islanda

By Amber Hanneken
Staff Writer

SWINK - Four-day school week - for some students going back to school this week those words sound like a dream, but in the small town of Swink, nestled between Fort Towson and Valliant, it is a reality.

Students in the first through eighth grades at Swink School - a kindergarten through eighth grade dependent school - will be attending classes from 8 a.m. until 4 p.m Monday through Thursday. On Fridays, the school is teaming up with the Boys and Girls Club in Hugo for an optional activities day called Enrichment.

State law recently changed for public schools to an hours per year requirement instead of a days per year requirement. Some schools have added 10 to 15 minutes to their school days in order to get out a few days earlier in the summer, but administrators at Swink saw a different opportunity. "(We decided) to get more on task instructional time with our kids without short changing them a field trip or an educational opportunity like a small school typically has," Superintendent Ed Kennedy said. "(The new requirements) gave us the opportunity to go with four days of instructional time and extend that time to meet the state requirements, then move our electives, enrichment activities and fun things to Fridays where they don't cut into instruction."

Because of the extra hour of instruction Monday through Thursday, Fridays will be an optional day for students. Kennedy thinks that most students, especially the younger ones, will attend Friday Enrichment for a number of reasons. Parents who work will not have to find another child care alternative as Fridays operate like a normal school day including bus transportation and lunch. Kennedy said the activities are also going to be fun and interesting so that students will want to attend.