Homework help and test prep available!

This year, the program

will be bigger than ever!

Youth will meet weekly

with an advisor to prepare

materials, speak at events

to practice public speak-

ing, and be an active part

in their community. If you

would like to participate

please stop by the Youth

Center!

Every year the Boys

and Girls Clubs of America

hosts a competition to

choose the Youth of the

Year. The Youth of the Year

program is BGCA’s premier

recognition program for

Club members, promoting

service to Club, community

and family, academic suc-

cess, strong moral charac-

ter, life goals, poise and

public speaking ability.

This is the first year that

the Military Youth of the

Year will be added to the

Boys and Girls Clubs pro-

gram line up.

Ms. Elizabeth Kolodgy,

18, Daughter of Msgt. John

Kolodgy has earned the

title of New York State’s

Military Youth of the Year

for 2013. On May 19,

2013, Elizabeth traveled to

Albany, NY to compete in

the State wide competi-

tion.

After winning the New

York State Military youth of

the year competition, Beth

was able to travel to the

Northeast Regional Youth

of the Year competition in

New York City. She was

able to meet youth from all

over the region as well as

several representatives

from BGCA.

studying for your drivers

exam, college essays,

bringing up your grades,

or anything else you

need!

School is in session!

Do you have a plan for

how you are going to

succeed? Did you know

you can get FREE home-

work help in the YC

Learning lab? Every day

from 2:30-5:30 there is an

experienced staff mem-

ber available to help you

with all your homework

needs! We even have

games and prizes during

power hour from 3:00-

4:00. Stop by for SAT

prep, Regent prep, help

In This Issue

Parent advisory council 2

Staff Spotlight 2

Haunted House 2

Holiday Events 3

Midnight Sports Report 3

Rhythms 3

Youth Speak Out 4

Upcoming Clubs 5

Upcoming Events 3

Club Report 6

Keystone and Torch 6

Fort Drum Youth named New York’s

Military Youth of the Year

Elizabeth Kolodgy, New York State Military Youth of the

Year, Meeting Assemblyman Blackenbush at the Youth of

the Year Competition.

Youth Center, 10788 Chapel Drive, (315) 772-6719 Issue 1, Fall-Winter, 2013

The Youth Center Welcomes a

New Technology Lab Lead, Mr. Joe!

Mr. Joe has a background in technol-

ogy, including having a Masters De-

gree in the field! He joins us after

working in the Watertown School Dis-

trict for several years and is excited to

be developing new programs in the

Lab. You can look forward to Photog-

raphy Club, Photoshop editing, Video

Editing, Smart Board Games, and

much more. Plus he is available to

help you with any homework you

need to complete on the computer.

Stop by the Technology Lab to see

what’s happening!

Haunted House and Halloween Ball Coming in October!

volunteer, at least make sure to stop

by on October 25th to participate in

this awesome event!

This year we also have a Hallow-

een Ball on October 31st, 6-9 PM. $3

for members in costume; $5 for

members not in costume, and non-

members. Come have a ball dancing,

no tricks but treats will be provided.

Prizes awarded for best costumes.

Every year Youth Programs puts on

a haunted house at Remington Park.

The Haunted House is open to the

Public and is a great way to have some

spooky Halloween fun! This year, we

will asking youth, parents, and commu-

nity volunteers to help set up and or-

ganize the event. We are also looking

for ideas to make this the best year

ever for this popular event!

Youth can sign up at the front

desk if they are interested in volun-

teering, and parents can call if they

would like to be involved. If you can’t

Parent Advisory Council

STAFF SPOTLIGHT: Mr. Joe is our New Tech Lab Lead!

Page 2

The Youth Program’s Parent Advi-

sory Council (PAC) provides guidance

and support to the Program Manager

and Youth Staff to ensure programs

and activities are meeting the needs

and expectations of the community.

The Parent Advisory Council serves as

a liaison between the program and

the community in order to raise

awareness of our program and in-

crease participation.

Participating in PAC is a great way

to have an impact on our community,

learn about our programs, and make

friends in the process. We meet the

fourth Tuesday of every month. We

had a kick off event September 24th

to welcome new members!

If you are interested in participat-

ing in future meetings please give us

a call to sign up!

The “Six Pillars of Character” inte-

grated into the Youth Center pro-

grams provide a strong foundation to

help build youth of good character.

New Jams in the Rhythms Room!

Midnight Sports Report

This year we will host our New

Years Eve Party on 31 December.

Youth are encouraged to come cele-

brate the New Year with food, fun,

and friends!

The event starts at 8PM and we

ring in the new year at midnight.

Breakfast is then served and the

event ends at 1AM. The cost of the

event is $10 Per person or $16 per

couple.

The Youth Center is Home to sev-

eral excellent holiday Events! Every

year we host the holiday tree lighting

reception. Much help is needed from

volunteers to run crafts, snacks, and to

assist with set up. This event is open

to families of all ages from Fort Drum!

This years event will be held 10

December at the Commons.

Youth can also look forward to a

Holiday Party on December 21st. We

will celebrate Holidays from all over

the world, sample foods, dance, and

have a great time! This event is $3 for

members and $5 for non-members.

Since we moved into our beautiful

new building, the Rhythms Room has

always been a bit of a mystery. We are

now proud to announce we have a

new staff member, Mr. Harrison, who

will be running excellent new

programs in that room.

Mr. Harrison went to Berkley Col-

lege of Music and is able to play

drums, guitar, piano, and is well

versed in music production.

