District offers MELL Summer School Program for area migrant students

Students attending the MELL Summer School Program at Senath-Hornersville take a break from their studies to enjoy lunch. Approximately 40 children are enrolled in the district's four-week program. Staff photos by Joshua Payne

SENATH, Mo. -- A four-week program at the Senath-Hornersville School District recently finished its first week, helping migrant students with their understanding of math and communication arts.

According to Kim Campbell, high school principal at Senath-Hornersville, a Migrant English Language Learner (MELL) Summer School was set up to help migrant students get a "better basic understanding of reading and math."

Campbell said the goal of the program is to help migrant students progress normally when they return to regular school, adding that students need to understand the basic skills in order to progress through their grade-levels normally.

"[The program] encompasses kids that could be from several other states that could go back to other school systems," Campbell said, adding that there are currently students enrolled from the Holcomb and Kennett districts, as well as Senath-Hornersville.

The program, which is offered at the Senath-Hornersville Elementary School, is available for students from kindergarten through eighth-grade, and currently has approximately 40 students enrolled, according to Campbell.

Students attending the program will be in school from 7:30 a.m., to 1 p.m., Monday through Thursday, with a field trip each Friday.

Instructors for the program include Sara Lack, Nikki Harris, Leann Jones, Gaylon Orf, Tonya Galyean, and Kelli Dern. Aides include Amelia Autry, JoBeth Goff, Gay Herrington, and Jamie Johnson. Rovers include Ashley Martin and Jared Gurley.

Campbell said the program, which is in its first year, is a federal program set up through the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE) and the Regional Professional Development Committee (RPDC).

According to the administrator, RPDC Representative Jesse Deleon contacted the district to see if they would be interested in helping to pilot the program. Campbell said a determining factor for Senath-Hornersville being chosen was the high level of migrant workers in the area.

"We are really excited about doing it," Campbell said.