FOUR WEEKS FOR FREEDOM Encouraging students to enroll in summer school classes Meghan Williamson • Staff Reporter
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sk any high school student, and they will tell you that the best part of the school year is leaving for summer vacation. Students look out of classroom windows and long to go to the beach and travel during summer vacation. No one imagines their summer as sitting in a desk listening to a video on the Revolutionary War. Even though it seems like an added chore in your summer, some say that it saves you much stress during the school year. Summer school offers the opportunity to remediate your grades after doing poorly in a class during the school year, but many students also opt to take an extra course over the summer to gain another spot in their schedule. They can then use that spot for an extra math or science class or an artistic elective such as Creative Photography or Theatre 1. At BK, the courses offered over the summer vary, with options to remediate online with Florida
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Virtual School instead of in class, but the courses mainly attended are history. It is currently uncertain whether or not summer school will occur in-person at BK, or if the school will offer summer school courses online to help accommodate the growing COVID-19 pandemic. Many students actually want to participate in summer school, but they are reluctant to sign up because of the time it would consume. “They think it’s a good way to get history off their belts so they can have another elective,” school counselor Jackie Hardin said. “They just can’t stand the idea of losing part of their summer to be back in school. The idea of summer school is not to ruin a student’s summer; it’s to enhance their future school year.” The summer school program at BK lasts for four weeks with an extended July 4 weekend. The fee for prospective summer school students is $520. Classes
last from 7:40-2:50, which is longer than an average school day. The students have two 10 minute long breaks and a 30 minute long lunch. As a past participant in summer school for both World History and United States History, I know it sounds long and grueling; however, the days go by quickly, and with the right teacher, it can be fun. There are many people who dislike the idea of taking class over the summer, but the reality is it only takes four weeks away, leaving you with five weeks to spare. Another issue many students have with summer school is the idea of being left out of summer activities. They might see their friends going out to the beach while they are stuck in class and feel excluded. This is the main reason that students want to opt out of taking a class over the summer. “I always travel over the summer with my family and it never has been an option for me to do in the past.
Plus, I think it’s a big cost for something you can just do during the school year,” freshman Ian Kirsch said. Students also might be against summer school because they want to take a higher level history class that is not offered over the summer. But, if students work hard in their summer class, they can get an A average for the course and take a higher level academic elective during the school year. BK works hard to make summer school enjoyable for students, allowing teachers to have a set curriculum for the four weeks. Instead of having a varied curriculum each year, the curriculum remains the same to provide the most efficient teaching style for students’ chosen courses. In the end, attending summer school is a personal preference, but if you want to get history class out of the way, there is always an option for you.
