From gardening to lifeguarding, Highlands Camp Creativity helps stop 'summer slide'

When Lincoln Sims chomped into a handful of kale at the Greg Blythe Friendship Garden in Tarentum, the 6-year-old gave it a thumbs up.

Classmate Teigen Capozzoli followed suit — and promptly spit the bitter greens to the ground.

“I didn’t care for it,” she said. “I liked the strawberries though.”

Rising first graders in the Highlands School District spent a recent morning learning about sustainability through a hands-on field trip to the garden, where beds are sprouting with kohlrabi, bush beans, lettuce and dill.

“We like to come here and let the kids be adventurous with trying fruits and veggies and also teach them about growing their own food at home,” teacher Michele Pacek said. “We want them to know that gardens like this are part of their community.”

The field trip was among several lessons in the district’s Camp Creativity, an annual summer initiative to keep math and reading skills sharp while applying them in hands-on ways. Two sessions are offered each summer and are free for students in pre-k to eighth grade.

The program started after the pandemic lockdowns in 2020 as a way to regain instruction time lost to covid, said Catherine Russo, district coordinator of curriculum, instruction, assessment and funding programs.

“We did not want to offer the typical summer program that was mainly remedial. We wanted something different,” Russo said.

Camp topics venture beyond the textbook and include engaging themes like “How to Run a Zoo,” and “Exploring Space Travel.” There are Spanish lessons and activities geared toward healthy eating.

The non-traditional lessons are aimed at preventing summer slide, or learning loss, typically experienced by students once school lets out.

According to STEM education company iD Tech, students can lose about 20% of their reading progress and 27% of their math progress during the summer.

The slide can accumulate — meaning by the time students reach middle school, they may have lost up to 2½ months of learning progress, the group said.

Highlands partnered with the Consortium of Public Education to learn about project-based education and keep the learning decline at bay.

Russo said Camp Creativity encourages students to use their voice, brainstorm, research and find real-world connections, all while practicing math, reading and writing skills.

At the same time as the district’s youngest students learned about nutrition, Highlands middle school students were learning a different set of life skills through the camp’s new junior lifeguarding class.

Proposed by teacher Kathy Black and her daughter, recent Slippery Rock graduate Suzie Kunst, the course offers kids an overview of proper swim techniques, CPR and rescue skills.

“These are important lessons for kids in this area because we have rivers all around us,” Black said. “It’s also important for career development. Whether these kids are interested in babysitting, emergency services, the medical field or sports training, these skills will serve them.”

Black previously taught lifeguard training for 12 years and said the class produced an abundance of teens ready to work at local pools. When the Highlands pool was closed four years for renovations, it depleted the number of 12- to 14-year-olds who are equipped for the job, she said.

On Wednesday, 15 students spent the morning practicing CPR and rescue skills in the district’s new aquatics center.

They took turns diving into the water while fellow students jumped in to “save” them. They learned proper breathing techniques and strength training.

“We learned how to swim to the bottom and how to improve our moves, and it’s harder than I thought,” said Luca Chiusano, 13. “I’m hoping to get a leg up on my skills and maybe be a lifeguard.”

Findley Signorella, 12, said it felt good to learn CPR and believes it will help her in her pursuit for babysitting jobs.

“I think it will make me feel better to know it,” she said.

Classmate Diana Patterson, 12, said she’s just hoping the two-week program makes her a stronger swimmer.

Russo said the district’s goal is to identify students who would benefit most from additional instruction, support and practice. However, all current student from pre-k to eighth grade are eligible to participate.

A student showcase on the last day of each session invites families for lunch while they view what the students learned.

Kunst, a lifeguard at Sylvan Park pool since 2017, is eyeing the program to become a regular offering at Camp Creativity.

“I hope the kids have fun and learn to get stronger in the water,” she said. “I also hope they find a love for fitness and lifeguarding.”