PA Department of Migrant Education is a Finalist in the National Excellence in Summer Learning Award.
The Pennsylvania Migrant Education Program is a finalist in the National Summer Learning Association's Excellence in Summer Learning Award!
The Bayfront Migrant IU5/Erie School District Summer Program is a program partner.
The 13th season of the Bayfront Migrant Summer Program started June 20th with 73 students. This innovative and rigorous summer school program focuses on language and literacy skills. The program is a partnership between the Pennsylvania Department of Education, Migrant Education Program, Northwest Tri-County Intermediate Unit, The School District City of Erie, and The Bayfront Maritime Center. The migrant students are sons and daughters of migrant workers from Erie City Schools. The English as a Second Language (ESL) students are also from Erie City Schools. These kids come from Somalia, Mexico, Nepal, Tanzania, Eritrea, Congo, Puerto Rico, Kenya and the United States. The Bayfront Migrant Summer Program includes math, art, and health, as well as a hands-on maritime component: boating and water safety, sailing, rowing, paddling, and navigation.
A student from Nepal learns to steer the 34' catamaran, Taco the Town.
While underway on the BMC vessels the students experience firsthand and learn about the priceless fresh water resource on which they are sailing. They are introduced to renewable energy, Erie's maritime past, present and future, and learn to read and orient a nautical chart.
The students learn rules of the road, how to be a lookout, and how to steer while practicing teamwork, effective communication, and problem solving.
We're using the new ShopBot digital fabrication equipment with the summer school kids to further integrate Science Technology Engineering Art and Math, STEAM, based programming into our hands-on maritime activities. With the help of our first and second grade students we've made a batch of Linkerlogs on the ShopBot. These kids are creating some unique and very imaginative constructions.
Students making and assembling Linkerlogs.
Teamwork, imagination and creativity.
Some of the Bayfront Maritime Center staff.
Thank you to all of our great partners, staff, volunteers, and supporters who have helped to grow and improve this program since 1999!