Weekly Media Roundup: June 9, 2021

Lessons, Outdoor Games and Knitting: About 3,200 Students Kick Off Summer at Camp Accelerate, Daily Advertiser (Louisiana)

Thanks to funding from 21st Century Community Learning Centers, Title I, and relief funds included in the American Rescue Plan, the St. Landry Parish school district in Leonville, Louisiana will offer robust summer learning programming to more than 3,000 students this year across 20 sites. Students will get academic support with math and reading, connect with mentors, and take part in fun activities like knitting, French language class, computer games, physical activities and more. “We're making sure they are OK in more ways than education," Leonville Elementary Principal Nicole Morrison said.

Boys and Girls Club offers no-cost summer program at Carson City center for teens and youth, CarsonNow.org (Nevada)

Recognizing the social toll the pandemic has had on teenagers, the Boys and Girls Clubs of Western Nevada is offering engaging free summer programs for high school students. “Providing a safe and engaging place for our teens to spend the summer is what our Club is all about,” Matt Sampson, director of operations for the Boys & Girls Clubs of Western Nevada and an Afterschool Alliance Afterschool Ambassador, told CarsonNow. Activities include culinary classes, fitness training and field trips.

Philadelphia history teacher extends learning outside the classroom, WPVI-TV (Pennsylvania)

Carlos Aponte, a teacher at One Bright Ray Community High School, founded the We Love Philly afterschool program to improve the educational and career opportunities for students attending the non-traditional school in Philadelphia. One Bright Ray Community High School provides students ages 16 to 21 years old the ability to earn a high school diploma in an accelerated timeframe. The afterschool program includes community service opportunities as well as life skills classes to prepare the students for life after graduation. "We’re going to go out into the community. We’re going to see what the real-life benefits and consequences are of how we do things,” Aponte told WPVI-TV.

Not Your Typical Summer School: Waterville to Offer Fun, Social Activities and Academics, Central Maine (Maine)

This summer, students in Waterville Public Schools’ summer learning programs in Waterville, Maine will explore a wide variety of activities, including cooking, photography, robotics, creative writing, rocketry, the mathematics of games, restoring classic cars, playing rock music, and more. The programs are designed to re-engage students by sparking their creativity, inspiring them to learn and exposing them to new interests. Free transportation and meals are included, and some courses for older students focus on employable skills such as lifeguarding certification and babysitting. Waterville Senior High School Principal Brian Laramee told Central Maine that the program, “is far from traditional ‘summer school.’ In fact, as you can see from the many sessions being offered, many sessions take place outside of the classroom.”