Morning Movement program wakes up ARMS students

This year, ARMS has seen improvement in its attendance rate, behavioral activity, and academic performance. While many factors are responsible, it’s possible that the Morning Movement program for middle school students has played a role, given that a range of 30-50 ARMS students participate on any given day.

The Morning Movement and Mentoring Program provides exercise training, nutritional education, team building, and more through a partnership between the Amherst Public Schools, Amherst Recreation Department, Amherst Police Department, CRESS (Community Responders for Equity, Safety, and Service), UMass Amherst, and Amherst College.  

The program was developed by Seiha Krouch, an ARHS paraeducator, whose goal was “to give the youth a safe space to exercise before and after school.” 

Krouch was the recipient of the A+ Community Service Award from the Amherst Area Chamber of Commerce for this work and also received a certificate of congratulations from the Massachusetts House of Representatives.

The partnership between each of the departments contributing to the program to life is strong.  “They each bring a specific level of experience, expertise, and resources to make the program function at a high level,” said Officer Bill Laramee of the Amherst Police Department.

Laramee said his department is committed to being “active participants in the community we serve. Being connected to our youth is of vital importance.” His goal is to develop trust with youth, create friendships, and demonstrate “that there is a big family that cares for them.” 

He said the town of Amherst provides the financial support needed to run the program, including salaries, transportation, and food.

On December 10, when I visited the program, everyone circled up for warm-ups, then huddled up like a team, with hands in the middle, calling out “Family on 3,” then yelling out “1, 2, 3, Family,” after which they broke out and engaged in an activity. At the end of each movement, everyone circled up again for a debrief and another huddle and call-out. Students seemed to enjoy the structure and teamwork that are a part of Morning Movement.

Ronan Collins, a seventh grader, loves the program. “I work out, play basketball, and sometimes wrestle,” he said. “I like it because it’s fun. It’s something to do.” Collins said he would recommend the program to others “because you meet a lot of people and it’s fun.”

Santi Benbow is a junior at Amherst College, and a “philosophy major & track and field decathlete with a passion for Financial Stewardship,” according to the Amherst College website. Benbow volunteers to help in the mornings with the students. “Getting a chance to hang out with people [has been great],” he said. “And wrestling has been a lot of fun.” Benbow helps provide mentor activities and passes on his knowledge to students.

According to a high school volunteer named Max, the police officers are essential to the movement “because they really put in effort to support the kids and manage their behaviors. The officers notice when someone is feeling down at certain times, and they will try to understand the situation and how they feel about it, and provide them with space or someone to talk to calm them down.”

He also said the high schoolers and college students are important to the program because the middle schoolers “kind of look up to us, so we get to provide them with a good image to follow.”

Krouch is also grateful for the help of the Amherst PD in carrying out the mission of the program. “The officers act as a safeguard for the students, and they help with exercises and physical education,” he said, noting the police sometimes also provide van transportation for the students to go on field trips outside of the gym, like hiking, biking, sports events, and fishing. The program also offers academic support.

“Students build trust with the community, as well as building their own physical and mental health,” said Krouch. He said he loves that they “better themselves as people” in the process, and they gain higher self-esteem.

Students in the program have engaged in a number of sports, including basketball, volleyball, badminton, and more. 

Last year, the Morning Movement leaders set up a field trip for the program and participants to visit the Massachusetts State House in Boston, Mass, which I was able to attend as a high school student chaperone. Krouch, other leaders, and the students got a tour of the State House and had the chance to voice their opinions and advocate for replication of the Morning Movement Program in other schools. 

The program currently takes place three days a week – Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday, from 7 to 8:45 a.m. in the ARHS gym.  According to Krouch and Laramee, the program is thriving.

“The program is an excellent demonstration of how a community can work together to provide a program that is mutually beneficial for a wide range of participants,” said Laramee.