MCPSS making learning during summer break fun with their Summer Literacy Camp

Published: Jun. 30, 2022 at 12:04 PM CDT

MOBILE, Ala. (WALA) - Students from all over Mobile spent the month of June brushing up on their reading and writing skills during Mobile County Public School System’s Summer Literacy Camp.

Learning during summer break may not sound appealing, but students from 54 elementary schools in Mobile County spent four days a week learning in a fun and interactive way.

“The students get to work in smaller groups with the teachers, they’re doing a lot of hands-on activities,” said Rena Philips with MCPSS, “then we also have had some fun activities like visitors from the fire department, Coast Guard, animals from the Environmental Study Center.”

This is the second year of the Summer Literacy Camp after the first year showed positive results among the students.

“They’ve been so successful, we were excited to bring it back because what it’s doing is improving the reading skills of about 3,000 students,” said Philips.

Over at Eichold-Mertz Magnet School in Mobile, students were getting hands-on, one-on-one attention from their teachers. The smaller groups make teaching more efficient, as students may come in hesitant or struggling in some areas.

“It gives them a little push, a little incentive to some that may be struggling in some areas, to push them forward and get them on a level they need to be for the next grade level,” said Tonya Penton, a Kindergarten teacher at Eichold-Mertz.

Tonya Penton said she sees a complete 180 with her students.

“As we have just gone over different vowel patterns and stuff, they’re reading words on their own, they’re reading has gotten much better, they know all their letter sounds and they have just progressed really, really well.”

Students were able to play games and engage in untraditional, silly activities, all for learning purposes.

Fourth-grader, Trenton Demings is about to make the jump to 5th grade, he said the camp has made him feel more prepared.

Many students said they have so much fun during the literacy camp they can’t wait to come back.

Thursday was the last day of camp, the students enjoyed some snow cones to celebrate their accomplishments.

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