A Brief Introduction

After three weeks as the Teen Center's new supervisor, it seems about time that I post a brief introduction of myself. So...

Hi. My name's Damien Howell and I'm the new supervisor at the PORT Teen Center. Professionally, I have a background in education, primarily secondary English. Personally, I've called Freeport my home for the vast majority of my life, which, if anything, means I am a graduate of Freeport High School. In my free time, I pursue a wide range of hobbies and interests, which range from playing the guitar to Japanese culture, book arts to video games.

I am very happy to be a member of the PORT community and am excited about contributing to it in my own unique ways.

That said, I wish you all a Happy Holidays.

The PORT's Vacation Hours

With school vacation coming up, we wanted to be sure you knew our operating hours for the break.

Dec. 23rd - Holiday Cookie Party for grades 9-12. From 12:00-4:00 we'll be decorating delicious holiday cookies and viewing that holiday favorite, Elf.
Dec. 24th & 25th - CLOSED
Dec. 28th - Movie Monday, open 12:00-4:00.
Dec. 29th - Pool Tournament Tuesday, open 12:00-4:00
Dec. 30th - Mariokart Wii Wednesday, open 12:00-4:00
Dec. 31st & Jan 1st - CLOSED

Stop by and say hello!

Delicious & Nutritious

This month, the Trailblazers participants have been enjoying some great Asian cooking classes with local chef and educator Chris Toy. Teens have been able to participate in every aspect of meal prep, and enjoy eating their creations. Highlights so far include learning to roll our own egg rolls, as well as making a delicious won ton soup. Things have been getting a little messy in the FCS kitchen, but we've been having a lot of fun!

Dodgeball Fun

The PORT held our first-ever dodgeball night for FHS students this past Friday night, and it was a great success! Over 30 teens turned out for a full hour of dodging, ducking, and diving at Mast Landing School:
If you missed out, plan to join us on December 18th from 8:00-9:00pm at Mast Landing School gym. You do need a release form to play, which can be downloaded from the Facebook group THE Dodgeball League. One form covers you for the whole school year, so what are you waiting for?

November Update

It's hard to believe that fall is coming to a close and we haven't posted in a few weeks -- things have been busy here at The PORT! We wanted to take a minute and get everyone up-to-date about what's been happening, as well as share a few photos with you.

PORT Outdoors took our second trip, a hike of Tumbledown Mountain, on November 8th. It was the most beautiful day we could have asked for, with perfect weather and clear skies for great views! The hike was definitely challenging, but we conquered the summit. Just a couple of photos:
Trailblazers, meanwhile, have been enjoying some sessions at the Maine Rock Gym in Portland:
We also had a great movie day on Veterans' Day last week, with 20 students in attendance to watch both Ice Age: Dawn of the Dinosaur and Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen. All in all, November has been a great month here at The PORT.

Upcoming programs include Trailblazers: Delicious & Nutritious cooking classes, which you won't want to miss! Don't forget to register through FRCE. We'll also be launching our Friday night dodgeball games for high school students, so stay tuned for more info.

Pleasant Mountain Hike

Hello All,

Just wanted to report on the great time I had on Saturday, hiking Pleasant Mountain with the Trailblazers! Although we were concerned about the weather early on, the day ended up being beautiful. We followed the Southwest Ridge Trail all the way to the summit at 2006 feet, and along the way enjoyed amazing views of Sebago Lake and Moose Pond. Once we reached the top, we were even able to see snow-capped Mount Washington!


All of the guys were troopers, with this hike being almost 6 miles round trip. We had fun looking for frozen puddles and strange plants, and appreciating how each view was better than the next.

We're looking forward to an upcoming Leave No Trace workshop, and then Trailblazers Rock Climbing in November!

Sarah

Calling All Artists

Remember the great time that we had at last year's "Sitting Pretty: A Chairity Auction"? Believe it or not, plans are already underway for this year's chair auction!

And here is where you come in: we need chair artists! If you are a teen in grades 7-12, or if you are an interested adult in the community, we may have a chair for you. We also welcome artists who might be interested in working with a partner, so don't be shy! Chairs and paint will be available by the end of this month, and all chairs will need to be returned to the teen center by March 1, 2010. So if you want to participate in this great community event by painting a chair...

Middle school artists should talk with Ms. Gosselin.
High school artists should talk with Ms. Medsker.
Adult artists should email our artist coordinator, Louise Price. You can reach her at lprice(at)suscom-maine(dot)com.

