Some Omaha students needed help to overcome the difficulties they faced due to pandemic, but Westside teachers were here for youngest students

OMAHA, Nebraska – Students will return to class in the following weeks. For some, there wasn’t much of a vacation.

Several of them, including instructors, were back in the classroom. For a second year, Westside has assisted its youngest students to catch up.

As summer school concludes in the Westside School District, teachers return to the classroom. The epidemic has made summer school more crucial than than before.

After a summer of enrichment, Kaden Anderson will enter the third grade.

“In our writing class, we wrote about some really fun stuff,” Anderson said. “The next one is reading — we did a lot of fun things. We read a lot of books.”

This summer, Kason Dugger and his younger sister Keegan attended school in the mornings for an additional five weeks of math, science, reading, and writing instruction.

As Kerri Lewis prepares her first-grade classroom at Paddock Road Elementary, she lovingly recalls assisting more than 300 children in their efforts to overcome the epidemic.

The last two years have consisted of internet study at home, classroom learning, and repetition. A combination rife with additional obstacles for those attempting to catch up.

“We had some barriers from the pandemic, so we just really wanted to get the kids those experiences and opportunities to learn and grow and feel good about themselves,” Kerry Lewis said.

Educators will be able to determine whether or not pupils are back on track when they complete examinations later this month.

This year, Westside’s summer school had three times as many participants as usual.