via The Observer – This has been the sixth season of enrichment for Harrison school children.
During a four-week summer session ending Aug. 4, enrichment has meant re-working those academic skills in language arts and math to avoid a “summer slide” and to carry on to the next grade level.
But it also conveyed a sense of how theoretical assumptions can be applied to real world issues.
And, perhaps most importantly, it showed kids that “learning can be fun,” as one teacher put it.
This summer, about 200 students in kindergarten to grade 12 participated in the program, hosted by Harrison High School. It cost about $90,000 for teacher salaries, lunches, supplies and field trips, according to Amy Heberling, one of three program coordinators and the district’s assistant director of curriculum and literacy coach.
This year’s program marked a shift in strategy with the re-allocation, to the district budget, of $45,000 previously used for stipends for the older students as a “Learn to Earn” incentive in favor of expanding to include lower grades. Administrators felt that high school seniors and juniors would pick up income from summer jobs.
“Anyone who wants to come to the program can be admitted,” Heberling said. “The program is strong and the kids are excited to be here.”
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