ABOUT US
Vela means “come out and shine” in Xhosa
and “candle” in Spanish.
The VELA Scholars program provides Amherst Regional Middle School (ARMS) students with learning and enrichment opportunities after regular school hours beyond what might otherwise be available to them. We work hard to increase students’ confidence, social, and emotional well-being, as well as their academic performance. By working with teachers, interns, community partners, and other students in the classroom and beyond, VELA hopes students will:
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Increase core competencies and comprehension in academic subjects
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Engage in intellectually stimulating and personally interesting projects and activities
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Prevent the loss of recently learned skills and knowledge
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Feel a greater connection to ARMS and the local community
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Have fun while learning!
A Partnership With The Collaborative for Educational Services & Amherst Regional Middle School
Summer Enrichment Activities
Students have the opportunity to participate in any of the following activities during the afternoon hours of the Summer VELA Program. Each activity provides a unique space for students to tap into their creativity and connect with themselves and their peers. By signing up for these activities, students also sign themselves up to receive the necessary materials to their homes by delivery.
Art Exploration
This Art Explorations class provides a space for students to become comfortable with and enhance their art skills, providing them with valuable approaches to artistic endeavors. Students will not only be excited by the concepts and tools provided by Ms. Savoia for artistic expression, but will also emerge with pieces to be proud of and to share.
Not only will this art class provide students with a space to relax and de-stress while creating art, it will also teach them the artistic process. Ms. Savoia has a wealth of knowledge which enables her to incorporate this artistic process, translating it smoothly into lessons important for students’ lifetimes. They will be asked to visualize their final product and plan to execute it, they will engage with their own creativity, they will grapple with patience, barriers and errors, and they will be introduced to strategies for properly and efficiently using time and resources.
Zumbomba
Zumbomba allows students to express themselves through movement while also exploring another culture. Throughout the sessions, students will be taught the techniques of a variety of Puerto Rican dances taught by an experienced instructor, Crystal.
This new spin on Zumba will be sure to make students sweat and have fun. Together students will learn steps to traditional dances such as Zanku, Puxa Calça, Piolo, and many more. This is open to a wide range of abilities from beginners to experienced dancers. We can all learn something from each other. Come sweat, laugh, and most of all dance!
Food, Farming, and Fun
This class is a fantastic opportunity for students to cook their own meals, and perhaps even meals for their families, while learning. They will follow along with Farmer Leila as she lays out simple but delicious recipes and even how to use their leftovers and scraps in productive ways.
Farmer Leila incorporates a wealth of information beyond the recipes themselves. She might introduce a local ingredient and share the ingredient’s regional roots, growing needs, and historical use. In this way she provides knowledge about the local environment and sets students up to consider where their food comes from, how it is prepared, and how it arrives in their home. Even further, she sets them up to ponder the history of the ingredients they enjoy and the foods that are familiar to them.
Beat Making
Dj Anghelli brings the art of beat making to the students. Through the free online tool, audio tool, DJ Anghelli walks the students through the functions of all the functions of the online site. Students will learn to engineer their own beats by experimenting with different instruments, sounds, and samples. No prior experience is needed, and DJ Anghelli takes every student through the basics. This class is geared towards students interested in music and/or curious about the art of beat making
Real Talk
Real Talk is a safe and open space for students to discuss occurrences in their daily lives. From middle school to family relationships, students will have the opportunity to discuss topics of their choosing with peers that will be facilitated by Ms. Evelin Aquino.
While very vulnerable and personal conversations can be had, Evelin is very intentional about curating a non-judgemental and open environment. Students will learn to articulate their thoughts through journaling and art. These dialogues are conducted through prompted dialogue, allowing students to engage, listen, and develop empathy for one another..
Outdoor Sports
Students will engage in a variety of recreational activities while embracing the outdoors. From tennis to yoga, students get a chance to move their bodies and practice multiple forms of movements and physical skills either virtually or in person.
Activities will be geared toward students of any and all skill levels, and there is absolutely no fitness requirement. Students will be properly instructed in the necessary skills and injury prevention methods so that they can have fun and properly engage with the activities. Sports and physical activity introduces students to teamwork, flexibility, fairness, and competitiveness. Beyond these valuable interpersonal and physical skills, this class lays a foundation for students to engage with and create a healthy relationship with physical activity for a healthy present and future.
Mind Hacks
Mind Hacks is a class dedicated to inspiring students to explore themselves and their peers from a psychological perspective. Mallory’s strategy relies on keeping the students engaged and interested, so her lessons will often discuss psychological phenomena that may surprise and stimulate the mind to consider, as they feel so natural and normal.
This tailored psychology class manages to bring students together with excitement and fun, but incorporates an invitation to be critical of our surroundings. Beyond critical thinking, Mallory teaches the students that STEM can be enlightening and fun, and inspires them to go further into the field of science with the intention of investigating the natural world through an experiential lens.