Sunday, April 27, 2008

Flint Artifacts: Flint Community Schools Summer Program



9 comments:

  1. I received an honorable mention ribbon from Freeman Elementary one summer.... the year I realized that I sucked at any form of athletics!

    ReplyDelete
  2. I remember running track, but I can't remember how this whole thing worked...did you compete against other schools or just against kids at your school? I did it through Civic Park and I think it was me and only 2 or 3 other kids. I'm sure stuff like this is long gone in Flint now. No cash.

    ReplyDelete
  3. Did you go to summer Day Camp thru the Flint Community Schools? For some reason I thought it might have been during the summer when we went to Day Camp. I was also thinking it somehow coincided with CANUSA games. I remember running against 3 or 4 people too and I can even picture where we ran at but I don't remember the particulars. I taught TOT LOT two summers between college ('86 and '88) and it was a really good programs back then. I wonder if they still fund it? It is such a shame how far down the schools have gone. I have an Aunt that just retired from Southwestern after 39 years. She taught at Flint Academy for years and then at Southwestern. She became more and more discouraged every year. As bad as the economy always has been in Flint, I thought you could still get a good education. I loved Powers though and hope they find a new home and get settled.

    ReplyDelete
  4. My uncle Dan Hirn worked for the Community Schools for years and years, and I think nearly all eight of his kids, my dear cousins, were involved in the Canusa games. I remember him gently encouraging me to put my face in the water to swim when I was about 4 years old over at Durant Tuuri Mott. Let's just say my athletic abilities never extended much beyond that...

    ReplyDelete
  5. I think the Canusa games was basically Flint and Hamilton, Ontario. Go Flint!

    ReplyDelete
  6. What I remember - but was it summer or school year? - was going to Walker. Walker had a program for children who were allegedly gifted, right? Tho' I surely don't recall how "giftedness" was explored. What I do recall is art projects that featured discarded eyeglass lenses melted over cut-up lengths of coated wire. How WEIRD.

    ReplyDelete
  7. I remember Day Camp. I attended with my sister in the early seventies at Williams Elementary on the East Side (I think between Minnesota and Iowa Streets). I learned to sew, and we did all kinds of arts and crafts and went on field trips (one I remember was to Detroit Zoo and Henry Ford Museum). My younger sister was in Tot Lot although I myself never knew what they did but she seemed to like it whatever it was. I think my Mom sent us to get us out of her hair during the day, LOL.

    ReplyDelete
  8. I think I worked for this program! At least I was what was called a "play leader" at some park that I believe was on N. Chevrolet, but geez it was 1972! All I remember is turning left off Welch onto Chevrolet to get there. That blue ribbon sparked a little memory. Obviously not enough of one.

    ReplyDelete
  9. Talking about Summer camps did anyone do day camp at Mott Farm or a week at Mott Camp out towards Lapeer. To the best of my memory they were both free through the Mott summer programs but had limited slots, I also participated in the canusa games against Hamilton and had a gold metal for soccer at one time.

    ReplyDelete

Thanks for commenting. I moderate comments, so it may take a while for your comment to appear. You might enjoy my book about Flint called "Teardown: Memoir of a Vanishing City," a Michigan Notable Book for 2014 and a finalist for the 33rd Annual Northern California Book Award for Creative NonFiction. Filmmaker Michael Moore described Teardown as "a brilliant chronicle of the Mad Maxization of a once-great American city." More information about Teardown is available at www.teardownbook.com.