Mineral Ridge Middle School held a 'Lights On' afterschool rally Thursday. It's part of a nationwide event in which more than 7,500 schools are participating. Kids in Mineral Ridge got the chance to make crafts, learn photography and even take ballroom dancing lessons. The entire goal is to keep kids safe and healthy and inspiring them to learn. Organizers with the Reading and Math Afterschool Program say this is something extremely important for children. "They realize how important they are to our program and what it is to have an afterschool program. And somewhere to go. They're just not going home alone, they're coming here, with people that care. We can do crafts with them, their academics, their reading and math. So on and so forth," said Loretta Hale, the site coordinator.
The RAM Afterschool Program started in 2007. It's sponsored by grants from the U.S. Department of Education. Mineral Ridge's program is in conjunction with Youngstown State University. The only other local school participating was in East Liverpool.
