Summer School 2025 is a Wrap!

It was a pleasure to participate in Summer HAcK* this year.  For the third year in a row, we’ve been part of this unique credit recovery program for 9th and 10th graders from multiple OUSD schools.  

 *Healing and Academics 4 Kids

English 1 Credit Recovery

This year at Life Academy, it was a great team of teachers with community partners: ArtEsteem, YouthBeat, Niroga Yoga and ourselves.  As in previous years, the program combined academic classes with an opportunity to explore art, AV, and physical techniques for students to enhance their academic learning.

While our classroom mentors attend class for one period per week during the school year, we ask a lot more of our summer mentors for the one month of HAcK.  Students ask for help from those they trust and we needed to build that trust fast by being there multiple days each week.

Many of our dedicated school year mentors are unavailable to do the intense program.  But nine Oakland Serves mentors provided a total of 250 hours of in-class support over the 4-week session!  In math, history, English, biology and partner sessions, we helped students understand material, complete assignments, and challenge themselves. 

Watching the students present their learning experiences and individual projects on the last day was a great ending.  After the intense experience, each came away better prepared for Fall 2025.

Mentors gather during a break at Life Academy