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
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.
Anniston Outdoor Association- Partnership Hike with Wild Alabama on the Odum Scout Trail
This will be a 4-mile in-and-out hike on the Odum Scout Trail which is the oldest trail in the Cheaha Wilderness.
This hike will feature the 3-tiered High Falls with the 3rd tier displaying a beautiful pool of water at its base. Other
features include several overlooks offering panoramic views and spectacular scenery. Other than the rocky
climbs at the falls (one with stairs), this hike will be mostly easy. Please register for this hike at the following link: March 23 AOA & Wild Alabama Odum Scout Hike – Wild Alabama (flipcause.com)
For more details, please contact Jonathan Kelly by email at jonathan@wildal.org
Anniston Outdoor Association- Waterfall Tour in the Talladega National Forest
This will be a tour of 5 waterfalls located in the Talladega National Forest. These will include Hidden Falls near
Camp Mac, Devil’s Den Falls near Lake Chinnabee, Cheaha Falls on the Chinnabee Silent Trail near the Cheaha
Falls Trail Shelter, High Falls at the end of the Odum Scout Trail, and Shinbone Falls located on Clay County 49
near the Shinbone community. Round-trip hiking distances to the various falls will range from a maximum of 2.4
miles to a minimum of 1/2 miles. Participants should pack a lunch and something to drink. The meeting time and
location for this trip will be 9:00 am at the Quintard Mall Parking Lot located on AL Hwy 21 in Oxford. Cars
should be parked next to the mall sign. For more information, and to register your participation, please contact
Keith Hudson by Thursday, March 7. Keith may be reached by phone or text at 256-453-9527, or by email at
anniston.outdoor.assn@gmail.com
2024 Spring Break Activities!
Our Parks and Recreation Department will be offering the below activities for the week of spring break! Please note, the #FieldTrip on Wednesday requires pre-registration online! For more information on our events, call 256-241-7164! View this event online at: www.annistonal.gov/events/spring-break.
☀️ Monday, March 25
⏰ 11:00 AM to 3:00 PM CT
📍South Highland Center(229 S Allen Ave, Anniston, AL 36207)
🎉 Activities: Bubble Bar War, Crafts, Bingo, & a Movie!
☀️ Tuesday, March 26
⏰ 11:00 AM to 3:00 PM CT
📍 Hodges Center (3125 Spring Valley Rd, Anniston, AL 36207)
🎉 Activities: Learning Pickleball, Scavenger Hunt, & Flag football!
☀️ Wednesday, March 27 – FIELD TRIP
⏰ 9:00 AM CT to 5:00 PM CT)
🚐 We will depart by city bus at approximately 9:00 AM CT from the Anniston City Meeting Center Center (1615 Noble Street, Anniston, AL). We expect to arrive at the McWane Science Center in Birmingham by 10:00 AM CT. We plan to return to the Anniston City Meeting Center between 4 PM and 5 PM. Please note, this trip is only open to children who reside in the city limits of Anniston. Also, please ensure your child has money for lunch or other needs while on the trip. To register online visit this link (spots are limited and registration ends when all spots fill): www.annistonal.gov/field-trip
☀️ Thursday, March 28
⏰ 11:00 AM to 3:00 PM CT
📍 Youth Sports Complex (745 Summerall Gate Rd, Anniston, AL 36206)
🎉 Activities: Games, moon bounce, face painting, & flashlight egg hunt!