FeedsProgram aims to ease school transition
Anyone who wanders by the Wayne Youth Services building might wonder if they’re going into battle.
The building on Wayne Road is decked out with camouflage and military gear; piles of branches, blankets, fabric, and twine waiting to be turned into something more.
It is, in fact, in preparation for basic training , but the goal is to give children entering middle school the skills they’ll need at their new school, and beyond.
The Youth Services Department is starting a new program this year called “Middle School Survival Training.” It will teach organizational, social, and academic skills to prepare youngsters for the new challenges they will face in middle school, according to Barb Christner, supervisor of Wayne Youth Services.
“It’s going to be a fun summer, for kids and staff,” she said. “We’ll take field trips, go swimming, play games in the park. Everything we do will be a lesson or skill builder, but it won’t feel like it.”
The idea for the program came through conversations with middle school teachers, according to Melissa Maylone, a case manager for the Youth Services Division.
“A lot of them mentioned that students had a difficult time with organizing things and keeping on top of six classes,” she said. “This helps them with the social aspect and the educational aspect, as well.”
The program runs from June 25 through Aug. 2. It will include lessons on dealing with bullies and peer pressure, as well as others designed to enhance their school skills. For a math lesson, the students will plan a menu for a nutritious breakfast, shop on a budget, then cook for each other. They will design and build a fort as a team building exercise. The fort will become their quiet reading area, and they’ll discuss how they worked together to make decisions, too.
Maylone said the whole concept of a basic training exercise was an appropriate one.
“Middle school can feel like a battlefield,” she said. “You’re trying to deal with the pressures of homework and tests, and you can feel pulled in different directions by your peers. You want to fit in, but you want to be true to yourself, but you’re still trying to figure out who you are.
Program Coordinator Marie Penny said she was looking forward to the activities.
“The staff is ready, the art supplies are ready and the lessons are going to be fabulous,” she said. “At the end of the summer, these kids are going to remember all the fun they had and they’ll be ready to be organized, responsible, confident, successful students.”
Wayne Youth Services is a division of the City of Wayne Parks and Recreation Department. Enrollment is still open for the program which continues from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Monday through Thursday, from June 25 through Aug. 2. The cost is $100 per week, but scholarships are available. Parents of youth entering sixth or seventh grade next fall may call (734) 721-7004 for more information.
