Every Friday afternoon during the months of October and November, members of the Worcester State women’s volleyball team spent the final period helping out during various activities for the fifth and sixth graders at the Chandler Magnet Elementary school.

Some of the activities the women’s volleyball student-athletes participated in included a physical education club in the gym, a salsa dancing class and a recreational soccer activity on the field behind the elementary school.

The initiative, which came out of student council at the Chandler Magnet School, allowed students in the fifth and sixth grades to participate in an enrichment program during the last 45 minutes of their school day on Friday. Other classes included a robotics seminar, a chess club and a yoga class.

“Everyone on the (volleyball) team loves kids and we really enjoyed the experience,” said junior Meghan Deighan, a nursing major, who is also minoring in Spanish.

The initial connection was made after Deighan struck up a conversation with one of school officials that let the squad in for evening practices at the Chandler Magnet gym. Deighan then had an e-mail exchange with Principal Ivonne Perez, who got her in contact with physical education teacher Christine McCarthy.

“I am thrilled that we are working with children who want to be here,” said McCarthy. “We are excited that we can try to expose them to different settings.”

McCarthy was excited about the opportunity as many live in the inner city, where the streets aren’t safe for children to be playing after school.

“Most of our students live in poor neighborhoods, where parents aren’t always home,” said McCarthy. “It’s great that they get the chance to exercise, where they might not have the chance to do so on a regular basis.”  

With the Worcester State women’s volleyball team coming to help out during the enrichment block, McCarthy emphasized how achievable the dream and the goal of going to pursue a higher education is still within the reach for her students, despite the background.

“With Worcester State University being right across the street, college is attainable and the students from the college represent that,” said McCarthy. “We’re just trying to advance their education and try to get them ready and prepared for the next step.”

With the primary goal of helping the children elevate their heart rate levels of everyone involved, the physical education club classes ranged from simple indoor exercises and jumping rope while the women’s volleyball student-athletes also taught the basic fundamentals of passing and hitting volleyballs.

One of the key reasons Deighan wanted to become involved in the physical education club was so that she could practice her Spanish. Many of the children who attend Chandler Magnet actually speak Spanish as their primary dialect at home. Deighan plans on studying abroad next semester in Granada with the goal of becoming fluent in the language.

“I partnered with a little boy who only spoke Spanish on the first day,” said Deighan. “In helping him try to find his heart rate, it allowed him to have someone comfortable that he could speak to.

“Having one more person to help give him a positive experience in his life meant so much to me; it was awesome.”

Deighan said that she came to the Chandler Magnet school about a month later with the honors program as a mentor and because many of the students recognized her from participating in the physical education club, it made things easier in speaking with them, in both English and Spanish.

“This is something that all of our teams should try to be take advantage of,” said Deighan. “We are the role models for these young girls and boys. At the end of the day, the little kids just want to hang out with the big kids.”

Pictured Above: Junior Kaylee Leduc and student assistant coach Will Lyons demonstrate the proper mechanics when digging a ball

Sophomore Valerie Hoyle (Left) and junior Meghan Deighan (Right) Play Indoor Coin Hockey With The Elementary School Children At The Chandler Magnet School

Junior Jennifer Cabral (Left) and Deighan (Center) Help The Students Stretch Before Starting Volleyball Drills During The Physical Education Club

Head Coach Bernie Chase (Left) Uses His Hands To Help Indicate A Proper Dig Sequence During Drills With The Students At The Chandler Magnet Elementary School

Freshman Katrina Kangwijaya Plays Soccer During A Soccer Enrichment Class At The Chandler Magnet School

Freshman Quinn Donovan Looks To Make The Right Pass While Playing With The Students At The Chandler Magnet School