Three-week Summer Fun program begins Monday, July 9

By SCOTT D. JOHNSTON

On Monday, July 9, at Ocean Shores Elementary School, a seed planted three years earlier will begin to bear fruit with the first day of a three-week program of free “Summer Fun” for North Beach youngsters.

The program offers a mix heavy on activities and adventure with a bit of academics added. It runs 10 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. Monday through Thursday, July 9-26, with a final day “Extravaganza” with a picnic, performances and more on Friday, July 27.

The program is funded by $25,000 from the city of Ocean Shores and supported by the North Beach School District through use of the facility and busing. The program has been pursued by an informal aggregate of volunteers, community groups and agencies sharing the goal of enriching the summer experience for area children. Their effort was led by Ocean Shores City Council member and North Beach school psychologist Bob Peterson.

Peterson was “very pleasantly surprised” that 86 kids from ages 7 to 13 registered, after organizers had said earlier they would be happy if 40-50 signed up. “It’s nice to get that kind of turnout. If this works out well, we can look at starting an upper-level program next summer,” he said. Registration was heavy with younger students, with more than 50 ages 7-9.

At its June 25 meeting, the City Council gave final approval to the city’s involvement.

“The city of Ocean Shores is responsible for the program itself and for the people who are working on that program,” Mayor Crystal Dingler explained. “We have vetted all of the folks who have signed up, so we have a good feel who those folks are.

In addition to providing use of Ocean Shores Elementary, the school district got on board by offering bus transportation throughout the district. A June 21 letter to parents of participating children noted that “all adults working with the program will have cleared a background check with the Ocean Shores Police Department … no adult will be allowed in the building without being cleared,” and “children will be checked in each day and checked out.”

Classroom activities will be geared toward STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Math) and will coordinate with several field trips that include the Coastal Interpretive Center, Duck Lake, Damon Point, the Weatherwax Preserve and Lake Quinault. There will be art projects and recreation, and former teacher Alison Cline has been brought in introduce students to American Sign Language.

Stage West Community Theatre has been developing a sizeable set of instruction and activities that includes acting, weapons-free stage combat, costuming and makeup, and lighting and sound. Students will participate in their own Wearable Art show, and on the last day, Friday, July 27, they will perform three short programs about their Summer Fun experiences that they will create and rehearse.

Lori Hardin, who is the local theater group’s board secretary, said Stage West is excited to be involved with the Summer Fun program, because they had already been working on developing a summer theater camp for area youth.

The newest Council member, Diane Solem, has been helping put the program together, and will start wearing a chef’s hat next week, as she leads a group of 10 volunteers who will prepare a free lunch for the kids in the school kitchen.

Participating students will receive free T-shirts on the first day and will split into three “pods” that will each be led by a certified teacher. North Beach High science teacher Kevin Traer has been hired as the academic lead for the program. For more information, call Jessica Holt at (360) 660-5272 or email her at jjholt17@gmail.com.

Summer Fun schedule

All days begin at 10 a.m. and end at 2:30 p.m. at Ocean Shores Elementary School.

• Monday, July 9 – Lab Fun and OS Fire Dept.

• Tuesday, July 10 – Duck Lake Field Trip all day

• Wednesday July 11 – Interpretive Center and Art, Rec & Sign Language

• Thursday, July 12 – Lake Quinault Field Trip all day

• Monday, July 16 – Stage West Community Theatre and Duck Lake Field Trip

• Tuesday, July 17 – Interpretive Center and Stage West

• Wednesday, July 18 – Damon Point Field Trip all day

• Thursday, July 19 – Stage West and Art, Rec & Signing

• Monday, July 23 – Duck Lake Field Trip

• Tuesday, July 24 – Weatherwax Walk and Art, Rec & Signing