Parents and children enjoy the splash pad area at Battery Park Pool on North Side — one of the city’s seven outdoor pools that opened during the weekend. The pools are popular places to cool off in the soaring summer heat. The pools are open seven days a week through Labor Day. The other six outdoor pools include Hotchkiss on North Side, Fairmount and Woodville in Church Hill, Powhatan in Fulton, Blackwell on South Side and Randolph in the near West End.

Uplifting last day A smiling Aniyah Rajab, 11, attracts attention as she jumps to wave goodbye to office staff at Linwood Holton Elementary School last Friday — the final day of public school classes in Richmond. All dressed up and ready to go, the fifth-grader, who will head to middle school this fall, was among the more than 23,000 city students who streamed out school doors into summer vacation.

Petunia colors pop in North Side

ROLLING WITH THE CHIEF - Richmond Police Chief Alfred Durham, center, offers a double wave Saturday morning before he and about 100 young bike riders took off from Gilpin Court in Jackson Ward for a 5K ride around Richmond. Right, Officer Paul Lewis helps Jessica White choose the right bike for the ride. The city sponsored the event, in which 100 new bicycles and helmets were given to youths ages 8 to 18. The ride was the latest of Chief Durham’s efforts to strengthen law enforcement ties with the community. It was followed by Family Day at the Calhoun Family Investment Center.

MAKING MATH AND SCIENCE FUN - Cadets from the U.S. Military Academy at West Point, N.Y., talk with youngsters last Saturday before a robotics competition gets underway at the Calhoun Family Investment Center in Gilpin Court. About 40 middle school students from the Richmond Redevelopment and Housing Authority’s housing communities participated in numerous hands-on activities in S.T.E.M. areas — science, technology, engineering and math

Cadets Parker Meytrott, left, and Jalen Harris help students, from left, Zaniya Witcher, Alonshay Witcher and Iyona Henderson.

Cadet Eric Azaga tinkers with a robot for Zyshawn Witcher.

CHUMS INDUCT 5 - Members of the Richmond Chapter of Chums Inc. proudly celebrate five new members after an installation ceremony June 14 at a Henrico County restaurant. The new members are, seated from left, Dr. Yvonne Brandon, Denise Lewis, Oneida Rozier, Cheryl Burke and Dr. Deborah Jewell-Sherman. The “Hums,” husbands and significant others of the members, joined the celebration for a cocktail hour and dinner following the ceremony.

RUNNING WITH PURPOSE - Law enforcement officers embark on the Capitol Leg of the 30th Annual Virginia Law Enforcement Torch Run last Friday to demonstrate support for the Virginia Special Olympics Summer Games. Runners included members of the Richmond Police Department’s 111th Basic Recruit Class and people from the Richmond department and other area law enforcement agencies. The 4.5-mile run began at the State Capitol and concluded at Byrd Park in the city’s West End. On Saturday, more than 1,500 Special Olympians competed in an array of athletic events at the University of Richmond before cheering fans.