Eagles’ Nest boosts academic results at East Elementary

MOUNT VERNON — Aubriella Sexton said she likes everything about East Elementary’s Eagles’ Nest program, but the crafts are her favorite.

Before working on her multiplication tables and snacking on a white bagel with grape jelly, Sexton and a group of East Elementary students created skiers made out of aluminum foil. The winter-themed STEM activity focused on how the skier’s mass would impact it sliding down a slope.

The ski activity is just one example of the “enrichment activities” for students at Eagles’ Nest, an after-school program for second through fifth grade students with low math and reading test scores. 

Eagles’ Nest provides tutoring and recreational activities for students, led by current and retired teachers. The program is in its eighth year with three other elementary schools involved including Pleasant Street, Dan Emmett and Danville Elementary.

United Way of Knox County helps fund the program, providing $45,000 for tutors and program administrators, executive director Katie Ellis said.

The goal, East principal Karly Watterson said, is to improve students’ academic performance through social and educational mentoring. 

“We’ve seen a significant increase for students receiving extra intervention compared to those who do not,” Ellis said.

“Teachers have also seen improvements in homework completion.”

Students are invited to join the program based on internal assessments.

Watterson said approximately 240 students have participated in the program have showcased growth on the NWEA MAP – a benchmark test Mount Vernon City Schools district uses at the beginning, middle and end of the year for reading and math. 

Students who are in the 20th percentile or below are invited to join Eagles’ Nest first, Watterson said.

After that, Watterson said, teachers in grades third through fifth recommend students who may need extra homework support. Personal invites are sent home with those students.

If there’s still more space, Watterson said Eagles’ Nest is open to all students.

Permission forms are filled out by parents for students to participate, Watterson said.

Eagles’ Nest students see increase in test scores

Eagles’ Nest participants’ NWEA MAP (Measure of Academic Progress) Reading scores went up by an average of 16.17 units (with the greatest increase being 37 units) and NWEA MAP Math scores went up by an average of 10.05 units (with the greatest increase being 23 units).

“The homework help has helped me in school,” Sexton said. “Most days I finish all my homework before I go home.”

The MAP tests use a unit scale that measures levels of academic difficulty. Teachers use this scale, known as Rasch Unit (RIT), to identify a student’s learning level and growth over time, Watterson said.

The program runs from 3:30 p.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Thursday, from October to May. 

Eagles’ Nest can serve up to thirty students, Watterson said at Feburary’s board of education meeting, due to limited space inside the school’s library and volunteer availability.

Roughly 18 to 20 kids are enrolled in Eagles’ Nest, Watterson also said at the board meeting.

Enrollment ebbs and flows based on family and student schedules, district activities like the musical and sporting events and access to volunteers, Watterson said.

During the 90 minute session, students spend 45 minutes on homework assistance–the other half is spent on physical and enrichment activities. 

Watterson said in the seven years East Elementary has run the program, she could only think of one student who didn’t increase their test scores.

How did Eagles’ Nest begin?

Marilyn Nagy wanted to give back to the elementary school where she spent 31 years teaching.

After Nagy retired in 2013, former United Way of Knox County director Kelly Brenneman asked if she would be interested in bringing an academic enrichment afterschool program to East Elementary.

Nagy gladly accepted the challenge.

She built the program by asking different community leaders and educational institutions if they wanted to participate.

“Everyone is willing to help,” Nagy said. “It’s a passion (project) for me. I want help the kids.”

As a retired teacher, Nagy says Eagles’ Nest gives her the “kid fix” she misses from being in the classroom five days a week.

The hardest part of sustaining the program is fundraising, Ellis said.

“When you ask for money for the same thing again, people get a little tired of hearing about it,” she said.

“Making the message fresh so you don’t have donor exhaustion. It’s the hardest thing we face (…) make sure we have a really strong donor base for our kids.”