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| School's in for summer |
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| Written by Danielle MacMurchy / Tracy Press | |
| Friday, 13 June 2008 | |
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A special session of GATE classes open the creative doors for students willing to put in a little extra time.
The students didn’t resist the invitation to go back to school just two weeks after class let out for the summer, because these classes are different. There’s no writing, no reading and very little arithmetic. Students gathered on the central Tracy campus to learn how to problem-solve, brainstorm and work in teams through unconventional workshops. The five teachers for the day camp pushed desks to the edge of each classroom to make room for student creativity. One classroom was transformed into a miniature amusement park when teacher Debbie Wittkowske invited her students to take what they learned about gravity and friction to design mini roller coasters out of Styrofoam tubes. The students launched marbles, which represented riders, down the coaster’s shoots to test their design. If a marble flew off the coaster on a turn, that meant the turn needed to be tweaked for safety. A troupe of four boys, who say they’ve been best friends for years, huddled in the corner of the classroom to think up the most exciting roller coaster ever. They carefully placed a marble at the top of the shoot and let it spiral through spins and plop into bucket of water.  Luke Zhang and Celia Reddoch check a marble’s progress through the “Double Dropper” ride, made from plastic tubing, cardboard, a soda bottle and a little tape. Glenn Moore/Tracy Press GATE offers advanced classes for second- through eighth-grade students. Students who apply must pass a test before they’re invited to be a part of GATE. Linda Pepperman, the district’s GATE coordinator, will meet with interested parents in November. The summer institute costs the district about $12,000, plus supplies and five teachers’ summer pay. Fifteen Tracy and West high school students volunteered their time to help with the camp. Jasmeen Sandhu said she’s thrilled to run out the doors of South/West Park into three months of summer at the end of each school year. But the summer institute lured her back. "School is boring," she explained frankly Monday, while she showed off her mini amusement park swing ride. "This is fun." Becky Jones agreed. The second-grade Bohn Elementary School teacher signed up to work at the institute for a chance to stretch her teaching skills. "We become creative, too," said Jones, who’d like to see all students go through a similar camp. "This reminds me how fun teaching can be. I’m all ready to do it again next year."
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| Last Updated ( Saturday, 14 June 2008 ) |
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