MUSCATINE, Iowa–Over the past two years, the Summer Program for Arts, Recreation, and Knowledge, or S.P.A.R.K. has grown tremendously, with many families of elementary school aged children in Muscatine Community School District enrolling their children in it. Registration for S.P.A.R.K. has opened, giving families the opportunity to get their children enrolled for a month of learning and hands on fun June 20 through July 21 at Jefferson Elementary School (403 East Ninth Street in Muscatine).
As in years past, S.P.A.R.K. offers a full day program for students who have completed kindergarten through sixth grade. Each day will begin with the opportunity for students to eat breakfast at school, followed by a morning of academic focused classes. These classes will help students review and retain skills they learned in core subjects in the past year as well as prepare them for what they will learn study in the upcoming school year. Program data from past years has indicated that S.P.A.R.K. helps students avoid the summer slide, in which they must do some catch up at the start of the school year to regain progress they made the previous year.
Following lunch, which the program will also provide, students will get to participate in a wide variety of enrichment activities, brought to them by many different community partners. Many returning organizations, such as the Muscatine Art Center, Muscatine Community College, and Muscatine County Conservation, will come back to provide some of the most beloved activities from the past two summers.
Partners old and new also have a variety of new experiences planned for students. The Muscatine County Extension Office will lead a NASA STEM class for fifth graders and a wind turbine STEM class for sixth graders, bringing their imagination and learning to new heights. The Stanley Center for Peace and Security, which has brought many guest speakers to S.P.A.R.K., will lead walking fieldtrips to their new headquarters, teaching students about the sustainability features they included to work towards receiving certification from the Living Building Challenge.
Mamta Israni of CultureAll teaching fourth grade S.P.A.R.K. students about Indian culture. Photo by Margaret Hurlbert.
To ensure students get the most out of all of S.P.A.R.K.s learning activities, students must attend every day of the five week program. Students will have July 3 and 4 off in observance of the Fourth of July.
A completely free program, any families may register their children for S.P.A.R.K. online using either the English or Spanish registration form available on the District’s website. Registration will remain open until all slots have filled. With over 100 signups taking place the first day registration opened, organizers Cory Spies and Kandy Steel encourage families to register sooner rather than later. Any families who need transportation for their students can arrange for bussing to and from their children’s home schools.
With summer in sight, Steel shared she already feels excited for S.P.A.R.K. and appreciates all the collaborations that will make it possible to help students to continue to learn and grow this summer. “We are grateful for the teachers and paraeducators who are excited to spend their summer teaching and supporting our students, she said. “It wouldn’t happen without them.”
