Dear Horizons at GSFS Community,

It is hard to believe that we are already finished with our summer 2023 programming. We had a wonderful summer filled with learning, enrichment, and fun! We want to take this time to share some of the best parts of our summer, so check out some of our favorite photo highlights below!

Our students went swimming 2-3 times a week every single week for the entirety of the program at La Salle University. They had swimming lessons twice a week, and participated in free swim once a week overseen by certified swimming instructors and lifeguards. Special thanks to La Salle University and the Broad Street YMCA for partnering with us to make our swimming program possible. We look forward to continuing to partner with them in the future. 

We attended eight off-site field trips this summer, as well as a few onsite trips. Students in PreKindergarten through Third Grade went to the African American Museum, Franklin Institute, Smith Playground, and the Germantown Cricket Club. Students in Fourth Grade through Seventh Grade went to the Museum of the American Revolution, Vetri Community Partnership for a cooking class, the National Museum of American Jewish History to visit and see the play One Pound Four Ounces by Khalil Munir, the Germantown Cricket Club and Fitler Club.

All of our students enjoyed visits from Briar Bush Nature Center who brought their planetarium and showed our students the night sky as they learned about constellations and outer space. We finished off our program with Jason’s Jumpers bringing their bouncy house, bouncy obstacle course, and water slides for students to enjoy on a warm summer day.

We hosted very fun weekly assemblies this summer. Karen Smith Drums allowed our students to experience drumming, storytelling, dancing and a stiltwalker. Los Bomberos de la Calle also came and shared their music, dance, and history from Puerto Rico. Treehouse Books came to visit us every other week, and students were able to take a free book home with them. Students learned about the dance style Afrofusion, with roots in Ghana and Nigeria, and its history. We welcomed the United States Tennis Association and Cheltenham Youth Tennis, who came and taught our students how to play tennis. We finished our program with our annual talent show, including special performances from our own staff. Students from every grade participated, and we applaud them as it takes a lot of courage and confidence to stand up in front of your peers and share your talent. Thank you to Deke from Deke’s BBQ who came and taught our students how to make collard greens, while also showing off his food truck and what it took to create his business. 

This year we had so many fun and exciting enrichment experiences throughout the six weeks of programming, which culminated in a final showcase that family and community members were welcomed to attend. Students honed in on their skills from last summer in karate, with classes led by Action Karate, located in Mt. Airy. Andre Coles of Roots2Rise returned to teach our students about mindfulness with his yoga classes. Khaleel Adger helped our students to create amazing projects in art class. John Graves of John Graves Productions led our students in the art of theater. Once again we welcomed Beverly Brown to teach our STEAM Week classes. Some highlights from her classes with our students include: 

• Bath bomb exploration 
• Boat construction challenge 
• Balloon hoverboard assembly 
• Building solar powered ovens for s’mores
• Lessons on DNA extraction
• Alloy making
• Chicken wing dissection 

One student said, “Normally I do not enjoy Science class, but this is a lot of fun!” This sentiment is why we continue to create such engaging curriculum and programming for our students summer after summer. 

Next summer we will see our inaugural class graduate, and it is hard to believe that what began in 2016 has grown into such an amazing program for students in the Germantown community. We could not do this without the continued support of the greater Horizons community, so thank you to everyone who has followed along and helped to champion our program and students. We are looking forward to next summer, and in the interim are making plans for a monthly community event to be held throughout the school year, so be sure to continue to follow along via our monthly newsletters and social media pages.

In Community,

The HGSFS Team