Farewell, Summer!
Last week, we wrapped up our 2022 Hybrid Summer Program! With COVID still prevalent, our program looked slightly different from other years, but that didn’t stop staff and volunteers from supporting our students with their summer learning. With our Neighborhood Tutoring Program, we were able to serve 39 students with the help of 39 volunteers that joined us from the DMV area and seven other states. Within our program, we offered up to 10 hours of learning each week. Students had the option of one-on-one literacy and math tutoring to help them improve their skills for the upcoming school year.
This year our Program Coordinator, Leif Jackson, joined us for the first time during the summer. When asked about her favorite moment in the summer program, she said, “I loved when the students and their parents would tell us how much fun they had and how they would like to come back for the fall semester. It brought me so much joy to see that we were positively impacting the students.”
Our student, Hung, was happy to have Cheryl as his tutor this summer. They spent a lot of time learning new words together but he also enjoyed teaching Cheryl about Vietnamese Mythology when they took breaks from reading. Diya and Chloe found out that they share a love for art. Chloe appreciated how patient her tutor, Diya, was when they practiced difficult words together.
Ashley Pengelly is our Program Manager and she made it her priority this summer to make sure programs run smoothly. She said “In spite of the challenges faced, I’m so proud of our students for taking the time to learn, engage and grow this summer. Thankful to volunteers who gave their efforts and energies to encourage our students.”
While most of our programming took place online this year, we were happy to welcome back a couple of students in person for our new Wilson Reading program. Anne is one of our Program Coordinators and she had the opportunity to work with one of the students in person this summer. Looking back, she mentioned how rewarding it was to watch the student grow in an academic yet fun environment.
We’d like to extend a thank you to our wonderful Programs Team, volunteers, and students! Together, they made this summer program special. Farewell, Summer! Here’s to a great school year ahead.