Suzanne Stewart
Staff Writer
The Pocahontas County Schools summer program SOLE – Summer Opportunities for Learning and Engagement – features four weeks of learning and fun with a focus on reading, science and West Virginia history.
Coordinator Cammy Kesterson said she is excited about the program and all the fun activities it has to offer.
“We’ve got the first two weeks already planned out,” she said. “Vada Boback and Amanda Buzzard are going to be the teachers, and Tina Tracy is going to be our aide for those two weeks. They have planned some of the coolest little activities for our kids.
“This time, it’s not as academic heavy as it was last year, and these first two weeks are going to be reading heavy and then the two in July are going to be more science heavy,” she added.
The program began this week and is focused on West Virginia, in honor of the state’s birthday, which was Monday. Tuesday through Thursday, the students will learn about a specific aspect of West Virginia and will read books about the state and do crafts geared toward the theme.
The week will include bear day, butterfly day, trout day and flag day.
“They’re going to be learning about what bear paws look like and doing things with kinetic sand, making their own paw prints,” Kesterson said. “Butterfly day, we’re going to be making butterflies out of toilet paper tubes. They’re going to be little sun catchers with different colors of tissue paper.”
On trout day, the students will take a field trip to the fish hatchery in White Sulphur Springs and on flag day, they will make their own flags with handkerchiefs and fabric pens.
In addition to the crafts, the students will go on treasure hunts, which will lead to their reading time.
“We’re doing destination reading and when we do that, we’re going to have some sort of activity outside. They’re going to have to go on a treasure hunt, and when we find that particular thing, that’s where we’re going to put our towels down, and we’re going to sit there and read a book.”
The students will be making their own tie-dyed towels for their reading sessions.
The second week of the program is called Camp Pioneer Days, because it will be the week before the Pioneer Days celebration in Marlinton.
The students will learn about the life of pioneers and the materials they used in their everyday lives.
“The first day, we’re going to talk about light – so we’re going to have a pretend campfire, because when pioneers started out that was the only light they had,” Kesterson explained. “Then they moved to candles and lanterns and then oil lamps and then, finally, the light bulb made its way around. So we’re going to bring those items in for them to see and work with.”
As part of the light lesson, the students will make hand-dipped candles and do tin punch.
The next day will focus on farm life, and the students will learn how wool from sheep is turned into yarn and used to make all kinds of fabrics, including clothing. The craft for that day will be potholders made on a loom.
The third day will be museum day with a trip to the Pocahontas County Museum and crafting old-fashioned toys, such as corn husk dolls, ball in the cup and felt stuffed animals.
The final day of Camp Pioneer Days will be a craft day to finish up all the work from the week.
After a week’s break, summer school reconvenes July 11, and the next two weeks will focus on science and be environment related. The first week will be Project WET – Water Education Today; and the second week will be Explore Your Environment, both of which will be presented with the assistance of Tracey Valach.
SOLE is a four-day a week program at Marlinton Elementary School, 11:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. and is open to students in kindergarten through eighth grade.
At this time, Kesterson said the program has kindergarten through fourth grade students registered, but she hopes that more students will consider attending the program.
“There’s no cut-off,” she said. “If we still have some kids who want to come join us, we will make it work somehow. I bought materials for twenty kids, so if it’s more than that, we’ll just have to get creative. We always do.”
Students are not required to attend all four weeks. They are welcome to attend all sessions or just as they are able.
“They can go to the last camp, the first camp, it’s their choice,” Kesterson said. “I think that’s also something that kind of kept people from attending last year, because they had to make a commitment to it. I think parents felt bad if their kid couldn’t go the whole time. How we have this planned, the days, they flow together, but if you miss a day, it’s not a big deal.”
The school system received a three-year grant for the SOLE Program, and this is the second summer it has been implemented.
Kesterson is the business education teacher at Pocahontas County High School, but said she is excited to work with the younger students with such a fun project.
“It honestly appealed to me because I thought it would be fun to work with kids of different grades,” she said. “It’s interesting to see a different age perspective and how they’re still little sponges and they’re excited to try new things, and learn new things.”
By the end of the camp, Kesterson said she hopes the students walk away with a broader knowledge of this place they call home.
“Hopefully, by the time we’re done, our kids will know all about West Virginia and Pocahontas County,” she said.
