Ranney Offers Summer Programs for Varied Interests

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TINTON FALLS – If your son or daughter is looking this summer for fun, fundamentals or fascination, they might just find it at Ranney School.
Ranney1-IMG_0408The Hope Road school holds a wide variety of summer programs for youngsters that will offer them everything from the day-camp experience to a selection of academic, gifted and talented and fine and performing arts courses. The program offerings are available in a range of lengths and times.
“Learning over the summer needs to be fun and that’s a philosophy for us,” said Kathleen Deeken, director of summer study. “We have opportunities to enhance skill building and we have opportunities for students to try something new to see if they love it but it has to be about fun…It’s not business-as-usual in the classroom.”
Ranney3-Page16newThere is an 8-week day camp program for children ages 3 to 13 that features swim lessons, sports and course electives and arts. There are trip camps for students, ages 10 to 13, with on-campus time and then one or two trips weekly off campus to events and destinations including ballgames, museums and other fun experiences destinations.
There are also sports camps that have proven “very popular” over the years, according to Deeken, who has developed the courses for the summer. “We have for 8- to 13-year-olds basketball, fencing, soccer, swimming and tennis. Then for 9- to 13-year-olds, we have boy’s lacrosse, and golf for 6- to 10-year-olds and then golf for 11- to 14-year-olds,” she said. “It’s a combination of skill building, practice and some opportunity for a little bit of competitive skill as well.”
This year Ranney is offering a new program for 14-year-olds. The counselor-in-training (CIT) program is “going to be a really neat program,” Deeken said. “Stu­dents will have an opportunity to develop some leadership skills … assist in camp groups … and they are going to have CPR training,” she said. “They are going to be expected to keep a leadership journal and will have access to adult mentors.”
Ranney4-RSC281Ranney School will be offering a variety of academic programs that will help students keep up with their studies and strengthen their skills during the summer. There also will be courses that will give children an introduction to new disciplines “so they will have an advantage stepping into the classroom after the summer,” Deeken said.
There are math classes high-schoolers can take for credit and PSAT, SAT and ACT test preparation courses.
Deeken is particularly excited about the Science, Technology, Engineering and Math classes, a program called STEM, that will be offered for children from age 4 to those in eighth grade.
There are interactive preschool adventure weeks for 4 and 5 year olds. The sessions are from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. during which the children will get an introduction to some academic topics using hands-on, critical-thinking skills with such offerings as “Amaz­ing Animal Architects,” “Mar­velous Magnets,” Engin­eer­ing Adventures” and “Crea­tive Adventures: Paint­ing and Drawing from Nature.”
Ranney2-Page4NewYoungsters interested in the performing arts and fine arts won’t be left out. There are arts classes for students in elementary school to those in eighth grade.
“Kids work so hard during the school year, that they really need some opportunities to be able to engage in some things they may not necessarily see day to day in the classroom,” Deeken said.
The school has scheduled open houses on March 2 and April 20 for its summer programs.
 
Additional information is available by visiting the school’s website at www.ranneyschool.org.