- Meyersdale Area School District
- Overview
Middle School Summer adventures
The official school year may have ended at Meyersdale Area School District, but the halls continue to be filled with the sounds of learning and fun. A small, but enthusiastic, group of middle school students enjoyed two weeks of summer fun and enrichment organized by Mrs. Kristi Sines.
Students, in grades seven through nine, enjoyed a wide variety of activities designed to sharpen their academic skills and to provide a foundation for new learning opportunities.
“Unfortunately, as a result of Covid many school-sponsored events such as field trips to historical and cultural centers have been canceled. Students have been missing out on opportunities to bring history alive,” Sines explained. “This year, for our middle school enrichment program, we were blessed to take a few students on historical trips around our region. Somerset County and its surrounding areas are home to some of our country's most significant historical events.”
Among the sites visited were the Flight 93 National Memorial and the Johnstown Flood National Memorial.
“While during the course of the school year, our students learned about the Johnstown Flood and Flight 93, I believe that our students greatly benefitted from the opportunity to grasp the magnitude of these events through visiting the historical museums and centers,” Sines explained. “Whether it be walking the flight path of Flight 93 or alongside the former South Fork Dam and examining the course of the flood, our students were able to make history come alive. Students were able to make strong connections and understand the social implications of these historical events.”
Both National Memorials offer a Junior Ranger Program and students spent time before each visit researching the history of these events in order to complete the required research booklets. Once at the National Memorials, students participated in scavenger hunts and other learning activities as they perused the exhibits. Upon completing research books for each respected national park during our field trips, students earned Junior Ranger badges from The National Park Service for their hard work.
During the second week, students focused on the local treasures that can be found here in Meyersdale, both special places and special people.
Mr. John Smaila, a retired educator, shared his own family’s immigration journey from Croatia to Italy and then onto the United States. During his presentation, Smaila emphasized the many opportunities and freedoms afforded to Americans that cannot be found anywhere else in the world.
“The United States is the greatest country in the world and we need to take care of it,” Smaila said. “Know and learn the Constitution and consider the impact those words have on each of your lives.”
Smaila also spoke of the need to serve your community and others, sharing his own experience as a community volunteer.
Inspired by Smaila’s dedication to his community, students spent one morning giving their time and talents to care for the flower baskets that line the streets of the Maple City.
“Fostering civic-minded traits in our students and getting them to experience volunteer work in the community through taking care of the town's flowers provided our students with a sense of responsibility and pride,” Sines explained. “Several students also greeted and welcomed bikers as they passed through the community along the Great Allegheny Passage.”
Trips also included a visit to Four Guys Fire Trucks. Representatives of the company, Mark Brenneman and Michael Brant, provided students with a tour through the facility, allowing students a first-hand look at the technical process behind this local business.
“Visiting 4-Guys Fire Trucks and learning about the technical process behind this respected local business gave our students not only an understanding of the process of production but also a feeling of pride, as students could see how a local business has become a successful staple to our community,” Sines added.
A visit to the Meyersdale Public Library and Western Maryland Railway Station proved both fascinating and interesting as students learned about their own family backgrounds and the history of our small community.
“Our mini-outings and field trips taken during the enrichment program were great educational opportunities for our students to explore local history. Our students were shocked and impressed at how many events on a national scale were played out here in Somerset County and its surrounding communities. Learning about the vast resources that our local Meyersdale Public Library provides was also important for our students to experience,” Sines explained.
Mrs. Jen Bear-Hurl allowed students to access the wealth of information and documents in the Pennsylvania Room, at the library, as they researched their ancestry and that of our town’s founders.
“The goal of our Middle School Enrichment program was to provide our students with opportunities beyond the classroom that will make well rounded individuals. I am very appreciative of the students' excitement about learning along with their willingness to participate. The skills that our students were able to learn during the course of the summer enrichment program, such as responsibility, leadership, respect and community service, are positive character traits that will transcend beyond the classroom walls.”