Students and teachers are having a summer of learning in Bronson, Michigan. Several years ago, the community pulled together several organizations and resources to provide summer learning for students and teachers. The small community has found out, when they all work together, great things can happen. Bronson Community Schools are proud that all of their schools are above the 50th percentile with the state ranking of schools. There is no other school district in the tri-county area that has multiple schools above the 50th percentile. We believe our summer programming is just one reason why our schools are doing so well.   
 
The Bronson Parks program is just one part of the summer activities and it operates a program every morning from 8 a.m. to noon. Boys and girls meet at the Douglas building for games, activities and treats. This morning program is provided by the town of Bronson and has been active for over 20 years.   

A summer school also is set up for 100 boys and girls from grades K-5 that need additional support or enrichment. Four teachers and four highly qualified educational professionals plan for a great experience for the boys and girls. Students attending the school receive a free high-interest book every week. Reading interest inventories are given to meet the interests of the students. At the summer school the students tap into the mobile technology and the learning system, Odyssey. Odyssey is a self-paced online learning program that delivers specific lessons in math and language arts based on students' spring assessments. The system is available on the internet but many students in rural Branch County do not have high speed internet.

The Bronson Area Youth Center provides programming for boys and girls in the afternoon. At the youth center, the boys and girls are provided additional opportunities, games and even field trips. The students have access to technology also, as the youth center is housed at the Chicago Street School. The Bronson Area Youth Program provides the youth center, which has been active in Bronson since 1995.  Additionally, the summer reading program at the local library is also active. 

Now what brings it all together? Transportation and food with free breakfast and lunch was set up a few years ago with the need to bring in students for the Title 1 Summer School. Meetings were set with leaders from each organization and schedules were coordinated to set up a safe, fun and meaningful summer for attending students. Scheduled bus services transport children to the different sites so they can attend the free breakfast, parks program, summer school, free lunch and the youth center program.   

Meanwhile, teachers have been learning online and have enrolled for the annual Bronson Community Schools Teacher Academy. The last week in July is a full week of teacher training, in which teachers can take classes that are provided by educational professionals on a variety of topics supporting the district school improvement plan. Teamwork makes the dream work for the small town of Bronson, where the motto is: Dedication to Excellence -- Preparation for Life.