PRIEST RIVER — The West Bonner County School District is looking to expand its 21st Century Community Learning Center program.

The program, which operates out of Priest River Lamanna High School, serves all students in the seventh through twelfth grades. However, if the CCLC receives the $600,000, five-year grant it is applying for, it plans to expand the program to Priest River and Idaho Hill elementary schools, program director Cherie Coldwell said.

CCLC is an after-school program held at Priest River Lamanna High School, with the option for junior high students to attend as well. Last year, 98 students were registered for the 2018-2019 school year, with an average daily attendance of 18. The students are offered courses for credit recovery, as well as music, a writing workshop, Kung Fu, metal working, art, fishing lures, cybersecurity, drones and more.

The program had been funded by a grant through the Idaho Department of Education, but because the state lacked the funding for a grant competition last year, WBCSD trustees voted to keep the program going, and to hire Coldwell as the district’s grant writer. However, the district is not footing the entire bill for the program, as the district received an anonymous donation of $20,000 to help sustain it through this school year.

With the program firmly in place for junior high and high school students, Coldwell is now seeking to expand the program into the district’s elementary schools. Partnership letters are being sent out explaining what the program is, what it does and how it helps the district’s students.

The center’s elementary school programs will be STEaM-focused — science, technology, engineering, arts and math — with literacy components, art and physical activities offered throughout the week, Coldwell said. In addition, Priest River Elementary will offer a preschool program for several hours in the afternoon that will include a “movement and brain gym,” letters and numbers, small motor activities, and reading time.

“The new grant will help us expand by funding the additional afterschool sites at PRE and IHE,” Coldwell said. “This would greatly expand access to afterschool activities, provide some of our preschoolers with a head start while giving parents peace of mind that their students are engaging in fun and educational activities.”

Additionally, enrollment could ease the burden of additional child care fees by providing a place for students to grow and learn at no charge to their parents, she said.

The center currently has partnerships with several local business and a couple of community organizations, with ranging from financial to counseling services. Coldwell said she hopes to add additional partnerships “with any organization that cares about our community and the success of our students so that they can be successful, contributing members of our community in the future.”

Current program partners include Priest River Development Corp., Priest River Community Foundation, Priest River Ministries Advocate for Women, Truckin’ For Kids, Keishan Kan Karate, Office Solutions, Big Moose Rentals, Elsaesser Anderson, Idaho Rigging, and the Haddock Association.

“The grant will allow us to expand our programming to the two elementary schools in town providing K-12 after school programming for anyone interested,” said Coldwell.

And that will benefit the entire community as CCLC has a three-fold purpose: provide academic enrichment opportunities, offer a broad array of additional services from youth development to counseling and everything in between to family-based activites that involve the community in students’ learning.

“This is an amazing opportunity for our students and our community but we need your help to maximize our chances,” Coldwell said in the letter.

Grants are awarded on a point system and community support is closely examined during the grant process, she said. That support can be in cash donations, goods and services or in time and in-kind donations.

“We can do amazing things with your help,” Coldwell said.

Anyone interested in supporting the program can contact Coldwell at 208-448-1211, ext. 6. The deadline to receive letters of intent from interested parties is Jan. 27.

Caroline Lobsinger can be reached by email at clobsinger@bonnercountydailybee.com and follow her on Twitter @CarolDailyBee.