REACHing new heights at Owatonna
Afton, bottom, and Delaney Gomez, top, smile and share a laugh at the REACH open-house celebration last week. The two sisters spoke about their experience with REACH and how it has helped shape their lives and prepare them for the future. Staff photo by Johnnie Phillips
Owatonna’s Relationships Education Accountability Character and Hard Work (REACH) program had its year-end, open house celebration last week at Owatonna Middle School for participating students to celebrate and reflect on what the program means to them.
The school cafeteria was quickly packed at 5:30 p.m. with students, friends and families alike as music, games and plenty of food created a warm and inviting atmosphere.
“A lot of time we have students who don’t necessarily go or want to go to extracurricular events, but when we talked about this day, everybody was excited about it,” said REACH social worker Nate Gendron. “It’s really cool how we’ve built a family here, and created a space where everyone can have fun and celebrate together.”
The first hour was reserved for guests to mingle and swap stories over warm food while program leaders set the stage for speeches to begin at 6:30 p.m.
Students attending the celebration discussed days spent in REACH classrooms playing games, setting goals and learning everyday skills – all while dawning smiles.
“I really enjoy REACH. It’s really helped me find who I am and what I’m passionate about,” said Delaney Gomez, an Owatonna seventh grader. “Like every Friday we set goals, and it helps push you forward toward achieving them in the future,” she added.
Gomez went on to speak in front of the packed cafeteria room, highlighting her experience in her first few years in REACH.
Another common positive influence of REACH amongst students has been its ability to help during difficult times.
A major emphasis of the program is to also prioritize mental health, making sure that those seeking a safe space are heard and helped appropriately.
Though students are the program's main beneficiaries, they are not the only ones seeing the results of their hard work.
“I’ve seen them grow up a lot. They’ve really gotten more social and their grades have improved,” said Owatonna’s Donald Black, father of REACH students Alex and Faith Black.
While the Owatonna REACH program has only been around for five years, the number of students joining the program and becoming a part of the family has only increased over time.
“We owe it to Carol Belmore and Jessica Hatland who really built this program, as well as our principals and administration team. We understand the importance of mental health and if we can help our community’s kids in any way, we’ll do it,” said Gendron.