Seton Hall University Partners with Greater Newark Tennis and Education

For the eighth summer, the College of Human Development, Culture and Media (CHDCM) partnered with Greater Newark Tennis and Education (GNTE) for an impactful youth training program. The organization addresses the need for quality youth programming through tennis while providing resources that foster educational growth.

Since its establishment in 2018, the organization has developed community engagement opportunities with the central goal of fostering connections and social-emotional development through physical activity. It has provided over 2,000 children of all income levels, developmental abilities and skill sets with opportunities to participate in programs and events centered on leadership, creativity and teamwork.

The annual monthlong summer session took place at the Althea Gibson Tennis Courts in Newark, New Jersey, from July 6 through August 6. Pro player, Bob Bynum, led the tennis portion of the GNTE program where children worked on athletic skill building and learned about the sport.

Seton Hall’s partnership with GNTE mainly focuses on the academic aspects of the program which includes providing well-led lesson plans and activities prior to tennis practice. CHDCM Associate Dean, Randall Clemens, Ph.D., recruited two students from the College’s School Psychology graduate program to serve as Curriculum Specialists. Justine DeGaetano, Ed.S. ‘27 and Lisa Pescatore, Ed.S. ‘27, helped with the development of the summer academic program.

The educational initiative was initially established by Seton Hall’s counseling psychology graduate students in 2019. The curriculum is updated each year to help enhance participants' social-emotional skillsets at various developmental stages.

Throughout the summer program, DeGaetano and Pescatore supported the educational instructors by providing materials used for daily lessons and activities. The educational instruction team was comprised of six current Seton Hall graduate students: Samual Hersey, Amayah Volmar Melbourne, Isabella Lyons, Melody Young, Anasha O’Donoghue and Annakay Gordon. They led planned activities using the curriculum curated around different thematic elements each week.

During camp, students were divided into small groups and participated in different activities each week. Lesson themes were organized around elements of social-emotional development, with integration of historically significant information related to the sport of Tennis.

Historical aspects of each weekly lesson highlighted Althea Gibson, the first female African American woman to win the tennis Grand Slam singles title in 1956. The tennis courts in Newark were named in her honor and lessons emphasized the importance of her legacy and continued influence on the sport, particularly in Essex County as she continued to serve the community throughout her life.

Pescatore noted that weekly lessons were association with specific goals: “When an activity has an underlying educational purpose but is presented as a game or joyful activity, students are more likely to find it enjoyable and engage with the learning experience. We wanted the curriculum to hold significant value for the students so that they can carry out lessons learned in both tennis and in their daily lives. While the curriculum was a foundation to follow, each lesson plan was a live document adapted to specific student needs and interests.”

In working alongside GNTE this summer, the group of graduate students took advantage of opportunities to learn, educate and broaden their own skills beyond the classroom as they helped youngsters do the same.

“Aligned with the College’s mission," Associate Dean Clemens noted, "the partnership is servant leadership in action. Through engaged learning, the educational program fosters skills that translate to success on the court, in the classroom and beyond.”

Over the summer, curriculum specialists met with educational instructors for daily check-in's about the program's purpose, impact and observations made. As each coordinator, instructor and facilitator worked to create an environment which encouraged children to experience growth in all aspects, clear improvements were noted by the end of the program.

DeGaetano stated that, “Throughout the program, we observed the students gaining a level of comfort when it came to participation, teamwork, communication and the ability to engage with new peers. As routines and expectations became familiar, the students appeared more willing to participate in group activities and they became more comfortable collaborating with others during such activities.”

By the end of the program, students grew in many ways and acquired a greater understanding of the historical significance of GNTE’s summer program.

For further information about the history of the program and its impact within the community, please visit here.. 

Categories: Athletics, Community Engagement