PARIS – The benefits of summer enrichment classes become more evident every year to Cyndy Tinsley, director of the Learning Opportunities for Our Kids program.

She looks at the high school and college students who are volunteering now and points out that many of them have been through the program.

She thinks about the more than 2,000 children who have participated in the program over the past 11 years and how some of them have discovered activities ranging from hobbies to careers.

And she just smiles.

Learning Opportunities for Our Kids was begun by educator Mark Otterson, who simply wanted to share learning opportunities with children.

The program is two weeks of summer classes taught from 9 to 11:30 a.m. at Oxford Hills Comprehensive High School. Children are charged per class and may take as many as four classes per day. This year classes were held starting July 21-25 and July 28 to Aug. 1.

There were 30 classes offered in two sessions each day. Some had paid instructors, others had volunteers.

No two classes were alike. They included courses on Maine Wildlife, Dances and Rhythm, Pottery, Spanish, Hindi and fly tying, and others.

“These classes give the child an opportunity to go deeper into subjects and do things they can’t do in classrooms,” Tinsley said. “It also lets the teachers have the opportunity to teach a small group of highly motivated students.”

Asher Dunn, 13, of Harrison said he has taken the pottery class for the past three or four years and is leaning toward taking lessons this fall.

Carlton Sprague, 14, of Oxford took classes when he was younger and now spends time volunteering. This week he was helping in the World Kitchen class taught by Jen Otterson.

“Our group is a volunteer community organization that works hand in hand with the school,” Tinsley said. “There are a lot of teens who have a chance to get a sense of self esteem from the volunteering they do here.

“We really serve the community,” she said.

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