Students play the djembe during the 2024 Fall River Public Schools Summer Field Day as part of the 21st Century Community Learning Centers program. (Photo Courtesy Fall River Public Schools)
FALL RIVER — As Fall River Public Schools reached the finish line for the school year last Friday, administrators and staff who run the district’s summer programs didn’t slow down, as they prepared for another well-supervised season of exploration, recreation and enrichment.
These programs include the Durfee High School Summer Enrichment Program, the 21st Century Summer Community Learning Centers, the Durfee High School Summer Basketball Program, the Durfee Summer School, Camp Tansey, Credit Recovery, Extended School Year, the MLL Newcomer Summer Program, the High School Summer Internship Program. Fall River Public Schools also partners with Greater Fall River RE-CREATION and Whitson Culinary Group to offer free lunch at all schools that host a summer program.
“There are a lot of staff who put in a lot of hard work and a lot of time during the summer to make these programs possible,” said Derek Farias, the director of grants for Fall River Public Schools. “We’re serving over 1,500 kids during the summer. These summer programs are funded through a mix of grants, private donations, and self-funding. Throughout the summer season, we’re able to accomplish so much for our students, giving them a chance to overcome challenges, gain new experiences, and make new friends in the process.”
21st Century Community Learning Program
Farias serves as district coordinator for the 21st Century Community Learning Program, which operates six sites from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m., weekdays July 7 through Aug. 1. Entirely grant-funded, the 21st Century Community Learning Program provides students of all grades with a wide variety of project-based learning activities, from journalism at Durfee High School, to comic brook writing at Kuss Middle School, to operating a Lego store at Letourneau Elementary School. One program offered at Doran Elementary School is called “Designing a Waterpark,” integrating elements of research, design, technology, and planning, as students dream up a waterpark for their community and put together a budget to make it all possible.
“It’s all about students experiencing deeper learning activities,” said Farias, noting that each site serves 65 to 70 students. “The kids are happy to go. That says a lot about the program, especially at the middle and high school sites. They could be doing a lot of other things during the summertime. But they want to be here.”
The program also involves field trips, including visits to the New England Aquarium in Boston, the Southwick Zoo in Mendon, the EcoTarium in Worcester and even Battleship Cove, located close by in Fall River. Another mainstay of the 21st Century Community Learning Program is the Futsal Academy, offered at several sites, where students play the smaller, indoor court-based version of soccer. The program also provides experiences on the water through partnerships with organizations like the Watuppa Rowing Center, with sailing offered by Greater Fall River Re-CREATION.
“These are a lot of opportunities that students don’t otherwise have,” Farias said. “When they return to class in the fall, kids are often asked, ‘What did you do this summer?’ Our students in the 21st Century Community Learning Program might say, ‘I went rowing,’ or ‘I went sailing.’ Last year, after our Battleship Cove field trip, kids were saying that it was the best field trip they had ever been on. There shouldn’t be one kid that leaves Fall River Public Schools that hasn’t stepped foot on that battleship. We fired the guns off last summer. I’m hoping to do that again this summer.”
Durfee High School Enrichment Program
Another popular summer program is the Durfee High School Enrichment Program, which was established in 2007. This year, it runs on weekdays from 8:30 a.m. to 2 p.m., from July 7 through Aug. 8.
The Durfee High School Enrichment Program is designed for students ages 5 through 13, serving a total of 150 kids, providing participants with a selection of four enrichment activities from a total of eight offerings: arts studio, sports and outdoor games, junior chef, TV and production, cosmetology, board games, dance and engineering.
Unlike other summer programs, the Durfee High School Enrichment Program is open to students who live outside of the school district. The program, which includes lunch, is $750 per child for the entire five weeks, $600 for a sibling discount for all five weeks and $200 for one week.
The program allows the district to take full advantage of the new Durfee High School building, which first opened in the fall of 2022. For this younger age group, it’s a warm introduction to a building that they may one day attend on a regular basis for high school.
“It’s an absolutely phenomenal facility,” Farias said. “It’s state of the art. And due to the amenities provided by this new building, we were able to add our junior chef and cosmetology activities to our offerings as part of the Durfee High School Enrichment Program. It’s a very hands-on program. Students are learning new things. They’re doing project-based activities. We always try to make it so that students are taking something home with them. It’s a great experience for our kids, giving them the opportunity to engage in the school, become familiar with the school and to see the great offerings that we have.”
