Weekly Media Roundup: June 24, 2020

JCPS' New Summer School Program Offers Virtual Adventures, Big-Ticket Prizes, Courier Journal (Kentucky)

Through the Jefferson County Public Schools’ online “Summer League” program, students in Louisville, Kentucky can explore new interests and keep their academic skills sharp by completing up to six week-long ‘adventures’ online. Students will choose from more than 120 adventures including researching old video games, creating podcasts, playing fun math games, learning about the Black Lives Matter movement, exploring the Australian outback, creating art about social issues, and others. As students complete adventures, they will earn points, and students with the most points will receive prizes. Teachers will be available to help during virtual office hours. “Our hope is that kids get excited about this and want to log-on and talk to the teacher and ask questions,” Staci Eddleman, director of federal and state programs for the district, told the Courier Journal.

YMCA of Greater Brandywine’s Power Scholars Academy Goes Virtual, Daily Local News (Pennsylvania)

This summer, elementary school students in Chester County, Pennsylvania will benefit from robust summer learning programming from the YMCA of Greater Brandywine (YGBW). The virtual “Power Scholars Academy” will include music classes, science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) activities, virtual field trips, small group reading, writing and math instruction, and more. “The Power Scholars program is an incredible opportunity for youth in Chester County who need to build a stronger foundation in reading and math,” Marissa Caldwell, site director for YGBW’s Power Scholars Academy, told the Daily Local News. “Studies show 75 percent of youth who participate in this program across the nation maintain or gain reading and math skills through the course of the summer.”

ODU Holding Free Virtual STEM Camp for High School, College Students, WCYB-TV (Viriginia)

Teens in Norfolk, Virginia and across the world can explore Python coding, astrophysics, artificial intelligence, forensic entomology, and other STEM subjects this summer through the Remote Experience for Young Engineers and Scientists (REYES) held by Old Dominion University.  The free virtual summer learning program is designed to help young people explore their interests in STEM while maintaining social distancing.  “Because of the pandemic, many high school and college students had to cancel their summer learning plans,” co-chair Raul Briceño told WCYB-TV. “The REYES program provides students with the opportunity to learn about cutting-edge research and technology directly from some of the leading scientists and engineers in their fields.”

After School Online Programs Keeping Students Active in New York City, ABC 7 News (New York)

Since schools and afterschool programs closed due the coronavirus, the “Play Study Win” afterschool program in New York City has reached hundreds of middle schoolers with online programming. Each weekday, students have created podcasts about social issues, gained acting skills through Zoom rehearsals, continued basketball class online and more. “I think that connection with the staff and kids was absolutely the reason why our kids kept logging on consistently,” Program Supervisor Kieran Burns told ABC 7 News.