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Writing club and Lacrosse – among other things: Flagship Program keeps Missoula’s kids engaged with words and activities – "After school shouldn’t be an afterthought"

The dangerous minds in Washington Middle School’s Young Writers Circle are safe at work, lost in the pages of journals and communal poems passed one to another.

Why dangerous?

The 10 members of the circle meet from 3 to 6 p.m. as part of the after-school activities in the Flagship Program http://www.flagshipprogram.org/ that keep them occupied and engaged.

“Those are at-risk hours,” said Bonnie Walchuk, the coordinator at Washington for the citywide Flagship Program. “Missoula had a higher rate (of at-risk behaviors). We saw early onset of drug use.”

When both parents work, there can be a big gap between school’s out and dinner’s on.

Today, more than 2,000 students participate in programs in 10 Missoula public schools, with 900 volunteers from the general public, University of Montana and some area high schools.

By Timothy Alex Akimoff of the Missoulian

Full Story: http://missoulian.com/articles/2008/04/10/news/mtregional/news07.txt

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From the ground up: Lacrosse team takes root in Missoula thanks to determination and the Flagship Program

By CHAD DUNDAS of the Missoulian

From the very first practice last spring, students at Missoula Hellgate proved they had the dedication and desire necessary to make the city’s first and only high school lacrosse team a reality.

After that, all they needed were some sticks. And pads. And gloves, nets and helmets.

Oh yeah, and one more thing: They needed to learn how to play the game.
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“Zero experience,” says coach James Pyke about the players and the program that both had to start from scratch last year. “I went home to New Hampshire and came back with as many sticks as I could possibly find just lying around in my bedroom from high school. Those were the first sticks we had.”

The team – run through Hellgate’s Flagship Program – spent those early days learning the basics of throwing and catching, some defensive strategies and other fundamental skills. Going was slow, but the kids kept after it.

Full Story: http://missoulian.com/articles/2008/04/10/sports/sports01.txt

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