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The Shack Is Back
by Paul Bass | May 31, 2007 9:41 am
(2) Comments | Commenting has been closed | E-mail the Author
Posted to: West Hills
So “Pajama Mama” (click play arrow at left) and Paul White (pictured top) reached back to old traditions to teach the kids some new moves. Hoping to avoid another violent summer, New Haven opened the “Open Schools” doors.
The doors opened Wednesday afternoon, as officials gathered at 333 Valley St.—aka “The Shack,” a shuttered former after-school haunt for West Hills kids—for the launch of a year-round five-day-a-week afternoon program.
The Valley Street program was one of four launched Wednesday. The others are at Career, Lincoln-Bassett and Ross/Woodward. Another five open July 5 at Clinton Avenue, Truman, Dwight, Martinez, and Katherine Brennan.
The idea is to keep school buildings open longer so the community—especially kids—have a safe and constructive place to hang out. The city decided to open the schools in response to last summer’s wave of youth violence. It opened two summer-long Open Schools last year; now it has expanded to nine sites, year-round.
Mondays through Fridays, from 3 to 7 p.m., the program at Valley’s Street’s Shack features atheltics, martial arts, woodworking, arts and crafts, yoga, and deejaying.
And, of course, Keren Sheffield’s—“Pajama Mama’s”—class in telling, and videotaping, stories. She instructed her charges Wednesday in the long oral tradition of storytelling, as well as the digital revolution’s gift of small, cheap cameras that can record them all. In the above video clip she speaks about olden-days front-porch verbal duels.
In another room, Paul White was showing Calcyan Rangolam and Juan Sepulveda “The Eagle,” a tai-chi move.
Post a Comment
Comments
posted by: outcast on May 31, 2007 11:21pm
It’s a shame it should of been more children out.
Poor leadership!
posted by: baile27 on June 1, 2007 2:39pm
The turnout was okay under the circumstances. Many of the children who will take advantage of the program were returning home from school at the time of the press conference. West Rock has good leadership that is teaching the constituents to take advantage of opportunities in the neighborhood. A We Care Tour was held the same day at 5p.m. Chris Holland (a community activist), led the rally that was well attended. Many parents took the time to register their children for the open school program. Naysayers need to be proactive and support these programs as well.
