Memories of Summer

Teacher for the Summer Academy Program (SAP), Amy Scharf False Katz, authors a poem on her 4 weeks with middle school students. SAP is a 4 week summer program for 6-8 graders, created as partnership between USF’s School of Education and Gateway Public Schools. The Summer Academy Program is supported by Engage San Francisco’s year-round literacy initiative to address educational inequity and summer learning loss. Read about Amy’s memorable moments creating art, playing games, and exploring San Francisco with the kids.

We arrived as strangers
No history between us
New faces, myriad personalities
Weeks of getting acquainted
Painting the streets under the warmth of the sun,
As our fingers flutter to bring our imagination to life,
Drilling, sketching, tinkering in the Maker Space,
Creating airplanes, cars, wallets, Minecraft costumes,
An afternoon spent exploring the wonders of nature,
A lesson on botany in the garden with Imène,
Uno, Connect Four, Jenga for breaks,
Board games for entertainment and laughs,
Dialogue, personification, onomatopoeia,
Literary terms to bring stories to life,
Spaghetti, marshmallow, thread, and tape,
The tallest tower one can build,
A STEM challenge for our brains,
Field trips to all corners of San Francisco,
Memories of packed lunch, MUNI, and layers to warm us in fickle weather,
Feeling at peace in the Zen garden amidst koi ponds,
Marveling at the beauty of the drum bridge and stone lanterns at the
Japanese tea garden,
Art and Science can be fun,
We learn through play as we explore the Exploratorium,
Strolling along Crissy Fields,
The Golden Gate Bridge awaits us,
Cold breezes greeted us as we shiver in delight on this picture-perfect day,
Time slips away without us noticing,
And the day arrived – not the end but a hopeful beginning
As we departed as friends