Editor’s note: This article first appeared in the latest Higher Education issue of Scene Magazine.
By Eric J. Greene
Director of Public Information and Marketing
Kellogg Community College
In much of the education world, summer is a time for teachers and students to slow down and recharge.
But at Kellogg Community College, the summer months are much like the other seasons. We have thousands of students taking classes at our Battle Creek and regional campuses; faculty are teaching day and night; administrators are busy with projects; and our elected trustees continue to meet to set budgets and policies for the coming academic year.
To be sure, we have fewer students and events during the summer semester, but KCC is still abuzz with activity in June, July and August.
And because KCC is dedicated to strengthening education at all levels, several of our summer programs are designed for students from the area’s elementary, middle and high schools.
In June and July, our collegiate basketball, volleyball and soccer players, along with their coaches, host youth sports camps at the facilities of KCC’s North Avenue campus in Battle Creek. Sessions are designed to be age-appropriate since participants range in age from 5 to 18, depending on the sport and the camp. For more information, contact KCC Athletics at 269-965-4151.
Also in July, KCC will offer several youth camps focused on robotics, engineering and programming. Open to fifth- through 10th-graders, the camps are part of a larger youth robotics initiative at the college that includes the Bruin Bots, a robotics competition team, in addition to after-school and spring break activities. The camps in July are offered at KCC’s Regional Manufacturing Technology Center in Battle Creek. For more information, contact KCC Lifelong Learning at 269-965-4134.
Besides sports and robotics, we’re also continuing an academic program known as the Upward Bound Summer Academy. In its 31st year, Upward Bound prepares high school students for the future. This year’s academy, which started in June and concludes in late July, includes 54 teenagers who will be in the 10th, 11th or 12th grade in the fall at Battle Creek Central High School.
The federally funded Summer Academy features classroom instruction Mondays through Thursdays, with Fridays reserved for volunteerism or trips to culturally significant sites in the region. Each participant is equipped with school supplies and must maintain a GPA of at least 2.5 to continue in the program.
“Our main goal for every Upward Bound student is to give them the skills and tools necessary to graduate high school and go into post-secondary education,” said Grindl Williams, director of the Upward Bound program at KCC. “They’re all ahead of their peers when they start high school classes in the fall, and that’s a major bonus.”
For more information about Upward Bound, call 269-965-3931.
Finally, KCC for the second year is hosting a summer session of Horizons, a six-week program for first- and second-graders offered at Fremont Elementary School in Battle Creek. The grant-funded program, offered in partnership with Battle Creek Public Schools and the Battle Creek YMCA, is a combination of traditional classroom instruction, self-esteem activities, swim lessons and field trips.
In addition to our classes, programs and projects in the summer, we at KCC also spend these warm months gearing up for the fall semester, which this year begins on Aug. 29. Because classes can fill up quickly, we urge all incoming students to register early. To get started, visit Kellogg.edu today.