First Week of Horizons 2019: Celebrating Our 10th Year of Summer Enrichment

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Older students guiding younger ones in dancing.

More than 160 students and staff came together last Monday, July 8th for the first week of Horizons at Warner, an annual 6-week summer enrichment program for low income K-8 students from the Rochester City School District.

There were a lot of fun first week activities to welcome the students, from Zumba, to African Storytelling to a Magic show!

Chris Wilkinson, aka. The Magic Guy, came Tuesday, July 9th to wow students with a illusion-filled and very humorous performance, and they were into it, even the teenagers!

Little boy pulling a colored block out of a top hat in amazement. Little boy standing next to Magician while he performs

Wednesday, July 10th Miss Ivy had local author and retired school teacher, Eldridge Mathews McClaney, come talk to her class about what it was like growing up in mid-20th century Alabama. “I Go Back,” a collection of memoirs on McClaney’s upbringing, family life, and community celebrations in “an age and place where Blacks were created equal only to poverty and hardship.”

Older woman author speaking in front of a classroom. Older woman author speaking in front of a classroom.

We also had Mayukwa Kashiwa, President at Building Families First in Rochester, come perform some incredible African dance and storytelling for all the students in the atrium of LeChase Hall. Kashiwa performs at many venues locally, educating and entertaining youth and adults alike with his dynamic and mesmerizing stories.

Students sitting on the floor intently listening to the guest speaker. Children laughing and laying on the floor during an activity

Thursday our friend Karen Williams came and engaged the students in an hour and a half of Zumba! Not only did the little ones have a blast, but a few of our older students, Teachers Assistants in Training, showed some awesome leadership skills engaging the younger students in the dance instruction.

Woman leading a circle of kids in dancing. Older students guiding younger ones in dancing.

Friday is Field Trip day and our first was to the Genesee Country Village and Museum, a longtime local favorite. Here students learned about what local life was like “back in the old days” and got to have fun exploring the beautifully maintained historical grounds and getting opportunities to see, smell, taste, touch, explore and experience more than 20,000 artifacts; wildlife paintings, drawings and sculpture spanning centuries; gardens, and a working farm!

Students smiling on the steps of an old building with a sign on the building that reads "Village Mercantile" at Genesee Country Village and Museum. A woman in turn of the century clothing demonstrated an old fashioned sewing machine to children. Students playing with an old well at Genesee Country Village and Museum.

Magic shows, Zumba, African storytelling and field trips like these are funded by our amazing sponsors, like Postler & Jaeckle Corporation, Foodlink and ReStickity to name a few.

If you want to sponsor an event or special treat for the students and staff, please send us a message! Better yet, come visit the program before August 14th and see us in action!

Learn more about our Horizons at Warner first week and exciting changes for this year.