Students generally look forward to the arrival of summer and the end of the school year. Days spent outside the classroom can be fun. But, two months away from a structured learning environment can also result in what’s referred to as the “Summer Slide.” It’s a tendency to lose some of the academic progress students make over the course of the school year.
In Geneva, Boys and Girls Club and Hobart and William Smith Colleges team up to provide a program they call Summer University. Three years ago, the two organizations visited a program in Rochester and realized that they could partner to provide a similar opportunity for students in Geneva.
Summer University students spend part of their days in the schools and on the HWS campus and part of their time at Boys and Girls Club. They also take a weekly field trip.
Chris Lavin is the Executive Director of the Boys and Girls Club in Geneva. He says they seek to make the six weeks fun for the students, but the educational component is important and, so far, effective. The schools measure the students skills before the summer begins and again when they return to classes in the fall.
Summer University served 100 students the last two years and seeks to increase that number to 120 this year. That’s resource intensive.
Summer University spends around six to seven hundred dollars per student. Katie Flowers is the Director of the Center for Engagement and Service Learning at Hobart and William Smith Colleges. She says, that’s a good value.
More information about Summer University is on the Boys and Girls Club website. There’s also information there on how to donate to the Send a Kid to Camp fundraiser.