Just months after his own college graduation, 2014 Summit High School alum Joel Gomez gave back $500 each to a pair of 2021 Summit seniors as part of the newly created Roaring Summit Valley Scholarship..
The Bessie Minor Swift Foundation formed by the owners and founder of Swift Communications, the company that owns and operates the Summit Daily News announced recipients for its latest round of grants. More than $81,000 was awarded to 34 organizations in five states.
The grants focus on programs that promote literacy as well as science and interdisciplinary areas. Locally, five organizations in Summit County received funds.
Education Foundation of the Summit received $2,800 to purchase up to two books per month for 250 students at three elementary schools. The Mountain Top Exploratorium got $3,000 for a tutoring program. The Summit Historical Society will use its $2,150 for a hands-on education program focused on Ute history. The Summit County Library’s $3,000 will go toward a computer and bilingual literacy. The Silverthorne Elementary School received $3,000 for a bike maintenance lab and $870 for the Reading Milestones program.
Photo from Caitlin Steele
Instructing physical education has been a challenge for teachers in Summit County and across the county throughout the pandemic.
Public health regulations and school rules implemented to reduce transmission risk resulted in a much different gym class for kids than many adults remember growing up. And though local teachers used every opportunity during warmer months to have kids exercise outside, where transmission risk is lower, recent colder months have made that job more difficult.
Caitlin Steele, physical education teacher at Dillon Valley Elementary School, saw that first-hand. At times earlier this year, she instructed gym class in classrooms rather than the gymnasium, due to COVID-19 guidelines and rules intended to prevent the mixing of cohorts. That created a physical education situation where kids were limited in the space and equipment they could use. Rather than roaming, free play riding scooters, playing with parachutes or climbing ropes, spid