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At Monday’s Hancock Board of Education meeting, Superintendent Steve Patchin laid out plans for the new Northern Lights Summer Learning Program and the Northern Lights Outdoor Adventure Program. It will be conducted in cooperation with the Lake Linden-Hubbell and Chassell School Districts.
The learning program resembles something closer to summer school, but with an emphasis on fun. Expect more hands-on projects compared to traditional lessons. It will take place from 9 AM to noon with lunch included four days per week. The goal is to plug holes in student development that have been left by the pandemic.
Patchin says the main issue faced by the district is staffing. A call is being put out to teachers from outside the area to come in and be housed at Finlandia free of charge for the eight weeks between June 21st and August 12th. The university is charging the school $125 per week per person, most of which is picked up through grants.
Patchin hopes to utilize the program as a recruitment opportunity.
Thursday afternoons will be reserved for the adventure program. It will provide opportunities to teach children how to do summertime staples like fishing and hiking, while exposing them to the great natural resources in the Upper Peninsula. Patchin says plans are in place to visit from the Porcupine Mountains to Pictured Rocks. There are 100 openings for fourth grade to eighth grade students. Summer sports camps will be plentiful on the calendar as well.
