Practice makes perfect in summer programs

South Hall Middle School student Sasha Limon needed a little encouragement to enroll in the Summer Scholars Institute at the University of North Georgia (UNG). A family member provided it.

"My cousin said she had been and told me it was fun," the 13-year-old from Gainesville said.

After the first day, Sasha agreed. She and her classmate, Melissa Jacinto, especially enjoyed building a cardboard treehouse and wiring it with electricity. The project was part of their science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) course.

"You learn so much on your first day," Melissa said. "It is fun, and you make new friends."

Melissa and Sasha were among more than 50 rising seventh-, eighth-, ninth-, and 10th-graders from area schools who participated in the hands-on monthlong program on UNG's Gainesville Campus.

"Teaching students theoretically based lessons works to a point," Dr. Max Vazquez Dominguez, assistant professor in the Department of Middle Grades, Secondary, and Science Education, said. "It is more fun and exciting to work with the materials and practice what you have learned."

Applying STEM lessons to real-world scenarios is one part of the Summer Scholars program. The second part features social studies and language arts, which involves exploring and interpreting moral and ethical dilemmas presented through shared readings of a biographical anchor text and additional media. As a culminating activity, students presented a dilemma around an issue they found significant and offered potential solutions expressed through a medium of their choice.

The STEM and social studies projects were displayed in showcases at the program's conclusion. Both subjects covered in the program accomplished the same mission: To help students maintain their knowledge through enrichment classes, encourage them to complete high school and inspire them to attend college.

Students selected for Summer Scholars qualify for the program because they are eligible for free- and reduced-price lunches or are under-represented in the kindergarten through 12th-grade demographic. Students then commit to participate in all three years of the free program.

Area high school students have access to a similar summer program that features different topics. Instead of STEM and social studies, more than 80 English language learners focus on civics, economics and writing in the Steps-to-College (S2C) enrichment program.

S2C is designed to help bilingual or multilingual high school students maintain their English language skills while enhancing their academic content over the summer. The bonus is students earn credit toward their high school graduation.

"The program also exposes students to a post-secondary education," said Sally Smith, S2C coordinator and lecturer with the Center for Language Education.

Stephanie Porras, a senior at Gainesville High School who participated in S2C for the first time this summer, said the experience made her feel like she was a real college student.

"I got to sit in a college classroom and get coffee every day," the 17-year-old from Gainesville, Georgia, said. "And the bonus was I earned credit for my economics class in one month instead of the five months it would take in high school."

UNG's Gainesville Campus was the host site for both programs, which serve students from Gainesville City and Hall, Habersham, Forsyth, and Banks county school systems. Both are funded independently: S2C by the Goizueta Foundation and Summer Scholars by grants from Jackson EMC, United Way of Hall County, and the Tommy and Chantal Bagwell Foundation along with additional contributions from the UNG Foundation.

UNG faculty and staff members facilitate the academic enrichment programs and help teach some of the classes. UNG students serve as teaching assistants and become mentors to the participants.

For more information, visit the S2C and Summer Scholars websites.