Some said they’d otherwise be hanging out at McDonald’s, riding roller coasters at Disneyland, sleeping or watching TV.
Instead of those activities, Gilroy Unified School District students enrolled in South County Cal-Soap’s summer circles program are immersed in a one-on-one tutor-to-student classroom experience with hopes of attending college.
College-aged tutors—many with strong local ties to Gilroy—credentialed teachers and schoolchildren are working together to build upon common core standards in reading and mathematics. The first-ever South County Cal-Soap summer circles program is giving kids a college-bound focus, according to project director Erin C. Gemar. It’s just one snapshot into the programs offered through Cal-Soap including nature educational outings to Henry Coe State Park.
The invitation-only program at Gilroy High School and Rod Kelley Elementary School campuses offers students in Gilroy, Morgan Hill and Aromas school districts a personal experience in small classroom settings, according to Erin C. Gemar, project director for South County Cal-SOAP.
The program includes content-specific strategies for reading, writing, thinking and speaking; development of habits, skills and behavior to use knowledge and skills; collaborative tutorials by college-aged tutors; and a collection of grade level appropriate reading, writing and math projects.
The program is co-beneficial in benefiting both students and aspiring educators. Gemar, a former school teacher, said she appreciates the value in pairing educators fresh out of school with the students.
“I saw how effective I was with students that were just three to four years younger,” Gemar said. “They don’t look like a parent they look like a big brother or sister, and they listen to them.”
Bobby Trout is a Gilroy-born native and San Jose State University graduate turned aspiring college professor. For people like Trout, Cal-Soap’s summer circles reading program provides students with a one-on-one learning experience hard to find elsewhere paired with his growth as a future teacher.
Trout cited reading as essential to school in general. Kindergarten through fifth-graders from Luigi Aprea and Glen View elementary schools will receive reading asssitance, and incoming eighth and ninth-graders focus on math.
“Kids who are behind in (reading) can become behind in everything,” Trout said. “To have a program like this specifically targeting kids that otherwise wouldn’t get that one-on-one contact—it’s the only place they’re going to get it.”
During past summers, South County Cal-Soap offered everything from 10-day summer camps at University of Santa Cruz for eighth-graders to day-long summer camps, but summer circles is a first for the organization.
For more information, contact Gemar at
er********@gi***********.org
or (408) 848-7177.
