Jul, 17, 2007
Summer school’s in demand at Mount Baker High
DANNY GAWLOWSKI THE BELLINGHAM HERALD
Marty Karb, 5, reaches for a pancake on a stick Monday, part of the breakfast program at Mount Baker High School.
Whatcom County kids and teens 18 or younger can continue to get free meals through Aug. 9.
MOUNT BAKER SCHOOL DISTRICT
Weekday service through July 27.
Where: Mount Baker Junior and Senior High commons.
When: Breakfast 8:50 to 9:10 a.m.; lunch 11:15 a.m. to noon.
BELLINGHAM SCHOOL DISTRICT
Service Monday-Friday, through Aug. 9.
Where: Birchwood and Carl Cozier elementary schools, Shuksan Middle School and Sehome and Squalicum high schools.
When: 8 to 8:30 a.m. at Sehome and Squalicum and 8:30 to 9 a.m. at Birchwood, Carl Cozier and Shuksan.
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KIRA MILLAGE
THE BELLINGHAM HERALD
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DEMING — Summer school is generally seen by students as an extension of the school year that ruins their vacation. But Mount Baker School District actually has a waiting list of students wanting to enroll.
The rural district is in its fourth week of summer school, and the most popular class by far is hands-on math and science enrichment. The district has had the program for middle school and older elementary school students for a few years, but this is the first time it’s been offered for younger elementary students.
And the response surprised officials, with about 30 kids on waiting lists between the two age brackets.
“We found a lot of parents that want math and science for their kids in the summer,” said Charles Burleigh, who has been the summer school principal for six years and started the program. “It will need to be twice as large next summer to meet demand.”
About 230 students are enrolled in the district’s summer school this year, and it’s still growing.
“It’s grown a lot over the last six or seven years,” said Superintendent Richard Gantman as he watched kids hurry off school buses Monday morning. “It’s gone up from about 30 students.”
The district also offers academically rigid courses during the summer, including high school credit retrieval, Washington Assessment of Student Learning preparation courses and various reading classes that involve Western Washington University teaching students.
The students start each day, regardless of whether they come by school bus or car, with free curbside breakfast service from smiling food service workers. Through the state Seamless Summer Feeding Program, the school district is offering free lunches and breakfasts daily during summer school to anyone 18 or younger.
Cindy Lawrence, a food service worker from Kendall Elementary School, said they serve about 120 breakfasts and 170 lunches each day .
“I wish we could do this in the regular school year,” she said as she organized Monday’s breakfast of pancakes on a stick, orange juice and milk. “That would be great.”
