Monarch School and Museum of Man offer after-school program.

The Museum of Man, a nonprofit corporation located in Balboa Park, is offering a new after-school program for Monarch School students, grades two through 12. Founded in 1988, the Monarch School provides accredited education to homeless and at-risk children.

The program, which started in late August, includes four after-school sessions that run in 10-week cycles. The sessions will focus on each of the four fields of anthropology: biological anthropology, cultural anthropology, archaeology and linguistics. Students will learn about various aspects of culture through artifacts, presentations by educators and guest artists and scholars, the museum's exhibitions, artistic exercises, and by spending time in the museum's collections labs. The program will culminate each year with a student arts and science fair featuring the work students have accomplished.

The museum's education staff will administer the program under the direction of Cynthia Dillon Eischen, director of interpretation and education.

"This is an exciting new program for us," said Eischen. "Students from the Monarch School have profound experiences and unique needs and interests. We look forward to serving the students in meaningful ways through the discipline of anthropology and the educational resources our museum offers."