In the Shaker schools, more than one in three students qualifies for free or reduced price lunch. That staggering number exhibits just how large the disparity is between the seven-figure households and the households struggling to pay the rent. Shaker is a world of opportunities, and it’s also a world of socioeconomic diversity.

 

Many students in this category work jobs after school to help make ends meet in their household. Their contribution is just as needed as that of their parents’. That said, these students don’t work on weekends for pocket money, they work after school. This program would allow students to bear the opportunity cost of losing one day a week of work to participate in a club or other activity. By providing a stipend, these students wouldn’t lose income, but they would be able to do something they would never have thought possible before. 

 

This program is therefore designed to be a pilot. In its first year, the coming 2015-2016 school year, Beyond the Desk will be implemented and recieve feedback from participants, administrators and activity adviser for improvement in its second year. 

 

It is hoped that Beyond the Desk will serve as an example for other communities to emulate. Its appeal is for all high school students who are interested but unable to take part in their high school community through clubs and other activities. Often, work and financial obligations are the main restriction and Beyond the Desk aims to counter that and enable students of every socioeconomic background to take part.