Wednesday, June 18, 2003

Summer school fills big void: Students may be interested in more classes to have something to do by Katie Antalick

About one out of every three students in the Grandview R-2 School District have chosen to attend summer school. Jack Mann the district’s director of special programs who doubles as principal of the summer school said the second-year program, administered by contractor Newton Learning, formerly Edison Extra, drew 330 interested students.

With the mornings spend on core subject areas and afternoon spent on enrichment classes, Mann said the combination helps students to learn with individual and group learning.

The voluntary 24-day program, which ends July 3, is offered to kindergartners through high school sophomores. Man said although the early grades are well represented and the lure of driver’s education class drew many high schoolers, the bulk of the students who signed up are fourth through eighth grades.

“I theorize that there isn’t much to do out here,” he said. “We don’t have a mall. There aren’t sidewalks to walk anywhere. The school is the center of our lives. Students come to school to maintain friendships, for learning and socialization.

Last year was the first time summer school was offered at the district. Mann said the district had approximately 340 student attend the program last year.

With a year of experience under their belts, Mann said the district and staff had expectations on what to anticipate.

“We everything, there are pluses and minuses,” he said. “The students were happy and enjoyed the program last year. There were some things that were improved this year and there are some things that could be improved next year.”

Some of the programs that have been popular include game room, outdoor activities and ice cream making.

One of the most interesting classes that Mann listed was Lego movie making.

In that class, students use digital images and a computer and link the images together to form a movie plot. Lego blocks are used to build various back drops. Mann said some students included dinosaurs in the movie to spice up the action.

Man said the summer school program is a great way for the children to enjoy each other’s company, have fun and learn at the same time.

“It is a lot more relaxed and it is more fun,” he said, “it isn’t grade-competitive. The students usually work in groups there isn’t as many individual demands. It is a good opportunity for the kids and they seem to have fun with the program.

He could not supply and estimate of the revenue the district received from last year’s summer school program.