An enriching summer in Valley Stream high schools

With summer vacation now in full swing, teenagers all over the country are spending their time doing a variety of activities. Some work, others go to camp and plenty catch up on sleep and television. But for dozens of students in the Valley Stream Central High School District, summer is a time to work on something that interests them.

The district’s six-week summer enrichment program offers classes in art, music, acting, dance and computer skills. Interested students can partake in a particular class for a nominal fee. The classes are designed to go beyond the school year curriculum and challenge students in new and exciting ways.

Chris Kulda, who is heading into his senior year at Central, has taken drama classes in the enrichment program since he was in eighth grade. “It’s been so much fun doing it and I’ve made so many amazing friends,” he said of the program. “I don’t think I could have a fun summer without doing this. Hopefully one day I can do acting as a career, that’s what I’ve always wanted to do.”

The students meet five times a week at Memorial Junior High School. Dr. Jennifer Gallagher, the district director of instruction, funded programs and grants, looks over the enrichment program for the district and said she enjoys observing the classes.

“I think anytime you can provide kids with an opportunity to further their learning, to do work that they’re particularly interested in, to develop their own interest base, I think that’s a win-win for school districts and for kids,” she said. “It’s sometimes hard to do that in the days of budget cuts, but we’re really happy that we’re still able to do that and give kids an outlet for some positive learning and growth over the summer.”

Rick Hoffman, an English teacher at Central, has taught drama classes in the enrichment program for the last four years. One of the big things he teaches during the summer is conflict and its importance in a scene. Students write their own scenes and then bring them to Hoffman for revision and discussion. He said the improvement in students’ writing and stage presence is evident at the end of the six-week course.

"I love seeing that kind of energy poured into something that they care so much about,” he said. “This is a no-credit course; they do it because they love it and that’s why I love being here.”

In one of Hoffman’s summer classes, students worked on a scene that was written by a soon-to-be ninth grader, Erin Ford, who attends Memorial. She is in her second year of summer drama classes and added that she wants to pursue acting as a career. Marissa Mastromarino, who will be an eighth grader at Memorial this year, and Desire Landau, who is heading into ninth grade at South High, each play crucial roles in the scene. “I like it because I’ve always wanted to be an actor,” Landau said of the class. “This is something that I love.”

The dance program is also highly popular in the summer. Lindsay Rogan is in the midst of her first summer teaching in the district and has two classes.

“It’s been wonderful to see how motivated the girls are,” she said, “coming in every morning, despite the heat, despite 100 other places that they could be. They are so motivated to improve themselves as dancers. They’re taking lots of risk as artists and being really supportive of one another in the classroom.”

The district will host its annual summer show, which features performances from students in the enrichment program, on Aug. 9 at Central.