The “Magic” of ASEP
Burke’s after-school enrichment program (ASEP) continues the joy of learning after the school day.
ASEP includes a spectrum of classes offered by talented instructors from within the Burke’s community and outside it, featuring arts and crafts, music and dancing, gardening, and story/game time. ASEP is in addition to our after-school drop-in programs—Tree House for Lower Schoolers and Study Tree for Upper Schoolers—both supervised by the “Tree Team” (Ms. J, Ms. Marnie, Ms. Panda, and Miss Sierra), who provide additional support for ASEP behind the scenes. Director of After School and Summer Programs, Cyndera “Ms. Q.” Quackenbush, has been overseeing ASEP since 2017.
Over the last five years, ASEP program offerings have increased by over 50%, with enrollment numbers quadrupling. This expansion is in part due to adding more variety in the music program (guitar, bass guitar, ukulele, drums, and singing) — now supervised by a dedicated music manager — as well as increasing program offerings for Upper School.
ASEP is always looking to match the interests of Burke’s students. Ms. Q. manages an application system to bring in new vendors, interviews them, and offers a demo to students to try them out. Some of ASEP’s new programs have also launched here at Burke’s, such as Reel Creative’s Movie Making and Dynamic Cheer, which are currently popular programs.
ASEP courses refresh every trimester (fall, winter, and spring) to introduce new concepts, ideas, and opportunities to students. This spring, ASEP boasts over 25 courses, offered from Mondays through Thursdays, ranging from American Sign Language and Jewelry Classes to Athens Speech & Debate and Springtime Chess Champs. Courses from previous trimesters, such as Intro to Fencing and Dungeons and Dragons, returned due to popularity. Exclusively for Upper School, ASEP also includes one special offering each day of the week.
Ms. Q. shares her favorite part of the day as the ASEP Director—telling stories! On days with good weather, Tree House spends ten minutes in the garden “playing the story,” where Ms. Q. narrates a story and students act out the characters of old folk and fairy tales. “The twists to the old plots and the way the students play the parts differently all make for a fun and joyful daily experience! Sometimes, we’ll just all laugh together, and I feel the great happiness of being in after-school at Burke’s.
“I am a firm believer in free play for every child’s development,” Ms. Q. asserts. “Children need to play out what they learned at school throughout the day. By connecting with students in other classes and ages above and below them, they learn to exhibit empathy and patience, which develops their social-emotional learning. The right amount of structure and enrichment opportunities expand their interests and talents.”
Supported by a diverse group of dedicated and loving educators, ASEP is truly a fun, positive, and lively environment. As Ms. Q. puts it, “This is what after-school magic is all about!”
Burke's mission is to educate, encourage and empower girls. Our school combines academic excellence with an appreciation for childhood so that students thrive as learners, develop a strong sense of self, contribute to community, and fulfill their potential, now and throughout life.
Burke's admits students of any race, color, national and ethnic origin to all the rights, privileges, programs, and activities generally accorded or made available to students at the school. It does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, national and ethnic origin in administration of its educational policies, admissions policies, scholarship and loan programs, and athletic and other school-administered programs.