The students used a flashlight and mirror to learn more about the properties of light and reflection through hands-on activities including creating their own mirrors to try some of the experiments at home. The activity was part of a Chautauqua Striders’ STEM activity. Striders was just one of many community partners who provided activities for JPS students this summer during the LEAP (Learning Enrichment & Academic Progress) Program. Local partners, Boys and Girls Club (Love School), YMCA (Lincoln and Ring) and YWCA (Bush and Fletcher) ran the building LEAP programs.

“The kids and staff had a fantastic summer,” said Gina Bloomquist, YMCA School Age & Family Director. “Our program attendance was larger than last year and we were able to reach more kids. Our goal for the summer was to help stop the ‘summer slide’ in a fun, yet creative way. The staff put a lot of time into their planning and created weekly themes to go along with their enrichment activities. This gave the kids more of a feeling that they were at camp rather than in a learning environment.”

JPS LEAP had an amazing summer with almost 400 Jamestown students entering the first through fifth grades this school year enjoying literacy learning and enrichment activities. Literacy is the focus of LEAP with certified JPS teachers who delivered literacy intervention four days a week in the mornings. Teachers worked with students in small “like-skilled” groups utilizing research-based teaching strategies and assessments and helped students develop skills needed to positively progress as readers and try to avoid “summer slide.” Community partners supplemented the work the school interventionists did by adding high yield learning activities – fun with a purpose.

“Sometimes it’s hard to get the students to embrace ‘school’ in the summer but at Love School the students who came on a regular basis enjoyed the activities both at the school and on field trips,” said Dianne Woleen, Boys & Girls Club Assistant Executive Director.

JHS Bridge Battle of the Classes: JHS incoming freshmen try out the Tug-of-War activity as part of learning more about the annual Battle of the Classes during this summer’s freshmen orientation program.

“This allowed them to work with the interventionists to build reading skills and hopefully instilled in them a love of reading – even in summer!”

In addition to the literacy component, afternoons were spent doing fun, enrichment activities from community organizations brought in by the YMCA, YWCA and the Boys and Girls Club. Some of the wonderful partners were: Audubon Community Nature Center, Cornell Cooperative Extension, Infinity Visual and Performing Arts,

Rocky’s Family Karate & Fitness, Jamestown Public Market, JHS football team, Jamestown Fire Department, First Tee – Western NY, Girl Scouts of Western NY, Jamestown Police Department, Prendergast Library, Sun-Dance-Kids Farm, Dance with Sukanya, Salvation Army, Social Emotional Sessions with Jate A, Chautauqua Striders, Prevention Works, Dream It Do It, Jamestown Rotary Club, The Safety Village, Junior Achievement, Jamestown Bowling Company, The Bluebird Lady, The Monarch Butterfly Lady, Foster Grandparents, NYS Parks, JCC Campus, Country Ayre Farms, Erie Zoo, James Prendergast Library, Impact and Boy Scouts.

Michelle McDowell, Chief Academic Officer, exclaimed, “What an incredible summer of learning and fun! We couldn’t have made this happen without the support of all of our amazing community partners. I especially want to thank Cummins and the Sheldon Foundation for their generous contributions to our program.”