Teen center set to open Monday
SANDPOINT — School is back in session, which means the Sandpoint Teen Center is ready to reopen for the year, offering free food, games and activities to local youth.
The center is opening in two locations on Monday — the Church of God and Huckleberry Lanes — both of which are close to Sandpoint High School and Sandpoint Middle School, as the center serves students in grades seven through 12. Teen center director Joan Avery said the location is critical as the student walk by, looking for something to do.
“Because we are right there on the way, it makes it a really easy stop,” Avery said. “They can stop there and eat and get the things that they need, and hopefully we can make those personal connections with them while they are there and guide them in the right direction as far as choices that they are making,”
The Church of God will be the main spot for food, games and activities this year, Avery said. The center will continue to offer free daily bowling, pool and other activities at Huckleberry Lanes as well, where there will also be opportunities for weekly bowling lessons, tournaments and more.
The healthy snacks served every day directly after school will be at church. The full kitchen will allow for more snacks, as well as hot meals that the teens can help prepare four days a week. Some of the fall food specials planned at the center include Milkshake Mondays, Taco Tuesdays and Italian Soda Thursdays, as well as special meals in between directed by the teens and their food interests.
Also, the culinary program with international chef Kristi Kersey will continue this year, two days a week. Teens will have to sign up for the culinary program when it opens. Kersey became a chef in Estonia, Avery said, and has worked in Finland and Greece, as well as other European countries. She moved to Sandpoint a couple years ago and is now a full citizen of the United States, Avery said.
“She wants to be able to give back to teens because when her teens were growing up, they went to a youth center,” she said.
Fall activities include karaoke, arts and crafts, music, swimming, ping-pong tournaments, guest speakers and more. There will be a drama club starting up, Avery said, where teens will meet at the center twice a week for the first month or so, moving over to the Panida Theater after that to prepare for a production in late fall.
“There are some fun things happening,” Avery said.
There will be an incentive program this year as well, she said, where teens can earn points for rewards, such as trips and other prizes. There will a variety of community service opportunities offered for the kids to earn points. At the church, for example, is the Helping Hands & Healing Hearts program, where the teens can help sort clothes and other tasks. The church will have people with needs on occasion as well, she said, such as raking leaves or shoveling snow.
A full schedule of events is available online at sandpointteencenter.com, which also has links to the center’s Facebook, Snapchat and other social media pages.
Huckleberry Lanes is located at 120 S. Division Ave., and the Church of God is located at 221 S. Division Ave. At the church, follow the teen center signs to the left for the entrance.
The teen center is open Monday through Thursday 2:30-5:30 p.m., opening an hour early at 1:30 p.m. on Wednesdays.
Teen center officials said in a statement that they are grateful for grant support from the Community Assistance League, Selkirk Association of Realtors, United Way, Equinox Foundation, Avista, Idaho Community Foundation and the Innovia Foundation, as well as all of the individual donors who support the programs. It is because of the donors and grants that the center’s doors stay open, providing the free food and programs to the community’s youth.
Mary Malone can be reached by email at mmalone@bonnercountydailybee.com and follow her on Twitter @MaryDailyBee.