If you have questions, give us a call or swing by The PORT!

Fall Hiking at The PORT

Since fall is shaping up to be such a beautiful season this year, we here at The PORT are working hard to take advantage of it -- and that means getting outside.

We kicked off the second Trailblazers session yesterday afternoon by taking 6 middle school students for an afternoon hike at Hedgehog Mountain. Highlights include playing a few rounds of Camouflage (hide-and-seek in the woods), finding a live salamander, and trying out a wide variety of walking sticks. The guys are really looking forward to our upcoming hike of Pleasant Mountain in Denmark, as well as a Leave No Trace workshop at the end of the month.

For PORT Outdoors, our next trip is also a hike: Tumbledown Mountain. After last spring's group was unable to reach the summit, our leadership team decided to once again challenge this classic Maine mountain. We're scheduled to depart at 8am on Sunday, November 8th and spend the day hiking in Mount Blue State Park. There is no cost to participate in this trip, and The PORT will cover both transportation and a picnic lunch. If you're interested in signing up, stop by the teen center to pick up a form or to ask any questions.

See you on the mountain!

Fall Rafting Adventures

PORT Outdoors officially kicked off the year with our Whitewater Rafting Trip this past weekend, and we had a great time! After school let out on Friday, we packed our van and headed up to The Forks for an evening of (chilly!) camping. Luckily, we were able to build a great campfire for s'mores, as well as to enjoy the hot tub and lodge facilities at our campground.

Saturday morning, we headed out bright and early to raft the mighty Kennebec River! It was a big water release day, which meant that we were able to run some more challenging rapids than usual. And once the sun came out, almost everyone in our group went through some of the "swimmer's rapids". We'll be sure to post some photos of the rafting action once we have them.

If you missed this trip, but you're interested in joining us for our next adventure, stay tuned for a hike of Tumbledown Mountain in early November!

Fall Adventures

We couldn't have had nicer weather for yesterday's final session of Trailblazers Sea Kayaking. We met up with an instructor from Seaspray Kayaking for a paddle out of Winslow Park. The teens learned a lot about eel grass and sea sponges, saw an egret and a great blue heron, and even tried a little bow walking. Everyone had a great time.
We leave this afternoon on our first PORT Outdoors trip of the year, whitewater rafting. We're looking forward to a fun, if chilly, evening at our campground and a great day of paddling tomorrow. Look for a post next week about our trip!

Trailblazers '09-'10

Yesterday was the first session of Trailblazers for the 2009-2010 school year, and we couldn't have asked for a better day! 5 middle school teens joined us for an afternoon of sea kayaking near East End Beach in Portland. After learning a few basic strokes, we were able to jump right in and explore the area around the beach. Highlights of the afternoon include seeing an osprey nesting on an old railroad bridge, navigating around the rock jetty, and playing a fun game of "I Never". We're looking forward to more paddling fun next Thursday!

Getting loaded into our kayaks.

PORT Outdoors Trips

Hey PORT Fans,

We here at The PORT are excited to officially announce two fall trips for PORT Outdoors!

Whitewater Rafting will be Friday, Sept. 25th and Saturday, Sept. 26th. We plan to leave after school on Friday and drive up to Caratunk, camping overnight at an activity center with pool and hot tub, game room, fire pits, and nice campsites for us. Saturday we'll raft all day, and then head back to Freeport. The cost to participants is only $40, which is a pretty sweet deal for rafting!

Tumbledown Mountain Hike will be on Sunday, Nov. 8th. We expect the views to be incredible, as most of the leaves will be gone by this time of year. Trails should be in good shape to allow us to summit this great mountain in western Maine, and we'll aim to have a picnic at the alpine pond.

For more info on either one of these trips, feel free to stop by The PORT! We're excited about this year's PORT Outdoors program, and can't wait to get outside!

Ice Cream Success

The 3rd Annual Ice Cream Social was a great way to kick off the school year, with more than 60 teens in attendance! Delicious ice cream was enjoyed by all, along with some good games of ping-pong and air hockey. Special thanks to our sponsors, Ben & Jerry's of Freeport!

Free Ice Cream?

Well, it's almost that time... Sports practices have begun, and school is just around the corner. For us at The PORT, that means only one thing:

Our 3rd Annual Ice Cream Social!

Join us on Monday, August 31st for a free ice cream social, sponsored by our local Ben & Jerry's! We'll be scooping all afternoon, so stop in after school or even after sports practice. If the weather is nice, we'll be outside the community center. If it's rainy, we'll head down to The PORT.

