ISD 622 launches 'Flight' after‑school program serving 573 middle‑school students under $1.5 million state grant

The North St. Paul–Maplewood–Oakdale School District (ISD 622) described a new after‑school program called Flight that served 573 middle‑school students in its first year and is funded by a three‑year state after‑school community learning grant worth $500,000 per year.

Flight — an acronym for “Future Leaders Inspiring Growth, Honor, and Talent” — runs Monday through Friday from 2 p.m. to 6 p.m. at John Glenn and Skyview middle schools. The district presented the program’s structure to the school board, saying the first two hours each day are club‑based enrichment (clubs meet twice weekly), an activity bus departs at 4 p.m., and supervised programming continues until 6 p.m. for students who remain on site.

The program offers more than 50 clubs across fall, winter and spring sessions, district staff said, allowing students to enroll in up to five clubs per session. Examples cited included art, fencing, chess, coding, makerspace, K‑pop and Hmong dance, and athletics. The district said partnerships with organizations such as Junior Achievement, Children’s Theatre Company, Eastside Arts Council, Girls Who Code and Skyhawks provided content expertise.

District staff said Flight hired community members and high‑school students as staff; the presentation noted student staff can both lead clubs and serve as role models for middle‑school participants. The board was shown video clips of a K‑pop performance and a Hmong dance performance that district staff said illustrated students who discovered new interests through the program.

Staff described two program highlights: a Model United Nations conference run by the YMCA that took more than 20 students to a three‑day statewide event, and a Junior Achievement ‘‘pop up company’’ at Skyview called the Hawk Shop. The Hawk Shop sold snacks and drinks, raised more than $1,000 and donated over $400 to Habitat for Humanity and The Salvation Army, the district said. Students also used the Hawk Shop to sell art made in after‑school clubs.

Program leaders said Flight prioritized equity by offering the program free to all students; the state grant covers staffing, vendors, supplies, some transportation for field trips and participation fees. The district said the grant totals $1.5 million across three years and that the grant funding covers staffing and program costs (snacks were noted as funded through other programs). District staff said they expect continued growth in participation in future years.

Board members asked about contractor selection and cultural competence for clubs tied to specific communities. District representatives said they prioritize vendors and partners with established track records serving diverse student populations, provide onboarding and program support for hired staff, and monitor registration and participation data to ensure programs reflect the demographics of the student body. On transportation between schools for small clubs, staff said they do not currently bus students between Skyview and John Glenn but that they generally try to run clubs and build participation rather than cancel programs for low initial enrollment.

District staff identified site managers Alisa Johnson (Skyview) and Russ Purdy (John Glenn) as the staff who run day‑to‑day operations. The board discussion included praise from multiple directors and a recommendation to highlight the program to legislators when advocacy for future funding occurs.

District staff said Flight is guaranteed through the current three‑year grant; the state has not yet announced whether that program will be renewed beyond the three years. Staff said they will pursue other grants if state funding does not continue.