By Brett Boese
Post-Bulletin, Red Wing MN 

RED WING When First Covenant Church built an addition in 2007, the impact was relatively small in the community. That's no longer the case.

The large facility, which is located a block away from Twin Bluff Middle School, is now home to a new program dubbed "The Remedy." It's designed as a safe haven for middle school students to interact with their peers and receive additional instruction from adults. The program is offered four days a week and has received a positive response after its first week.

"What are the dangerous times for middle-school kids?" Red Wing Superintendent Stan Slessor said. "It's the two hours after school before parents get home. I'm a firm believer that most kids need the (extra) structure."

He's not the only one. The collaborative project enjoys funding and staffing from the school district, Red Wing Youth Outreach, the Red Wing YMCA and many churches in the area.

Covenant youth pastor Jamie Staples has been offering a similar opportunity since the expansion, but the addition of Twin Bluff teacher Alisha Proehl changed the format. Rather than focusing exclusively on life skills and community building, she was recruited by Slessor to help students improve their math and reading skills.

Though anyone is invited to attend, the program currently targets 14 at-risk students. The past week saw up to 40 students from many ethnicities and backgrounds take part African-American, Native American, Hispanics and Caucasians but the common thread is generally a poor economic background, Staples said. The chance to use a full-size gym, play Wii or X-Box, type on one of six new computers or just relax and socialize on one of the many couches is enough to entice even the most introverted to take part.>

And parents can't believe the opportunity.

"A lot of parents are saying, 'There's going to be free homework help and a place for my kid to hang out?'" said Staples, who removes most religious symbols from the area and is not allowed to proselytize during this time. "They love it. It's been fun to see the community coming together."

While it's too early to tell what the long-term ramifications might be the school district has applied for grants to expand the program there's now hope within a struggling school district. The dropout rate at the high school was 12 percent last year, a figure Slessor calls unacceptable. Though the average ACT score is its highest in five years, most minority groups are still falling short in their standardized test scores.

Those numbers caused Red Wing YMCA executive director Mike Melstad to jump at the opportunity to help, even though it runs opposite his own after-school offerings.

"Society tends to blame schools for this educational failure of so many kids and I don't buy that," he said. "Children don't grow up in schools. They grow up in families and communities. If you're a third-generation non-reader, the likelihood of you being an academic success is pretty darn slim. I think all the agencies in the community play a role in that. We can't just leave the school holding the bag."-->

Parents love new opportunity for their children. Read about it in Monday's print edition.

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