Either way, don't miss this great chance to kick off the school year, eat some free food, and hang out with us at The PORT!

Summertime!

Hey All,

As summer is coming to a close, we want to remind you that there are still Teen Treks this week and next. If you're looking for something to do, join us for these last few trips: canoeing on the Saco River, disc golf and beach day, and Aquaboggan!

We also wanted to share a few photos from a recent trip to Funtown/Splashtown:

Boston Trip

Hey Gang,

Just a reminder that tomorrow is the last day to sign up for next Wednesday's Boston trip! We'll head into Boston via train, stop by the New England Aquarium, take in an IMAX film, and spend time hanging out at Faneuil Hall. Don't miss out -- call us at FRCE (865-6171) or stop by to sign up!

Enjoying Boston 2008

Mt. Jackson and Mt. Webstah Hike

Hey PORT bloggers,

Last week on Tuesday we made a trip into the White Mountains for some gnarly woodland hiking. Even though the weather was a little damp, we still managed to summit Mount Webster! Instead of continuing on to Mount Jackson, we ended up hiking the lengths of the Webster Cliffs. Special props go to Victor and Mackenzie for sticking it out through the rain and making the best of the trip!

-Duddy

Victor climbing technical terrain.

Sweaty mess Duddy at the summit.

Victor, mountain man.

Mackenzie, mountain girl.

Bird friend.

Getting Out with The PORT

Loving the sunshine? I know I am -- summer is here! I just wanted to take a minute to let you know about next week's Teen Treks, three different ways to get out and enjoy the summer.

Tuesday - Hiking Mt. Webster & Jackson in the White Mountains. This is a longer trip, leaving at 8am and returning at 6pm, but it's worth it! The views from the cliffs near Mt. Webster should be spectacular, and Mt. Jackson is one of New Hampshire's 4000-footers. Don't miss out on our best hike of the summer!

Wednesday - Westerly Winds Sports Park. You can hit the driving range, batting cages, mini golf, or play other sports like basketball, volleyball, horseshoes... The list goes on. It's an awesome (and active) way to spend a summer day!

Thursday - Water Country. Do I need to say more? If the warm weather is getting you down, join us to cool off on some water slides, or ride around the lazy river. Who can resist a full day at the water park?

To sign up, or for more info, call 865-6171 or stop by Freeport Rec & Community Ed at 17 West St.

And don't forget, stop by on Fridays from 10am-4pm. We're always up for a game of pool or ping-pong!

Teen Treks

Hey All,

It seems as if we here at The PORT have gone to summer blogging hours, but we want to keep you up to date on what's happening.

Despite the weather, we've had a great time with Teen Treks in the past couple of weeks. Recent highlights include paintballing at a great course in Gorham, as well as a day of bowling and taking in the movie "Up". We're looking forward to next week, and hope you'll join us for one or all of these outings:

Tuesday - Paintball (including rental) at Bennett's All-Weather Paintball
Wednesday - Hiking at Morse Mountain and afternoon at the beach
Thursday - Lobster Cruise in Casco Bay

To sign up, or for more info, call 865-6171 or stop by Freeport Rec & Community Ed at 17 West St.

And don't forget, we're open at The PORT every Friday from 10-4 for pool, Playstation, ping-pong, air hockey, or shooting hoops (on the rare sunny afternoon). See you there!

Summer Hours

Here at The PORT, as everywhere else in town, we are ready for summer... And we want to be sure you have the latest info about summer at the teen center. Our summer hours are:

Mondays - Closed
Tuesdays through Thursdays - Teen Treks (follow the link and then click on "Teen Treks" for a full description and more info!)
Fridays - Open 10am-4pm

Also, keep your eye out for some possible Friday night events, including bbqs and music. We'll be sure to post the dates here on our blog and our Facebook page, so don't miss it!

Concert Update

Hey music fans,

The concert we hosted at the community center was a huge success this past weekend. All of the groups that played were extremely talented and EXTREMELY entertaining. Fans were able to experience a whole spectrum of different tunes, from hip-hop, to rock, to blues. Acts included A Modest Proposal, Wesdogg, Ian Leavitt & Friends, and The Loudest Mime. The show certainly had something for everyone. We hope that this will be the first of many teen concerts hosted by The PORT. Below are some pictures from this awesome and well-attended shindig.

