Summer school rebounds from pandemic

If there was any question about whether  Port Washington-Saukville summer school would bounce back from the pandemic, it was answered this summer.

After an online-only program that attracted a relative handful of students last year, enrollment in this summer’s program hit pre-pandemic levels, with 1,132 students participating in in-person classes held last month at Thomas Jefferson Middle School as well as Lincoln Elementary and Port Washington High schools.

“Coming off a Covid year and all virtual classes, we really didn’t know what to expect,” Jodi Swagel, an assistant middle school principal who oversees summer school, said. “That’s why we are really excited about this year’s numbers and the fact it was business as usual with kids having fun in school this summer.”

This summer’s program featured the always-popular enrichment offerings, everything from sports and swimming to cooking and arts classes like Whimsical Painted Furniture and mosaics.

But coming on the heels of a challenging school year that began with middle and high school students attending in-person classes two days a week and learning on-line the remainder of the time, this year’s summer program also had a new emphasis on academics.

So-called jump-start classes were offered in the areas of reading, writing and math to give students the opportunity to brush up and catch up in core academic areas. And in doing so, the district didn’t skimp on resources, providing training for teachers and classroom aides, Swagel said. 

“The jump-start classes gave any student the opportunity to grow in the areas of reading, writing and math,” she said. “They were a really big success and a focus that I would like to continue going forward.”

A district that stuck to its mandatory mask policy throughout the school year lifted it for summer school, making face coverings optional for students and staff members. Swagel said one student Covid-19 case was reported during summer school.

“We’re fortunate to have a lot of property surrounding our school, so we really encouraged outdoor classes,” she said. 

One of the most popular summer offerings held primarily outside at the high school was a strength and conditioning course.

“We had a lot of kids from a lot of different sports participate,” said Joe Adamak, a Port High social studies teacher who coaches cross-country and track and field and served as one of the strength and conditioning instructors.

Students filled four sections of the course and spent part of each session working on conditioning on the football field and strength training in the school’s weight room with instruction from trainers from Form and Fitness in Grafton.

“It was a lot of fun, and it gave kids from different sports the chance to train together,” Adamak said. “Rather than work as separate teams, the kids had a chance to work as one big school team.”

This year’s summer program also benefited from schedule changes, Swagel said. Rather than begin in June and extend into July, summer school ran the month of July, giving students a breather after the regular school year and time for family vacations in August before the start of school in early September.

Also new this year, classes for pre-kindergarten through third-grade students were held only at Lincoln Elementary School rather than at both that school and the neighboring middle school. That reduced the amount of time students needed to switch classes and allowed the district to condense the summer school day.

And for the first time, the district offered bag lunches and milk for students to take with them when they left school for the day.

“We had quite a few kids sign up for this,” Swagel said. “It was awesome to be able to provide lunch and a milk for our students.”