MORRISTOWN -- Morristown Central School and the St. Lawrence-Lewis Board of Cooperative Educational Services (BOCES) have been awarded a $992,000 5-year ($198,400 annually) Empire State After-School Program (ESAP) grant from the NYS Office of Children and Family Services (OCFS).

The money will provide free after school programming to 140 students in grades K-12.

The program called Green Rockets Rising will serve students Monday through Friday once final approval from the Comptroller’s Office and OCFS is received.

Services will include: Tutoring/homework assistance; enrichment (a broad range of age-appropriate activities planned by the coordinator with input from school leaders, teachers, parents and students); a healthy snack in collaboration with the Food Services of the District and the National School Lunch Program; and field trips to encourage students to attend and broaden their understanding of how what they’re learning in school applies to college and career.

Once a program coordinator is appointed, student recruiting and enrollment will begin.

Morristown CSD families can visit www.greenrockets.org for updated Green Rockets Rising program information.

Morristown was the only St. Lawrence County School eligible to apply for the grant funds, which were available for high-need school districts to establish after-school programs.

Eligible school districts were directed to partner with a non-profit agency and required to have a 2015 child district poverty rate of over 30 percent (Census data).

First announced in January as part of the governor's 2017 State of the State, funding has been enacted in the 2017-2018 budget allowing districts to receive five-year grants of $1,600 per student.