See you today or see you next year!

THe PORT is Open Today (Thursday 1/30)

Come down to the PORT today and enjoy it for the last time until next year!

We are closed Tomorrow (Friday 1/31)

Winter Break hours and events

****THE PORT IS CLOSED ON MONDAY 12/27 FOR THE SNOW!***

Tuesday 12/28-Thursday 12/30: PORT open 230-600

Friday 12/31: Closed

PORT schedule

PORT schedule this week:
Monday: 230-600
Tuesday: 230-600
Wednesday: Closed-Trailblazers meet in Durham
Thursday: Closed-Trailblazers meet at Freeport Middle
Friday: 230-700

Dodge Tonight(Friday 12/10)!

Hello all,
The first Friday Night Dodgeball of the year is TONIGHT. 9-12th grade

Mast Landing School Gym- 8-9pm

Don't forget that EVERYONE needs a new waiver. Follow the link and have a parent sign it:https://docs.google.com/document/pub?id=1R1zKy05VyRa5rkWC0NELhMqR7x_5YC0_D8EhMR0E93I

See you there!
The PORT

PORT Special Hours 12/6-10

M, Tu- 230-600

The PORT will open at noon on Wednesday, 12/8 for early release. 6th Grade welcome!

The PORT will be closed Thursday, 12/9. Trailblazers will meet at FMS.

Fri- 230-700

The PORT will be closed this Thursday

The PORT will be closed this Thursday, 12/2. Rockclimbing Trailblazers will meet at Freeport Middle School.

THANKSGIVING WEEK HOURS

Please make note of special hours for the Thanksgiving week.

11/22- OPEN 230-600
11/23- OPEN 230-600
11/24- CLOSED ALL DAY
11/25- CLOSED ALL DAY
11/26- CLOSED ALL DAY

Enjoy your family, food, and friends. Don't eat too much.

Evan

WE ARE OPEN TODAY! (Friday 11/12)

The PORT is open until 700 today (Friday 11/12)

Come on down!

Thanks,
Evan

Schedule for the week of 11/8

Here is the PORT schedule for the coming short school week.

M-Wed 230-600
Thursday (Veteran's day)CLOSED
Friday 230-700

See you here!

Evan

Important Stuff About the PORT

1.
We open at 1230 tomorrow (Wednesday 10/27) for early release.

2.

The Halloween Concert
Saturday 10/30
5 local teen bands
8-11pm
The PORT, 53 Depot Street
$4/3/1 depending on how dress up you are

You must arrive between 800 and 845 pm

Friendly's Benefit Night

EAT ICE CREAM AND HELP THE PORT!!!!


The PORT will close at 4:30 tomorrow (Tuesday 10/26) because I'll be at the Friendly's benefit night.

Friendly's Benefit Night
5-8pm
Tuesday, 10/26/2010
Freeport Friendly's

A portion of ALL sales go to the PORT.

VOTE to support our home!

Vote for Freeport!

Help Freeport Community Services (The PORT's home) earn a $100,000 grant.

Click on:
http://www.brightbuiltbarn.com/brightbuilt-retrofit/poll/

and vote for

FREEPORT COMMUNITY SERVICES!

It's that easy!

Closed Tomorrow but open Thursday

Hi all

The PORT is closed Tomorrow (Wednesday 10/20). See you on Thursday!

Cheers,
Evan

Some PORT things

1. The PORT is OPEN tomorrow (Thursday 10/14)

2. Trailblazers meets tomorrow at the middle school. I'll be outfront. If you don't see me, wait because I'm just lost in the crowd.

3. TEEN ADVISORY BOARD- if you haven't already, check your messages.

Thanks much!

Evan

PORT UPDATES!!!

TRAILBLAZERS STARTS TODAY, 10/7!

The PORT is closed today...

BUT...

open at 1230 tomorrow. Come on down on the non student day!

Early Release Hours

The PORT will be open at 1230 this Wednesday, 9/29, for early release.

