AMHERST — Placing cut-out hearts, diamonds and triangles on a large piece of paper, 8-year-old Lina Diedhiou hopes people can both see and feel her art.
“I’m making all different kinds of shapes,” Lina says. “They show feelings and emotions.”
Lina, who will be a third grader at Wildwood Elementary School this fall, was making her work at a table in the Crocker Farm Elementary School library, a recent morning activity at the three-week Summer Achievement Academy that takes its inspiration from famed French artist Henri Matisse.
After being shown the technique and learning more about Matisse’s life from librarian Waleska Santiago Centeno, Lina and other children set out to create their own masterpieces.
“It’s just fun to play and learn here,” said Jahrain Whitely, 8, who is going into third grade at Crocker Farm, and whose work featured a horse standing on top of an upside-down staircase.
“We get to read cool books,” said Aubrielle Poirier, 8, who will also be a third grader at Wildwood, adding that her favorites are graphic novels and Harry Potter.
They are among more than 100 students — including some whose families have come to Amherst from across the globe — to be part of a 3½-hour-per-day, three-week annual program that aims to improve reading and writing skills and provide better comprehension of English, through reading aloud, independent and partner reading, guided reading, reader’s theater and journal writing, among other lessons.
Marta Guevara, director of the English Language Learners Program and Student Services for the school district, said the Summer Achievement Academy, which has taken place for more than 20 years, is supported financially by Title I, to help students struggling with getting to grade-level reading skills, and Title III, which is for English language learners.
This summer, bringing together ELL specialists, as well as 16 teachers and librarians from the Crocker Farm, Wildwood and Fort River schools, the program has two components, a K-2 literacy program and the K-5 ELL program.
“With this program, it’s about providing access,” said Dwayne Chamble, Out of Time coordinator for the district, noting that not all families have equal opportunities.
Reading is essential to a child’s education and making sure these students continue to read during the summer can improve their success in the fall, he said.
Chamble added that the district provides transportation to make it easier for families and that the program is designed to be educational, as well as a place that children like coming to each day.
Liz Elder, the on-site coordinator, said the idea is for fun to be integrated into art and science projects to keep up kids’ interest over 15 days.
Younger children will have hands-on activities, which in addition to the Matisse-like artwork includes projects such as making their own dinosaurs.
“The focus is on reading, keeping kids reading and having them really enjoy school,” Elder said.
In a classroom with students who will be entering sixth grade, educator Mary Custard said the children selected their own books to read; they also had an assignment to research and learn about a country and do a written and oral report.
Custard said last week, on what would have been Nelson Mandela’s 101st birthday, she read excerpts from his autobiography, “Long Walk to Freedom,” while also reading aloud passages from books the students are reading.
At a table, Eva Ramsey, 11, who will head to sixth grade at Fort River this fall, was quietly reading “It’s Halloween, You ’Fraidy Mouse” by Geronimo Stilton.
Eva said, initially, she hadn’t been looking forward to the program. “At first, I didn’t want to be here,” she said. “But it’s been OK.”
Eva added she has preferred writing to reading, but she has liked the opportunity to read aloud.
Carlos Ramirez Rosales, also 11, will be in sixth grade at Crocker Farm. He remembers being in the program last year and this year being able to read a lot more. He was consumed with the graphic novel “The Prince and the Dressmaker” by Jen Wang.
“I’ve been able to do much more reading,” Carlos said.
The program is only half a day, but the children get breakfast, a snack and lunch. In the afternoon, through a partnership with the town’s Leisure Services and Supplemental Education, they also get a subsidized summer camp experience at the middle school.
“Particularly for low-income children, they have an opportunity they wouldn’t have otherwise,” Guevara said. Well in advance of the start of the camp, swimsuits, sunscreen and water bottles are collected so that participants are on equal footing with their peers.
Another partnership is with the League of Women Voters, which has donated hundreds of books to the program. For the past three years, League member Adele Gladstone-Gilbert has met with the students in small groups to show them how books are constructed and to lead them in a book-making activity, in which each child gets to make a book and take one home.
The program attracts other participants from around town. The school’s Cambodian Affinity Group, for instance, is represented by Phila Son, serving as the on-site coordinator and giving the children cultural enrichment.
Other partners include Reader to Reader, which helps families to build a home library for their children, and Amherst College and Smith College, which have supported the program with interns.
Elder said when the last day comes on July 26, families will be invited to see how the children are doing and what they have accomplished during a celebration with cupcakes.
Scott Merzbach can be reached at smerzbach@gazettenet.com.