Mansfield, OH (August 3, 2022) – Starting in June, GOAL Digital Academy offered a plethora of summer activities for students, ranging from fun summer book clubs to credit recovery for high school students. These programs were met with enthusiasm from both students and staff, making for a very fun and educational summer!
Summer Book Clubs were offered to all GOAL students. Each grade level group had specific books that matched their reading abilities and student interest. Students who participated received books and journaling supplies at no cost. Students met virtually once a week with their book club teacher and students in their grade band for group discussions and to make connections to the text.
The 1st and 2nd graders read Dinosaurs Before Dark and were provided the book The Knights at Dawn to read on their own. Six students participated in reading the book and the weekly discussions. The 3rd and 4th graders read My Father's Dragon and were provided the book Elmer and the Dragon. Seven students participated in reading the book and the weekly discussions. The 5th and 6th graders read The Greenglass House and were provided the book Ghost of Greenglass House. Four students participated in reading the book and the weekly discussions. High school students read Anthem and were provided the book Dragon Hoops. Four students participated in reading the book and the weekly discussions.
The Summer AIM program is designed to prevent students from regressing in their reading and math abilities over the summer while school is not in session. The program uses the online educational platform, iReady. The program creates a personalized learning path for each student. The learning path is developed to help close any educational gaps a student might have as well as challenge and extend their knowledge in areas that they are already strong in.
iReady Summer Enrichment was a big success with 22 students completing 25 lessons or more during the 5 weeks of the program. Sixteen of the 22 students completed 50 or more lessons, with the highest number of lessons completed being 82. Those students completing at least 25 lessons earned a $25 gift card, and those completing at least 50 lessons earned a $50 gift card.
To help middle schoolers close achievement gaps and better prepare for high school math classes, a middle school math class, taught by our high school Algebra teacher, was offered. Eleven of our 8th grade students passed this course to help them better transition into Algebra 1 in high school.
GOAL Digital Academy also offered Art Enrichment Activities held at the Mansfield Art Center and the Mansfield Lab that saw several students participate in Ceramics, Mosaics, and Chihuly Glass. Our Student Service Club had several students work to clean up area parks. At Delaware, they managed to remove 8 bags of trash from the Alum Creek State Park hiking trails. In Mt Vernon, students and staff helped the city crew remove trash and storm debris around the Arial Foundation Park and Lake.
Credit Recovery Summer School offered high school students an opportunity to earn credits towards graduation throughout the 5-week summer school session. Classes were offered in English, Math, Science, Social Studies, and a few electives including Personal Finance, Health, Physical Education, and Careers. Thirty-five students earned credit during the summer session.
Tish Jenkins, GOAL Digital Academy Superintendent, said keeping students engaged was the driving force behind planning these summer activities. “Too often, students, particularly older students, don’t get a lot of options when it comes to fun activities during the summer. We made sure that all of our students from Kindergarten through 11th grade had a number of interesting things to do, including some community service to help foster civic pride. Keeping them engaged during the summer means they will come back to school ready to learn.”