After School Clubs Announce Sign-Up Nights

By Diane Lee, Public Information Officer, Garrett County Health Department

The Partners After School clubs at Friendsville and Grantsville elementary schools will host sign-up nights for the 2023-2024 school year. Partners After School @ Friendsville (PAS) welcomes parents to gather in the school’s cafeteria at 6 pm on September 25 to register their third, fourth, or fifth grade child in the free club. Partners After School @ Grantsville (PAS) invites parents to register their third, fourth, or fifth grade child in the free club on September 26 at 6 pm in the school’s cafeteria.

The mission of the Garrett County Health Department’s PAS clubs is to improve the health of youth by promoting healthy eating and physical activity. Participants will explore a variety of physically active hobbies, learn to create healthy snacks, and assume leadership roles in planning activities.

PAS @ Friendsville’s club meets every Monday and Wednesday from the end of the school day until 6 pm, while PAS @ Grantsville’s club meets each Tuesday and Thursday from the end of the school day until 6 pm.

“PAS provides opportunities for students that they may not otherwise experience,” said Assistant Director Cara Jones. “Whether it’s mountain biking and rock climbing with Garrett College’s Outdoor Leadership and Adventure program, or archery lessons and engineering projects with University of Maryland Garrett County Extension’s Tech Wizards program, there is always something new for club members to try.” 

PAS clubs will begin in October. To register, a parent or legal guardian must attend the sign-up meeting for their school. Priority will be given to students who were club members last year; all other openings will be filled as registrations are completed.

Partners After School clubs at Friendsville and Grantsville are funded by the Garrett County Health Department and administered by the agency’s Health Education and Outreach staff. Additional support is provided by the Maryland Department of Social Services and the United Way of Garrett County. Partners After School does not discriminate on the basis of gender, race, age, color, religious belief, national origin, or disability in providing access to programs.

For more information about the clubs, call Venessa Stacy at 301-334-7730 or 301-895-3111.

Cutline: Garrett County Partners After School (PAS) clubs held programs in Grantsville and Friendsville in the past year. Shown clockwise from top left are Archery with PAS @ Friendsville, buoyancy experiment with PAS @ Grantsville, Tech Wizards at work (Friendsville), earthquake simulation (Grantsville), mountain biking (Grantsville), and programming robots (Grantsville).