Norman Public Schools outlines expanded summer programs, scholarships and free meals

Holly McKenna, presenting on the district’s summer offerings, told the Norman Public Schools board that the district aims to provide academic recovery, expanded credit advancement and enrichment programs for students across grade levels.

McKenna said over recent summers the district served roughly 1,243 elementary summer-school participants and about 576 students in high-school credit recovery; taken together, the district reported more than 1,400 participants and roughly 2,300 semester credits recovered in recent summers. She also said 925 students participated in the expanded credit-advancement program and that more than 200 semester credits were earned through that offering.

The district offers several enrichment options, including a STEAM-focused middle-school camp, stop-motion animation, coding and robotics, and a half-day Alphabest program with weekly themes. McKenna said scholarships provided by the Norman Public Schools Foundation (about $75,000 since 2021) enable more than 500 students to attend programs at no cost. Summer meal sites will be available at fiscal buildings for children up to age 18 in the community, not only for enrolled campers.

McKenna said some academic offerings will be in-person at Reagan Elementary and Norman North for secondary programs, while expanded credit advancement is online through district platforms. Questions from board members covered program themes, scheduling and the district’s communication of pricing and scholarship information.