By Laurie Hambleton
Contributing Writer

HEADS UP– Sixth-grader Bryan Gagne (bottom left) took this photo during a photography class at the Crispin’s House after-school program at Mountain View Middle School. The other students are (clockwise from top center) Jessica Brawley, Zack Wojdyla, Axel Keber, Philip Therrien and Erica Kolenski. (Bryan Gagne Photo)

It’s 4:30 in the afternoon and in one corner of the room, 10 middle-school kids stir up a batch of cookies. About 20 feet away, there’s a table where two kids are busy playing chess as four or five others look on. Next to them, three girls pore over their books, getting their homework done so they “don’t have to worry about it later.” In another corner, five students check out photo- graphs they took a few days before.

These kids are among the average of 30-plus per day who participate in the Crispin’s House after-school program at Mountain View Middle School, an effort designed to keep kids safe and supervised from 3 to 6 p.m.

“When I first came here, I wasn’t that sure about it,” said Philip Therrien, a MVMS sixth-grader, “but now I love it because I have friends here. I don’t have any other activities most days, so I get to do this out of the house. I love the experience of photography.”

With a variety of extracurricular activities offered, most of the kids find something fun to do. Dance, photography, community service, cooking, sewing, indoor games and outdoor activities round off a set of activities that also includes baking, public achievement, library skills and homework help.

And don’t forget snacks. Every student starts the afternoon with a nutritious snack.

“The snack is a pretty important feature,” Therrien said. “Most of us after school are very hungry because of our studies.”

Zack Wajdyla hangs a decoration on the first day of the Crispin’s House after-school program.. Program Director Annette McLean talks to Assistant Director Lynda Hamel while Halie Avery does her homework. (Courtesy Photo)

“We tried for many years to have a system to have kids involved in organized afterschool activities,” said MVMS Principal Rose Colby. “I worked with Crispin’s House and we formed an alliance. We know that kids here are safe. They get help with school work, they’re involved in healthy activities and I love to play ping pong with them.”

The program is centered on the middle school campus and students who stay to participate have the option of taking a late bus home every night. It began last October, with just 22 children signed up. More than 50 have now registered and participate regularly.

“We can play games and make cake,” said Mary Kate Powden, who’s in seventh grade. Her friend, Kayla Morel, a sixth-grader, stays busy at Powden’s side.

“We go outside and we can make pillows and play plenty of games,” said Morel.

There’s something for everyone.

“I like playing chess and going outside,” said Dakota Avery, another sixth-grader. “I have chess club and I play bumper pool and ping pong. It’s fun.”

“I think the afterschool program is very interesting,” said fifth-grader Amanda Harrington. “I get help with my homework and I play games with my friends. It’s really fun.”

Fun and games aside, the program stresses homework and academics.

“I do my homework here because I have basketball every night,” said Halie Avery. “My grades are better now and I’m having more fun after school.”

“I think it’s a wonderful program,” said Mel Finley, whose son attends the program. “I love having my son Patrick here because there are actual teachers in Homework Help Space and after Pat’s done his work, he can play activities with his peers.”

Program Director Annette McLean knows the kids are having a good time while they’re learning important academic and social skills in a supervised environment.

“It’s a fun, safe place to be for kids between the ages of 9 and 13,” said McLean. “We have fun activities and we support kids academically.”

Parents and businesses benefit from the program too.

“I wanted him to have a safe place to go while I was delivering mail,” said Darlene Allard, whose son, Tim, attends the program. “His grades are very good especially with the homework help.”

“It helps parents a lot because they don’t have to worry about where their kids are after school,” McLean said. “They know they have a safe place to be, they’re having fun, they’re doing their homework and it’s not expensive for them.”

The program costs families $50 per semester. It is made possible by a grant from Hillsborough County and the Governor’s Commission on Alcohol and Drug Abuse Prevention. Additional funding comes from generous donations from the community at large and is a collaborative effort between Crispin’s House, Mountain View Middle School and PlusTime New Hampshire.

“I wish that I had something like this when I was a kid,” McLean said.

Some kids don’t like leaving. Lionel Turcotte came to pick up his daughter recently, greeted by a scowl.

“She doesn’t like it when I come right after work to pick her up,” Turcotte said. “She likes staying to almost the end.”
MVMS students Dakota Avery and Philip Therrien contributed to this article.