A Spooky Adopt A Class Visit at Hays Porter
Last week kicked off our fourth year of partnering with Adopt A Class with a Halloween-themed visit to Hays-Porter, an elementary school just down the block from CET in the West End of Cincinnati, Ohio. Throughout the school year, CET and ThinkTV staff members make monthly, volunteer visits to kindergarten and first grade classrooms, with a few field trips to CET along the way. The goal of Adopt A Class, a non-profit organization based in Cincinnati, is to empower students from underserved communities by building relationships through group mentorship, guiding them toward pathways to success.
The first classroom visit for the 2025-2026 school year started off with introductions from our CET and ThinkTV staff as they shared their job titles and explained how they each individually contribute to the mission of the station. This allows students to discover new career paths and possibilities for their futures. We also like to establish connections with the students during each visit by sharing fun facts, from favorite hobbies to pet names, and letting the students share their favorite shows to watch on PBS KIDS. Daniel Tiger’s Neighborhood and Lyla in the Loop received multiple shoutouts from our young viewers this year.
A Halloween edition of “Would You Rather?” kicked off the rest of the fun, featuring ghoulish options like “go trick-or-treating with a friendly alien or a friendly ghost” and “wear a costume that glows in the dark or one that changes colors.” After that, the students gather around the carpet in classic “criss cross applesauce” style for a reading of “Creepy Pair of Underwear,” written by Aaron Reynolds. This spooky story filled the room with an abundance of Halloween spirit. Their teacher had to issue a friendly “inside voices” reminder, with students screeching with excitement at each flash of the green glowing underwear.
Once the final page was turned, it was time for the students to create their own “creepy pair of underwear.” Our staff led the students through the craft, passing out school supplies and perfectly-cut construction paper, thanks to the efforts of our volunteers at CET. The students shaped the eyes and mouth of their creepy underwear using smaller squares of paper, each forming a unique expression.The students were able to test the limits of their imagination with their designs, while also practicing using fine motor skills and following instructions.
The visit concluded with a calming cool-down activity to relax the energy of the classroom. Our staff led a “Take 5” breathing exercise with everyone in the room taking a deep breath in as they traced up the finger of their hand and letting a deep breath out as they traced down. This is a simple but engaging way to wind down and set the students up for the next part of their day. CET/ThinkTV always make sure to leave the students with a treat to save for later and, of course, this month it was Halloween candy.
We’re excited to continue meeting with our friends at Hays Porter over the next few months, with each visit centered around a new theme. Some of our upcoming lessons include learning the elements of a story, exploring different career paths and identifying strengths for self-esteem. In the words of Adopt A Class, “through meaningful connections with caring adults from businesses and civic organizations, students are mentored to reach their full potential.” Learn more about their mission at https://www.aacmentors.org/missionvisionhistory.
Our partnership with the Adopt A Class program is just one of the ways that CET and ThinkTV supports the neighborhood through education and community engagement. In 2024, the stations participated in 50 neighborhood programs and had more than 7,100 face-to-face interactions with community members. We’ve continued that momentum into this year with events like screenings of new PBS KIDS shows, family literacy nights, pop-up-and-play events in local neighborhoods, connecting with mentor groups, resource fairs, back-to-school events and more. You can find more learning resources from CET at https://www.cetconnect.org/education/.
