Personal Perspectives from Peck Elementary and Jamestown Middle School
The heartbeat of Operation Xcel’s Operation Homework afterschool and summer programs resonates in the dedication and passion of its site directors. This blog provides an authentic look at a typical day, the triumphs, challenges, and aspirations of two outstanding leaders: Ms. Johnson of Peck Elementary and Ms. Cook of Jamestown Middle School. Their reflections shed light on what it truly means to nurture, inspire, and support students beyond the traditional classroom.
Welcoming Students and Preparing for the Day
Preparation begins well before the students walk through the doors. At Peck Elementary, Ms. Johnson starts each day with a staff check-in to ensure everyone is ready to greet students openly and positively. “We start with snacks, then do the OPX affirmation. We make sure that the students are seen and heard, then go straight into setting up for academics,” she explains. The focus is on creating a welcoming, structured environment where every child feels valued from the moment they arrive.
Over at Jamestown Middle, Ms. Cook’s routine involves checking emails from parents and troubleshooting any issues before the students arrive. “Sometimes parents say their child isn’t coming or something’s happened I want to check in with the child about,” she shares. Afterward, her team mirrors the familiar flow: snacks, library time, affirmations, social-emotional learning, and finally, academic enrichment. The week is punctuated by themed days like “Mindfulness Mondays” and special activities in art, music, and sports.
Connecting with Students: Presence and Purpose
For Ms. Johnson, visibility is key. As a first-grade teacher by day, she makes a deliberate effort to visit every classroom during Operation Homework. “I make it a point to walk through and be seen; check-in with students to see how they’re doing… gauge the room to see if I need to pull anyone aside or support the teachers,” she says. These interactions are about more than monitoring—they’re an opportunity to reinforce a caring, attentive atmosphere.
Impact Moments: Celebrating Successes Large and Small
Both directors saw profound moments of growth this school year. Ms. Cook highlights the end-of-year showcase, where every child’s talent is celebrated publicly: “Each student is our opportunity to showcase their talent with parents, community members, and peers.” Such events foster confidence and pride among students.
For Ms. Johnson, standout moments often involve breakthroughs with students facing behavioral or academic struggles. She shares the story of a pupil who, despite challenging behavior during the school day, thrived in the OPX environment. “He was recognized at the gala... He talked about getting dressed up, how it made him feel. He had never been recognized for anything before—that was the first time.” These experiences underscore the transformative potential of the program.
Supporting Staff and Volunteers
Strong, open communication is foundational. Ms. Johnson conducts interest surveys to get to know her team, meets weekly for open discussions, and keeps daily check-ins to ensure staff and volunteers feel seen and valued. Ms. Cook describes collaborative weekly meetings with academic teachers and counsellors to support struggling students, highlighting a case where a student raised his math grade from a D to an A thanks to targeted support and dedicated extra time from staff.
Academic and Social-Emotional Growth
Operation Xcel’s impact extends beyond academics. Both directors describe daily routines that blend homework, enrichment, and structured activities, instilling habits that help students succeed. “We teach them methods for test taking—underlining, revisiting questions—skills that help not just in middle school but for life,” says Ms. Cook.
SEL (Social Emotional Learning) is woven throughout, with lessons designed to encourage new friendships, collaboration, and self-regulation. Ms. Johnson shares her use of “reflection sheets” for resolving peer conflicts, empowering students to articulate feelings and create solutions together. Teachers across the school have adopted this approach, observing a reduction in conflicts and greater student ownership of their behavior.
Building Community and Belonging
Daily affirmations, developed collaboratively with staff and students, foster a sense of community. “They start to really mean it,” Ms. Cook notes. The affirmations are not just recited but broken down and discussed, helping students internalize values of forgiveness, self-belief, and family-like support.
Both directors note high levels of student and parent engagement. Students are often reluctant to leave early, and parents express gratitude for the positive impact on their children and families.
Challenges and Adaptation
The 2024-2025 school year brought its share of hurdles. Starting a new site, navigating changes in leadership, and adjustments to funding and transportation all required flexibility and resilience. Ms. Johnson recalls, “We had to figure out a lot on our own, and my staff just adapted—even when things kept changing.” Ms. Cook credits parental support for overcoming transportation challenges, while both directors emphasize the importance of clear communication and mutual support among site directors.
Opportunities for Growth
Looking ahead, both directors identify communication and parent engagement as areas for improvement. Ms. Johnson hopes for more streamlined information sharing among site directors and increased parental involvement at Peck Elementary. Ms. Cook emphasizes the need for site-specific professional development to better address the diverse needs of each school’s student body.
Personal Reflections and Aspirations
Both Ms. Johnson and Ms. Cook find deep fulfilment in their roles. Their motivation is rooted in the tangible difference they make: “Our students love being here with us… that motivates me,” says Ms. Cook. For Ms. Johnson, the trust and support of families is her biggest takeaway: “If parents trusted me enough, that gave me community.”
Looking to the future, both leaders are excited by the program’s growth, new partnerships, and the opportunity to serve more students. Creating a better work-life balance and supporting each other as a team are also high on their priorities as they look to further strengthen Operation Xcel’s impact.
Final Thoughts
