BROCKTON — In a year  when Brockton Public Schools was in a constant flux because of the uncertainty brought by the coronavirus pandemic, a    a sense of normalcy was provided through programs offered by Brockton Community Schools, a division of Brockton Public Schools.

Brockton Community Schools added 13 new summer camp programs, 29 in total this summer,   which resulted in the highest enrollment in the program’s 51-year history.

A total of 4,336 students have enrolled in the summer programs, nearly doubling the number of students enrolled in 2019’s summer programs. .

Thanks to carryover funds from last year’s 21st Century program afterschool funding, Brockton Community Schools was able to apply  that money toward the new programs, offering 16 of them for free.

Programs included  youth aquatics, theater and taekwondo, as well as academic programs, such as STEM and career exploration.

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Brockton residents pay as little as $55 per session, with nonresidents paying an additional $10 or $20 depending on the session.

This year  more than 100 scholarships were offered to students to  cover the cost of enrollment.

“Instead of being an office that simply just collects money, we wanted to invest the money and give it back to the community,” said Soraya de Barros, director of Brockton Community Schools.

“It’s a matter of trust. They know what we are about. They know what we stand for,” de Barros said.

 In contrast to years past, students were  allowed to attend different programs throughout the summer on a weekly basis rather than staying in one program the whole summer.

“We want exposure, we want our students to try new things and explore their interests,” de Barros said.

A majority of the summer programs will be resumed in the fall as afterschool programs starting in October.

On Aug. 5, the last day for most of the programs, a celebration was held at South Middle School in Brockton to acknowledge the Step Up program, an academic program that  helps students from immigrant backgrounds in grades 4-8 to become high achievers.

Brockton Mayor Robert Sullivan and Brockton Public Schools Superintendent Michael Thomas spoke at the celebration.

“The future of Brockton is in great hands,” said Sullivan, addressing  nearly 200 students  in the Step Up program.

  The consul general of the Republic of Korea in Boston, You Ki-Jun, was present and talked about the beneficial relationship between Brockton and Educational Divide Reform, a group of Korean business leaders and academics based in Cambridge.

The partnership between Educational Divide Reform and Brockton Community Schools began in fall 2020, when EDR reached out to offer  its services to Brockton. Its main purpose was to help students at risk of falling behind academically during COVID home schooling.

What started as a few classes turned into a full-fledged afterschool program, and was added to summer camp programming  because of  its success during the school year.

“Brockton has suffered more than other cities in Massachusetts from the COVID-19 pandemic and EDR believes that Step Up can contribute to the academic development of BPS students, providing a long-term positive approach to current academic challenges that many students face on a day to day basis,” states the Educational Divide Reform website.

The program offers bilingual education  in several different languages, including Cape Verdean and Haitian Creole, which is one of the reasons  Education Divide Reform chose to partner with Brockton Community Schools,  said Dave Wedge, a spokesperson for Sullivan.