As the new school year approaches, DC Public Schools (DCPS) has kicked off its innovative Summer Bridge program, designed to help incoming 6th and 9th-grade students transition smoothly into their new academic environments. The week-long initiative, which began on Monday, August 5, 2024, aims to familiarize students with their new campuses, introduce them to teachers and staff, and foster connections with fellow classmates.
Mayor Muriel Bowser and DCPS Chancellor Dr. Lewis D. Ferebee are at the forefront of this initiative, emphasizing its importance in building student confidence and excitement for the upcoming school year. “The DCPS Summer Bridge program helps our young people make a successful transition into a new school experience,” Mayor Bowser stated, highlighting the program’s role in providing students with essential resources and relationships.
The program, which takes place in middle and high schools across the District, offers a variety of engaging activities. These include team-building exercises, scavenger hunts, field trips, and creative projects. Students also receive presentations about what they can expect in the coming academic year.
Chancellor Ferebee emphasized that the program aligns with DCPS’s five-year Strategic Plan, which prioritizes students feeling connected to their schools. “By providing our scholars with the opportunity to familiarize themselves with their new school environment before the start of the academic year, we’re working to cultivate a sense of belonging that will help them to build community and thrive,” he explained.
The impact of the Summer Bridge program is already evident. Ferebee noted improved attendance, reduced chronic absenteeism, and increased passing rates in core courses among sixth-graders who participated in the previous year’s program.
Student experiences highlight the program’s effectiveness and they shared with NBC Washington. Damontae Neclos, a senior at McKinley Tech School serving as a student ambassador, shared his motivation to help incoming freshmen: “I know when I was a freshman, I was kind of nervous coming into the school … So I just wanted to, like, make it easier for the kids, you know, so they can have someone to talk to whenever they nervous, whenever the school year start.”
For students like Addyson Kennedy, a rising ninth-grader at McKinley, the program is a stepping stone toward ambitious goals. “I’m just trying to stay focused, because my goal is to be the valedictorian of my class, and it’s doing what I’m supposed to do,” she said.
DC Public Schools (DCPS) has ensured accessibility for all participants by providing dedicated bus transportation for eligible students and allowing the use of Kids Ride Free cards. Free breakfast and lunch are also available to all students during the program.
As the first day of school on August 26 approaches, Chancellor Ferebee urges parents who haven’t yet registered their children to do so promptly at enrolldcps.dc.gov and ensure their immunizations are up to date.
