The beginning of summer didn’t mark the end of school for more than 200 Guadalupe students. Instead, those students committed to spending the first few weeks of their summer vacation taking classes.
Nine classrooms were set aside at Kermit McKenzie Junior High School for the students wanting to improve their math and English language skills.
Fun and games were also present during the month of schoolwork. The group, which consisted of third- through eighth-graders, received extra lessons regarding nutrition, and partook in Fun Fridays filled with games and physical activities.
More than 80 students earned certificates for perfect attendance during the summer session, proving that these children were eager to learn with friends and a dedicated teaching staff.
“The goal was to help [students] pick up skills they were having difficulty with,” Elsa Ross of Mary Buren Elementary School said in a press release. “Their dedication was outstanding and inspiring.”
Students worked on their English language development skills with tutors from local high schools and Allan Hancock College’s California Student Opportunity and Access Program (Cal-SOAP).
The Central Coast Cal-SOAP Consortium was started in 2001 with the goal of increasing the number of students attending college. A statewide organization, Cal-SOAP serves more than 150,000 students, and is one of the largest student development programs in the state. The program focuses on students who are from low-income families and those who could be the first in their family to attend college.
The Santa Barbara County Public Health Department and local Boys and Girls Club were also fundamental in making the program possible.
The summer session included about 30 students from the federally funded Migrant Summer School Program, which provides specialized classes to students who have relocated within the last three years for reasons related to employment ties with the agricultural and fishing industries.
This article appears in Jul 24-31, 2014.