It can be hard for youth to find a way to learn outside the classroom during summer break.

Thankfully, for Niles community members, Summer My Way offers a free six-week program through the Niles-Buchanan YMCA, sponsored by approximately 29 local partners. 

The fourth year of Summer My Way wrapped up last week, with a talent show and an array of outdoor field games. On Monday, members of the school board heard reflections from camp leaders during a board of education meeting.

“This program is so much more than a summer school or summer camp,” said Nicole Weber, the program’s director. “It’s an investment in kids and the community. This community has really become a team as a result of this program.”

The program is for kindergarteners through sixth graders. This year, almost 250 students were enrolled in the program, including approximately 90 summer-school students, who are automatically selected to participate. Thirty mentors from the middle and high schools signed up to help teach campers.

In an interview last week, track coordinator Pam Small said this year offered even more activities than in years past. Students got to participate in a cardio drumming, Zumba and a bicycle ride down the Indiana-Michigan River Valley Trail, to name just a few.

Mentor coordinator Adam Roark has taught at the camp since its inception four years ago.

“I just think that the biggest part of the camp this year, compared to other years, is the spirit that the camp has grown,” Roark said. “Not only the students, but the staff are really well engaged and have a passion for being here.”

Roark also expressed pride for a number of projects that the youth completed this year that gave back to the community. Youth made blankets for the Pregnancy Care Center, in Niles and created books for Lakeland Hospital’s waiting room. Through the “Build a Better Life” track, students also made their own outdoor stage at Northside Elementary School, with the help of volunteers.

“When we started, some students were like, ‘what’s a drill?’” Roark said. “By the end, they were punching in screws left and right. They were having a good time.”

Students also got to meet with a number of political leaders during a luncheon attended by Sen. John Proos, State Rep. Dave Pagel and John DiCostanzo, a Niles council member. U.S. Rep. Fred Upton visited with children on a separate occasion.

Members of Niles and Niles Township fire departments also visited the camp several times to teach youth.

Dillon Klingerman, 11, will be a Ring Lardner student in the fall and has participated in the camp for four years. This summer he said he most enjoyed playing flag football and learning stuff from the program’s mentors, including how to do magic tricks with a deck of cards.  Last week, he prepared to show an audience what he learned for the talent show.

“I am going split the deck in half and get my sister to split the deck and then I will find her card,” Klingerman said. “It only took me a couple of minutes to learn, after Adam showed me.”

Dillion’s sister, Meg, also participated in Summer My Way as a member. During Monday night’s meeting, she shared what she had learned with the board of education.

“I have been a mentor for three years,” Meg said. “It was kind of like growing up because I had never had the responsibility. I learned that sometimes instead of doing your job, you have to do someone else’s job to help them.”

When a teacher had to step out of the classroom for a moment, Meg said she had to step up and teach the children, a task that was also a learning experience. 

“I loved meeting every kid and seeing the different ways that kids learn,” she said.

Children are not the only ones who take something away from the program. For Roark, who is currently studying education at Western Michigan University, teaching at the camp gives him experience for his career.

“I have grown and learned so much from this program,” Roark said.

Roark said he is considering teaching middle school special education one day.

Next year, program leaders hope to return to Ballard Elementary, where they will be able to increase capacity to approximately 300 students.

“The program gets better every year,” Roark said. “This year was a really phenomenal program between the staff and the community. I think if we maintain a program like this the students are just going to get more benefits. It’s just awesome what it does for the community.”