Summertime.  The school is closed, right?  Dead wrong. 

            At Shelton School and Evaluation Center, there’s plenty of summer action. Some 720 students (Early Childhood through grade 12) are enrolled for a variety of classes – some for academic credit, others for enrichment. An additional 129 are signed up for athletic camps.  This involves 83 teachers and 12 assistants for classes and six coaches for sports camps.  Says Patricia Gallaher, summer school coordinator, “From robotics to reading, basketball or Broadway music, we have learning taking place all over our campus.”

            In addition, many adults are expanding their educational skills.  Shelton offers professional training courses to teachers during the summer.  Class offerings include Montessori Applied to Children at Risk, Testing and Referral, and numerous academic language therapy programs.   Several of the courses may be taken for college credit through a cohort program with Dallas Baptist University.  Instructors come from throughout the United States and even abroad to participate in the courses, and Shelton’s outreach and training personnel take their training on the road. Says Chris Bedenbaugh, director of Shelton’s Outreach / Training Program, “Shelton’s Outreach Department was thrilled to provide 19 teacher training opportunities that offer certification as well as credit toward a master’s degree. These trainings offer a ripple effect for many teachers and the students they serve.” 

            Other offerings include speech therapy.  Shelton’s Speech / Language / Hearing Program has 13 children involved in its summer Language Adventures program.  Four college graduate and undergraduate interns are also spending their time learning the program.

            “Shelton is a learning organization, year-round,” says Head of School Linda Kneese.  “Whether it’s to hone a skill, remediate a gap, learn something new,  gain a credit, or just have fun, summer is a great time for learning.”