Circle Scholars

Circle Scholars connects 7th and 8th graders from nearby neighborhoods with afterschool activities focused on learning more about and becoming stewards of their communities.

Four University Circle institutions – the Cleveland Museum of Natural History, the Cleveland Botanical Garden, the Cleveland Museum of Art, and the Cleveland History Center – along with community organizations like the Famicos Foundation connect students to their community and support them with enriching experiences.  They get behind-the-scenes tours of the institutions, reflect on community, and create an original product that captures their ideas about community.

Circle Scholars participate in 10-week experiences in which they explore their community in different ways and reflect on ways to be better stewards of their neighborhoods, schools, and communities.  UCI provides transportation and picks students up two times a week.  At the end of each program, students present a product that they have made that captures their thoughts on community and their places in it.

By the Numbers

Since 2016

• 3 years of providing enriching afterschool activities
• More than 70 children have been served

In 2018

• 20 7th and 8th grade students from Mary M. Bethune school
• 11 University Circle institutional partners

Partner Institutions

• City of Cleveland Mayor’s Office of Sustainability
• Cleveland Botanical Garden
• Cleveland History Center
• Cleveland Institute of Art
• Cleveland Museum of Art
• Cleveland Museum of Natural History
• Famicos Foundation
• Northeast Ohio Regional Sewer District
• Ohio City Inc.