Silver Bay YMCA Ticonderoga Teen Center April Newsletter

SILVER BAY YMCA TICONDERGA TEEN CENTER

OUR MISSION

To provide local youth with a safe space to connect with their community, to engage in opportunities to grow and have the freedom to be their best selves.

PROGRAM OVERVIEW

The Silver Bay YMCA Ticonderoga Teen Center is a free drop-in program for 6th12th graders located on the main floor of the Armory at 123 Champlain Ave.

Read on for our April highlights!

OPEN HOURS!!!

. Mondays: 3pm-9pm

Tuesdays: 3pm-9pm

Wednesdays: 3pm-9pm Thursdays 3pm-9pm

Fridays: 3pm-10pm

Saturdays: CLOSED

Sundays: CLOSED

Reach us at: youthandteenstaff@silverbay.org

HOMEWORK HELP

As the school year is coming to an end, it’s important to check in with your kids and their teachers about their grades and know if they have missing work that can be made up. Our staff at the teen center are a great resource for students at any level. While our primary time for homework help is immediately following the school day, we are flexible and will assist students whenever their schedule allows.

Communicate with staff and encourage your teens to get help sooner rather than later so they can finish the school year on a strong note. We are here to help!

FONDU

We brought back a fan favorite snack activity by making cheese fondue with the teens. They followed a recipe with the assistance of staff and then were able to enjoy the cheesy goodness on pretzels, apple slices, and pieces of bread. Yum!

TEEN CENTER DINNER

Our teen dinner this month was pasta salad, veggie kebabs, and barbecue. Teens had a choice of steak or chicken, but many opted for both. Chef Tony and Brianna D’Haiti joined us again from Silver Bay and did a great job guiding the teens through new recipes. The teens enjoyed the whole process, from reviewing knife skills while chopping veggies to flipping meat on the grill. They even kept a positive attitude while doing the less exciting task of scrubbing dishes. The meal was a hit and we ’ re so happy that teens have been making the most of this opportunity consistently and hope that they will continue to gain confidence and competence in the kitchen.

BAKING

The teens did a lot of baking this month. Our Leaders Club members chose to hold a bake sale to raise money to help offset the cost of their participation in the Northeast Regional YMCA Leaders Spring Rally. The teens brainstormed recipes and chose what items they wanted to take responsibility for. They worked with staff to create an ingredients list and then worked hard for two days in the Teen Center Kitchen to prepare their confectionaries. Some Lea Club families also contributed goods ba at home. Several of the recipes the tee used were familiar favorites while othe were completely new to them.

LEADERS CLUB BAKE SALE

The Teen Leaders showed tremendous dedication to their project and produced a stunning array of goods including: Banana Nut Muffins, Almond Joy Cupcakes, Donuts, M&M Brownies, Cake Pops, Chocolate Strawberries, Cookies and Cream Cups, and a variety of cookies. The Club received permission to set up in front of Walmart on Thursday April 18th and pulled off a highly successful event despite the wet and chilly weather. The teens practiced greeting passersby warmly and explaining the purpose of their fundraiser. Their hard work paid off as they exceeded their fundraising goal thanks to the generous support and donations of many community members.

MT DEFIANCE HIKE

HEALTHY KIDS DAY

Healthy Kids Day is a national YMCA event that was held on Saturday April 20th this year. Silver Bay had events at two locations, including at the Teen Center in the Ticonderoga Armory. Visitors were invited to participate in activities including a guided hike up Ticonderoga’s Mt Defiance, a VR workout experience, a mindfulness-focused art exercise, dance games, and a hopscotch exercise challenge. We also offered make-your-own fruit kebabs with strawberries, cantaloupe, pineapple, grapes, blueberries, and blackberries.

Those who opted to go on the guided hike up Mt. Defiance lucked out with great weather and beautiful views. Mt. Defiance is an easy to moderate hike about a mile long with gorgeous views of Fort Ticonderoga and Lake Champlain. We are so glad that a handful of teens joined this activity and had a great time. It’s important to recognize that a healthier life starts with individual small choices and that we have many resources already at our fingertips. Spending time outdoors and being active is a great starting point to improve both physical and mental health.

ARTS AND CRAFTS

In April teens spent a lot of time experimenting with different painting techniques using stencils. This was a clear favorite activity and we ended up bringing out the supplies a few extra times. By layering several colors and textures, they were able to make some lovely portraits of their favorite animals.

Painting wasn’t the only arts activity available this month. The teens also worked with air dry clay to mold and then paint their own art pieces. They came up with some pretty cute creatures!

FIELD TRIP

We had the fun opportunity to take a walking field trip from the Teen Center on April 12th to see the student art show at the Ticonderoga Art Gallery on Montcalm Street. It was wonderful to see the work of so many Teen Center participants on display! There are so many wonderful budding artists in our community and we are so glad that we were able to show our support.

SPORTS AND GAMES

Even though the weather is warming up and teens are choosing to be active outside more often, we still had some fun sports activities in the Armory gym this April. One of the most notable was a teen and staff volleyball game. The skill levels varied widely in both groups, but a great time was had by all.

We also spent a few evenings playing Jackbox games with the teens. This a game pack that can be played through the x box that allows many players to compete using their phones or other devices. One involves completing prompts with silly jokes and voting for the favorite. Another is a tee shirt making competition where players make simple

DUNGEONS AND DRAGONS

Dungeons and Dragons Club is still going strong as players tackle new quests and continue to level up rapidly. Sessions will be moving from Wednesdays to Fridays in the second week of May following a unanimous vote.

SPRING FLING DANCE

For our last dance of the school year, we had lots of decorating help from the teens. In the days leading up to the dance they helped cut and paint old cardboard to make giant flower decorations. They also came up with the idea to build a balloon arch for our Photo Booth and executed it beautifully. We used one of the volleyball net poles and colorful streamers to make our own maypole to fit the spring theme. An unexpected moment of revelry during the dance was when the teens each held a streamer and ran around the pole together. It was a fitting celebration for the season, and we hope everyone in attendance enjoyed themselves.

UPCOMING

Make sure to take full advantage of everything the Teen Center has to offer before we close for the summer! Our last day is May 31st when we will be hosting closing day games. Come by to compete in team relays and individual competitions for snacks and glory!

On May 30th we will be running a field trip to Silver Bay’s main campus to take teens on a tour boat trip and try out some of the fun program areas available. All teens registered for the Ticonderoga Teen Center have access to Silver Bay all year round, just stop by the front desk to pick up your membership and program pass.

Going to miss us over the summer? Register for day camp at Silver Bay! We have 8 one week sessions from June 24-August 16 and financial support is available. We also have breakfast club this year to make it easier for working parents to drop off their kids before the regular camp day starts. For more information, please go to: http://silverbay.org/youth-development/