Sixth Grade is welcome!

Off and running

The PORT has been having a great start of the school year. Many old friends and some new ones have stopped by the PORT. Trailblazers are enjoying cycling with professional bike instructor, Brian Danz.

I'd like to give a special thanks to the Teen Advisory Board. If you are interested in being part of the leadership team, please contact me via facebook.

I NEED FRIENDS. Friend me on facebook: Evan Kumagae.

The PORT will be closed this Thursday, 9/23/2010

Trailblazers will still meet by the bike racks at the middle school!

Thanks,

Evan

Teen Advisory Board meetings!

The TAB will meet this Monday, 9/20, at lunchtime. See you there!

And don't forget to friend me on facebook: Evan Kumagae

Cheers,
Evan

SPECIAL HOURS FOR EARLY RELEASE WEDNESDAY, 9/15

The PORT will open at 12:30pm on Wednesday 9/15 for early release.

Sixth grade is encouraged to come on this day to learn what the PORT is all about.

Cheers,
Evan

I Scream, You Scream...

With the start of the school year just around the corner, we at The PORT just want to take this opportunity to remind you of our annual Back-To-School Ice Cream Social!

Once again, our sponsors Ben & Jerry's have donated delicious ice cream to share with you. Details below:

Date: Tuesday, August 31st
Time: 2:30 til we run out of ice cream!
Place: The PORT
Who: Anyone in grades 7 & up

Stop in after school, after your mentor day, or after sports practice. We'll be scooping ice cream until 6:00 at the teen center!

If you know you're coming, why not RSVP on Facebook and invite some more friends?

August Trips

Hey Everyone,

Just one more month left of summer, but we still have a few more trips left for you at The PORT!

Tomorrow we head down to Birch Hill in York for some paintball action. This is a new course for us, and we're all looking forward to checking it out. There's still room for a couple more people, so call RCE this afternoon if you'd like to sign up!

The last two trips in August are to Canobie Lake Park, which is a sweet amusement park in New Hampshire, and then we're heading down to Boston. Lots of space in both these trips, so please join us. More info can be found here.

By the way, we had 13 teens join us for last week's rafting trip... And a number of those went for a swim in the Kennebec River! Everyone had a great time, with perfect weather for rafting and some great hits on classic rapids like Magic Falls.

If we haven't seen you yet this summer, what are you waiting for? Only a few more weeks to join in what has been one of our best summers yet at The PORT Teen Center! :)

Gone, but hopefully not forgotten!

Already the end of July? We've been having such a great time with our new "Teens on the Go" program that we haven't had much time to update the blog... But you can see lots of photos from our trips on our Facebook page -- check it out!

If you haven't joined us yet, we still have one more full week plus several one-day trips in August. Hope to see you soon!

SUMMER!

Whoa, has it really been almost a month since we last updated this blog? A lot has happened in that time, but I guess it's kept me a little too busy to write!

For those of you who missed the news, summer is officially here. We are excited for our new "Teens on the Go" program, which offers trips for teens Monday-Thursday. Trips start next Monday! Coming up in July and August, trips include:

• Paintball
• All-you-can-eat picnic at the Portland Seadogs
• Kayak to Fort Gorges in Casco Bay
• Maine Rock Gym
• Overnight camping trip to Acadia
• Whitewater rafting
• Boston by trolley
• Canobie Lake State Park

And those are just a few! Complete information about the program can be found on the RSU5 Rec & Community Ed website. We hope you'll join us for some of these awesome trips... Please call if you have any questions about the summer program!

The PORT gets a Wii (Subtitle: Senior Project Shout-outs)

Thanks to a couple of our FHS seniors, The PORT is psyched to announce the addition of a Nintendo Wii to our gaming systems!

Kegan Dyer held a hugely successful fundraiser with her "Skate for The PORT" at Happy Wheels. This event raised enough money to allow Kegan to purchase and donate a brand-new Wii plus four controllers, including Wii Motion Plus sensors.

