SUMMER SCHOOL: CLASSES HELP STUDENTS CATCH UP

The sign outside Cape Girardeau Central High School used a line from the movie "Forrest Gump" to sum up feelings about summer.

Mike Redfern taught algebra during summer session at Cape Girardeau Central High School Monday.

Jill Pinkston got ready to read a book to her kindergarten summer class at Franklin Elementary School Monday.

The front door at Franklin Elementary School welcomes children to Summer Camp '95, complete with a painted campfire. Inside the school building, activities bring back memories of summer camp. Children can be found playing games, doing art projects and singing.

The children are also learning skills to help them be successful when school starts again in the fall, said Jim Watkin, who is Franklin Elementary principal. He oversees the elementary summer school program. This is the first summer in 14 years that such program has been offered for elementary students.

The mood isn't quite as festive at Cape Girardeau's junior and senior high summer school. But these older students are also learning skills and earning class credit during summer sessions. The junior high program began Monday. The high school program started a week ago.

Junior High principal Gerald Richards said, "To quote old Harry Truman `The buck stops here.' We cannot send students onto the senior high program without the skills they need."

On Monday, 22 eighth-grade students and 15 seventh-grade students enrolled. These students will focus on math, reading and language arts.

In addition, Richards said, the school's counselors have developed a network of speakers and programs to help students see the relevance of the things they study.

Students will learn about career awareness, job preparation, job skills, conflict resolution and decision making.

Local merchants have donated items like free sodas or french fries, which are used as rewards for good behavior or jobs well done.

At Franklin school, kindergarteners Brittany Duke and Patrick Chapman proudly held up the covers to a book they are assembling. "It says `Forest Friends,'" Brittany said. Patrick showed how a wheel spins around a cutout window to show various woodland creatures.

"We've been learning about hot and cold -- you know condensation," Brittany said.

Once a week, the youngsters spend time in music class, art class, a computer lab and the library.

On Monday, music teacher Johanna Erdman was teaching a song called "Wake Up Jacob."

Children marched and clapped and sang and laughed. They also practiced counting, rhythm and following directions.

In Ann Freeman's third grade class, Matt Conrad explained that summer school wasn't as much work as the regular school year.

"We play more games and we don't have homework," he said.

His teacher said the games children are playing teach the same academic skills in reading and math. The small class size in the summer program -- 10 students for each teacher -- gives teachers a chance to try different teaching techniques, such as using games.

Jessica Schabbing said she liked the smaller classes because her teacher has more time to answer questions. Plus, students will attend field trips five of the six weeks for the summer program.

Brendon Max said he likes summer school. "It's not as long. We don't eat lunch," he said. But the youngsters do get a milk-and-cookie break.

As Watkins was handing out milk and cookies, a student suggested a way to make the computers work better in the lab. Watkins said they would give it a try.

"The kids seem to really enjoy the relaxed atmosphere," he said.

At the elementary level, summer school classes are federally funded through Chapter 1. Students were accepted from four Cape Girardeau elementary schools that qualify for Chapter 1 funds: Franklin, Washington, May Greene and Jefferson.

The federal government pays for the program and sets specific guidelines. For example, the student-to-teacher ratio can't be higher than 10 to 1. Students were eligible for the program based on state test scores.

Summer school became economically feasible this year for the junior and senior high schools because of the Outstanding Schools Act, also known as Senate Bill 380. Schools offering summer school get twice the state funding for students that they would receive during the regular school year.

Dr. Richard Bollwerk, director of curriculum and instruction, said summer school should be a break-even proposition.

At Central High School 140 students have enrolled. Of 10 classes, nine are remedial for students who need to make up a failed class credit. The school is also offering keyboarding as an elective for 15 students who wanted to learn the computer skill.

Jerry Witvoet, high-school counselor, said students from Jackson, Oak Ridge, Chaffee and Perryville have enrolled for Central's summer school. Another change in the law allows students from neighboring schools to enroll without paying tuition fees. Cape Girardeau can count any enrolled Missouri students for state funds.