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Photograph by George Sakkestad
Hayley Benham shows off a rainbow of colors on her hands from the chalk she's using on her art project.
WVC College for Kids teaches students some valuable skills
By Jason Baker
With summer vacation in full swing, parents are facing that familiar mantra: "I'm sooo bored! There's nothing to do!" But a fun and educational cure for those summertime blues now is as close as West Valley College's "College for Kids" program.
Students entering sixth, seventh, eighth or ninth grade can choose from a variety of classes offered July 12-July 30. The first session concludes this week. In classes ranging from acting to literature to volleyball, students can flex their muscles and train that all-important muscle between their ears.
Caroline Best, coordinator of the program for the past six years, said College for Kids allows students to participate in courses that are not offered in most public schools. The program also offers college-bound students a firsthand experience of the college setting.
"The courses are not graded, which encourages students to think more freely and express themselves," she said. "They're so enthused and so involved, there's really no time to misbehave."
Teachers for the summer program design their own creative programs geared toward a specific topic. Linda Stockton, formerly a writer with the San Jose Mercury News and now a teacher in the Oak Grove School District, said many of the courses cater to college-bound students who might not have time for certain elective courses during the regular school year. She will be instructing two courses this summer, "Kids and Money" and "It's in the Cards."
Stockton said the "Money" course offers students the chance to experience the trials of real life, including banking, shopping, budgeting, travel planning and risk-taking in the stock market. Students earn a minimum-wage "salary" and must learn how best to use their limited resources, a skill that could come in handy in pricey Silicon Valley.
"If students go broke, they have to go on welfare. Everyone then must subtract money from their paychecks to support the program," she said. "The course is designed to teach kids the things I feel they should know as adults, including simple but important things like balancing a checkbook."
Stockton, who has participated in the summer program for the past six years, said most classes have about 17 students, but may have as many as 24, depending on the course and what the college will allow.
Registration for the classes is on a first-come, first-served basis, and enrollment is limited. Courses are held at the WVC campus in Saratoga.
For information and a complete schedule of courses or to register by phone, contact WVC Community Education, 741-2096.
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Saratoga, California Since 1975