Christine Tilton's senior project of "Silkscreening with Mike" included sales of a specially designed "bendy straws" t-shirt, proceeds from which were donated to the teen center. Thanks to this donation, we've been able to purchase some additional Wii games.

Currently, The PORT owns:
- Wii Sports
- Wii Sports Resort
- Mario Kart
- Super Smash Brothers Brawl
- Lego Indiana Jones 2

Thanks so much to Kegan for helping bring us up-to-date in the video game realm, and to Christine for her donation funding the purchase of additional games. We appreciate the generosity and support of these terrific seniors!

One last early release day...

Hey All,

Just a quick shout-out to everyone who stopped in to make The PORT a hopping place during this week's FMS Early Release day. Whether you went mini-golfing with us or spent the afternoon at the teen center, it was a great day!

And if you missed out, there's one final early release day coming up on Tuesday, June 1st. On tap for that day: Frisbee Golf at Pleasant Hill in Scarborough. Sign up at Rec & Community Ed by calling 865-6171. If disc golf just isn't your thing, as always, The PORT will open at 12:30 to grades 6-8. Hop on Bus #27 and come on down!

PORT Outdoors Maine Rock Gym

Hey Guys,

Looking for a good end-of-the-year outing? The PORT Outdoors has planned a trip to the Maine Rock Gym for an afternoon of climbing on May 23rd. The plan is to depart at 12:30, start climbing at 1:00, and be back in Freeport by 5:00... Including a possible ice cream stop on the way home!
$10 gets your shoe and harness rental, and a climbing pass. (The rest of the cost is covered by our PORT Outdoors sponsor, L.L. Bean.)

Interested? Stop by The PORT or call 869-1036, or you can pick up all the paperwork at the FHS office!

Capt'n Eli's Blogging Fame

For those who participated in last month's "Creating Comics" Trailblazers, you know that we enjoyed a terrific series of workshops with local comic artist Jay Piscopo. Turns out, Jay enjoyed the afternoons with The PORT as well. Check out some photos and a brief mention of our group on his blog.

Don't forget, this month Trailblazers is heading out to Wolfe's Neck Farm to do some gardening, build some birdhouses, and hopefully to hang out with this guy:

Teen Night with Casco Bay Y and Rippleffect

So this past Friday, I participated in the first-ever "Teen Night" at the Casco Bay Y, open to area teens in grades 6-8. There was a terrific turnout, including a solid Freeport/Pownal representation, and everyone had a great time! I spent most of my time running the dodgeball station and hanging out in the airnasium basketball courts, but I did manage to get a few photos:

Fun with hula hoops

Rippleffect's rock wall

Bounce house obstacle course

"Say It Loud" project with Add Verb

The PORT is excited to announce an upcoming partnership with the local arts education group Add Verb Productions! Starting in May, students in grades 6-8 will be invited to participate in a "Say It Loud" program that will meet on Wednesdays at the teen center.

"Say It Loud" uses the power of hip hop and spoken word to create a safe and supportive environment for teens to speak up, voice their opinions, and tell their point of view. To offer this program, Add Verb collaborates with local songwriters, poets, and hip-hop/spoken word artists to facilitate workshops and intensives to help youth create pieces that reflect their unique perspective.

The best part is that there is NO COST to Freeport teens to participate in these great workshops. We just encourage you to sign up ahead of time by calling Rec & Community Ed at 865-6171.

Want more information? Check out the MySpace page for the "Say It Loud" project.

April Break

As always, we've got a wide variety of activities planned for April vacation week at The PORT. The basic schedule is posted below, but feel free to stop in or give us a call if you have any questions!

Thursday April 15th: The PORT will open at 12:30 for the early release day, and we've also got a bowling trip lined up through Rec & Community Ed! (You do need to pre-register for bowling, so call 865-6171 if interested.)

