Students, teachers and families were invited to see the results of afterschool programs at Chocowinity Middle School, John Small Elementary School and P.S. Jones Middle School on Saturday.

The event, held at Beaufort County Ed Tech Center, was organized to celebrate the students’ achievements, and each school was represented, as teachers set up table displays to showcase the work.

The afterschool programs ranged in topics from Lego Robotics, to tutoring on homework assignments, iReady math and reading help and STEM (science, technology, engineering and math) activities.

Saturday’s showcase was made possible by a partnership between Cornerstone Community Learning Center and Beaufort County Schools, according to Alida Sawyer, CCLC’s afterschool program director. She said the two collaborated to obtain a three-year grant for the afterschool programs, and students attended their respective programs Mondays through Thursdays this year, starting in October.

The showcase offered something for everyone, with the displays for the parents to enjoy, lunch, prizes and a bouncy castle for the children. The displays included Lego models, newspaper and marshmallow towers and completed homework assignments.

Sawyer said the turnout wasn’t as high as she had hoped, but it was still positive to celebrate the hard work of the students over the past year.

“This year, we decided to put more into it, the academic part. … The teachers put a lot of work into their displays,” she said. “They worked hard all year with the students.”

Sawyer said students are in the process of taking diagnostics tests, and once those scores come back, the afterschool program organizers will be able to see whether the work paid off.

“The kids enjoy it,” she said. “I think the younger the student, it seems, the more interest.”

Until the North Carolina General Assembly nails down a budget for the upcoming year, Sawyer said organizers do not know if the grant money will continue for the programs, but if all goes well, she hopes to be able to build on this year’s success.