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Home My WebLink About2010 Annual Town Report North Andover Youth & Recreation Services 2010 Annual Town Report The Youth& Recreation Services Department, under the direction of Rick Gorman continued to provide superior quality services and a full complement of programs. The programs consisted of support programs, court-related programming, student leadership programs, family and individual services as well as a host of social, recreational and adventure services. In 2010 Youth& Recreation Services serviced 3,200 youth. 2010 also marked the ten year anniversary of the building being open. The outstanding professional staff consists of Rick Gorman—Executive Director, Michelle Grasso — Support Services Coordinator, Micaela Tetrault— Social Program Coordinator and Josh Peters—Recreation Coordinator. The Joseph N. Hermann Youth Center continues to be a lively and safe place for North Andover youth. The center is open six days a week for middle and high school youth. We have also built in time on Saturdays for fourth and fifth graders to give them a feel for the center prior to entering middle school. We operate an extensive eight week summer program, which services over 1,000 youth. The summer is filled with clinics, recreational programs, playground programs, events and field trips. Youth& Recreation Services is also responsible for Stevens Pond. In 2010 we continued to make renovations as we installed new beach sand, installed new fencing, plantings, and made cosmetic upgrades. Stevens Pond is truly a town treasure. In 2010, our staff consisted of four full-time employees, student volunteers, adult volunteers, program leaders, interns and part-time staff During the summer our part-time staff swells from 25 to over 120. We are very proud of our opportunity to provide jobs for North Andover youth and build in a mentoring program connecting our teens with younger youth. 2010 was also the fifth year we took over coordinating the Sunday night skating program at Brooks School, the Saturday morning fourth grade basketball program and the summer special events for younger kids. We are pleased to say that all three programs continue to grow and see large numbers and be very well received. The Youth& Recreation Services Director also chairs the Towns Fields Committee. This position is responsible for permitting fields, working with our youth sports programs and developing short and long term plans for field use and development. In 2010 we began work on our long range plan of building athletic fields on Dale Street. Adult Volunteers man the front desk for us during the day from September to June. We could not operate without this kind of volunteerism. In 2010 we had 23 adult volunteers assisting. Once again, a number of adult committees are actively involved in the daily work of the Youth Center. These adult volunteer committees work on fundraising, the annual fund, marketing, public relations, finance, budgeting and technology. The Youth Services Board of Directors and Joseph N. Hermann Youth Center, Inc. are also continuing to work on long range planning for the department and center. We thank the Joseph N. Hermann Youth Center, Inc. for their continued financial and emotional support of the center. In 2010 the JNHYC donated monies to provide a part-time administrative assistant, and provided equipment upgrades to our weight room, computer room and multipurpose room. The Joseph N. Hermann in 2010 also ran the second of what we hope to hold on an annual basis an event entitled the Taste of North Andover. The event provided food, fun, live and silent auction as well as an opportunity to recognize volunteers. Over 300 people attended the event. The lifeline of Youth Services is to provide support services and I am pleased and proud of our constant mission of helping the youth and families in this community. The following are the services provided during the last year. ADVENTURE PROGRAMS: • Challenge Course • Skateboard Park • Rock Climbing Programs • Paintball Trips • Biking Programs • Skiing Trips • Snow Shoe Trip • Hiking Programs • Camping Programs SUPPORT SERVICES: • High School Girl's Group • Middle School Girl's Group • Tuesday Girls Hour • Youth Tracking and Outreach • Holiday Giving Program • Thanksgiving Program • Personal Care Drive • Crisis Intervention • Information and Referral Services • Job Bank • Mediation • Mentoring Program • Tutoring Program SOCIAURECREATION PROGRAMS: • 7TH/8TH/Grade Teenco • 6th Grade Teenco • 8th Grade Dress-up Dance • Basketball Tourneys • Flag Football • Joseph Walsh Summer League • Black Knights Winter League • Black Knights Spring League • Youth Center Classes • NAYRS/NABC 4th Grade Basketball • Tourney of Champions • Daily Events at Center • Intensive 8 week summer program schedule • Crusaders Special Olympics • Grandstand (Snack Shack) • Lip-Synch Contest • Talent Show • Field Trips • Extensive Summer Programming (8 weeks) • MV Duel • NABC Volleyball • Chess Club • Weight Lifting Program • Speed and Conditioning • NA Fall Ball League STUDENT-RUN PROGRAMS: • Youth Council • Teenco Dance Committee • Helping Hands • Skateboard Committee • Tutoring • Community Involvement Programs SPECIAL EVENTS: • Annual Spring Carnival • Youth Appreciation Day • End of School Party • Events on school '/z days • Turkey Toss • End of Summer Celebration • NAYRS/YMCA 3 on 3 Tourney • Youth Center Fundraisers • Welcome Back to School Event • 6th Grade Orientation Program COURT-RELATED PROGRAMS: • Juvenile Diversion Respectfully Submitted, Rick Gorman, Executive Director