HOULTON, Maine –– Every year across the nation all after-school programs celebrate “Lights On After-School” as a way to bring recognition to programs that offer enriching activities for children after school. The Houlton Southside After-School Program hosted a Health and Wellness Fair on Thursday, Oct. 22, 2015 to bring awareness to its program.
The open house was established with the intent of showcasing to parents the many activities their children participate in during the after school hours, and, according to Carolyn Fickett, the director of the 21st CCLC program with the Maine Family Resource Center, it is an event that is sponsored nationally.
“Every year across the nation,” she said, “all after-school programs celebrate ‘Lights On After-School’ as a way to bring recognition to programs that offer enriching activities for children after school.”
Over 300 parents, students and friends of Southside attended the Health and Wellness Fair. Students of the after-school program worked with their instructors, weeks in advance, to research and prepare their projects.
Many community agencies also participated to provide education and resources for many issues affecting today’s families.
Several student projects focused on how to make healthier food choices. One group of students prepared grilled fruit kabobs, another group offered guests a taste of various fruit smoothies. A few students presented how a good breakfast affects brainpower. Another group of students made homemade applesauce from apples they picked up during a field trip to the SAD 1 school farm last week.
Cameron Clark, a student at Houlton High School, has been teaching students the performing arts such as juggling and unicycling. The night of the fair, he and his students juggled apples and would take a bite out of them as the apple came around.
The robotics team showcased the hard work they have done to build their robots and the obstacle courses they use in competition. They will compete in November against other schools. Success at this tournament will send them on to the state competition in December.
Last year, the after-school program purchased mountain bikes as part of the outdoor education activity. At the fair, the biking group set up a bike course in front of the school to show the importance of bike and helmet safety.
Other student presentations included the effects of caffeine, stress, dental health and the importance of physical movement. The ACAP Let’s Go program donated free draw string bags to all attendees.
Participants also received water bottles, pedometers, balloons, tooth brushes, coloring books and many other handouts. Area agencies
such as the University of Maine Cooperative Extension/Eat Well Program, AMHC, Houlton Regional Hospital and Houlton Fire and Police provided information on gambling addiction, lead poisoning, smoking cessation, fire safety in the home, diabetes, hand hygiene, germs, ticks, sexual abuse, mental illness and depression.
The whole basis of the program is to give children and youth good and wholesome activities to participate in each day after school. It seeks to inspire them to learn and provide them with opportunities they otherwise would not have access to.
Locally, the program is at Houlton Southside, for youth in grades 3-5; at the Hodgdon Mill Pond School for youth in grades K-8 and at the Hodgdon High School for grades 9-12. The 21st CCLC After-School programs work in partnership with the Maine Family Resource Center.
The Southside After-School Program has a student leadership team and Advisory Committee. They run four days a week, Monday and Wednesday through Friday. Suzanne Lawlor is the coordinator for the school based program, but there are also nine staff members in addition to volunteers and community members who run the day-to-day program.
