Dedham Public Schools Summer Eco-Explorers Enrichment Program Updates

DEDHAM, MA - Dedham Public Schools has revised plans for their new summer enrichment program, Eco-Explorers, now offering interested students greater schedule flexibility, lower pricing and extending registration to four neighboring towns.

Eco-Explorers is a new summer enrichment program launched by the Dedham Public Schools designed to focus on local environmental science and ecology. The program is being run in conjunction with the popular DPS Avery Institute, a collection of creative learning classes offered for Elementary students in morning or afternoon sessions.

The program, which will shift from a full four-week July program, will now be available on a weekly session basis, providing the ability to choose individual weeks, rather than commit to the full month of July.

“We have some wonderful experiences planned for the students, but quickly recognized that we needed to accommodate any family vacations or other activities students may have planned already for July,” noted Alyssa Freda, Dedham Public School Director of ESD/ESY Programming. “Making this shift, with minimal impact to the learning plans, will hopefully make the program more accessible to interested students.”

In addition to shifting Eco-Explorers to a weekly format, Dedham is also adjusting the pricing to align with current Avery Institute programming costs, making each weekly afternoon session now $80 per week. Students who register and refer a friend to join them at Eco-Explorers can also benefit from a 10% discount.

With the Eco-Explorers program, Dedham will also be piloting a wider, more open registration, offering students in neighboring towns of Westwood, Norwood, Milton and Canton a chance to enroll in the program, which had originally followed the tradition of limiting programs to Dedham residents only.

“Dedham is committed to finding new ways for students to extend their learning into summer, with more opportunities to explore topics of interest in fun, creative ways," Freda said. "It could also be an opportunity to socialize and develop friendships outside of town, so we are piloting this idea to determine if students, families and neighbors are interested.”

Dedham’s Summer Eco-Explorers program is being offered for elementary students at Dedham’s Avery Elementary School, and for middle school students at DMS, now in weekly sessions, starting July 5. Participating students will act as community and school citizen scientists, collecting data and exploring their local environment, taking a closer look at some local insect behaviors and biodiversity. Student data collected at the end of each week will be submitted to Colby College’s BioB research program.

Students interested in learning more about the Eco-Explorers program, or any of the other summer learning programs offered by Dedham Public Schools can learn more at: www.dedham.k12.ma.us/summerlearning. Registration for the Eco-Explorers program closes on June 10.