In times past, summer school was the threat parents and teachers used to keep students on track during the regular school year. The dreaded idea of spending more time at school while everybody else was running through sprinklers was enough to motivate any kid to study harder.

Today, however, summer school is more like a day camp than regular school — and it seems to be getting more popular every year.

Enrollment at Rose Springs Elementary’s summer school is up slightly from last year, from 70 to 80 students, said Leon Jones, the school’s principal.

Cardboard castles and shields along with fairy tales and fantasies filled the classrooms at Rose Springs during its summer school program, which ends this Friday. Students attend the school Monday through Friday from 9 a.m. until 11:30 a.m. for four weeks.

Summer school usually only runs through the end of June, according to Jones, who said after that students and parents get very busy with family vacations and other activities.

But Rose Springs and East elementaries will each host a weeklong Camp Invention program in July, a national syndicated enrichment program for elementary age students that emphasizes math, science and history.

The summer school program at Rose Springs allowed each grade to choose its own theme for the four-week period.

Second-grade teacher Melissa Mehler selected fairy tales for her class theme. Third- and fourth-grade teacher Tammy Slade, along with fifth- and sixth-grade teacher Angie Gillette, selected medieval times as their theme.

“Most of what we teach is enrichment, not remediation,” Gillette said. “We cover reading, math and phonetics, but in a fun way.”

In remediation teachers reteach concepts that students missed, with enrichment ideas are introduced that go in more depth than the regular school year curriculum or the students are briefly introduced to concepts that they will meet in the curriculum later in the fall.

Mehler said her students learned research and comprehension skills as they studied fairy tales.

“Summer school helps with motivation and readiness, during the year my students that attended summer school while quite often raise their hand and express with excitement that they remember this or that from summer school,” Gillette said.

Each elementary school develops its own summer school program depending on the needs and interests of students, according to Ken Luke, elementary education director for the Tooele County School District. East, Middle Canton, Harris, Northlake, Willow Elementary Schools along with Rose Springs are offering a summer school program this year.

The summer school program at Rose Springs also includes a preparatory program for kindergarten students. Prospective kindergarten students that indicate they have not attended preschool are invited to participate.

The preschool class is taught by Karma Dale, a first-grade teacher at Rose Springs, and her sister Janet Paulich who teaches at a preschool in Grantsville. They have 21 students in their class.

The curriculum covers letters, sounds, alphabet, colors, shapes, and numbers. The last day of the class will include a program for parents to learn how to reinforce the things their children have learned.

For Dale, pre-kindergarten summer school is not just about academics.

“The children learn social skills, and they get used to the school environment and rules,” Dale said. “It is fun to watch the development these kids make in just a few short weeks. Some start off afraid to leave their mom or dad, and by the end of summer school they are pushing mom or dad away saying, ‘I can do this.’”

Parents also seem pleased with the summer school program.

“It is wonderful. My children get bored at home,” said Maria Reyes Cordova, whose son Sergio is going into second grade at Rose Springs. “Sergio brings home books to read, and it really helps his reading.”

Kim Nielsen has two children attending summer school at Rose Springs: Kayden in fourth grade and Brandon in first grade.

“They learn, but they are also having a lot of fun at the same time,” Nielsen said.

Brandon summed up the reason many parents consider summer school: “If I weren’t doing this, I would be at home playing video games.”

tgillie@tooeletranscript.com