After-School All-Stars celebrates 20 years of fun and service

The smell of vinegar permeates the courtyard of The Academy at Bridger Middle School.

The students don’t mind the pungent smell because to them it is a sign of a successful science experiment.

With a teacher on hand, the youngsters spent the past hour or so transforming plastic liter soda bottles into rockets by filling them with a mixture of baking soda and vinegar. They cork the top of the bottle and the pressure builds until it pops, sending the “rocket” into the air.

“Wow,” they yell as one shoots overhead onto the roof. “Awesome.”

For these students, the science experiments, dance lessons, drum circles, martial arts demonstrations or field trips to national parks wouldn’t be possible without the After-School All-Stars.

For the past 20 years, the nonprofit group’s Las Vegas chapter has provided opportunities for at-risk and underprivileged youths throughout the valley.

Ranna Daud, executive director of After-School All-Stars, says the organization serves more than 5,500 students each year.

“It’s been about 100,000 youths in 20 years,” Daud says.

From the time the bell rings after school until close to 5 p.m., students have a place to go, and it’s free of charge.

“Between 3 and 6 p.m. is a critical time for students,” Daud says.

According to research, Daud says that 70 percent of youth violence, drug and alcohol use, gang activity and teen pregnancy occurs in those after-school hours.

The program today isn’t how it started 20 years ago.

Daud says the program originally was part of the national organization Inner-City Games, which expanded to Las Vegas in 1995 offering students across the valley access to sports activities on the weekends.

“But then we realized we were missing an opportunity,” she says.

In 2003, after much discussion, the program retooled its purpose to work with children after school.

The program, geared toward students from kindergarten to middle school, started in three schools in Las Vegas.

“So the school bell rings and the kids get to stay,” Daud says.

The program starts with academic enrichment and tutoring.

“Some of them need the extra help and don’t have the money for private tutoring,” Daud notes.

Afterward, students get a free snack and then head to a variety of activities.

Administrators such as Bridger Middle School Principal Deanna Jaskolski have seen the program’s effect on students.

“It is a safe place for them to be after school,” Jaskolski says. “They also get a free meal, which they might not normally get. It can make a world of difference.”

If they didn’t have After-School All-Stars, they wouldn’t have somewhere else to go. Many other after-school options aren’t free.

“There is no alternative for these students,” she says.

And it’s not all just fun and games.

“We had a student who wasn’t participating in their math class,” Jaskolski recalls. “They were getting F’s.”

After an introduction to the organization and tutoring, the student significantly improved.

The program also offers role models for students.

“It’s one thing for teachers to just be there,” she says. “To have other people show up and show that they’re interested in them or wanting to invest in them makes a difference.”

Daud notes that each school has programming geared toward the students’ interests.

To ensure quality, there is a student advisory board.

“We want them to tell us what they like,” Daud says. “After all, kids know what they like best.”

Cache’ Robinson, 13, has been a part of the program since 2013, participating in the dance and football activities.

“If I didn’t have this, I’d probably be at home doing nothing,” she says.

This year, she was chosen to be a part of the student advisory board.

“It feels great to be able to speak up for the other kids,” she says.

The activities are fun, but Daud says it is the mentors that keep the youngsters around.

“They come for the activities but they stay for the people,” Daud says.

Frank Canales, 19, remembers the impact those people had in his life.

“I don’t know what my life would look like without (After-School All-Stars),” he says.

As an elementary school student, Canales was always getting into fights.

“I was that kid who was always getting into trouble,” he says. “I was always causing a ruckus.”

He joined After-School All-Stars in middle school and things began to change for him when some of the workers invested time in him.

“I will never forget my mentor, Mike Anderson,” he says. “He showed me what it meant to be a good leader.”

Canales says his mentorship helped to bring him out of his shell and ignite a passion for him.

“I remember in seventh grade, we were having this talent showcase for people to sing and dance and do magic,” he says. “Mike asked me if I wanted to be his co-emcee for the event. It really brought me out of my shell.”

The opportunity helped spark an interest in media, propelling Canales toward the goal of being a broadcast journalist.

After he left the program after middle school, Canales tried to stay connected to it by volunteering.

When he graduated from high school, he was hired on as an assistant site leader for West Prep Academy.

Now, he sees elementary students who were just like he was — a little rowdy and in need of guidance.

“I can relate to them,” he says. “I try to be a good role model for them. The community has given me so much it’s only right to give back.”

After-School All-Stars is in 13 schools in Las Vegas — five elementary schools and eight middle schools. The program has been in schools that are Title 1, usually with a high percentage of students eligible for free or reduced-price lunch.

Daud adds that they get requests from schools and would love to expand.

“We have a waiting list of about 30 schools,” she says. “We wish we could expand but we are limited by funding.”

The organization is funded through grants and private donations of corporate and individual sponsors.

“I’d rather focus on quality programming than quantity,” she says.

No matter how the program expands in the future, Daud hopes it continues to benefit students who need it the most, maybe even inspiring them to come back and help out.

“I want one of the kids to take my job one day,” Daud says.

Contact reporter Michael Lyle at mlyle@reviewjournal.com or 702-387-5201. Follow @mjlyle on Twitter.