Project Impact, making an IMPACT

Faye Johnson, director of the City of Apalachicola’s Project Impact updated the commission at the July 7, meeting on the progress of the summer program activities. Johnson reported that the program just completed at all three sites its first summer camp session.

The first session ran for three weeks from June 15 through July 2, and is now gearing up for a second session scheduled for July 13 through July 30.

The three sites include the old Apalachicola High School campus, the ABC Charter School, and the dropout prevention program at the Franklin County Consolidated school in Eastpoint.

Johnson spoke of a well-rounded program where students have received help with credit recovery, have access to the Wilderness Coast Public Libraries bookmobile, take weekly field trips, swimming lessons, participate in sports activities and Zumba classes.

Johnson especially highlighted the activities at the old Apalachicola High School campus, which now serves as the City’s Youth and Community Service Center. She stated that during the first session the Mary Brogan Museum brought in and set up their inflatable planetarium called StarLab.

StarLab is a 20’x22’ portable planetarium that features age appropriate shows for grades K-12. The shows include current night sky, basic astronomy, constellation identification, celestial navigation, mythology, world geography, plate tectonics, and ocean currents.

Johnson also announced the grand opening scheduled for July 17, from 3:00PM to 6:00PM at the Apalachicola site. The event will feature an inflatable water slide, bounce houses, music, movies, free food, and the famed FAMU Strikers All-Stars, which recently competed on MTV season three of the America's Best Dance Crew show.

Photos taken by Gail D. Johnson