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Guilford County Schools Sees Record Summer School Enrollment

Guilford County Schools began its summer programming on Monday, June 14, 2021. KERI BROWN/WFDD

Many districts across the state are kicking off summer school this month which they hope will help students impacted by the pandemic. Guilford County Schools is seeing a record number of students enrolled.

Summer school participation in Guilford County two years ago was around 1,200 students. This year, it's nearly 16,000. The goal is not only to get kids caught up and accelerate learning but to add a little fun after a rough school year.

There are enrichment opportunities for elementary, middle, and high school students. Those include robotics camp, visual art, and dance.

GCS Superintendent Dr. Sharon Contreras says the district won't be able to address all of the learning loss during the summer months, but it's a good start.

“We are providing more opportunity for students and we do believe that's one of the reasons that we have more students enrolled," says Contreras. "It's very difficult for parents to find half-day child care but because summer school is all day long, we think more parents are taking advantage of the opportunity.”

GCS is among many districts receiving federal COVID-19 relief funding to help pay for the expanded offerings. Those funds are also being used to provide bonuses for teachers who are working during summer school.

For the most up-to-date information on coronavirus in North Carolina, visit our Live Updates blog here. WFDD wants to hear your stories — connect with us and let us know what you're experiencing.

Follow WFDD's Keri Brown on Twitter @kerib_news

Keri Brown is a multi-award winning reporter and host at 88.5 WFDD. She has been honored with two regional Edward R. Murrow awards for her stories about coal ash, and was named the 2015 radio reporter of the year by the Radio Television Digital News Association of the Carolinas (RTDNAC).Although she covers a variety of topics, her beats are environmental and education reporting.Keri comes to the Triad from West Virginia Public Broadcasting, where she served as the Chief Bureau Reporter for the Northern Panhandle. She produced stories for the state's Public Television and Radio programs and was honored by the West Virginia Associated Press Broadcasters Association for her feature and enterprise reporting.She also served as an adjunct instructor at Wheeling Jesuit University and Bethany College in West Virginia. She worked with the Center for Educational Technologies in Wheeling, WV, and other NASA centers across the country to develop several stories about the use of science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) concepts in the classroom.Keri's journalism career began at WTRF-TV 7 in Wheeling. She worked in several roles at the station, including the head assignment editor. She also was a field producer and assignment manager at WPGH-TV Fox 53 in Pittsburgh.Keri is a graduate of Ohio University. When she's not in the studio or working on a story, she enjoys watching college football with her family, cooking, and traveling.Keri is always looking for another great story idea, so please share them with her. You can follow her on Twitter @kerib_news.

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