Middle school students from the Massapequa School District enjoyed the summer vibes with friends old and new for the past five weeks. The Summer Recreation program’s Teen Center, which took place at the Massapequa High School Ames Campus, ran from June 30 to July 31 for students entering grades 6-8.
Supervised by a director, certified teachers and college assistants, students were able to choose their daily activities. The Teen Center is designed to be less structured than the elementary program to recognize the increased independence students have upon reaching middle school. The different centers they could visit included arts and crafts, a game room, movie room, and indoor and outdoor sports.
There were also several special events and field trips. Students enjoyed milkshake Mondays, snack shack Tuesdays with hot dogs, chicken nuggets and French fries, and pizza Fridays. They ventured to arcade centers Main Event and Round One. July 30, the second-to-last-day of camp, featured a block party with a basketball competition, kickball, tug-of-war and water balloon toss, as well as cotton candy, a photo booth and dunk tank. Students competed as they were split into the blue, green, red and yellow teams.
Each week averaged a little more than 100 participants, with a peak of 130. Rising sixth graders benefitted from interacting with seventh and eighth graders and establishing friendships with their future Berner Middle School peers.