Happy Afterschool Professionals’ Appreciation Week

How are you celebrating the #HeartOfAfterSchool?

Did you know this week is afterschool professionals’ appreciation week?

Did you know this week ASAP is also releasing its spring impact letter?

Coincidentally, the letter highlights two phenomenal afterschool professionals — Hope McDowell and Kate McGrath! Together, they have co-led the ASAP Drama club at Martha Washington School in West Philly for the past four years. Nevertheless, even during the pandemic, this dynamic duo made sure the students at Martha Washington never stopped creating and telling their own stories.

We certainly appreciate Hope and Kate for lending their time and talents to enrich their students afterschool! And after you read our letter, we’re even more confident you’ll appreciate them too! In the meantime, read on to learn more about Hope, Kate, and their ASAP Drama club!

A Story from Planet Hot Sauce

Firstly, Max is an immortal from the Planet Hot Sauce; his specialty is sabotage. Secondly? Speedgamer is a cyborg from Earth who survived the experiments of an evil scientist. Max and Speedgamer are the creations of Naquan and Josh, 3rd graders from the ASAP Drama Club at Martha Washington Elementary. This May, they will perform their alter egos alongside students from across the city at the ASAP Drama Festival.

“I liked creating [Speedgamer’s] back story and how it sort of relates to me. I like playing video games, and he does, too.”
-Josh, 3rd grade, Martha Washington

When Naquan and Josh joined drama club they probably wouldn’t have guessed by the end of the year, they’d be seasoned playwrights. According to Ms. Hope, this is all part of the process.

“Some kids, their reading may not be great, but I knew this would help them because they create the plays themselves. They create the characters themselves.”
-Hope McDowell, ACE Program Coordinator at Martha Washington

Professionals Create Literacy Rich Environments

With support from the William Penn Foundation ASAP Drama has been partnering with afterschool professionals like Hope and Kate to create FUN, literacy-rich environments for K-3 students in Philadelphia schools and community centers.

This year, Hope and Kate have utilized ASAP Drama’s original curriculum, titled “The World Around Me.” After school, students explore how storytelling elements such as setting, characters, and monologues, can also be discovered in their everyday experiences!

“I’m glad I joined drama club because if I didn’t join drama club then I would have never known that it would be this fun!”
Kennedy, Martha Washington 3rd grader

Thanks to professionals Hope and Kate, the students of Martha Washington know that their ideas, stories, and voices deserve to be heard.

From Philadelphia all the way to Planet Hot Sauce.

Meet Two Dedicated Afterschool Professionals!

So who exactly are these dedicated afterschool professionals turning ordinary students like Naquan, Josh, and Kennedy into superheroes and supervillains?!

Swipe to find out!

As an ASAP Drama Club Leader, Ms. Hope has been inspiring and supporting students in the ACE program at Martha Washington School for more than 4 years. With each new ASAP Drama curriculum, Hope has been pivotal in ensuring that her students are exposed to a variety of literacy rich activities and experiences. But Ms. Hope’s commitment to her students doesn’t stop there! She recently launched a literacy program of her own called Ms. Hope’s Reading Hour, an idea that really took off during the pandemic as a way for her students and the community to tune in every Friday at 3PM to read aloud and animate their stories.
Hope McDowell
Entering her 7th year as an ASAP Drama Teaching Artist, Ms. Kate has been a constant source of wonder and encouragement for ASAP Drama students throughout the city. Her resume? How much time do you have?! Primarily a playwright, Kate’s work has been performed locally, nationally, and internationally. When she isn’t polishing her latest script, Kate works with Philadelphia Young Playwrights, an organization that partners with educators to bring the transformative power of playwriting into classrooms and community settings. In addition to supporting the students at Martha Washington, Kate teaches drama at the Darlington Arts Centers a few days a week. Kate was also one of the original founders of the Philadelphia Dramatist Center and served on their board twice over the last 20 years.
Kate McGrath
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    Furthermore, ASAP is privileged to work with extraordinary professionals like Hope and Kate, and countless others like them! They have truly dedicated themselves to enriching the lives of young people in Philadelphia.  

    Finally, please join us in celebrating all of our city’s wonderful afterschool professionals this week for their commitment to giving students like Kennedy, Naquan, and Josh, the afterschool opportunities they deserve.

    How you can help

    If you’d like to help ASAP create more opportunities for youth in Philadelphia (not Planet Hot Sauce), we hope you will consider donating.

    Click here to donate to ASAP!

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    **And don’t forget: if you plan to mail a check, ASAP has a new home located at One Penn Center – 1617 JFK Blvd., Suite 1855, Philadelphia, PA 19103-1823

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