Learning and service were how a handful of LCEC middle school youth chose to recognize the Martin Luther King, Jr. holiday. They assembled 30 kits of personal care supplies for women staying the Salvation Army shelter and discussed a controversial episode of the TV series Boondocks, which originally aired on January 15, 2006. The 23-minute animated show imagines a world in which Dr. King survived the attempt on his life in 1968 and wakes up from a coma in 2001. The show’s creative team was both criticized for its approach and honored with a 2006 Peabody award. Staff and youth talked seriously about race and the media and practiced the kind of critical-thinking skills essential for success in the 21st Century.

Like all LCEC programs for children and youth, our middle school offerings balance learning/academics, health/fitness, arts/creativity, and service/leadership. One academic year of LCEC afterschool programming for one middle schooler costs $3900. To contribute, give now.