Clubs and Programs at CCSA

Health Sciences Elective Program (HSEP)

Beginning in the 2017/18 school year, CCSA is offering an exciting new Health Sciences Elective Program aimed at high school students who are interested in careers in medicine and healthcare.

Professional Mentors

Participating students are able to engage closely with local professionals in the healthcare community through mentorships and internships. In addition to expertise acquired in the classroom, they gain real-world career experience in a range of settings, including direct patient care, healthcare administration, and support positions.

The goal of the Health Sciences Elective Program is to expose students to the diverse employment opportunities in the healthcare industry and to equip them with the academic knowledge, practical and interpersonal skills required for success if they choose to pursue careers in this field.

Health Sciences Partnerships

This program is executed in partnership with the Health Career Academy, founded by Main Line Health and supported by Aetna.

A boy listens to a male instructor in the dance studio

Service Learning

Students in the Service Learning program work with experienced advisers to identify and undertake impactful community development projects.

Serving Our Community

The Service Learning program is open to high school students who desire to serve the Chester community in a deep way. Each year students research and coordinate a community service project for the following summer. By rigorously planning and researching each aspect of the project, they develop a full understanding of its benefit to the community and are able to devise the best approach. It is up to the students to secure funding for the project by writing pitch materials and making presentations to potential donors.

Recent Service Learning projects have included the renovation of the courtyard at Chester City Hall and the revitalization of the historic William Penn Landing Site.

The program currently operates in partnership with Swarthmore Presbyterian Church.

Reading Beach Club

For seven weeks each trimester, volunteer ‘Storytellers’ visit campus to read with our Kindergarten students.

Nurturing a Love of Reading

Through this volunteer program our incoming scholars are engaged right from the start in a positive literacy experience that develops their love of reading. Storytellers are paired with one or two students for the whole seven-week session. Friday afternoons they read a book that the student has helped to select, and then discuss the elements of the story together. Many Storytellers continue throughout the entire school year and develop trusting, loving relationships with their students.

An older woman reads to a boy at Reading Beach Club

An older woman reads to a young girl at Reaching Beach Club

A boy hugs an older man at Reaching Beach Club

Older woman reading to two children at Reading Beach Club

21st Century Programs (Out-of-School Time)

The Chester Charter Scholars Academy was awarded a $1.1 million grant over three years to provide students with educational programming before and after school and on weekends. The sessions teach science and technology through the lens of engineering and the arts, with a strong foundation on elements of mathematics (STEAM).

Skills Development

All students at CCSA have the opportunity to participate in a variety of STEAM sessions. These include math problem solving, entrepreneurship, coding, theatre improvisation, and scientific experimentation. In partnership with the Darlington Arts Center, students can attend performing arts sessions on Saturdays at CCSA.