Summer School Programs Await Students

By Jeff White

While students around Newtown are busy putting away books in preparation for a well deserved summer vacation, Diane Thompson, the school district’s adult and continuing education director, is getting ready for her most hectic months of the year.

With summer recess comes an onslaught of summer classes that the continuing education program offers students who want to do something a little more challenging than sit by a poolside.

In her office, which is littered with summer classes brochures and multicolored flyers touting educational opportunities, Mrs Thompson finds that she does not have that much time to stop and take a breath. “This is by far my [busiest] time of year,” she muses. “It’s so busy, you don’t have time to think about when its over.”

Mrs Thompson oversees nine distinct summer programs, with some offering multiple classes.

By far the largest program is SMART (Summer Music and Art), which offers 31 different courses that students take in two two-week “semesters.” During each semester, students report for classes Monday through Friday, and take three courses back-to-back.

Students can choose from beginner music and singing classes to courses on Native American Art, soft sculpture, clay construction, and stimulated stained glass.

While most classes have been held before, Mrs Thompson says that there are some new offerings this summer. Courses dealing with percussion, paper art, paper maché, young authors and illustrators, and world ecology are all new this year.

SMART classes are taught by area teachers and professionals, as well college students home on summer recess. While some classes are reserved for younger students, others go up to seventh grade. There is a $5 registration fee for the program, and classes will be held at Middle Gate Elementary School.

Head O’ Meadow Elementary School will also be busy this summer, as it is slated to host two summer school programs: Learning Connections and Summer Shorts.

Learning Connections is a program that encourages skill development in the language arts, math, and writing, in small, personal classes of between 8 and 10 students.

Summer Shorts are one week classes designed for students in kindergarten and first grade. Students can partake in classes in elementary French, sculpting, and puppeteering.

The middle school will play host to new sixth grade students interested in getting a leg up on their junior high careers. Fifth Dimension is a program that allows students to reinforce the skills they learned in fifth grade before having to apply them as they start out in a new building as sixth graders.

And once again, the high school will play host to the Summer Theater Connection. Last year, scores of students from around the area converged on Newtown to put on a production of Oliver! This year, even more students are scheduled to participate in a production of Annie, which will be put on around the beginning of August.

Behind each of these programs, Diane Thompson keeps track of records and enrollment lists, and makes sure each class is ready to move forward. SMART, Learning Connections, Summer Shorts, and many of the other offerings are simply open to students who want to do something different with their summer; they are not classes that are traditionally thought of as “summer school,” though Mrs Thompson oversees those programs as well.

She says the key is offering variety, and keeping classes fun so that students want to take them. The learning, she says, often sneaks in through the back door. “I think we sneak the academic stuff in. We try to make it fun. If it’s not fun, it’s not worth doing.”

Students interested in enrolling in a summer school program should know that courses are not what they might think they are. “There is no homework, no tests,” Mrs Thompson explains. “Students learn about different things, but they don’t learn in a traditional classroom experience.”

In the past, 75 students participated in each of the two semesters during a typical summer, and Mrs Thompson expects a similar number this year. However, most classes are still open for enrollment, and will remain open right up until the last minute if students decide late they want to participate.

Most programs are scheduled to begin in early to mid July, though some do start as early as June 19.

Students interested in learning more about the summer offerings from the Continuing Education office and their starting times should call Diane Thompson at 426-1787, or stop by its high school office for brochures and a complete list of tuition costs for each program.