Tech-less program helping to keep Charlotte County students engaged

With kids out of school, it can be hard to keep them busy, but the Charlotte County School District is pioneering a unique approach to make summer learning more engaging.

It’s called Elevate, and it allows kids to hand-pick the topics they want to learn.

A cool thing about this program is that there’s no technology.

What makes this program stand out is that it’s free, and second, it focuses more on the students’ ideas about what they want to learn, as well as the teachers’ passions in what they want to teach, which makes for a much different experience.

“It’s been a very fun and enriching time, not just for the students, but for the staff as well,” said Meridith Meerman and Katelyne Bishop, site directors for the enrichment program.

Meerman and Katelyn Bishop are the site directors for the program and are using a different approach for students.

“We are not technology-based at all, so it’s a lot of hands-on learning, and each teacher gets to bring a unique idea or passion that they might have, and they’re getting to share that with students,” Bishop said.

From learning about the planets to making music to even learning the Jamaican dialect.

“Learning about the music and the flags and the culture and all those things. They can’t wait sometimes to go to the next class, and then we also have growing pains of I don’t want to leave this class yet, so it’s been a lot of fun to see just the different areas everyone is showcasing,” Meerman said.

The program also benefits the parents.

“We have families coming in on Thursdays for the food pantry, and then during the school day, we also have people coming in from our community for breakfast and lunch. That’s been opened up to all of our summer enrichment families to come in and get some extra groceries if they need it,” Meerman said.

From fun to support, these are the two main ingredients for an extraordinary summer camp.

The Fun Enrichment Program will continue for Elementary students at Neil Armstrong Elementary for the next two weeks.

From June 17-21 and June 24 through the 29. To learn more about the program, click here.

To register or check availability, click here.