Friday April 16th: Open from 12-5, with Trailblazers comics class meeting at 3:00.

Monday April 19th: CLOSED for the Patriots Day Holiday

Tuesday April 20th: Open from 12-5, with Delectable Delights Baking starting a new made-from-scratch dessert at 1:00.

Wednesday April 21st: Open from 12-5, with paper crafting and paper toys starting at 1:00.

Thursday April 22nd: Open from 12-5, with Nintendo Wii on the big screen including Mario Kart and Wii Sports Resort.

Friday April 23rd: Open from 12-5, with a big screen movie and popcorn starting at 1:00.

Creating Comics

Tuesday kicked off our latest session for Trailblazers, this month with comic artist Jay Piscopo. We're excited to be working with such a talented local artist who is also a great educator! This week's workshop focused primarily on using simple geometric shapes to create characters, including triangle Dracula and rectangle Frankenstein. Participants also got started on creating their own individual characters, which will eventually be turned into one- or two-page stories.

We're also psyched to have 12 middle school teens in this month's workshop, which is a new Trailblazers record! Stay tuned as we dive deeper into comic arts, and hopefully we'll be able to publish some teen work this month.

If you haven't yet joined us for one of these great middle school programs, the year is almost over... So check out our upcoming Gardening series with Wolfe's Neck Farm!

A Big Thank You!

The PORT is proud to announce that this year's "Sitting Pretty: A Chairity Auction raised just over $7,000!

We wanted to take this opportunity to thank everyone who helped make Sunday's event such a success! From those who purchased tickets and bid on chairs, to the individuals who donated food, to the musicians, and all the volunteers behind the scenes -- thank you to each and every one of you for your contribution. A special thanks to:

- All the artists who created such amazing chairs
- Thomaston Place Galleries and John Bottero for auctioneer services
- Chilton's Furniture, our chair sponsor
- Sherwin-Williams Yarmouth, our paint sponsor
- Colorgraphics!, our media sponsor

Without the support of such a terrific community, The PORT would not be able to thrive as a chem-free social option for area teens. We look forward to seeing all of you again at next year's event!

John Bottero, our auctioneer, starts the bidding on "George" by FHS senior Megan Gibson.

Sitting Pretty -- THIS Sunday!

Don't forget to join us this Sunday from 4:00-6:30 pm for the second annual "Sitting Pretty: A Chairity Auction" at the Freeport Community Center. We have 45 terrific chairs for the live auction, silent auction, and raffle, and we're looking forward to delicious hors d'oeuvers as well.

And if you want to preview the chairs, you can see photos of them on our online photo gallery.

If you need more info or would like to reserve tickets, call 865-6171. See ya there!

"Life Happens Outside" Wilderness Conference

The PORT is excited to take a group to a wilderness conference that is specifically for teens: the biennial Teens 2 Trails "Life Happens Outside". We hope you'll join us on Saturday, April 3rd for workshops including rock climbing, backcountry cooking, wilderness first aid basics, adventure racing... Plus an exhibit hall with programs and vendors for teens who enjoy the outdoors.

The cost to you is just the $10 conference fee, which includes 3 workshops, large group session, and lunch. The PORT Outdoors will cover the transportation to Windham High School for the day.

For more information, check out the conference website. To sign up, stop by Rec & Community Ed or the teen center.

Sitting Pretty Chair Pics

Hello All,

Most of the chairs have returned, and we are really excited to share all of this fabulous artwork with you! If you'd like to preview the chairs that we'll have available for auction at the end of the month, check out our online photo gallery.

"Sitting Pretty: A Chairity Auction" will be Sunday, March 28th from 4:00-6:30 at the Freeport Community Center. Tickets are available now at Rec & Community Ed, 17 West St, or by calling 865-6171.

See you at the auction!

