A group of students assembled in the Sister Lakes Elementary cafeteria Wednesday night, exchanging pens and paper for dice and cards.

Children and parents both enjoyed an evening of food and games during the Dowagiac Schools Summer Migrant Program’s annual family night. This year’s theme was game night, with families and the Migrant Program staff playing a number of educational board games with one another provided by Everything Educational, of Three Rivers.

In addition to offering children and adults an evening to relax and have fun, the venue provided the staff with an opportunity to demonstrate what their students have been learning since beginning summer classes in June.

“It’s a good way to get parents in touch with our staff,” said John Lehigh, a high school counselor with the program.

The family night shifted its focus onto more educational ventures several years ago, Lehigh said. In prior years, the students and staff presented a fiesta style celebration, with each classroom practicing a song and dance to show off to parents.

In many ways, the change in focus of family night reflects the shifting priorities of the migrant program itself.

Dowagiac Union Schools have hosted summer schooling for migrant children since the 1970s. The program moved from Patrick Hamilton to Sister Lakes the following decade, as that area has the highest concentration of migrant families in the region.

In previous years, the curriculum was mainly focused around bilingual education and shoring up gaps caused by the frequent moves between school districts. Today though, migrant families tend to settle down in a particular region and fewer children are speaking Spanish, even at home.

“Now the program is focused on delivering a complete scholastic experience,” Lehigh said. “While we still deal with language, it’s not as large a focus for us.”

This year, around 200 children are enrolled with in the migrant program, taught by 25 educators, Lehigh said.

“We have an outstanding staff,” he said. “They understand the culture and the program’s needs, and do their jobs extremely well.”

A number of former students are now teachers and advisors with the program, in fact, which Lehigh says is a demonstration of the quality of education that migrant families receive from the district.