Community Corner
Hutchison Celebrates End of Summer School With Carnival
After four weeks of hard work, Hutchison summer school students get a well-deserved break with a fun carnival put on by volunteers.
It was all fun and games at Hutchison Elementary in Herndon Friday as roughly 100 kids celebrated weeks of hard work in summer school with the Camp Hutchison carnival.
A partnership between Hutchison Elementary and Floris United Methodist Church (FUMC) in Herndon, organizers call the Camp Hutchison program a "groundbreaking summer school experience," facilitated by more than 130 volunteers, including teachers, high school and college interns, parents and more.
School officials say the four-week, half-day camp combines education, enrichment and nutrition. In addition to being taught math and language arts by certified teacher volunteers, the children, rising first- to third-graders, enjoy daily activities such as art, drama, music, science/nature and recreation.
Campers also receive breakfast and lunch, prepared and served by volunteers, as well as a healthy snack to take home daily.
"The program was developed in response to concerns relating to gaps in enrichment and nutrition for students during the summer months," said Laurie Tillet, adding that Fairfax County provides the transportation for kids by bus.
Friday, though, all the hard schoolwork the kids concentrated on for four weeks culminated in a day of fun at the Camp Hutchison carnival.
Tillet said, all summer long, the students earned "Hutch Bucks" as rewards for hard work and good behavior. At the carnival, they got to cash in their bucks on things like popcorn and cotton candy, small toys and more, as well as enjoy outdoor activities like water balloon tosses, Frisbee, sack races, volleyball and more.
"The fair gives them an opportunity to have fun while also learning an early lesson in economics," Tillet said.
See highlights from the carnival in our PatchClips video above.
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