A summer recreation program in the Massapequa School District 
gave students a great opportunity to spend some time with their friends and stay active during the break.
More than 1,200 students took part in the five-week program, which was offered at the six elementary schools. Children entering kindergarten through sixth-grade attended the program at their regular school. Daily activities included arts and crafts, games and sports. There were also regular field trips including miniature golf, roller skating, the pool, White Post Farm and Adventureland.
There were also several theme days throughout the summer, and weekly lunches from All-American Burger. Each school hosted a Carnival Day on July 29, with talent shows and arts and crafts exhibits on Aug. 4.
The decades-old camp, which ran through Aug. 5, was open for six hours each day. Ron D’Angelo, the summer recreation coordinator, said it is a way for children to have fun and is affordable for parents.
About 200 students were enrolled in the Teen Center Program at the Ames Campus for those entering seventh- through ninth-grades. The students were free to choose their activities, with rooms set up for sports, games, movies and art, along with outdoor activities. There were also trips to the Cradle of Aviation Museum, an adventure course, I-Max movies and more.
For incoming seventh-graders, they were able to meet their soon-to-be classmates at Berner Middle School.
“It gives a lot of opportunities for the kids to make friends,” said counselor Ashley Lopresti, a 2014 Massapequa High School graduate, who took part in summer recreation as a child. “The friends that you make at your summer camp are usually the friends that you have for life.”
