Kids, Cakes and Cord: Friday at the Project HOPE Teen Center

First Cake Decorated for the Day at Lincoln School

Forty youngsters were busy this past Friday, March 22, at the Lincoln School Teen Center, taking part in various morning projects.  Byron Hall was instructing kids on things to do with strings, that for a change, weren’t attached to yo-yo’s.  The kids were using three foot lengths of different colored para-cord to weave personalized wristbands for themselves.  Lori Hammer, Project HOPE director, said Hall had contacted a company that uses the cord in parachute manufacturing and they donated ample supplies to the Center. 

Byron Hall, Instructing Wristband Weave Technique

While some of the kids were learning how to make their wristbands with loops and weaves, others were learning how to decorate their freshly baked sheet cakes with homemade frosting and different toppings, just outside the Lincoln School gymnasium.  Once the toppings had been laid out on a separate pan in the design they wanted, the items were transferred to the real deal.  The cakes would have a short shelf life as they were intended for snacks later in the day.  

Two Blenders, No Waiting for Your Smoothie

Other foods were being prepared in the kitchen as Holly Burton from High Plains Community Health Center and her daughter were mixing up fresh fruit or peanut butter based yogurt smoothies for a morning break.  Hammer said HPCHC had donated all the foods used by the students through the month in recognition of March being National Nutrition Month.  A few youngsters shooting hoops in the gym stopped long enough to join their friends  for the snack before resuming their game. 

Missed It By A Mile!

One Day Soon, I Will Be A Pumpkin

Hammer showed some of the seedlings that the kids had planted earlier in the month, kept in a separate room at Lincoln School, up against a window where they’re getting enough sun to sprout later this spring. Once they’ve established enough of a root system, the plants, mostly pumpkins and cucumbers, will be transplanted across the street at the site of the community garden that was installed several months ago. 

Hammer said a sprinkler system and another light pole need to be set up, and that should be accomplished this spring. 

Smoothie Time

Friday mornings are devoted to different projects with classes running between 8am to 11am.  Hammer said after a mid-day break, another session starts and runs from 1 to 4pm before activities come to an end and is based more on academic studies, homework and tutoring.

By Russ Baldwin