Last week, we, and hundreds of others across the country, celebrated National Summer Learning Day.
Of course, for Camp AYS, every summer day is dedicated to continued learning, and combatting the so-called “summer slide” – the tendency for students, especially those from low-income families, to lose some of the achievement gains they made during the previous school year.
Among the great educational activities our kids areexperiencing this summer is the return of ArtForce to School #84, one of IPS’ Centers for Inquiry.
ArtForce is a summer camp through Arts for Learning that brings high school students who are interested in teaching to work with our AYS campers. The camp offers high school kids the opportunity to complete an apprenticeship that includes creating projects with our students, and instructing them in various artistic media.
The apprentices who visited School #84 demonstrated everything from how to use relief patterns, to simple coloring and cutting projects, to the wonders of Shrinky Dinks that miraculously come out of a toaster oven!
Later in the week, our campers got to take a field trip to Ivy Tech Community College to be a part of the high school students’ ArtForce finale. They enjoyed the final workshops and interacting with the older kids.
“The chance to teach younger students is the substance of the ArtForce program and quite a challenge for the participants. It hones their leadership skills, which is essential in their school work, and eventually in the workforce, as well as gives them a taste of what it means to be a teaching artist,” said Ploi Pagdalian, senior director for 
programs at Arts for Learning. “We value the partnership with AYS; the input from their staff on the high school students’ teaching abilities is invaluable.”
Our partnership with Arts for Learning is a win-win for all involved. We’re grateful for this experience, and how it helps both our kids and local high school students prepare for the future.
Was your AYS camper at School #84 this year? If so, tell us what you think about ArtForce below!