Marching in place, the children of Miss Jennifer Sorlie’s Spanish 3rd and 4th grade class sang the verse &uot;Mi sister es mi hermana,&uot; and repeated it in comical high and deep voices.

Across the hall in a leadership class, kids role-played on how to deal with bullies.

&uot;I don’t like it when you tease me and I want you to stop,&uot; an 8-year-old blonde girl told a boy named Jackson.

&uot;What did she do right?&uot; their teacher Mrs. Terri Nelson asked.

&uot;She made eye contact,&uot; one boy said.

And those classrooms weren’t alone on Thursday. Throughout Lakeview Elementary School, about 330 kids took academic classes on reading and math, but also classes called vacations, leadership, and bubble-ology (the study of bubbles).

Val Forsythe, who coordinated the Open Arms Summer School program at Lakeview Elementary, said the classes offer kids a chance to stay up to speed in school. But she said it also gives students something to do during the summer, the opportunity to meet kids from other schools in the district and exposure to things their regular classes don’t teach them.

Matt Attig, a self-described 8-and-half-year-old, said he wanted to be in the summer school partly because he didn’t want to forget anything he had learned over the school year.

But he said he didn’t feel he was missing out on his summer vacation. &uot;You get to do a lot of fun stuff for summer, but this can be fun too.&uot;

Five hundred forty students attended the first two-week session, which ended in June. The second three-week session, which ends on today, had 330 students.

The program, in its second year, is funded by a three-year, $1.5 million grant from the U.S Department of Education. Forsythe said it was open to all elementary students in the Albert Lea district, although some students who needed extra help were recommended by teachers. But Forsythe said all students enjoyed their time, pointing to the smiles and high-fives she received daily from students. &uot;They wouldn’t be doing that if they weren’t thrilled,&uot; she said.

Forsythe said she’ll miss the summer school, but on the other hand, said she needs a vacation.

(Contact Tim Sturrock at tim.sturrock @albertleatribune.com or 379-3438.)