Jefferson County Middle offers summer enrichment program for students

Parish Howard, Augusta Chronicle
·2 min read
Jefferson County Middle School's summer enrichment program is designed to offer students opportunities to take part in create science and technology curriculum and work on problem solving projects in a more hands-on, small-classroom environment.
Jefferson County Middle School's summer enrichment program is designed to offer students opportunities to take part in create science and technology curriculum and work on problem solving projects in a more hands-on, small-classroom environment.

As most children county-wide go home for summer vacation, about a third of Jefferson County Middle’s will be gearing up for three weeks of problem solving, gadget building and exploration.

“Different grade levels will be doing different activities. Some grades are going to do rocketry, hydroponics, some grades are planning on doing some bridge building and creating shelters through maker stations. Others will be working on problem-based learning activities about being stuck on a desert island,” said Assistant Principal Rebecca Argoe.

And these are just some of the projects planned for students taking part in JCMS’s second annual summer enrichment program. Argoe said that last year the program was only open for a week and it has been expanded this year because of last year’s success.

The program is open free of charge to students currently in grades six through eight and if you pre-register, bus service can be available.
The program is open free of charge to students currently in grades six through eight and if you pre-register, bus service can be available.

Designed specifically for current sixth, seventh and eighth graders, the activities give additional opportunities for teacher to attempt to bridge the academic gaps created by the school shutdowns during the COVID pandemic. The program also provides enrichment and continues to introduce STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts and Math) curriculum to students in a smaller setting.

“We definitely want to bridge all those gaps from COVID learning loss, but we also want to do it in a way that’s different from regular school,” Argoe said. “We want to provide something that’s more engaging, more hands-on, things that we might not typically be able to do with larger class sizes. That's one of the benefits of summer enrichment, it’s really more hands-on and small-group.”

Jefferson County Middle School is dedicated to providing its students with STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Art and Math) focused activities.
Jefferson County Middle School is dedicated to providing its students with STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Art and Math) focused activities.

Organizers plan for students to be able to participate in and complete more than one project during the expanded three-week program.

Participating students will attend the program free of charge Mondays through Thursdays, June 5 to June 22, from 8:30 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. at the middle school.

The school will be accepting registration for the program as late as June 2, but those needing bus transportation to and from the program are encouraged to pre-register as early as possible.

Parents can either call the school at 478-625-7764 or reach out to their student’s teacher to register their child for the free summer program.

This article originally appeared on Augusta Chronicle: Jefferson County Middle offers summer enrichment program for students