Worth the Wait: Teens Transform Center to Room of Their Own
By SIMONE McCARTHY
The banter of ping-pong paddles and the whirring of foosballs
mingled with exuberant shouts and groans from the teenagers playing and
watching the games.
Others clutched sodas and munched on pizza and cupcakes while
swaying in tune with the music or conversing energetically on a big,
squishy couch.
Island teenagers left no doubt Saturday night that the new teen
center which opened up in the Cottagers Corner building in Oak Bluffs
was the place to be.
SRC="http://www.mvgazette.com/news/2005/03/18/content/teen_ping_pong_sm.jpg" Despite the rain and snow, some 70 teens showed up for the premiere
night of the YMCA-sponsored center, out-striping all expectations.
"I wasn't sure if a lot of kids knew we were opening, so
when the first 10 people showed up I was really excited because I
thought that was a good turnout," said regional high school junior
Quinn Retmier.
"And then another 20 came, and from there people just kept
pouring in," he added.
Mr. Retmier is one of the 13 Island students who joined forces under
the YMCA youth initiative council, calling themselves the Supporting
League of Ideas and Projects (the SLIP) and taking on a sizable
challenge.
Made up of students from both the regional high school and the
Martha's Vineyard Public Charter School, they have been meeting
and planning since last spring.
"We have had to work so hard and move over so many roadblocks
with finding a building and getting funding, but now that it is here it
feels really, really good," said Ed Cisek, member of the SLIP
council and a sophomore at the regional high school.
SRC="http://www.mvgazette.com/news/2005/03/18/content/teen_cottagers_corner_sm.jpg" "I am so excited and everyone who is here seems to be,
too," he said.
Indeed, like a warm sun after the long winter, the teen center has
arrived. Teens who flocked to the center on Saturday night eagerly
embraced it as the antidote to an age-old complaint.
"There used to be nothing to do [on the Island] except go to
the movies or to a friend's house, and now there is this, and it
is so cool. I am planning on coming back a lot, because there is so much
here," said Maureen Fitzpatrick, regional high school sophomore.
Strings of lights ran along the ceiling inside the center. Upstairs,
in a larger room, teens lounged on the floor, surrounded by art
supplies, or else piled onto the couches and bean-bag chairs bordering
the big-screen television. Music videos flashed on the screen, but most
were too absorbed in the fast paced 10-person games of Egyptian poker or
the antics of friends to pay it much attention.
Jenn Barry, also a sophomore, said, "I have been literally
waiting my whole life for there to be something to do on Martha's
Vineyard, for there to just be somewhere to go, and now there finally
is, and this is so great."
Energy was high as teens arrived throughout Saturday night to meet
friends and evaluate the new scene. Most soon found themselves
acclimating to the different dynamics inside - an energetic
downstairs games area versus the more low-key upstairs with computers
and television.
SRC="http://www.mvgazette.com/news/2005/03/18/content/teens_gather_sm.jpg" Steve Premda, an adult volunteer at the center, was excited by how
easily the teenagers adapted.
"Kids just came in and felt comfortable right away," he
said. "It was great because our goal is to make [them] feel a
part of this place and feel like it belongs to them."
The SLIP had done its work well. The foosball, ping-pong and pool
tables they were able to purchase through donations were in constant use
throughout the night.
Mitchell Moreis, a senior at the regional high school, was riveted
by the foosball competition, even if he wasn't thrilled with the
outcome of his endeavors, calling for a rematch.
"I can't believe it," he said, "My friend,
who has never done anything athletic in his life, beat me 10-3."
The SLIP has numerous plans for additions and improvements,
including pool and ping-pong tournaments, scheduled movies, Playstation
2, and so-called lock-ins, where teens can stay the entire night.
Since the teen center hours are limited to 2 to 8 p.m. on Thursday,
2 to 11 p.m. on Friday, 4 to 11 p.m. on Saturday, and 4 to 8 p.m. on
Sunday, the SLIP is also interested in inviting school clubs to use the
facilities during the week.
SRC="http://www.mvgazette.com/news/2005/03/18/content/teens_pool_table_sm.jpg" Teen center director Eric Adams, when looking toward the future of
the center, said, "I think we have finally been able to provide
teens with a safe and sober environment and an alternative to hanging
around friends' houses or driving around. I am very enthusiastic
about what the teen center will mean for the Island's
teens."
Many teens found the positive social atmosphere of the teen center a
welcome relief.
"This place feels really friendly and laid back," said
Amanda Cavanaugh, a freshman at the regional high school.
"It's not the kind of place where you need to be worried
about having an enemy in the other room or even just being too loud for
your parents. You can just hang out."
"I was expecting the teen center to attract more of a younger
crowd of high school students," said regional high school junior
Abbey Stone. "But that definitely wasn't the case. There
were people of all grades there, and we all mixed. It was actually a lot
of seniors and juniors who stayed the longest."
Gazette correspondent Simone McCarthy is a junior at the
Martha's Vineyard Regional High School.
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