Program provides learning and fun this summer
BY MARIA PREKEGES
For many second- and third-grade students from the Blaine County School District, this summer is not just for fun in the sun.
It is also about fun while learning.
The Wood River Community YMCA has partnered with the Blaine County School District, Y-USA and the BELL [Building Educated Leaders for Life] program to implement the Power Scholars program for the first time. Although new to the Wood River Valley, the Power Scholars program is not a new program; it has been held in 26 states across the country and has a proven track record of increasing gains in reading and math skills for participants. The program is geared toward students who need additional support in school from all of the elementary schools in the Blaine County School District.
Power Scholars is a six-week program serving 65 students who have been recommended by their teachers. All scholars receive a full scholarship.
The program is already underway. It began June 27 and runs through August 5. The second- and third-graders attend Power Scholars Camp five days a week at Alturas Elementary School in Hailey. Students are provided with transportation along with breakfast and lunch. The YMCA provides the training, staff, and curriculum.
YMCA Director of Youth Development Teressa Johnson explained that a typical day starts with the students arriving by bus and then having breakfast together with community time as a group. The students then split into three different clusters. Literacy and math are 90-minute classes in the morning, followed by recess, lunch and community time. The afternoons are filled with recreation, enrichment (health and fitness, STEM, outdoor and nature). Students also work on their projects. Sometimes there will be guest speakers who come in and talk to the scholars as a group. Every Friday is field-trip day to places such as Hop Porter Park, the Draper Wood River Preserve, Redfish Lake and the Sawtooth Botanical Garden. The students also work together on a final project. They will develop a Kid’s Guide to the Valley, which The Weekly Sun will publish in August.
“The YMCA is very excited for this opportunity to collaborate and partner with the Blaine County School District,” Johnson said. “The parents and scholars have been very receptive and are excited about the program.”
One parent said the program is a “godsend,” while another said that her son was “excited to go every day.”
Anyone interested in visiting the program is invited to attend a tour from 12-1:30 p.m., Tuesday, July 25, or from 8-9:30 a.m., Thursday, July 27. The tours are open to the public but an RSVP is requested.
For more information about the tours and to RSVP, contact Johnson at the YMCA at (208) 928-6701.