Staff photo / Bob Coupland Khyden Holley, 9, fourth grade, of Girard schools, works on decorating birdhouses to be hung at Girard city parks as part of the summer YSU Explore program held during June.

Students in the Brookfield and Girard school districts had the opportunity to do some exploring during June through a program offered by Youngstown State University.

Students learned about various careers and job responsibilities through YSU Explore, a program of Youngstown State University’s Office of Community Engagement.

Melissa Chizmar, program coordinator, said Brookfield students in grades 1-4 and Girard students in grades 3-12 took part in the four-week summer program.

Chizmar said YSU Explore obtained five-year grants from the Ohio Department of Education for the two school districts to offer not only a summer program but an after-school program during the school year.

Chizmar said YSU receives funding and partners with school districts to offer 100 hours of programming in June.

The nearly five-hour daily program ran Monday through Friday from June 2 to 30.

It focused on math and literacy, youth development, college and career readiness, and family engagement, and included field trips and family events.

YSU students and public school teachers helped with the program.

She said while there was a lot of focus on math and reading literacy, the program incorporated fun, themed hands-on activities and events.

“We focused this summer on exploring our community. Children learned about a landmark, business or location in Trumbull County. They learned about a business and what careers would go along with it, and what they would need to do to have that career,” Chizmar said.

She said Girard Mayor Mark Zuppo mentioned placing birdhouses in the city’s parks.

“There will be 35 birdhouses displayed at the parks in Girard,” Chizmar said.

Chizmar said they ordered the birdhouses and YSU students assembled them so the children in Girard could paint and decorate them as a community service project.

Girard had 32 participants for the summer program who learned about a candy business and a dental office.

Chizmar said, for a baking business, students learned about recipes and went to a restaurant to learn how to make bread, while for a unit on hospitals, children went to Mercy Health to see how people take X-rays, and also played the game, “Operation.”

Chizmar said all students followed the same theme, with activities adjusted for grade level.

“We want them to have real-life experiences from what they have learned,” Chizmar said.

Each Friday was a field trip or family-themed event, such as visiting the Ernie Hall Aviation Museum in Howland.

Chizmar said students also went on fishing trips, visited museums and a zoo, and attended a Scrappers game.

WHAT STUDENTS LIKE

Allie Johnston, 11, a Girard sixth grader, said she enjoys the program’s fun activities like painting and field trips, which have also helped her improve in math.

Johnston, who has been in the after-school program for two years, said she is getting to read the book “The Way of the Warrior Kid,” which was read at the program.

Khyden Holley, 9, a fourth grader, feels his reading has improved. He enjoyed painting birdhouses for Tod and Liberty parks and decorating flower vases to be delivered to nursing home residents for the Fourth of July. Holley has been in the program for one year.

CJ Martin, 18, a senior, said he enjoyed learning about different careers since he plans to get a job and likes teaching.

Martin, who has been in the after-school program since fifth grade, said the field trips provide valuable career insight.

He said being older than the other students, he could help and guide them with their projects.

Tula O’Neil, site coordinator for the program in Girard for grades third to sixth, said the students appreciate the help with math and reading and look forward to the hands-on activities.

BROOKFIELD PROGRAM

At Brookfield Elementary School, there were 10 students participating. They also decorated vases for nursing home residents.

Skyler O’Donnell, site coordinator at Brookfield Elementary, said the students had the opportunity to hear from guest speakers on different careers, such as an author and members of the Trumbull County Historical Society, and the Ohio State University Extension Office.

Brookfield fourth grader Daniel McQueem, 9, said he liked learning about entrepreneurs in running a specialized business.

He said his reading and math have both improved since being in the program.

“I tell myself to do my best,” he said.

Fifth grader Amara Mason, 10, said she can see where her math and reading skills are improving through the different activities.

Mason said she enjoyed decorating the vases, knowing they would brighten a resident’s day.

“They were fun to decorate. The residents of the nursing home will like them,” she said.

Chizmar said on the last day of the program, each student in Brookfield and Girard received a bag with family games, a journal and literacy items.

The three-hour-per-day, after-school programs in the schools are held for 35 weeks from October through April.

The federally funded grant program supports high-quality, out-of-school time learning opportunities and related activities for students who attend eligible schools.