Students in the D.C. public school system are getting ready for summer as Thursday marks the last day of their school year.
“This has been an incredibly important school year for our students to catch up on all the learning and socialization that they missed during the pandemic,” Mayor Muriel Bowser said at a celebration with local students on Wednesday.
Bowser went on to thank the teachers, principals and school support staff for their work, as she highlighted opportunities for students to stay busy during the summer months.
The city’s Department of Parks and Recreation is offering 13,000 summer camp slots for young people at more than 60 locations in the District, with the first summer camp sessions starting Monday.
“We have a strong portfolio of options for students to be enriched and also to stretch them academically, socially and emotionally,” said D.C. schools Chancellor Lewis Ferebee.
Families can still enroll children and teens in Discovery Camp, Boost Camps and Basketball or Football Sports Camp, with limited availability for Little Explorers Camp.
Registration forms are available on the city’s website for summer camps.
Ferebee echoed Bowser’s thoughts regarding an improvement in COVID-related learning loss.
“We continue to see progress in our recovery,” Ferebee said. “We have more students that are on grade level and more students reporting that they are stronger with their mental health.”
Another summer activity that starts Monday, June 26, is the Mayor Marion S. Barry Summer Youth Employment Program, through which thousands of young people are paired with employers in the area in order to receive training, guidance and summer work experience.
The idea is to help them develop positive work habits and skills they can use to secure future employment.
This year, the program will employ about 14,000 young people at 700 sites over the course of six weeks.
“That means 14,000 kids making money, meeting new mentors and learning skills that they will carry throughout their lives,” Bowser said.
Bowser joined a group of kids in firing small toy rockets into the air by stomping on a launch switch, which is among the activities featured in one of the summer camps called “Boost: Rocket Camp.”
