Whitefish after-school program kicks off

Drive past any school at just the right moment any weekday afternoon, as the school buses are warming up in the parking lot, and you'll hear it — the dismissal bell or buzzer.

It's a sound that signals relief to many students, but it begins a period of worry for millions of working parents whose latchkey children have no adult-supervised activity awaiting them.

No longer for Whitefish Middle School families. For these lucky parents and their children, starting Sept. 18, the bell tolls the beginning of something very different — an afterschool program out at Armory Park that offers a vibrant and adult-supervised set of activities, ranging from help with homework and tutoring to field trips and athletics, art, music and exercise.

Whitefish Community Center programs have been especially designed to encourage children to discover their personal talents and abilities, what they are passionate about, to trust their conscience and to find their unique voice in the world.

CARE is the recipient a recent $13,500 grant from the Montana Office of Public Instruction, which will assist with programs and supplies for after-school programs.

Research shows that children who participate in after-school programs show improvement in all areas of behavior — with peers, at home, in school and in the community.

Community Center programs include after-school activities at the Armory for grades 5-8 starting Sept. 18; community recreation at the Middle School gym for all ages, Monday through Friday, 7-10 p.m. starting Sept. 18; pre-teen night for fifth and sixth graders on Saturdays, 6-8 p.m. starting Sept. 16; teen night for seventh and eighth graders on Fridays, 9-11 p.m. starting Sept. 15; high school teen night on Saturdays, 9-11 p.m. starting Sept. 16. General admission for these activities is $3.

For more information about registering your child for after-school programs or how you can support the Whitefish Community Center, please contact the CARE offices at 862-8600 ext. 449. See the Whitefish Community Center Web site for updated information and schedules or e-mail info@whitefishcommunitycenter.org.

Laura Blankenship is director of CARE, which oversees all activities for the Whitefish Community Center project.