Students at Stanton Elementary School maintained their knowledge throughout the summer with the help of a few math and literacy programs.

   Students took part in the new Stanton Avenger Math Summer Challenge as well as the annual Summer Reading Challenge to dodge what is referred to as the summer slide. Also known summer learning loss, it is a phenomenon in which kids slightly regress during their time off and lose ground in key subject areas. The math challenge is a new program started by intervention specialist Michelle O’Karma and was designed to help pupils put their calculating minds into practice, while literacy specialist Emily Henry spearheaded the reading challenge to inspire a love for literature.

    For her part, O’Karma said 23 pupils in grades K-5 crunched numbers with assignments and returned to school to enjoy a fun reward.

   “Kids participated in the Stanton Math Avenger and were given packets to practice basic math facts over the summer to avoid the summer slide,” O’Karma said. “When they came back they had a freeze pop party and extra recess. Then we put names in a hat and drew a name, and the winner received a free book from our book vending machine.”

   Third-grader Ryan Taylor was the lucky winner of the gold coin to acquire some new reading material. She said the challenge was the first of its kind and would help kids be were primed and ready for the new year.

   “It was a way to keep them energized,” O’Karma added. “We decided to do it so the kids would be prepared with math skills when they came back. Normally we just do a reading program, but we also decided to do math this year.”

     She added that the math program would be continued on an annual basis.

     Meanwhile, Henry led the second-annual summer reading program, where students read various levels of books to keep their minds sharp during their vacation.

   “The students were given a choice to pick between different levels for the number of books to read.  They could choose to read 10 books, 20 books, or 50 books.  They had a sheet to color in a picture of a book and then log the title of the book,” she added.

    About two-dozen students took part in that program to help keep their reading skills in tune, but she said benefits were two-fold.

   “The purpose is to keep kids reading in hopes that they do not regress with their reading skills over the summer.  It is also my hope to build a love of reading with our students,” Henry added. “This year we let the students decide how many books they wanted to read and it was an opportunity for them to set and work toward a goal.”

      She continued that the students enjoyed the program and will receive a book to nurture their love of reading.