February 8, 2014
www.the-burgh.com
The Burgh - 3
Center gives kids much needed place to just be kids By Shawn Ryan
shawn@denpubs.com PLATTSBURGH Ñ Nestled amongst the hulking apartment buildings that make up the core of the Plattsburgh Housing Authority, the diminutive Ted K. Center offers a safe retreat for children from the housing authority to play, do crafts, get help with homework, garden, play video games, and just all around be kids. An estimated 300 children under the age of 15 reside within the housing authority. With early childhood programs for children from 3 to 5 years old, and an after school program for children from 5 to 14, the center serves a core group of about 150 kids, but is open to all. Ò ItÕ s a safe place for kids to come after school,Ó said Education Coordinator Tom Neale. Ò We want to provide kids with meaningful activities. The kids here receive positive interactions with other kids and adults.Ó While the majority of the activities take place inside the one story cinder-block building that comprises the center, activities can take children much further afield. Children have been taken on hiking, biking and fishing trips in the past, and participate in sports and other community activities around the city. There are also plans in the works to utilize the Camp Tapawingo Girl Scout Camp in Point Au Roche for a two-week-long day camp. A favorite project in the summer is the centerÕ s vegetable garden, which dominates the front of the building, when its not blanketed in a layer of snow and ice. As part of the Martin Luther King Day of Service, and in conjunction with the United Way, children at the Ted K. Center put together 53 backpacks consisting of hair and body wash, journals, coloring books and many other personal care items. The backpacks were distributed to the foster care unit of the Department of Social Services. While the lionÕ s share of their funding comes from the Housing Authority, they have received funding or other support from the United Way of the Adirondack Region, the Clinton County Youth Bureau, the Kiwanis Club, and the North Country Cultural Center for the Arts, among other agencies. Ò I think itÕ s great that we can do that in this community, share resources,Ó said Neale. Ò And weÕ re happy that the board of the Housing Authority has been so supportive of us over the years.Ó The Ted K. Center is planning to unveil a new media campaign in March through SUNY Plattsburgh, to get the word out about their many educational and community activities. Ò We need to be part of the community,Ó Neale said.
Left to right, Jasmine King, Myles King, Angelina Lyons, Lilyana Inglis and Daniel McKee prepare for a musical interlude at the Ted K. Center in Plattsburgh. Photo provided.
Pendragon brings Oedipus to SUNY Plattsburgh this Friday, Feb. 7 PLATTSBURGH Ñ Pendragon Theatre of Saranac Lake will present Sophocles’ “Oedipus” 7:30 p.m. Friday, Feb. 7, in the Hartman Theatre, Myers Fine Arts Building, SUNY Plattsburgh. Tickets are available at the Hartman Theatre Box Office one hour prior to the show. Prices are $10 for general admission; $8 for seniors, students and SUNY Plattsburgh faculty and staff; and $2 for SUNY Plattsburgh students. The cast includes Josh Luteran (last seen at Pendragon as Stanley in “A Streetcar Named Desire”) as Oedipus; Leslie Dame as Jocasta; Jordan Hornstein as Tiresias; Chris Leifheit as the messenger; and Jason Amrhein as Creon. Pendragon’s Executive Artistic Director Karen Lordi-Kirkham is the productionÕ s director.
“Oedipus” is considered to be the first detective story. In it, Oedipus is made king by solving the riddle of the Sphinx: Ò What is the creature that walks on four legs in the morning, two legs at noon and three in the evening?Ó His skills then continue to be challenged as he attempts to unravel the mystery of who murdered the former king. The consequences of his search can send shivers down the spine. Steven Berkoff, the translator of this version of Sophocles’ 429 B.C. play, said, Ò IÕ ve always been fascinated by this play, since it has one of the most remarkable plots in the world of drama Ñ also the most shocking. Much has changed, but not our unrelenting quest to answer the question, Ô Who am I?Õ Ó