-Matt

May Update

Hey Everybody,

We've been loving spring at The PORT, but in the midst of all our fun we haven't done a good job of keeping you up-to-date. So here's a quick review of what's been happening at the teen center in May...

Our final PORT Outdoors trip for the year was a Saturday mountain biking session with Back Country Excursions in Parsonsfield. The black flies were definitely out in force, but the cycling was awesome! We enjoyed a quick workshop about mountain bike basics and form before taking off to explore the trails. In the afternoon, the more ambitions members of our group challenged themselves on more difficult trails. Everyone came home sore, but happy.
We also held our final Trailblazers workshops of the year, with geocaching both on Mackworth Island and here in Freeport. The teens created their own geocache, "The Cornerstone", which should be up and running soon.

Although the school year is winding down, we're still going strong here at The PORT. We'll be open early for Tuesday's early release, looking to shoot some pool or some hoops (if the weather ever clears up!). We're also looking forward to hosting a concert with local high school musicians, including The Loudest Mime, on June 6th. Don't miss it!

And if you're looking for summer fun, check out our Teen Treks program. We'll be hiking in the White Mountains, playing paintball, going to Funtown/Splashtown, and taking the train into Boston... Just to name a few trips. More info can be found on the FRCE site by clicking on the Teen Treks link, or on our calendar.

We'll see you soon!

Trailblazers Love Geocaching!

Hey everyone,

Yesterday I had the distinct pleasure of taking 6 Freeport Middle School students to the LL Bean Outdoor Discovery School on Lower Flying Point Road. We found six different geocache bottles, and even got to keep some of the treasures we found inside each one! Below is a photo chronicle of our amazing experience.

Duddy

Duuuuuuuude....Mountain Biking.

Hey PORT Blog persons,

Just to remind all of you, next week on Saturday May 16th, The PORT Outdoors will be taking a trip to the Back Country Excursions mountain biking complex in Parsonsfield Maine. This trip guarantees to be awesome, and because there are trails for everybody from beginners to back-country shredders, anyone can come on the trip! The cost is ten dollars, and that includes everything you need to get out on the trail and ride. Stop by The PORT this week to sign up for the most awesome, rock ripping, butt kicking, experience of your life.

-Duddy

Spring at The PORT

Hey PORT Bloggers,

With all the recent sunshine and with the month of May rapidly approaching, we are loving spring here at The PORT!

April Break was a great time with a wide variety of activities. Highlights include Tuesday's pool tournament and Wednesday's Madden Football tournament, with close games and very happy winners.
We've also been enjoying Trailblazers "Get Fit For Spring", which is wrapping up with a circuit training workout this afternoon. We've kickboxed and done a nutrition scavenger hunt, and just enjoyed different ways of getting fit.
Coming up next we're looking forward to our Trailblazers "Geocaching", so don't forget to sign up through FRCE for a month of high-tech treasure hunting. This will be our last Trailblazers of the 2008-2009 school year, so if you've been wondering what's happening at The PORT, check it out!

Also, we're really excited about our next PORT Outdoors trip, the Backcountry Mountain Biking Excursion. Check it out, and be sure to sign up at The PORT by May 8th!

We'll see you around this spring!

April Vaca Happenings

Hey PORT Crew,

So for those of you headed off to foreign countries or warmer destinations over the school break, we wish you well... And we're a little jealous.

But not too jealous, because we do have some great stuff going on here at The PORT over April vacation. Check it out:

Thursday, April 16th - Open at 12:30 for FMS early release
Friday, April 17th - Open 12-6 for pool, ping-pong, etc.
CLOSED Monday, April 20th
Tuesday, April 21st - Open 12-6, Pool tournament with first-place prize from DeRosier's
Wednesday, April 22nd - Open 12-6, Playstation Madden Football tournament with first-place prize from Camp Toad
Thursday, April 23rd - Open 12-6, The return of the Freeport Treasure Hunt! (Wear sneakers and prepare to go out letterboxing!)
Friday, April 24th - Open 12-6, Movie marathon with recent release flicks

So if you're looking for some place fun to hang out, stop by The PORT! You're welcome to participate in the activity of the day, or just to hang out. Either way should be a good time, so we hope to see you there!

Sarah

Unleash Your C

Next Wednesday, April 15th, The PORT will be welcoming the "Unleash Your C" tour to Freeport. Stop by for the chance to win free t-shirts, backpacks, and more!

Unleash Your C (or Unleash your Choice) is a project of the Partnership For A Tobacco-Free Maine. The purpose of Unleash Your C is to provide an engaging and informative environment designed exclusively for youth to learn the power of the choices they make in their lives. For more information about this project, check out the Unleash Your C website.

