Weekly Media Roundup: August 9, 2017

With Help of a BMX Pro, at-Risk Youth Pedal Their Way to a Better Future (Fresno Bee, California)

A biking afterschool program at Sequoia Middle School is steering students away from dangerous decisions and toward a fun, positive learning environment. BMX Jam, started by former BMX racing professional Tony Hoffman, helps students who are struggling at school and at home by giving them a place to develop friendships, improve their grades and build self-esteem. “In the program, you talk to each other, you help each other and you become kind of like a family,” participant Danny Orozco told the Fresno Bee.

Learning to Inhale: At This Camp, Breathing Is Fundamental (WAMU, District of Columbia)

Youths at a unique summer camp in Patuxent, Maryland are not just taking hikes and sleeping in cabins – they’re learning how to control their asthma. According to camp co-director Bernadette Campbell, the week-long program is meant to help students learn coping techniques that could make all the difference in case of a sudden asthma attack. “They know how to save their lives, they have a sense of empowerment and they know they can do it,” Campbell told WAMU.

Sponsors Visit STEM Programs Aimed at Fighting Summer Learning Loss (New Britain Herald, Connecticut)

Representatives from several companies and organizations that sponsor summer learning programs in New Britain got a chance to see how their money was being used through two site visits and information sessions last week. The funders visited the district’s two Summer Enrichment Experience (SEE) locations to witness how students in elementary and middle school benefit from the STEM-based program that fights summer learning loss. “We have seen the success with SEE,” New Britain High School superintendent Nancy Sarra told the New Britain Herald. “…We know that if we keep them in the summer… we can change their trajectory for learning and staying engaged in school and graduating on time.”

Swimming Skills Aren’t Just for Dreamers (Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, Pennsylvania)

Pittsburgh students from all socioeconomic backgrounds are building healthy habits through Summer Dreamers, a swimming-focused summer learning program. “We’re teaching the kids a skill, a lifetime skill,” Obama Academy swim coach Mark Rauterkus told the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. “And we’re also spending a lot of time in fitness, so they’re getting stronger more endurance. They’re learning about exercising, kinetic movement, and their teamwork and sportsmanship.” The program combines swimming and water polo lessons and other traditional camp activities with academic classes, helping to mitigate summer learning loss, build students’ self-confidence and keep them fit.