ROCKY MOUNT (North Carolina) TELEGRAM July 31, 2006
Program targets migrant students' needs MIDDLESEX – Whether by making bottle rockets with Diet Coke and Mentos or cutting construction paper to decorate the box that chicks will go in after they hatch, smiles light the hallways at Middlesex Elementary School. "I wish I could be here next year," said Carla Banegas, 9. "It's fun." Migrant students in Nash-Rocky Mount Schools are getting something they don't during the school year – specialized instruction and attention. "We are dealing with a special population of kids," said Keith Webb, English as a Second Language lead teacher for Nash-Rocky Mount Schools. "In the mainstream, they get lost in the shuffle, so they don't get the attention they need to foster their growth. Each will go through an ESL course, but what they need now is course enhancement." In its fifth year, the migrant summer enhancement program has provided 55 migrant kindergartners through fifth-graders with transitional skills to improve their performance during the school year. The four-week program, a collaboration between Nash-Rocky Mount Schools and Nash County 4-H, also allotted 11 slots for sixth- through eighth-graders, making this the first year the program has been extended to middle school. The students' lessons are science and math based. With the help of some other agencies, such as the American Red Cross and Girl Scouts of America, the students focused on embryology and economics, health and fitness and weather using the N.C. Standard Course of Study-aligned curriculum provided by 4-H. "The best thing about it is the curriculum is based on the experiential learning model," said Joyce Bailey, 4-H program manager. "They're learning by doing, and that's what we believe in. "What they learn is more memorable because they're doing it. And there's no better feeling than to walk into a room and see the smiles." The students in the program aren't just from Middlesex Elementary. They're coming from schools around the county, such as Red Oak Middle School and Spring Hope, Hubbard and Nashville elementary schools. Marcum said 30 percent to 40 percent of the students are new to the program and are considered for priority services under Title I. "If a child moved here three years ago and their family did not migrate during crop season, that child will be phased out of the program because he or she is no longer considered a migrant," she said. "But if that child did move, he or she becomes eligible for this program. Mobility is a key factor." Although Lucero Martinez, 12, likes the camp, it is likely she will not be able to participate next year, if her family does not migrate. This is her third year in the program. "It's been good," she said. "I like doing the science stuff. In this school, I have much more fun. We do a lot of activities – and there's no homework." The program is funded through Part C of Title I, which is earmarked for migrant education, said Clemen Marcum, migrant education program coordinator for Nash-Rocky Mount Schools. Marcum said migrant education under Title I has strict guidelines. There is a manual that has to be followed, including interviewing parents, home site visits and teacher recommendations, she said. "Every child here is a qualifying child," Marcum said. "We have some students here that have excellent skills but just needed extra help. This program targets specific needs of migrant children. "We are trying to enhance their skills so they can do better during the year, and this lets them relax a little more while learning without the pressure students sometimes feel. And it helps them become competitive in the classrooms."
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