Summer Adventures in Learning! (SAIL)
Children regress when they don’t practice their academic skills over the summer. This is known as summer learning loss, or the summer slide. Children from low-income families lose two-three months of grade equivalency. Thanks to wonderful partnerships throughout East Alabama, we are excited to introduce our community’s own Summer Adventures in Learning (SAIL) program, as a dynamic component of the City of Anniston’s Summer Day Camps this year!
Designed for students entering 3rd, 4th, and 5th grades in August 2024, this SAIL program welcomes participants from the City of Anniston’s Summer Camp Programs at Wiggins, Carver, and Hodges Community Centers, along with students residing in Calhoun County. This program primarily focuses on students not meeting grade level standards. Daily attendance is mandatory to participate in this SAIL program.
The classroom components of the SAIL program will be hosted at The Donoho School. SAIL students will be required to participate in both the Summer Day Camp Program and the SAIL program, and they’ll be offered transportation from their respective Summer Camp locations to The Donoho School for 3.5 hours of daily instruction featuring innovative reading and math sessions rooted in the BellXcel curriculum, led by certified local educators. After breaks for lunch, city transportation will take Summer Day Camp students back to their respective community centers. On Fridays, SAIL students will be transported to Camp Lee for unique outdoor enrichment adventures, and return them to their centers afterwards!
Registration kicks off at designated community centers from May 7th to 9th. All students who register for the SAIL program will be required to take a pre-test prior to final enrollment into the program. This program will start June 3rd and run until August 2nd, excluding July 1-5 and June 19th.
For more information on our community’s SAIL program, please contact the City of Anniston Parks & Recreation Department at:
Phone: 256-241-7164 or 256-236-8221
Email: sstringer@annistonal.gov or fburroughs@annistonal.gov
Learn about our local SAIL network by visiting their sites below:
Community Foundation of Northeast Alabama: https://www.cfnea.org/
The Donoho School: https://www.donohoschool.com/
Alabama Power: https://www.alabamapower.com/
Camp Lee: https://camplee.org/
BellXcel: https://www.bellxcel.org/
Anniston Outdoor Association- Flint River Canoe / Kayak Trip
Join the Anniston Outdoor Association for Flint River Canoe / Kayak Trip
for more information contact the leader Keith Hudson : at 256-453-9527 or anniston.outdooor.assn@gmail.com
Anniston Outdoor Association- Upper Tallapoosa River Canoe / Kayak Trip
Join the Anniston Outdoor Association for Upper Tallapoosa River Canoe / Kayak Trip
for more information contact the leader Keith Hudson : at 256-453-9527 or anniston.outdooor.assn@gmail.com
Anniston Outdoor Association- Hatchet Creek Canoe / Kayak Trip
Join the Anniston Outdoor Association for the Hatchet Creek Canoe / Kayak Trip
for more information contact the leader Keith Hudson : at 256-453-9527 or anniston.outdooor.assn@gmail.com
Anniston Outdoor Association- Canoeing / Kayaking in the Blackwater River State Forest, FL
Join the Anniston Outdoor Association for Canoeing / Kayaking in the Blackwater River State Forest, FL
for more information contact the leader Keith Hudson : at 256-453-9527 or anniston.outdooor.assn@gmail.com
Anniston Outdoor Association- Hike on the Heflin Spur of the Pinhoti Trail
Join the Anniston Outdoor Association for hiking on the Heflin Spur of the Pinhoti Trail
Contact the leader Danielle Whitley : at 941-210-8585 for more information
Groundbreaking: Chief Ladiga Trail Extension!
The City of Anniston warmly extends an invitation for you to join us in making history on Friday, April 12, 2024, at 5:00 PM CT, as we commemorate the groundbreaking ceremony for the Chief Ladiga Trail Extension at Michael Tucker Park, situated at 6514 Weaver Road in Anniston, Alabama.
Anniston’s trail extension will stretch an additional 6.5 miles, bringing the Chief Ladiga Trail’s total length to approximately 39.5 miles. The Chief Ladiga will then seamlessly connect Anniston’s Multimodal Amtrak Station to the state of Georgia’s Silver Comet Trail, forming the longest paved pedestrian pathway in the United States by becoming an expansive 105+/- mile paved trail. This visionary initiative opens up exciting prospects for trail bike enthusiasts and commuters, providing seamless access to convenient train services.
Lifeguard Certification Course! (March 20-24, 2024)
The Aquatics and Fitness Center will be hosting a 4-day lifeguard certification course starting Wednesday, March 20, 2024, through Sunday, March 24, 2024. The classes will be taught by Anniston Barracudas Swim Coaches, Robi & Tracy Champion. If you are interested in participating, please contact the Aquatics & Fitness Center at: 256-847-7349. The class costs $160.
The class schedule will be as follows:
Wednesday, March 20: Prerequisites from 4 PM CT to TBD
Thursday, March 21, & Friday, March 22, from 4 PM CT to 9 PM CT
Saturday, March 23, & Sunday, March 24, from 7 AM CT to 5 PM CT
Anniston Changers on Main Street! (04/20/24)
The Anniston Changers are back for another service project, and this time we will be working downtown on Main Street Anniston on Saturday, April 20, 2024! Come and volunteer with us from 8:00 AM to 11:00 AM, and let’s clean-up our community together!
Volunteers may register at this link: https://tinyurl.com/nrkr2wbk
Volunteers will meet at the Noble Street Park located at: 11th Street and Noble Street, Anniston, AL 36201
At this project, we may focus on pressure washing, painting, debris removal, and litter pick-up! Thus, please bring washers, landscaping tools, clothes you don’t mind getting dirty, and gloves! There will be some other tasks as well, so feel free to come and help out in any way that you can!
Refreshments and fellowship will be provided to every person who volunteers! As always, you may register to volunteer on our website, at: www.AnnistonChangers.com! If anyone has any questions, please feel free to contact City Public Relations Director, Jackson Hodges, anytime via text or call at: 256-846-2044!
Anniston Outdoor Association- Hiking & Biking Outing on the Cheif Ladiga Trail with Southeastern Outings
The bike ride will be 11-miles beginning in Piedmont with the pace being leisurely with a few stops to enjoy the
scenery. SEC recommends that those participating should have bicycled a few times at least 30 days prior to this
outing and they should be able to maintain an average speed of 8 to 12 mph while riding on level terrain. Road,
mountain, hybrid, and urban bikes are allowed on the trail but motorized vehicles are prohibited. Participants
must wear bicycle helmets and should bring a lunch or snack with something to drink. Those having bike racks
that can hold more than one bicycle should bring them to help facilitate the required shuttle.
The hike will be an easy 3.8 miles on the trail beginning at the Pinhoti Trailhead on Cleburne County Road 94 and
ending at Seaboard Avenue. This newly paved section goes through mostly wooded terrain and offers views of
Dugger Mountain. Participants should bring a picnic lunch or snack with something to drink.
No dogs, vaping, or smoking are allowed on SEC outings and children who are 8 years of age and older are
welcome as long as they can participate in the outing without complaining.
Participants should meet at the Eubanks Welcome Center in Piedmont by 10:30 am. The estimated finish time
for both outings is 2:00 to 3:00 pm and there will be an optional dinner at a restaurant in Piedmont afterwards.
To register for either outing, please RSVP Sean Boogaard by phone at (256) 365-6321, or by email at
geometmap@hotmail.com.
