And what did you do this summer?

From cooking classes and gym activities to exploring some of New York’s cultural offerings, the Oneida Nation Recreation Department offered students a busy schedule of events through the annual Summer Jam program.

The program, open to Nation Members and Health Center clients who are entering grades 3 to 7 in the fall, ran from July 6 to Aug. 13. Summer jam participants enjoyed a variety of activities, electives, recreation and gym activities. Off-site trips included visits to the Herkimer Diamond Mines, Museum of the Earth in Ithaca, Sylvan Beach, Big Don’s Mini Golf in Cicero and Darien Lake.

One of the highlights included a trip to Ganondagan Historical Park in Victor, N.Y. Ganondagan is a Seneca site featuring a full-size replica of a 17th-century Seneca bark longhouse, self-guided nature trails, and a mesa where a palisaded granary stored hundreds of thousands of bushels of corn.

“I wanted to bring in a cultural element for these kids,” Suzanne “Suzy” Farmer, youth development coordinator for the Oneida Nation Recreation Department, said. “The site gave us some insight into the Seneca people, one of the nations of the Haudenosaunee (Iroquois) Confederacy. We learned about what took place in their daily lives, looking at everything from everyday tools to the replica longhouse.”

Previously the program toured other culturally-rich sites and programs, including Four Directions Productions, which produced the award-winning “Raccoon and Crawfish” 3-D animated short.

“Most of all, the goal of this program is to just have fun,” Suzy said. “It’s to get these kids outside and give them new experiences.”

And these experiences are ones the students will never forget.

The program was at capacity this year, said Brian Conners, supervisor of the recreation department. “We had a full house with 30 kids. That’s the most we can take.” The high numbers are a testament to Suzy’s hard work. “She (Suzy) went through Summer Jam as a student and she knows what it was like. She is aware of what the students would like to do, and she’s continually developing the program. It’s getting better and better each year.”

And the proof, Brian said, is not in what the kids are producing, but it is in their reactions. “I don’t look in to see what they are doing. I look in to see if the kids are smiling. I look at them, and they are happy and they’re having a great time. I think our program is amazing.”

“I love this,” Suzy said about the program. “I draw back on my prior experiences, and make sure the kids have electives they are interested in and want to participate in, whether it’s fishing, cooking, or sports.”

Also helping to create a solid program were Dakota Bluewolf (Wolf Clan), gym attendant; Ben Kimball, youth development assistant; Crystal Torres (Wolf Clan), on call gym attendant; Shawn Walker (Turtle Clan), Cassandra Mason, Madeline Boyle, and Donna Badgley, all Summer Jam assistants. Barb George (Wolf Clan), administrative assistant at the recreation center, also performs many behind-the-scenes tasks, such as managing supplies and assuring visits go smoothly.