Local News - Mullica's summer programs help children connect

By MICHELLE LEE, Staff Writer | Posted: Wednesday, July 14, 2010 | 0 comments

Controlled chaos seemed to be a learning theme at Mullica Township Middle School, where about 200 students were taking part in two summer education programs.

Dozens of students got some exercise by running laps, beating the summer heat by running in the......Continue Reading

 air-conditioned school hallways. Children practiced measuring skills in cooking class while concocting a breakfast wrap and yogurt dessert. And the younger children created a "web of life" in science class with pieces of paper and string.

Welcome to Mullica Township's Academic and Community Enrichment Program, or ACE program, which is geared to fourth- to eighth-graders, and the township's Alliance Program, which is geared to first- to third-graders.

The summer programs last about three to four weeks, and the students get a daily dose of math and language arts activities along with physical education and special enrichment programs, such as cooking, science and computers, said Jacki Lugg, the ACE program director. On Fridays, ACE program students take field trips to educational destinations, such as the Academy of Natural Science in Philadelphia, the state museum in Trenton and the Atlantic County Utilities Authority's wind farm and environmental park.

Cooking teacher Ana Rivera said the summer programs are a great opportunity for the students to "keep sharp" academically during the vacation, and it "gives them something to do for a half-day, especially in a township like Mullica, where their parents are at work, and there's not a lot of recreation places to go on their own."

The ACE program, is funded by a federal education grant and has been around for three years. The Mullica Township Alliance Program, which costs about $15 per student, has been around for at least 15 years, Lugg said.

In her cooking class Thursday, Rivera and aide Theresa Hood went over the food pyramid and the importance of eating healthy before students cut and mixed the ingredients for a breakfast wrap and yogurt parfait - adults handled the actual stove cooking. A lesson on recycling was slipped in as well, when Rivera noted that all of the food packages and containers should not be thrown out in the waste.

"How is it? Do you think you can put this together at home?" Rivera said of the yogurt dish.

"No, it's too good," eighth-grader Marquis Martinez, 12, said between bites.

Classmate Nicolette Zaremba, 11, said she loved the cooking session because "I like to make food and eat it." The self-described "school freak" said she also enjoyed the math and science lessons.

Martinez said he was interested in math as well, and physical education. His favorite gym activities were dodgeball and running around the school for about a mile. "I just like meeting up with old friends and doing new activities," he said.

The science lesson taught by substitute teacher Christina Wilson elicited enthusiasm from a group of third-graders. Wilson taught the children about the circle of life through a game of make-believe. Wilson, who represented the sun, sent her "energy" to students pretending to be plants. Those "plants," in turn, were eaten by a "cow" and "snake," who later on got eaten by a "lion," "hawk" and "wolf."

Juliet Duverglas, 8, said it was fun creating the web because she liked pretending to be a wolf.

Classmate Damein Bradley, on the other hand, said the lesson helped him remember how plants use the sunlight to create their own food. "Well, I knew there was photosynthesis," the 8-year-old said. "But I forgot the word. (The class) reminded me what the word was."

Wilson ended the class with her hands tangled up in string. But she pointed out that all of the sessions of make-believe had a higher meaning.

"What does the web show us?" Wilson said. "We're all connected."

Contact Michelle Lee:  609-272-7256  MLee@pressofac.com

This story was taken from the news source stated above. It's content and comments are not necessarily the opinion of The Elwood Vol. Fire Company or it's members.

Amanda Tanko, 14, and Lea Klose, 13, both from Mullica, assemble fajitas during cooking class as part of Mullica Township Academic and Community Enrichment program held at the Mullica Township Middle School. Photo/Dave

Science teacher Christina Wilson explains the concept of the food chain to the children as part of Mullica Township Academic and Community Enrichment program held at the Mullica Township Middle School. Photo/Dave Griffin

Josh Perona, 10, Michael Ricci, 10, Haley Wyld, 9, and Ema Finegan, 10, beat the sweltering heat outside by run through the school hallways as part of Mullica Township Academic and Community Enrichment program held at the Mullica Township Middle School. Photo/Dave Griffin