Mandie Steele was watching a half-dozen kids play football on a recent warm summer day on a grassy field at Cherry Valley Elementary School. A few blocks away, at Riverside Park, more kids were in the river using water guns to squirt at each other.

While the children ere engaged in having some fun, they were just getting ready for the academic portion of their day at Celebrating Summer Camp.

From fall to summer, Polson’s after-school program has been known since 1997, by parents in the district, as a wonderful place to allow their children activity time and academic time before they come home for the evening.

In the past several years, the program expanded to include a summer camp, held through most of July and half of August, for children in Kindergarten through eighth grade to enjoy summer activities and academia during the day.

“Parents love it because their kids come home having done fun adventures and a little learning,” said Steele, the after-school program director. “That way they can just relax and have family time for the evening.”

It is not only the parents, however, who have reaped the benefits of daily summer camps for their children. The students have enjoyed the many opportunities for healthy, educational fun Steele and her staff have offered.

According to Steele, students arrive early in the morning and may have breakfast if they are hungry. Afterwards, they get two to hours of camp activity after which comes lunch and recess and then afternoon time to decompress and work on reading or other academic endeavors.

“We have two goals,” said Steele. “One an academic goal. We want the kids to continue to learn throughout the summer, both during our learning time and by being involved in educational, fun activities. Our other goal is to provide a safe environment for these kids to enjoy the summer.”

On Monday through Wednesday, the kids enjoy the basic day camp schedule, but on Thursdays they are bussed out of Polson for an “adventure.” Last week, they were able to go whitewater rafting on the Flathead River. They have also gone on trips to Phillipsburg—to experience the small town, go sapphire hunting, and visit the candy store—and to Glacier National Park.

“We want the kids to experience things in Montana they might not otherwise experience,” commented Steele. “Like this week we went Whitewater rafting, which none of our kids have done, so that’s really awesome.”

The camp is not exclusive to Polson students either (although they are the largest demographic). Often times, visiting families bring their children to the camp to give them the opportunity to enjoy summer with new friends.

“We have a lot of kids visiting grandparents, or who have lake houses here. This year, the kids from the farthest away were from Texas,” Steele said.

The camp will take a week-long hiatus during the week of Monday, Aug. 8, but will resume for two more weeks until school begins in Polson.