WS/FCS takes a hands-on approach to summer learning

On a hot July morning in Winston-Salem, students at Old Town Elementary School harnessed the power of the sun, old pizza boxes and tin foil to make solar ovens. 

And, more importantly, s’mores.

They were led by science teacher Tami-Leigh Schwartz, who had a different theme for each week of the summer camp.

“One week was crime scene investigation, one week was yucky science. This week is going to be the engineering and environmental," Schwartz said. "So it gives children an opportunity to explore neat things, have a little bit of fun.”

That’s exactly what the Winston-Salem/Forsyth County school district was aiming for with the Summer Exploration & Experiences program, called SEE.

Old Town Elementary School is one of 17 sites offering the free five-week camp to rising kindergarten through 8th grade students. It was designed to address learning loss, but also to tend to children’s social emotional needs and get them excited about education. 

The camp is unlike others the district has offered before, according to Chief Academic Officer Paula Wilkins. When she took the role in December, she says her first charge was to redesign summer. 

“One of the things that I think has been really clear to us is that students who go to summer, they're still in school in a way that is not exciting and fun in the past," Wilkins said. "And so we wanted to do something about that. We wanted kids to say, ‘We want to come.’"

Some students were remote for more than a year and a half due to the pandemic, which resulted in a drop in math and reading proficiency. Wilkins says it’s also posed other challenges with engagement and socialization. Those needs influenced the design of the summer programming. 

“Lots of activity-based opportunities, less paper pencil, and less technology-based," Wilkins said. "So really getting back to human interaction was really important for us for summer.”

There are nearly 5,000 students enrolled in WS/FCS summer learning programs. The bulk of them, about 3,500, were given first priority based on data related to absenteeism and performance, as well as teacher recommendations.

Then the district opened it up to any students interested, but that was made possible with Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief (ESSER) funds which will expire in September of next year. 

Wilkins says that means the district will likely need to scale back summer programming as a result.  

“So what's hard is that next year for summer, it'll be really difficult to be able to utilize those funds, but we're going to find as much money as we can, because this is what's best for students," Wilkins said. "Keeping them engaged to learn is a priority. And we have to set that.”

This summer, that’s what the district did through smaller class sizes, more enrichment opportunities, and a schedule with variety.

For example, the programming for kindergarten through 3rd grade students was focused on reading foundational skills. But lessons were broken down into 30-minute increments with what district officials call “brain breaks.”

One class even got “bounce breaks.” When students read a word correctly, or behaved especially well, they got to take a few jumps on a mini trampoline. 

For older students, fourth and fifth graders, the district emphasized learning through engaging activities. Demetria Gaines, the site coordinator for the summer program at Old Town, explains what that means. 

“They get to do robotics, and they get to go to hands-on science and social studies and literacy," Gaines said. "So their focus is more learning that vocabulary, but doing it in hands-on experiments and still getting the academic portion of the day.”

Some students tested the viscosity of ketchup and honey and glue. Another class learned the concept of scarcity through musical chairs. And in one classroom, students built robots out of Legos and then used a computer program to code them, making them drive forward, go backwards, spin around, and race.

Gaines says the summer camp has helped keep academic learning going, especially for students who were already behind. But it’s also given them a chance to be kids. 

Amy Diaz covers education for WFDD in partnership with Report For America. You can follow her on Twitter at @amydiaze.