The tour will be here as soon as school lets out on Wednesday, and stay through the afternoon, so we hope you'll be able to swing by and check it out!

It's Official (O"fish"ial?)

Someone should stop me, I know. This fish might be the worst thing that has ever happened here at The PORT in terms of the quality of my jokes!

But we did just want to let you know that the fish has finally been named through a very democratic process. Teen center patrons had approximately a week to submit fish names for consideration, and then the Teen Advisory Board took it to a vote this past Wednesday. Here's a quick photo of democracy in action:

And the chosen name... Marvin Raul Muffinhead. Here in the office we're calling him "M.r. Muffinhead" for short. :)

Chair Success!

Hello Everyone,

After all the build-up, we just wanted to let you know the outcome of "Sitting Pretty", our chair auction this past weekend.

What a great community event! We had a terrific turnout, estimated at around 200 people from across the Freeport community and the surrounding area. We received tremendous support from individuals who donated food; there were options for every palate! Additionally, local businesses Wicked Whoopies, Antonia's Pizzeria, and The Corsican Restaurant donated food for the evening.

We were really thankful to welcome Kaja Veilleux as our live auctioneer, which brought a lot of fun to the event.

In the end, The PORT was able to raise over $10,000 through the sales of tickets, the raffle, and the live and silent auction. We are thankful for everyone's support, and hope to host another great event next year!

Chairs Chairs Chairs!

Hey PORT Teen Center Blog Buddies,

     The chair auction is this weekend, and almost all of the chairs are here at The PORT.  It really seems like we're going to have a great turnout on Sunday, so get yourself on down to the community center and check out the chair lineup!  Tickets will be available at the door.  

-Matt

Something's Fishy...

Ok, it's a cheesy title, but we are pretty excited about our new fish at The PORT Teen Center! He'll be keeping Matt and I company in the office from now on, so stop by to meet our new friend.
We're open to suggestions for a name, although the final decision will be made by the Teen Advisory Board. What does he look like to you?

Chair Excitement!

Have you seen the chairs on display all around Freeport? Many local businesses have been kind enough to showcase one or more of the hand-painted chairs that will be available at our auction gala in just a couple of weeks! Whether you're eating out, stopping at the bank, or out shopping, keep your eyes open for a sneak peek at these one-of-a-kind works of art.

Fiona Harbert & Emma Egan working together on a chair that is currently displayed at Freeport Middle School

If you haven't already done so, you may reserve tickets for the event through Freeport Rec & Community Ed by calling 865-6171. We hope you will join us for an evening of family fun, amazing art, and fabulous music in support of The PORT.

Cooooooooooooookie Carnival

Hey everyone,

     This past weekend many teen advisory board members stopped by to help out at The Cookie Carnival at Morse Street School.  Volunteers took on such illustrious jobs as painting faces, selling pizza and chowder, counting tennis balls in a bucket, and scooping ice cream.  Above are some photos of PORT teens helping out at this important community event.  Special thanks to Mia Taggart, Mariah Vitali, David Vitali, Ian Morency, Erin Dillon, and Brianna Wellen for helping out.  

-Matt

Tumbledown Mountain

Hey PORT bloggers,

      Next Saturday, March 21st, there will be yet another PORT outdoors trip.  This time around we are going to Mount Blue State Park in Weld Maine to hike to the imposing, craggy, Everest-like peak of Tumbledown Mountain.  You can register for the trip anytime at The PORT this week or next, and the cost is FREE.  You read that correctly.  You can accompany myself (Matt) on this amazing excursion for ZERO, count 'em, ZERO dollars.  So get your snowshoes, hiking boots, and coat together and be ready for a super awesome time!

-Matt

Chair Update & Gallery

Here at The PORT, we've been enjoying all of the chairs that have come in this week. The majority of the artists have completed work on their chairs and have delivered them to us. Keep an eye out, as you'll soon be seeing chairs displayed in businesses around town!

We've also created a photo gallery that includes a photo of each chair, for those who would like to "pre-shop" before the auction. Check it out!

Also, as we continue to hear from the artists about their process, we'll keep posting photos here. Below is a photo of Brina Dillon putting the finishing touches on her chair, "Sunset".


If you haven't already done so, you can reserve your tickets by calling Freeport Rec & Community Ed at 865-6171, or stop by the office at 17 West St. Don't miss this great event!