ACCC Summer Youth College Gives Students Exposure, Fun Learning

COURT HOUSE – “Young people are so committed to attend college during the summer. They could be someplace playing, but instead they’re here learning,” said Rhonda Hart, coordinator of the Summer Youth College program at Atlantic Cape Community College.
Now in its sixth year, ACCC offers a four day program for disadvantaged area students in grades 4th through 8th.
“The instructors are dedicated and have a great time with it too,” Hart added.
All instructors are volunteer college staff members from Cape May and Atlantic City Worthington campuses.
About 40 students participated in full days of fun and challenging learning activities from July 13th through 16th.
Students, who mainly came from Woodbine Elementary School with a few from Cape May and surrounding areas, were selected by their school’s administration for scholarships, which are funded by private and corporate donations.
Activities July 14 included a guest speaker, Chief Warrant Officer Veronica Bandrowski of the U.S. Coast Guard Training Center Cape May, who told 8th graders about careers in the military branch. Students will tour the base July 15.
ACCC’s Board of Trustees Diversity and Equity Committee created Summer Youth Program to expose middle school students to the idea of attending college during the early years of their education.
Students took a slew of classes like, “Math Logic” with Bill Osler and “Tales of NJ” with Caroline Koch and conflict resolution and career awareness seminars.
In a “Mad Scientist” class with chemistry professor Terry Hamby, students created “slime” from glue, Borax, water and food coloring.
Students wrote poems, created characters for a play and studied personification in a creative writing class offered by Margo McNally, professor of English and ESL. Students take “fun work” with them instead of calling it “homework,” she said.
“Their imaginations are just incredible and they display very deep feelings,” McNally said.
Jennifer Giardina, a volunteer from Richard Stockton College, taught health and fitness classes as part of her internship with the college.
Hart taught a Web design class in which students made a mock Website about themselves and their experiences with the program.
“It’s a wonderful effort put together for the young people,” Hart said.
Both the Cape May County and Atlantic City Worthington campuses offer the program.
Program days were extended from four to a six-hours from previous years because students had demonstrated interest in taking additional courses, said Patricia Gandy, administrative secretary for the dean at the Worthington campus.
Contact Truluck at (609) 886-8600 ext. 24 or at: ltruluck@cmcherald.com.