How Students are Keeping Sharp Between School Years

Summer is a great time for students to stay active while they’re out of school. A few programs provided by the LaRue County School District are making sure students feel mentally active as well this year.

Both Quest Camp and Summer Cool School (aimed at grades K-5) give students a variety of hands-on experiences with educators. These programs include activities like Coding, Fitness, and Reading.

“Quest Camp provides an opportunity for students to conduct exploratory learning in their chosen areas of interest,” said Natalie Detre, Resource Teacher. “When students are focusing on learning that is interesting to them, they develop a more robust skill set and application around how they learn. This transitions into the student’s becoming a more resilient learner.”

While Quest Camp seeks to challenge students academically, Summer Cool School wants to show students that you can learn at any time throughout the year.

“The purpose of Summer Cool School is to allow all students in kindergarten - 5th grade an opportunity to attend a summer camp,” said Ellen Shelton, FRC Coordinator. “Summer Cool School provides fun educational activities for all elementary-age students and scholarships can be provided, upon family request.”

Each year, both students and their teachers are challenged by the broad issue of summer learning loss. Simply put, summer learning loss is the knowledge gap students have between where they ended their school year and start the new one. Summer learning loss is generally attributed to not investing in learning or reading throughout the summer.

Both Summer Cool School & Quest Camp show students that learning can always happen outside of the classroom, and what they’re learning at these camps can easily be applied to what they’ll learn in the upcoming school year.

“Sometimes students see the school year just as rote memorization and superficial tasks,” said Detre.”At Quest Camp we try to expose students to take a deep dive in hands-on exploratory learning that sparks a passion for their interests with the hope that this spark carries over into the next school year. The overarching goal is for students to become self-sufficient learners and practical problem solvers.”

Shelton echoed Detre’s sentiments, recommending that families take advantage of programs offered throughout the county, including the LaRue County Extension Office and LaRue County Public Library.  

“Students can benefit socially and academically from being involved in summer learning opportunities,” she said.