Snowy Day Musings

Hey Everyone,

At this point, I think we can safely say that winter is here! Soft snow is falling this morning, which is a great change after this weekend's ice storm. I hope everyone was able to stay warm, and that you've all been able to get power back on at your homes. Winter at The PORT is shaping up to be a lot of fun, so keep in touch as we plan outings and events to keep everyone busy.

Trailblazers had our last December session on study skills yesterday, wrapping up with a trip to the Portland Art Museum. We worked through a couple of different activities designed to help us learn about gathering relevant information, taking good notes, and summarizing.

Next up for Trailblazers is Creating Comics in January, when a local graphic novelist will conduct a series of workshops culminating in a finished comic. If you're interested in signing up, click here and then follow the link "Trailblazers for Teens".

We're also getting geared up for our next PORT Outdoors trip on January 24th & 25th. We'll be heading out to the Poplar Stream Falls Hut in the Carrabassett Valley, which is the newest of the Maine Huts. Check it out -- they'll serve us hot supper and breakfast, give us bunks to sleep in, and provide a great winter hangout. More info will be forthcoming, so stay tuned!

I hope we'll see you all at The PORT soon, but for now, happy holidays!

Sarah

Gift Wrapping a Success

Hey PORT blog persons,

This past weekend we wrapped presents at LL Bean on Saturday night. The activity as a whole seemed to go very smoothly. Thank you to everyone who showed up on time for their wrapping slot, and tried their best to make all of the presents look great. This week at the teen advisory board meeting, one of the main topics of discussion will be the winter hut camping trip in January. We are currently looking for leaders for this trip to plan the drive, map out hikes once we reach the cabin, and create a gear list for participants. If you or someone that you know is interested in leading our trip, please feel free to email either Sarah or I at our coconet addresses.
Recently, one of our goals here at The PORT has been to increase attendance after school. Now that the winter months are upon us it is important for students to know that The PORT is always open after school from 2:30 to 6 Monday through Thursday, and 2:30 to 7 on Friday. We hope to continue to see our regular crew, as well as some new faces as the cold and dark winter continues.

See you soon,

Duddy

Weekend Update

Hey Everyone,

Happy post-Thanksgiving! Hopefully everyone enjoyed the long weekend and ate a lot of good food.

This is just a quick note to let you know about our next PORT event: LLBean gift-wrapping! The PORT will be at the LLBean flagship store, near the entrance by the big boot, this Saturday, December 6th, from 3pm to 9pm wrapping presents.

Gift wrapping is a great opportunity to raise both funds and awareness for The PORT, and we hope you'll support us. If you have Christmas gifts to buy at Beans, please come on Saturday and let us wrap them for you. We get to keep any tips we earn! If you have a passion for wrapping presents, this is your opportunity. Shoot me an email (sarah_davenport@coconetme.org) or swing by The PORT to sign up for a time slot.

And with all this damp weather, just a reminder that we're open every day after school. There's nothing like a game of pool to keep away the winter chill.

See you later.
Sarah