Benny Westcott
For the last four weeks, many K-9 students in the Sweet Home School District have been participating in Scholastic’s Summer Lit Camp at the high school.
Some 165 kids signed up for the program, and turnout has been pretty good, according to Summer School Principal Dee Dee Collins, who’s been a multi-tiered systems of support (MTSS) specialist for the district, but recently accepted a job as assistant principal at Philomath High School.
“The kids that did come have been coming regularly and having fun,” she said.
The Lit Camp’s goal, she added, was to “get the kids reading and avoid summer loss, work on some math and have some fun.”
Collins noted that this was the first year the district has invested in curriculum to use for the whole of K-9. Previously, the elementary system would run a summer school, as would the junior high.
“It’s been a lot of fun and engaging for kids, and not a ton of prep for the teachers,” Collins said.
She credited staff for its willingness to participate. About 35 aids and teachers were involved with the program.
“Other districts have the funds to do it, but a lot of districts weren’t able to get the teachers and staff to do summer programs,” she said. “But we did.”
Collins explained that if children read six books throughout the summer, “they don’t have that normal setback where they slide backward.”
As part of the camp, students visited the Sweet Home Public Library once a week, and participated in its Storytime and Art in the Park events. All received library cards.
They also spent an hour a week swimming in the Sweet Home Community Pool, where lessons were offered to kindergarten and first graders.
“The people at the pool have been fantastic working with kids,” Collins said.
Students entering grades 10 through 12 took core classes at the high school for credit recovery during the last two weeks of June, such courses as English, math, social studies, science and wellness. Thirty-four students earned 42 half-credits, about on par with last summer’s 37 on 41.
In addition, a Sweet Home High School Fitness Camp will take place from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Monday through Friday, Aug. 8-12. Participants will be introduced to weight-lifting at the school’s newly revamped weight room and take part in different sport activities each day. Those who complete the requirement will receive an elective credit toward graduation.
The camp is being funded by the Oregon Department of Education’s Summer High School Academic Support Grant, which also enabled the school to establish a two-week career exploration program last August. Some $140,000 came from the state for this year’s program, and the district matched 25% of that figure.
The grant is also funding weight-room upgrades, which include new flooring, benches and bars. Two of its walls were removed to allow more space for the high school’s weight training classes, the most popular electives among students. High School Career Center/Success Coordinator Kristin Adams said the school has had to limit the number of participants “because of room we didn’t have,” but will now be able to offer the classes to more students throughout the school year.
“We knew that we had the core classes already taken care of, and there was so much there in the grant,” she said. “We were desperate for a new weight room, so we wrote a plan that incorporated physical fitness, weight training and an elective credit, and would allow us to use the grant to buy new equipment.”
The opportunity to earn an elective credit at the Fitness Camp could prove valuable for many SHHS students, as they failed 650 course offerings in the 2020-2021 school year, or 20% of the 3,250 elective courses taken on average annually.
As of Friday, July 22, Adams said that 28 students had signed up for the camp, but she anticipates that more will join.
Students can sign up at the following link: bit.ly/SHHSFitnessCamp2022.