FALLSBURG- Summer vacation may have officially ended for the Fallsburg Central School District, but they certainly have plenty to celebrate over their wildly successful summer school and food programs.
Students in grades K-6 that were qualified to attend summer school were given the opportunity to learn their lessons in a fun and unique way. Rather than engaging in the more conventional methods of instruction, students participated in enrichment-based projects that had special themes related to varied student interests.
For example, several students were given a lesson on the Titanic, and each of them created a small replica of the ship made entirely of confectionary treats. Another class organized a hot dog stand and acted as wait staff to attendees.
Students were finding deep fulfillment in their work with the project-oriented curriculum, but more importantly, they were able to improve on their academic standings. Elisa Baum, a high school social studies teacher who helped manage the summer school program, emphasized the importance of continuing education in the summer months and the potential it has to prevent students from falling behind.
“The long-term goal is to maintain their [academic] status at the end of the school year,” said Ms. Baum. “Any sort of knowledge they once had over the summer depletes.”
In addition to the summer school program, Fallsburg held a district-wide food distribution program for students under the age of 18. The district exceeded expectations as they delivered a total of 10,451 meals throughout the months of July and August. Dr. Ivan Katz, Superintendent of Schools, when asked about the food distribution said, “I’m very proud of the success of the meal distribution this summer because we reached many students and we know that meal access, when school is not in session, is critically important at so many levels.”
