DEL NORTE—Staff and students at the High Valley Community Center are preparing for yet another summer of fun field trips and life skill classes.
“Our focus this summer is life skills. We want to do things that help prepare our youth for life after high school,” said program coordinator Katherine Trujillo.
The summer program kicks off on June 5 and will include a series of classes that will focus on life skills for the teen students enrolled in the program. “We want to introduce classes that will help provide basic knowledge on things like balancing a check book, talk about credit scores, what they are and how they can affect you. We also plan on teaching students easy things like how to do laundry, cook and possibly how to change a tire or check their oil. These are things that will help to better prepare them for their futures,” stated Trujillo.
In addition to the life skill classes, the teens will also be heading back out into the community to continue the mentorship program that began last year. Students will be mentoring at local businesses like the Del Norte Public Library to learn new skills in the work place. “We are hoping to develop relationships within the community that may come in handy later when our students go out and pursue a real job. Our hope is that by mentoring at local businesses, employers will choose these students over other applicants because of their internship experience,” said Trujillo.
The summer will include weekly field trips to various places around the Valley. Trujillo stated that this year there will be two new additions to the field trips. “We will be going to the Blanca Wetlands, somewhere we have never been, and we will be accompanied by a BLM staff member which is just wonderful.”
The BLM will also be traveling with the students to Zapata Falls later in the summer which according to Trujillo will only help to enhance the experience. “They have never gone with us and now that they are, the students will learn even more about the area and the Valley.”
The younger students will be participating in community cleanup programs and various classes, such as learning about different cultures, expressing themselves through creativity and learning about the history of their community.
“We are really looking forward to another great summer. We are still working out the details for a lot of our programs and need the community’s help. Anyone who is interested in mentoring a student at their business or wants to come and host a class can contact us here at the center,” said Trujillo.
The center will be hosting their annual end of school celebration on May 24 and will have games and other activities for students to enjoy. During the summer the center will be open Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday from 8 a.m. until 5 p.m. and will provide breakfast and lunch every day. For more information or to register a student, please visit www.highvalleycommunity.org or call 657-2172.