Working, Learning In Vista Hermosa

VISTA HERMOSA - Forty Prescott students who live in Vista Hermosa take part in an opportunity of six weeks of extra schooling over the summer to help them remember and even improve their skills before the next school year begins.

Scott Branson has been with the Prescott School District for three years. His teaching position is fund- ed by the federal GEAR UP grant that partners with Washington State University Tri Cities.

"The goal is to get (students) into universities," Branson said.

The local school districts that also have GEAR UP pro- grams are Touchet, Dayton and Walla Walla, he said.

The grants given out are grade specific and this year Prescott has two of them. One grant will be helping the incoming sophomores and juniors and the new grant will be helping the incoming seventh and eighth graders.

"I am pleased with the program as I see our students seeking additional help and support with their subjects by voluntarily coming to school early and staying late to study," Superintendent Dr. Bill Jordan said of GEAR UP. "Our kids are display- ing more confidence in the classroom."

The grant money in Prescott funds Branson's teaching position and that of tutors, provides money for teacher training and sends students on trips to visit local college campuses, Branson said. Also, the money pays for tutoring before and after school, parent outreach and a summer youth program at Vista Hermosa.

Branson said Prescott, GEAR UP and Snake River Housing, Inc. have been offering the summer youth program at Vista Hermosa for seven or eight years.

"We've had a strong part- nership (with Brotje Or- chards)," said Principal Jodi Thew. "GEAR UP solidified those things."

Roger Bairstow, the ex- ecutive director for Snake River Housing, Inc., said he has been on board with the Gear Up since its beginning in Prescott. Snake River runs a day camp in the summer for elementary school children who live in Vista Hermosa and the summer youth program is for middle and high school students.

"We have the responsibil- ity to give kids productive outlets (through the summer months)," Bairstow said.

He said Vista Hermosa is an "intentional community" and the company and com- munity should do its best to provide opportunities for students to continue learning and participate in positive activities. There are not often programs offered for students that span the entire summer and parents have to string to- gether many different camps and programs to keep kids busy, Bairstow said.

"And kids of families of limited means don't have those opportunities," he add- ed.

Providing this opportu- nity in Vista Hermosa is very important for that reason, Bairstow said.

Snake River and Gear Up now split the cost of the sum- mer youth program, which is about $30,000 total for the six weeks of schooling.

"It's a wonderful partner- ship with the school district," he said.

In addition to the school- ing, Snake River Housing offers a work element. For the 40 students chosen to be part of the program, they at- tend school Monday through Thursday from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. and then work at Broejte Orchards on Friday and Sat- urday. This year, the students are in seventh through tenth grades in Prescott. Bairstow said the classroom and work combination is unique. He is happy the extra schooling gets them ready for the coming school year and "they look forward to earning a little bit of money," he said.

Having the students work in the orchards exposes them to the agriculture industry and teaches them the value of the work that their parents are doing, Bairstow added.

The students meet Monday through Thursday at the computer lab at Vista Her- mosa Elementary School. This year's program started June 18 and will run through July 26.

Bairstow said those who run the summer youth program ask Prescott teachers what the students need to be focusing on and then create education plans for the six-week program. The students spend one hour a day on reading and language arts, one hour on health and well-being and two hours on math. They also get one hour for a lunch that is provided for them.

The students do have to apply and be interviewed to be part of the program.

"We want a student will- ing to work and who has a goal of improving their skills," Branson said.

Branson doesn't teach all of the courses himself. There are separate teachers for language arts, health, Branson teaches math, and there are two tutors who help out. And because GEAR UP has a goal of getting all students into algebra before high school, a lot of time is spent on teaching math.

"Our goal is to really push the kids in the area of mathematics," he said. "It keeps their skills sharp and maybe even improves them some."

Branson is proud of his students this summer because many of them have mastered 50 different math skills in the first week, he said.

These math skills include basic math like addition, subtraction, prime factoriza- tion, rounding to different decimal levels and order of operations.

He said they begin with basic math and will work their way up to algebra and geometry and he's excited to see how much they can learn in six weeks.

"We've got a really good group of students this year," Branson said.

Thew said the program has a positive impact on students because the youth program keeps kids in the classroom and keeps the material and skills they have learned fresh in their minds.

"Any time you have an opportunity to do refreshers and stay caught up (on coursework) I think it makes a difference," she said.