The first day of school for students in the Lucia Mar Unified School District is still a week away. But this week, teachers are doing some studying of their own.
The school district is hosting its annual Summer Institute.
Approximately 200 teachers have signed up for the optional sessions and courses before the school year begins.
The four-day summer program consists of teachers teaching other teachers.
Lucia Mar has about 75 new teachers this year and this program helps them get up to speed before the first day of classes.
"Our Summer Institute is something that we've been doing for several years now, almost ten," explained Ashley Smith, Lucia Mar Unified School District Curriculum Director. "It started and has really grown in capacity into this conference-style learning for teachers over the summer. So they voluntarily come back a little bit before school starts, and we offer a variety of sessions for them."
Smith says the program also helps get teachers excited and motivated for the new year.
The Summer Institute will run through Thursday and is being held at Arroyo Grande High School.
