An opportunity for students to enhance their skills and complete the credits they need to graduate will be offered to Allentown High School students this summer.
At a recent meeting of the Upper Freehold Regional School District Board of Education, Principal Constance Embley discussed several classes that will be offered during the summer.
The enrichment programs are not new, but have been growing in popularity, according to Embley.
“The classes give our students the ability to be fully prepared for taking the advanced placement (AP) courses during the school year,” she said.
This summer, Embley is planning to implement AP boot camp classes with courses that will include AP Environmental Science, U.S. History, AP Spanish and AP Studio Art.
“I am looking to have the AP sessions be four sessions that will run during the summer. Taking the AP boot camp course will have no effect on a student’s grade point average,” she told the board.
One course incoming seniors may want to take is the College Application Process Made Easy course, which will help students complete the documents they need to apply for college admission.
“I believe that course will be great because it will be staffed by an English teacher at the high school and a guidance counselor, who are familiar faces to the students,” Embley said.
Board Vice President Patricia Hogan said the college application course is a great idea and said it is even better to complete the process in a school setting.
“I would definitely pay the price for my child to complete the college application process over the summer to make them ready for the fall without anything missing from the process,” Hogan said,
An SAT prep course will also be offered, according to Embley.
“The course would focus on instruction in reading, math and writing; share comprehension and test-taking strategies; share best practices for the writing portion; and provide practice tests and test-taking tips,” she said.
A Study Smart course will help students learn how to develop better study skills to perform more successfully on tests, according to Embley.
“All of the courses I am looking to offer students this summer will help build independent learners and minds,” she said.
Two new courses Embley is implementing in the summer are Computer Technology and Financial Literacy. These required courses are five credits each, according to Embley.
“Our students often do not have time in their schedule among other courses they take to fit in time to take these courses when they want to, so making these courses available over the summer would be a great help to them,” the principal said.
Embley would like those two courses to have a minimum of 20 students each. Students will not be allowed to miss more than three sessions in order to receive credit toward graduation for taking the course.
The board has not yet determined a cost for the courses. For updates about the summer courses, visit www.ufrsdhs.sharpschool.net.
Hogan said the summer programs open doors for other possibilities in the future.
“I think what Constance is doing is a great thing, and it gives us opportunities to partner with the middle school and even students in Millstone Township,” Hogan said.
Embley said she hopes to continue expanding the summer programs.
— Taylor M. Lier