Brownsville Area summer program aimed at boot-strapping students
The Brownsville Area School District will host a summer program to provide academic support and recreational activities for local students in grades five through eight. According to superintendent Dr. Gerry Grant, the program will provide academic support, emphasizing reading, math and also recreational activities like art and music, as well as field trips.
The four-week program will run from July 7 to Aug. 1, between 9:30 a.m. and 2:30 p.m., at the high school/middle school complex.
A snack and lunch will be provided through the district’s summer lunch program, and transportation will also be provided.
The deadline for enrollment is Wednesday, July 2.
To enroll a child, call 724-785-2021, extension 128.
Grant said that while the district hopes to target students who need academic support, no child will be turned away.
“We want the students with academic deficiencies, to give them the support they need and the individualized help they deserve,” Grant said.
“No one will be turned away, but our goal is to help those who will benefit the most.
“We’ve asked the principals to contact, personally, the students who they think will benefit, so we can put a priority on those who need the program.”
Grant said she realizes the programs might interfere with summer plans, but she encourages parents, whose children would benefit from the program to work around the four-week schedule for the good of their children.
Grant said about 80 students will be admitted into the program, which will be taught by teachers within the district and teachers’ aides.
Grant said it’s “been a while” since the district has offered a summer program for students.
She said the program is being paid for by a $960,000 Century Community Learning Center grant that is being split with Frazier, Connellsville, Albert Gallatin and Laurel Highlands school districts to use for similar programs.
Grant said this is also the first time in a long while that the district offers summer classes to students who failed courses in the fall.
She said in the past students had to attend classes at neighboring districts, who give preference to their own students first.
“We need to offer these (summer) classes to ensure that our students get the classes they need,” Grant said.
Grant said the district will also continue an afterschool program next year tutoring students in reading, math and writing in preparation for the Pennsylvania System of School Assessment (PSSA) tests, which students are required to score proficient on in order to graduate.
“Under the No Child Left Behind Act, we are obligated to provide support to students to ensure they achieve at a proficient level on the PSSAs. So, whatever we have to do to have them proficient, we will do, but if the parents don’t take advantage of these programs, well, that’s another story,” Grant said.