ACES Faces Feature: Meet Eva and Forever!
At ACES, our students bring energy, curiosity, and a commitment to learning that makes every day special. This month, we’re excited to highlight two incredible students, Eva and Forever, who embody what it means to engage with ACES programming.
Always Learning, Always Growing
NECP Program Coordinator Rachel sees firsthand how Eva and Forever take full advantage of everything ACES has to offer.
“What I appreciate most about having Eva and Forever in ACES is how they relentlessly engage in all that ACES has to offer. They are two young people who want to get the most out of their time at ACES after school, working with their peers on projects, spending time with ACES staff on their homework, and coming along on our field trips,” Rachel shares. “They both bring really positive energy and embody what it looks like to engage with ACES programming.
Learning Beyond the Classroom
For Eva, ACES is not just about having fun—it’s also about learning skills that carry over into school and beyond.
“You can learn from the lessons. It can help you in class, and once you learn from it, it can help you in the future also,” Eva explains. “It helped me with my schoolwork because some things we haven’t learned in class yet, and then we learn them in ACES. We’re like, ‘We already learned about this in ACES!’”
That confidence boost makes a big difference, and she appreciates how ACES staff check in to see what students have gained from each session.
“It’s fun when you ask us what we learned and what was our favorite part about the day. I really like that part because you ask us about it and you see how much we learned from it.”
Learning Through Play
Forever’s favorite part of ACES? The games and the teamwork that comes with them.
“My favorite thing about ACES is the games and the huddles. We get to work together,” she says.
One activity that stood out to her was the shoe activity, where students learned real-world math skills, like using subtraction when spending money from an allowance. These hands-on applications make learning engaging and practical.
A Love for Sports and Culture
Both students have enjoyed learning about sports history through ACES.
“We learned about where soccer was from in Sports History, and we explained to people who don’t know what soccer is and what the rules are and how to play it,” Eva shares.
Forever, who loves gymnastics and football, says soccer stands out as her favorite sport at school because “you just play for fun and you get to work in teams.” She also enjoyed learning about soccer in different parts of the world through ACES Sports Around the World unit.
Why Join ACES?
When asked what they would tell a friend about ACES, both Eva and Forever emphasized the perfect balance of fun and learning.
“It’s an after-school program. It’s not just about the fun; you also can learn things from it. It helps you with your education and your math. It’s fun, and you can get to know people there,” Eva says.
Forever agrees, highlighting the interactive elements: “I would tell them about our huddles and games. I would tell them we get to play a game and we get points and we can earn prizes.”
Eva and Forever remind us that ACES is more than just an after-school program—it’s a place where students build confidence, strengthen friendships, and expand their knowledge in ways that will serve them well into the future. We’re so proud to have them on our team!