Trailblazers On Stage

As winter winds down rather quickly, we here at The PORT are starting to get excited about the spring activities for our Trailblazers program. March's "On Stage" program will include a series of workshops with professional actors from the new Freeport Shakespeare Festival. Teens will have the chance to work on improv skills, practice reading scripts, play acting games, and more! If you're a performer already, or looking for a chance to learn more about acting, this is the month for you.

Trailblazers is open to anyone in grades 6-8, and will meet March 11th, 18th, and 25th. The cost for the month of activities is just $15; register through FRCE!

Sitting Pretty 2010

Here at The PORT, we're starting to get excited for this year's "Sitting Pretty: A Chairity Auction!" This year's event promises to be bigger and better than last year, with a variety of rockers, dining chairs, and stools. Photos of artists hard at work have started to trickle in, and we wanted to share those with you:Abby Latulippe at work on "Heart Dreaming Chair"

Looking for more "Sitting Pretty"? Keep checking our online photo album for chair photos -- we'll post them as we receive them!

Delectable Delights

Yesterday was the kick-off to The PORT's new baking program: Delectable Delights. A mixed group of teens from the high school and middle school took over the ping pong table, turning it into a baking kitchen. The result? One big loaf and four mini loaves of made-from-scratch banana bread. Delicious!Missed out this time? Join us any Tuesday in February for more baking fun!

Flagstaff Lake Fun!

This past Saturday, 14 teens piled into the big red vans with Damien and myself, and headed up to the Carrabassett Valley for an overnight at the new Flagstaff Lake Hut. The weather was absolutely perfect for a weekend of snowshoeing, hiking, skiing, and yes, hanging out in the lodge!

Highlights of the trip include a hike across Flagstaff Lake itself, gorgeous views of Bigelow Mountain, delicious food prepared by the hut staff, and capture the flag after dark. Some teens enjoyed snowshoeing on an ungroomed trail around the lake, while others took advantage of the nicely groomed ski trails. Everyone enjoyed the time in the great outdoors!

Special thanks to Healthy Casco Bay for the grant funding that helped make this trip affordable to our teen participants!

Helmets & Ollies & Trucks?! Oh, my!

The new year brings with it new adventures, and for the Trailblazers that means three Thursday afternoons worth of skateboarding at the Bath Youth Meetinghouse & Skatepark. This past Thursday marked our first trip to the park & it was a blast. The teens, once all geared up with at least a helmet, a board, & plenty of chutzpa, were able to gleam guidance & tips from a skating instructor. They then put their skills to the test on the park's many ramps, half & quarter pipes, & 6-foot bowl. A good time was certainly had by all & the next two trips look to be just as enjoyable.

Coming up at The PORT...

Just wanted to provide an overview of some of the programs The PORT is running in the month of January. For more information about any of these, please feel free to call 865-6171 or email Sarah at davenports(at)rsu5.org

For students in grades 6-8:

- January Trailblazers is at the Bath Indoor Skate Park! We'll head north for each of the three session (January 14th, 21st, and 28th) to enjoy this great facility. Cost is $15 for the month.
- Early Release Ski Trip to Shawnee Peak on January 26th! We'll pick you up at school at 12:30 and be back to Freeport that evening. Cost is $25 for lift ticket only, $45 for lift ticket and rental.

For students in grades 9-12:
- Friday night dodgeball is back, January 15th and 29th at Mast Landing School. If you haven't already turned in a release form this year, you can download one from our Facebook group. We play from 8:00-9:00 -- don't miss it!
- 3rd Annual Fuel Up for Finals! The PORT will have extended hours during FHS mid-terms week, from 10am-6pm January 19th through 22nd. Join us for a break in between your exams, lots of free food, and a good time with friends.
- Maine Hut Trip to Flagstaff Lake Hut January 23rd and 24th. This PORT Outdoors trip is filling up fast, but we have room for a couple more. You can find the paperwork on Facebook, or stop by The PORT to pick up a copy. Cost is $25 for the weekend!

Hope we see you at one of these great programs, or feel free to drop in during our regular after-school hours this month!