Summer Program - Expanding our Reach

Overlake’s Summer Link program wrapped up its second year this summer, with two cohorts of students who will be entering their public schools this fall either in 6th or 7th grades. The idea behind this program is to partner with neighboring schools to provide free educational support to students who have been recognized as having some learning deficiencies occur during the summer months, commonly known as the “summer slide,” and to provide support to those learning gaps in order for better success as they enter the next school year.

“Summer Link is all about three “C’s”: community, competence, and confidence,” explains Nate Edmunds, Summer Link Program Director. “We spend significant time building relationships so that the students feel safe and valued in Summer Link, and once that foundation is in place, we see the students start to grow.”

As Edmunds shares, the idea of going to school during the summer is not always thought of favorably with students. “For a lot of Summer Link students, school hasn’t always been kind to them, and so the idea of summer school may not be that appealing. However, as the summer went along, we saw significant strides from students, both in terms of their academic skills and in their confidence. We’re so proud of the hard work they put in each day and are excited to see how it helps them during the upcoming school year.”

What’s telling of the strength of this new program is that 100% of the staff returned this year. “That is a testament to our teachers’ dedication,” says Edmunds. “The students responded so well to that, and in year two they were able to build upon the strong foundation from year one. We also saw our returners become leaders within the program, helping to mentor the new students.”

Next year as the program expands, Summer Link will be helping students as they enter 8th grade and then the following year, 9th grade. “We’ll spend a lot of time this upcoming year building the blueprint for the 8th and 9th grade experiences. When we launched Summer Link, we knew the 6th and 7th grades would loop together and the 8th and 9th grades would loop too, and we recognized we’d learn a lot in the first two years that would shape the approach to years three and four,” explains Edmunds.

And underlying all the planning and preparation is the “why” Overlake is doing this in the first place. And as Edmunds says, it all comes back to our mission. “The last few years have magnified the achievement gap, and it’s important for well-resourced schools to think about how they can contribute to the larger educational landscape. I’m really proud to be part of this program because it shows Overlake’s commitment to delivering on its mission, both inside and outside the school walls. I’m also really happy that we had so many Overlake students volunteer in the program this year, as their dedication and support made a significant impact on the student experience.”

Check out a slideshow of this year’s Summer Link in action.