Summer Session at BES

Hello friends and families of our ANESU Expanded Learning Program students! We just wrapped up our first week at BES, diving into our theme and exploring "A World of Colors." Our incredibly awesome staff of Cathy Turner- Health and Wellness, Priscilla MQuade- Literacy, Heather Best- Math and Science created multiple games and activities surrounding colors, while also promoting learning and fun! When asking kids of all ages, they said they didn't even feel like they were learning, just hanging out with new friends and participating in some pretty cool adventures. One of our favorite times of the day is lunchtime, a time where we all regroup and talk about things we learned, share laughs, and eat delicious lunches provided by the free summer meal plan located at the high school.

This week we were lucky enough to have Ashleigh Millett and Skyler Goff teaching us how to become someone or something new through theater and storytelling. Each of our four groups performed a small skit for the rest of the program on Friday to show off what they learned. What a great way to wrap up our week! In these performances, appearances were made by a witchy-woman who could transform into a giant beetle, a sassy, strong-minded baby bear, an ax-wielding, guitar playing woodsman, King Gentle of the forty thieves, and many other silly characters all made up by our students.

Switching gears to Math and Science, Heather incorporated some all time favorite games like UNO and Mastermind. Not only did we play the classics, but also some homemade versions including more colors, shapes, and some new vocabulary words.


In literacy, Priscilla is reading us colorful stories, helping us to create poetry using all five of our senses, and inspiring us to paint with beautiful watercolors. Our students are exploring how different colors make us feel.

Health and Wellness has been focusing this week on how our foods can effect our mood and bodies. Self exploration and positive thoughts about ourselves and our friends creates a safe and loving environment, an environment that everyone can thrive in and individuality is encouraged.

Overall, we couldn't have asked for a better week. The teachers and leaders all feel truly lucky and special to be able to work with your children. This group is kids is wonderful, and we're looking forward to another colorful week.