By DANA GRAYThe chalkboards are blank. Classrooms are empty, and students have zipped the thought of school inside their bookbags for three months. It's time for summer vacation and with it an abundance of free time for many young people to ask "what is there to do? "Seventh- to 12th-graders in Barnet need not look any further for the answer than the Clara Brock House, located adjacent to the beach at Harvey Lake. This house is set to officially become the Clara Brock Teen Center next Monday. Owned and loaned by the Town of Barnet, the house will be used as a summer social and recreational facility. The Barnet Enhancing Community Awareness Committee has loaned the house to create a more safe, structured and fun way for young people of Barnet to spend their summer. Barnet was one of seven Vermont communities selected to address the needs of rural youths, said Ed Ryan, who is the awareness committee chairman. The state-wide project was initiated by UVM Extension Service. The decision to include Barnet in this summer program was done after canvassing many areas. Ryan said Barnet, and more specifically Harvey Lake, is appropriate because a good percentage of the town's youngsters go to the beach. "(The beach) becomes like a street corner," he said, "where kids are hanging around with nothing to do all day long. "A successful Clara Crock Teen Center will be just what the town's young people are looking for. Ryan said 100 percent of approximately 90 seventh-, eighth-, and ninth-graders asked about the center would use the facility at least once a week. The same young people were asked what activities would make their summer more enjoyable. A number of house activities were recommended and are planned, including table tennis, volleyball, badminton, cards, fine arts, drama, evening campfires, tutoring, and basketball tourneys. Those involved with the center may also have a chance to participate in off-site activities, such as day hikes, bike trips, and depending upon the money, trips to Boston and/or Montreal. The Barnet School has also made itself available for dances, camp-outs, soccer and karaoke. According to Ryan, the Barnet School is just one of a number of groups that have and are willing to help out with the center. Barnet's selectmen and school board have given support, as well as youth services, the Youth Wellness Center, the Harvey Lake beach committee, and Americorp. |
The teen center is not meant to be exclusionary, according to Karen Stewart, Barnet School counselor and the teen center's coordinator. However, for liability reasons and potential for overcrowding, Barnet's seventh through 12th-graders are the target participants. The grant given to establish programs in the seven communities specifies the six-teen-age grades. Because of the large number of people coming to the beach from all over, the potential of non-Barnet, non-7th to 12th-grade young people sifting over to the house is great. "With any new program, there are going to be problems and issues," said Stewart. "There are always going to be kinks," partly this time, Stewart said, because teen-agers are thrown into the mix. Starting this project, anticipated kinks or not, is something both Ryan and Stewart said they are excited about. "It's something to build on," Ryan said. Stewart added, "(This center) is meant to expose (the young people) to pleasures of doing productive activities. "The number of activities and when they will be held is dependent upon the number of volunteers. The center is scheduled to be open from June 19 to Aug. 18 from 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. every Monday through Friday. Stewart is trying to attract enough volunteers to fill up the many hours. She said about 14 hours of volunteer service will be needed each day. Both she and Ryan expect to be at the center a certain part of each day. The rest of the supervisors will be asked to donate whatever time they can. House furnishings is another thing the center is lacking at this point, and Stew art hopes to solve this problem with the support of anyone with spare furniture and cooking items. To help out as a volunteer, provide house items, or find out more about the teen center call Ryan at 633-2523, Stewart at 633-4080, or 633-3815 after next Monday. |