LOCKNEY — For the last five years, Lockney schools have reaped the benefits of grant-funded ACE after-school programs. And while the grant funds have run out, Lockney Junior High’s very last program was one that the students won’t soon forget.
LJH ACE brought in The Lab from Lubbock for a basketball clinic, which featured coaches Sonny Chavez and Parker Bollinger as well as Lubbock Monterey freshman standout Aaliyah Chavez and eighth grader Addisyn Bollinger.
Chavez, who just finished her eighth grade year already with six Division I NCAA offers (and Bollinger has one of her own), has been a bit of a phenomenon on the South Plains this year. She says that although she’s been in the spotlight lately for her own skillset, one of the things she enjoys most is sharing her passion for basketball with everyone.
“I come out here with these kids to show that I don’t feel like I’m different than anybody else,” Chavez said. “I like coming out here with these kids to inspire them — to inspire them to get better at basketball, trying to get better at anything in life.”
Aaliyah’s father Sonny said that working with the kids in Lockney is as much about showing them that they can do it as it is showing them how to do it.
“My biggest thing is just helping kids fall in love with the game,” Sonny said. “Learning the fundamentals, learning that it is possible to play basketball. A lot of these kids don’t even know that they can play basketball. They just think they’re not good enough. But they’ve just never had someone work with them or believe in them.”
This basketball program is special, without a doubt, but it is just one of a number of unique programs ACE has brought to Lockney Junior High students this year. Other programs have included photography, science, Zumba, and arts and crafts.
The ACE program, which stands for Texas Afterschool Centers on Education, is operated by Communities in Schools and funded by a Texas Education Agency grant and strives to keep kids engaged and bridge the gap between schools and parents. ACE provides before- and after-school services for at-risk students at campuses across the South Plains, including Lockney and Floydada.
ACE focuses on academics, enrichment, college and career readiness and family engagement. In addition to the fun activities, the program provides homework help, tutoring and mental health resources to students, according to Andrea Curl, ACE Project Director for Communities in Schools of the South Plains.
“Our goal is for students to improve their grades, improve their attendance and improve their behavior,” Curl said. “We provide that intentional programming in order to help those students accomplish that.”
Lockney Junior High ACE Site Coordinator Jessica Naranjo has been one of the driving forces behind the program, on the ground every day for the last five years making connections with the kids. She says that the ACE program in Lockney has been beneficial for all involved.
“It’s been a huge blessing,” Naranjo said. “It’s been probably the hugest learning experience I’ve had. We have been very fortunate that Communities in Schools was able to come to Lockney.”
Watching the kids mature has been one of the best parts of her experience, Naranjo said.
“My favorite part is definitely seeing growth,” Naranjo said. “Some kids didn’t even know how to dribble a basketball when this all started, and now I tell them ‘Maybe I’ll be able to come out and watch you play!’
“I tell them, ‘It’s just a learning experience. Make yourself adaptable to all these learning experiences. Don’t ever say, “I wish I would’ve.” Just try it.'”
And while the community that this program has nurtured will no longer be directly in the school, in a small town like Lockney, the relationships she’s built with the kids aren’t going anywhere.
“We have to build relationships. These kids have to trust you to talk to you,” Naranjo said. “I’m going to miss them all, but I always tell them, ‘If you need something, I’m always going to be around.’ It doesn’t matter if you’re employed here or not, you definitely never want to lose that connection with your kids.”
Lockney Junior High and Lockney Elementary School were both recipients of the “Cycle 10” grant, which finished at the end of this school year. This means that Lockney will not have ACE programs for the coming year. Floydada’s A.B. Duncan Elementary School received “Cycle 11” funding and will continue to have ACE programs in the coming year.