“Then they’ll end up going there when they get older,” Farias added. “That’s a big part of it — to get kids familiar with the school building. Durfee is a great school. We have many opportunities there and this gives kids a chance to experience that at a younger age.”
Durfee High School Basketball Program
Running in tandem with the Durfee High School Enrichment Program, the Durfee High School Basketball Program takes place from July 7 through Aug. 14. This program, for students of all ages, is broken down into two parts, with each occurring in the early evening: Skills and Drills (Mondays and Wednesdays), and League Play (Tuesdays and Thursdays). Registration is $125 for each part, or $200 for both.
“This is a great program that we started a couple years ago, allowing kids to improve their basketball game, develop their skills and stay active during the summer,” said Farias, explaining that the program has three different age divisions, starting with third graders and going through high school.
Durfee Summer School and Credit Recovery
Durfee Summer School and Credit Recovery are two summer programs that give Fall River students an opportunity to make up for classes they were unable to complete during the school year. Students are identified for enrollment by the schools, and guidance counselors are tenacious about enrolling the students.
“This gives students who have struggled during the school year opportunities to catch up with their peers, to stay on track and to graduate,” Farias said. “It’s an essential piece. We can add as many safety nets during the school year as possible to help kids navigate school throughout the year, but this will always still be needed during the summer.”
Extended School Year
The district’s Extended School Year program is for students enrolled in special education and is part of their Individualized Education Program (IEP). The Extended School Year program lasts from July 7 through August 1, taking place on weekdays from 8:30 a.m. through 2:30 p.m.
The Extended School Year program is held at three different sites based on age group, including the former Bishop Connolly High School for preschoolers, Spencer Borden Elementary for elementary school students and Durfee High School for middle school and high school students. A total of 400 students are spread between the three sites.
Camp Tansey
Finally, Camp Tansey is a summer daycare program that takes place on weekdays at Tansey Elementary School from 7 a.m. to 5:30 p.m., lasting from early July through mid-August. This pay-to-attend program for elementary school students also includes off-site field trip experiences once a week.
“This is especially helpful for parents who both have day jobs,” Farias said. “That’s a problem many parents have during the summer.”
Superintendent Dr. Tracy Curley said she’s proud of the summer programs that the district offers and looks forward to another season of engaging activities, providing important opportunities to students of all ages from the district in a safe, well-supervised environment.
“I’d like to take this opportunity to thank all our employees who help make our summer programming possible,” Dr. Curley said. “We’re very proud of all the amazing programs that we are able to offer our youth during the summer season, taking full advantage of our facilities, with an amazingly talented staff who really care about our students. These summer programs provide invaluable experiences to our students, allowing them to stay active, expand their minds and forge treasured memories that will last a lifetime.”
Students from the 21st Century Community Learning Centers program at Henry Lord Community School visited the New England Aquarium in Boston. (Photo Courtesy Fall River Public Schools)
Students make works of art using markers during the 2024 Fall River Public Schools Summer Field Day as part of the 21st Century Community Learning Centers program. (Photo Courtesy Fall River Public Schools)
Students make desserts for a bake sale to raise money for Forever Paws Animal Shelter as part of the 21st Century Community Learning Centers program at Doran Elementary School. (Photo Courtesy Fall River Public Schools)
Students from the 21st Century Community Learning Centers program at Henry Lord Community School make soup together as part of a culinary activity. (Photo Courtesy Fall River Public Schools)
Students play futsal during the 2024 Fall River Public Schools Summer Field Day as part of the 21st Century Community Learning Centers program. (Photo Courtesy Fall River Public Schools)
A group of students from the 21st Century Community Learning Centers program at Greene Elementary School deepen their learning in the summer, applying new and existing knowledge, preparing them for the school year. (Photo Courtesy Fall River Public Schools)
Two students from the 21st Century Community Learning Centers program at Greene Elementary School deepen their learning in the summer, applying new and existing knowledge, preparing them for the school year. (Photo Courtesy Fall River Public Schools)
Students from the 21st Century Community Learning Centers program at Greene Elementary School take part in an experiment in the hallway of the school building. (Photo Courtesy Fall River Public Schools)
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