School was officially closed April 20 for students at Turman Elementary in Harrison School District 2 in southeast Colorado Springs.
But that doesn’t mean learning did not take place, thanks in part to UCCS students and staff members.
UCCS staff and students participated in a Student Engagement Celebration Day at Turman, teaching students everything from basketball to video and knitting skills.
About 90 Turman students in grades K-5 and 19 parent volunteers participated in the day organized by Robin Katsaitis, a Turman student parent, a school literacy specialist, and director of the Very Involved Parents program.
On a school holiday, the students attended sessions on civic engagement offered by Junior Achievement, learned about emergency response from the Colorado Springs fire and police departments, and sports skills from the Sierra High School Women’s Basketball team. They learned basketball, video storytelling, and knitting from UCCS staff and students.
UCCS men’s and women’s basketball teams lead structured basketball skill-building sessions and the Turman students heard from Cory Laster, head women’s basketball coach, as well.
Other UCCS participants included Kelsey Hunt, associate director, Media Services, who taught the students videography skills and compiled the footage into a video highlighting the day’s activities. Hunt provided the Turman students video cameras and taught them how to use them. Her methods included script writing, creating a storyboard, and recording and editing scenes to show Turman as a great place. Assisting Hunt were staff members Phillip Morris, coordinator, Southern Colorado Higher Education Consortium, and Robert Wonnett, senior assistant, Office of the Chancellor, and students Brian Mann, Jordan Mathews and Jessie Perez.
Additionally, Ann Smith, a UCCS alumna, assisted with the video efforts and taught the Turman students knitting.
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