Each Friday, students in Give Every Child A Chance’s afterschool program gets a nice change of pace.

At Shasta School, they had a chance to again display their tumbling skills thanks to the efforts of Harmony Flores-Rebiero.

She’s the owner and operator of Dance and Cheer Stars. Flores-Rebiero and her fellow instructors of the Manteca studio work with youngsters at all 13 GECAC sites, including Ripon, Escalon, and Weston Ranch.

“The kids like it,” said GECAC site manager Frank Sabala. “They get good structure plus they have a teacher who’s really good.”

After they enjoy a health snack, students, who range from first- through- sixth- grades, warmed up in the Shasta multi-purpose facility also known as the Hornet’s Nest by running back and forth while in their socks in preparation for tumbling.

Flores-Rebiero also had them do backwards crab walking.

As for tumbling, GECAC students did their best to execute a forward roll onto the mat, pushing off with their hands.

According to Sabala, tumbling and dancing – Flores-Rebiero is scheduled to teach the latter at Shasta after the winter break – is part of the GECAC’s Healthy Living Choice program.

During the week, students are there to do homework, the enrichment program – arts and crafts, learning about cultures, and music are part of it – and P.E.

Sabala, who is helped out by a high school volunteer and two eighth-graders from the school, added that 95 students are currently involved in the afterschool program. “We’re capped at 125,” he said.