

Using POWER-UP! program funds, an additional teacher will provide reading fluency classes during Coyote Den.

“I have dreamed for years about a program that would serve our students experiencing poverty, an afterschool program that could offer homework help, snacks, and a safe place to be after school, right in their own housing community,” said Linda.