While some students dread summer break, F-M area schools, nonprofits hope to help

By Paige Naughton | The Focus

While many K-12 students in the FargoMoorhead area are ready to burst out of the school doors and into a three-month vacation, others aren’t so excited to leave the school year behind.

“There’s quite a few students who don’t want a summer break,” said Stacy King, a secondary school counselor for West Fargo Public Schools. Some students need stability and resources that are provided to them during the school year, and other students simply love learning and being at school, she said.

School social workers do their best to set students up for success during the summer months, getting them set up with case managers and sending out emails with community resources for the summer, King said.

She noted that her office will hold emergency hours during the summer, but “typically we like to get them pretty set up for the summer,” she said.

Sometimes, however, that isn’t enough. When school is out, some students have less regular access to food and social services, as well as less time with their friends, said Robin

Nelson, member of the Fargo School Board and CEO of the Boys & Girls Clubs of the Red River Valley.

“(There are) some students that only receive support they need while they’re in school,” she said.

Staying busy

A common thread among students who dread summer is that they don’t have access to school-provided resources, and their parents are unable to provide them.

Nonprofits and schools in the FargoMoorhead area aim to make summer more enjoyable for students and their families through summer activities and camps, some of which are offered for free.

The YMCA of Cass and Clay Counties offers summer programs for K-12 students that give them “opportunities they might not otherwise have,” according to Taya Thielbar, a staff member of the YMCA’s Camp Koda, a day camp with a different theme each week.

The YMCA partners with Churches United to allow homeless children to attend the camps for free, she said.

The YMCA provides resources for students while they are at camp, Thielbar said, including supplies for crafts and art projects, a pool pass for the Moorhead public pool, sunscreen and bug spray.

Some students may show up without a swimsuit on days when the camp will be going to the pool, and the camp will go out and purchase one for that student, she said.

“If their families can’t provide something they would need during the week, we make sure we get that for them,” Thielbar said.

Thanks to a generous donor, the Boys & Girls Clubs of the Red River Valley will host the teen club for free this year, Nelson said. The club is for teens ages 13-17 or students in grades six through 12 and is open 12-6 p.m. Monday through Friday.

Families with existing memberships can register at connect.schoolcareworks. com/login.jsp, and new families can register at daycareworks.com/ registration/bgcrrv/start_registration. jsp#category5094.

The nonprofit also offers programming for children ages 5-12 for a fee. They accept child care financial assistance and have grants available for families in need, Nelson said. Programs for K-5 students are currently full, but families can apply for the waitlist at www.bgcrrv.org/ add-to-waitlist.

The Boys & Girls Clubs summer programming is an opportunity for students who don’t enjoy summer as much to connect with resources they need, Nelson said.

Students often choose to come to the teen club because they are bored at home, she said, noting many are at an age where they can stay home alone but have a better experience at the teen club.

Metro area schools also offer opportunities to keep students busy in the summer.

Fargo, Moorhead and West Fargo public schools offer summer school classes for elementary, middle and high school students. High school students enrolled in summer courses may receive credits toward graduation.

Students can be referred for summer courses at all levels by their teachers, or in some cases they may elect to take summer classes, Fargo Public Schools spokeswoman AnnMarie Campbell said.

Fargo Public Schools also offers enrichment opportunities for students who have completed grades 2-5 for a fee.

The Moorhead Area Public Schools community education program has 23 enrichment opportunities for students this summer, district spokeswoman Brenda Richman said in an email to The Forum.

There is a fee associated with Moorhead’s programs, but there are “limited scholarship opportunities ... for community education programs to families that qualify,” Richman said.

Fighting hunger

Another prominent issue students face during the summer is hunger. At school, they can receive two meals each weekday. For families that rely on free or reduced-price lunches, the end of the school year can mark the start of financial struggle.

In an effort to ease that stress, all three metro school districts and some area nonprofits will offer free meals for students.

Fargo Public Schools offers free meals for students at summer school sites, Campbell said, noting the meals are open to all students but are offered around the summer school schedule.

The Moorhead Area Public Schools summer meal program begins May 31 and lasts until Aug. 18.

All children under 18 can receive both breakfast and lunch free of charge, according to a flier from Moorhead Area Public Schools. This year, all meals are required to be eaten on-site.

“Children’s nutritional needs don’t end when school ends,” said Ashley Schneider, food nutrition services director for the district.

West Fargo Public Schools will offer meals at Willow Park Elementary School and Sheyenne High School for children under 18, district spokeswoman Heather Leas said in an email to The Forum.

West Fargo also partnered with Great Plains Food Bank to provide meal boxes and fresh produce Tuesday evenings from June 13 to Aug. 15, Leas said. The food will be given out from 6 to 6:45 p.m. at Tintes Park and 7 to 7:45 p.m. at Wilds Park.

From food to camp, the community resources and opportunities for K-12 students in the Fargo-Moorhead area are offered with a common goal, Thielbar noted.

“We want to make sure that kiddos in our area get” the same opportunities,” she said.