PINE BUSH – On August 22, Principal Aaron Hopmeyer and Superintendent of Schools Phil Steinberg are heading down to Washington D.C. to meet with senior officials at the Federal Education Department. This is just one result of the visit by Dr. Melendez, from the Education Department, last month, to see for herself how the Pine Bush Summer Academies program works.

On the agenda for the August meeting will be detailed discussion of how Pine Bush grew this summer enrichment program, and, crucially, funded it.

The germ of the academy program grew from work by many community groups, and then the Focus on Youth Initiative, which leaned on the Search Institute's enormous database on youth development. Chief Dan McCann, of the Town of Crawford Police, recalls that work. "Many community groups came together on that, looking for ways to increase good decision making among our young people."

A few years later, in 2003, the Leadership and Law Academy had its first iteration. Seventeen students showed up for early morning physical workouts, followed by talks from visiting experts and course work on economics, government and history. Six years later, the summer academy was a serious success with more than a hundred students participating. Two more academies were begun, the Literacy and Education Academy and the Science Academy. Both were very successful from the get-go. In 2010, two more academies were launched, Aviation and Performing Arts. This summer the Medical Academy debuted, with partnership from the New York Institute of Technology on Long Island.

Aaron Hopmeyer is jubilant about the effect all this summertime activity has had on the high school.

"We have 38 percent of our student body this year participating in summer enrichment or remediation. This compares with about 10 percent of students nationwide. Summer educational activities prevent learning loss in students."

"We've gone from 17 students in one academy, to 340 students in six academies this year. So far we have had 1,400 students graduate from our academies."

Indeed, this summer, the 1,000th student to graduate from the Leadership and Law Academy accepted her diploma at the ceremony on July 29.

However, there's a very important point to remember. "We're a self funding exercise," says Hopmeyer. "We raised $98,000 for the academies."

Indeed, the summer program receives no financial support from the school district. It is funded through grants, strategic partnerships and modest tuition payments from the students.

There have been some interesting results from all this summertime activity.

Students who have graduated from the Leadership and Law Academy have exhibited enhanced self-discipline. Discipline referrals involving these students have declined by more 90 percent.

As more and more members of the high school have become academy participants, a cultural change has moved through the school. Violent incidents in the high school have fallen by more than 400 percent over six years.

Plus, despite the ongoing agony of budget cuts and the loss of teaching staff, graduation rates have risen from 80 percent to 87 percent and the drop-out rate has fallen from 12 percent in 2004 to 4 percent in 2010.

Aaron Hopmeyer, while proud of the effect the academies have had, is quick to point out, "The summer academies are just one tool in our tool box. They aren't the be-all and end-all, but the academies have certainly helped to complement our educational team's efforts and bring about a larger cultural change."

"Those students that have graduated from the academies have become leaders in our building, and that has played a part in the change. All the while, those students have been growing, themselves. Let's note that 338 students have earned college credit through the Summer Academy Program."

James Barrett, President of the Pine Bush Central School District Board of Education, has also taken note of what the summer program has achieved.

"The overall effect here, because we're empowering these students, giving them choices and leaving them to grow and show what they can do, is promoting their awareness of adult life and decision-making."

"The kids are aware that what they're doing is special and innovative, and they're responding to that. They also know and respect the effort that's going into the academies, from the administrators and staff and the outside instructors that are coming in. Those people believe in them and they're telling them, "you can do this!" The students are being challenged, and they are responding to the challenge."

Roseanne Sullivan, longtime member of the board of education, adds another important thought.

"The academies let students try out something, and see if it's for them. Rather than do that at college, where you might waste a semester and a lot of money before you realize that it's not what you want. You don't want to waste money these days, families are on tight budgets and you can't afford to waste it on a college major that you drop after one semester."

So, considering the lack of money for education, can we expect to see the Academies expand into the regular school year?

Hopmeyer says, "It certainly is a goal of mine, but we have to remember that we'd have to raise the money to do it. Then again, considering the financial situation in our state, this may be a route we will have to take."