Troy Nature Society Works to Prevent 'Summer Slide'

This summer, students in the Troy School District are playing in ponds, studying bugs, getting dirty … and learning invaluable lessons to give them a head start on next year’s coursework.

It all takes place at the Lloyd A. Stage Nature Center, where nearly 160 kindergarten through fourth grade students from Wattles and Morse Elementaries are taking advantage of educational science and nature programs designed to stay sharp in the off-months from school.

The Title I programs are made possible through the work of the nonprofit organization Troy Nature Society and a grant from Kelly Services Foundation.

“We’re not only trying to keep kids from slipping in the summer, but we want to give them a head start into their next grade,” said Brittany Jobak, the Title I summer school director at Wattles Elementary. “These are students who are considered at-risk of falling behind and this gives them a program that works. The kids love it.”

Programming includes segments in which students gain an understanding of aquatic life at the pond on site at the nature center; discover the importance of insects to other animals, plants and people; and be introduced to advanced ecological sciences, rocks minerals, fossils, sand and soil.

For information on the Troy Nature Society or the Lloyd A. Stage Nature Center, call (248) 688-9703 or visit troynaturesociety.org. The nature center and 100-acre nature preserve are located at 6685 Coolidge.