For about 1,500 Sanpete County public school students, summer vacation has not really begun because they're enrolled in an extended year program.
Fifty students are attending classes at Sanpete Academy, an alternative high school operated by the two Sanpete school districts.The high school-age students are doing catch-up work in order to qualify for graduation. They either failed a class, failed to meet other requirements, dropped out because of parenthood or other reasons. They're reporting daily to the academy, which is west of Snow College campus.
The vast majority of students in the extended year program are taking enrichment classes in music, science, math and English at elementary and middle schools throughout the two school districts.
The enrichment program is popular even though it occupies several weeks of the usual summer vacation and sometimes conflicts with other planned activities like vacations and sports.
South Sanpete Superintendent Lewis Mullins said the district "had to turn students away because we didn't have enough slots." "Although the kids look forward to the summer vacation, many of them soon miss school."
The North Sanpete and South Sanpete districts received the money to operate an extended year program in a special $390,000 grant administered jointly. It covers salaries and other costs like transportation and materials.