Fun for all at Merrick's Summer Recreation program

Featured Story:

Children hurried toward the entrance to Birch Elementary School in Merrick on a recent Monday, some in tow with their parents and others singularly focused on reaching the doors to wave goodbye to their moms or dads before starting their day. The excited expressions on their faces left little doubt that they were happy to be at school.

The only thing was, Birch wasn't a school, per se; this July, it has been transformed into a summer camp, run by the Merrick School District, with teachers and local teenagers acting as the counselors.

The district's annual Summer Recreation Program has become a tradition for many, allowing children to participate in a variety of activities, and to learn and reconnect in a more laid-back environment. There are no graded assignments -- just a light load of arts, crafts, sports and specialized workshops designed to give the youngsters the chance to express their creativity. The district rotates the program to a different school each summer –– Birch, Chatterton or Levy-Lakeside Elementary.

Directors Melissa Robinson, who teaches sixth-grade at Levy-Lakeside, and Kelley Merkle have organized a program that appeals not only to the children participating, but also to their parents and the camp staff. Many of the staff attended "Summer Rec." as children themselves.

Merkle, who teaches first-grade at Birch during the school year, believes that parents see the program as an opportunity for their children to get to know one another before the start of school. "A lot of parents like it because children make friends, and when they come back here in September, they recognize them," she said.

Workshops are supervised by eighth- and ninth-grade volunteers, as well as in-district school teachers. Some 320 children take part in the program, which features 75 paid counselors and 23 volunteers.

In the July 2 puppetry workshop, children crafted Uncle Sam ice-cream sticks. In jewelry, they worked on Fourth of July bracelets. Nine-year-old Finn Campbell was focused on the task at hand as he spoke about the program. "I've been doing it since kindergarten," said Campbell. "It's really good. I learn a lot."