Mr. Harrison has worked at other

Youth Centers including Sembach,

Germany and he is very excited to

join our team! You can look forward

to music instruction, open recording

booth, and DJ Club! Stop by the

Rhythms room for more information!

Help needed for Holiday Events

Page 3

Midnight sports has always been

one of the biggest events at the Youth

Center. Our youth have spoken up

and told us that they want something

a little different for the next few ses-

sions–sports other than basketball!

Midnight sports started Septem-

ber 13th with basketball from 8PM-

midnight. On October 11th we will

have a volleyball tournament with ex-

tra special prizes for the winning

team. Midnight basketball will return

November 15th. We plan on having

an array of games including capture

the flag. Keep an eye on the schedule

as the sport for December 13th will be

announced later.

All Midnight Sports are $5 for

members and $7 for non-members.

We always have food, music, and

prizes for participants!

We know the price has gone up but we

will be providing better food and bet-

ter prizes.

Youth Speak: What is your favorite YC Activity?

“ I like Torch Club because we help

our community,”

-Amari Snyder

“I like the rock wall because you

can climb with your friends,”

– Madison Staples

“I like hanging out with my

friends in the teen lounge,”

- Miguel Figueroa

“My favorite is Midnight sports

because I like the competition”

- Malik Dampier

Page 4

“I like to come

play basketball,”

- Alvin Dejesus

Middle School Dance – September

28th, 7-10 PM

Middle School Dance – October 4th,

7-10 PM

Teen Lock-In: October 18th-19th, 8

PM-8 AM

Karaoke: October 5th, 5-7 PM

Midnight Sports: October 11th, 8

PM-12 AM

Line Dance Party: October 26th, 4-7

PM

Halloween Ball: Oct 31th, 6-9 PM

Skate Jam: November 2nd, 3-6 PM

Middle School Dance: November

8th, 7-10 PM

November 15th, Midnight Sports

3 on 3 Basketball: November 16th,

2-6 PM

Holiday Crafts: November 23rd, 2-5

PM

Native American Heritage Event:

November 22nd, 5-7PM

Upcoming YC Events:

5:00 PM. Register by December, 6th.

Youth of The Year: Thursdays, Sep-

tember 5th-November 14th 5:00 PM.

Ladies Zumba: Tuesdays 4:30-5:30PM

Everybody Zumba: Fridays 5:00-6:00

PM

There’s so much going on at the

Youth Center now that school is in

session! Here’s a rundown of our up-

coming clubs:

Keystone Club: First and third

Wednesday at 5:00 (High School com-

munity service club)

Torch Club: First and third Thursday at

4:30 (Middle School community ser-

vice)

Diploma to Degree: Tuesdays 5:00 PM

Smart Girls: Wednesdays 3:30-5:00 PM

September 18 - November 13

Register by September 6th

Conflict Resolution: September 20th,

October 30th, November 18th, & De-

cember 12th at 5PM.

Cooking Club 201: Ethnic Observance:

Hispanic: September 20th-October

9th, Mondays and Wednesdays 3:30-

5:00. Register by September 18th

Native American Cooking:

November 13th-22nd, Wednesdays

and Fridays 3:30-5:00. Register by

November 1st

Cooking Club 202: Cake Decorating

December 18th, 19th, & 20th 3:00-

Upcoming YC Clubs:

Ladies Zumba

Page 5

December 13th, Midnight Sports

Gingerbread House Contest: De-

cember 14th, 3-5 PM

Holiday Party, December 21st 4-7

PM

Holiday Crafts: December 23rd, 2-5

PM

Snow Sculpture Contest: Dec. 28 2-

4pm

New Years Eve Party: Dec. 31, time

TBA

Torch Club Officers:

President: Adam Mitchell

Vice President: Amari Snyder

Secretary: Aaliyah Holloway

Treasurer: Sara Hemminger

Keystone and Torch Club are two

of our most popular clubs at the

Youth Center. Both clubs are geared

towards leadership and community

service. Over the past few months,

Keystone club has been very busy

with a volunteer trip to Urban Mission,

a food drive at the PX, and helping

out around the Center. Torch Club has

also been busy helping with a Middle

School Dance, cooking snack, and

volunteering at the Urban Mission. In

the coming months, both clubs will be

planning another community out-

reach event. Keystone will be very

busy planning for a Teen Lock-In, and

Torch will be planning our next Mid-

dle School Dance.

Both clubs are a great way to be a

part of the Community, gain leader-

ship skills, and make new friends. New

members are welcome any time!

Keystone Club Officers:

President: Gabrielle Belles

Vice President: Antonio Bell

Secretary: Emily Moss

Treasurer: Ameire Bell

Gabrielle Belles is a very active

member of our community. She is

President of Keystone club and par-

ticipates in several afterschool pro-

grams including Cooking Club,

SMART Girls, and Youth of the Year.

Gabby recently won Boys and

Girls Club Artist of the Month. Her

artwork was chosen from art submit-

ted from youth all over the country!

The Youth Center is a FREE

program for all youth whose parents

work on Fort Drum – Active Duty or

civilian. Please stop by or give us a call

to register!

Youth Programs

Find us on Facebook:

Fort Drum CYSS Youth

Alexandra

Steele, Kendra

Helms, and

Antonio Bell

Gabrielle Belles along with her art-

work

based on the theme,

Youth Center, 10788 Chapel Drive, Ft. Drum, NY 13602 (315) 772-6719

Youth Spotlight:

Gabrielle Belles

The Youth Center offers a FREE USDA

approved meal and snack daily.

Keystone and Torch Report!

We are proud to see all that Gabby

has done in our community and look

forward to seeing great things in her

future!