A slide on Sept. 17 shows the breakdown of youth participating in the summer recreation program during a Power Point presentation at the selectmen meeting in Livermore Falls. Pam Harnden/Livermore Falls Advertiser

LIVERMORE FALLS — Selectmen on Tuesday evening, Sept. 17, were given a report on the summer recreation program by co-directors Emma DiPompo and Jared Berry.

“Whenever we do anything for the first time there are little bumps, but honestly this year I think went really great for our first run of ever trying to run a summer rec program in a new school with almost all new counselors,” DiPompo said. “I think I was the only one who came back from last year.”

This year 219 children signed up, more than ever had, she noted. All new staff, a ton of new kids, they had a lot of fun, she said.

“I don’t think every kid showed up every day,” DiPompo stated. “We had a very full cafeteria the first week.”

There were 16 counselors and two or three junior counselors depending on who was there each day, she noted. Elementary ages saw the most children with 59 kids ages 5- to 7-years, 94 8- to 10-years, and 65 age 11 and older, according to a slide in the Power Point presentation.

“We would split the kids up into three age groups, they would each get an assigned space for about an hour,” DiPompo noted. “There were three areas with activities: gym, field or playground.”

She said youth could also choose to stay in the cafeteria which was air conditioned. In the cafeteria they could do arts and crafts, play with Legos or hang out with friends, she noted.

“If the kids got too hot or it was rainy we would bring them all in, especially in the afternoon and show a movie,” DiPompo said. “It was a really awesome space to all come together, do whatever needed to be done.”

The janitors commended the counselors on how well things were handled, DiPompo said.

“The janitors were very good partners,” Berry said. “They made sure we had everything we needed. We were well taken care of so we could do the job we needed to do.”

Every day a specialized arts and crafts activity was organized by Kim Cote, DiPompo noted. “[The kids] would make little trinkets all summer long,” she stated. “They built all kinds of stuff with Legos. We had water games, we had a giant parachute. We bought a Make Do kit – you can cut and screw together cardboard boxes. No cardboard box ever went to the trash before being mutilated by the children. They had so much fun with that and they built some really unusual stuff. We just let them play, it was always picked up.”

Berry commended the counselors. They were a good crew, he noted. “For a lot of kids this was their first job in high school and they rose to the challenges that came up,” he said. “They were really involved with the kids.”

DiPompo said many want to come back next year.

Field trips were planned every Tuesday and Thursday, DiPompo noted. One or two age groups would go, the third stayed behind so they could do specialized things not possible with everyone there, she said.

Some differences are being planned for next year, DiPompo stated. Lunch counts will be on the field trip form which parents will turn in the day before. “We can have a better idea of who is going and the lunch count,” she said. “We will always pack a lunch on trips so we don’t have to come back for lunch. It was getting close a couple of times.”

Also next year there will be more field trips to Mt. Blue State Park or hikes so it is cheaper for parents, DiPompo noted.

Berry said some youth had not hiked much, got to see something new.

Town Manager Carrie Castonguay asked if the school provided breakfast and lunch every day.

DiPompo told her it did, with an average of 40-65 eating lunch. It was harder to figure breakfast counts, she noted.

Many wouldn’t have had lunch without the program, Castonguay stated. It’s a great program all around, she added.

When asked about the favorite trip several answers were given. If Splashtown Water Park wasn’t offered there would be a riot, DiPompo stated. Mt. Blue has a nice play set, a big lean to, playground and lake, she said.

When asked if any children had never been to the beach before, DiPompo said a lot of the kids and some counselors had never been to Mt. Blue before.

Berry said he heard for weeks afterwards about the trip to see Mr. Drew and His Animals Too.

Chair William Kenniston noted the struggle getting the program funded this year. He appreciated the work that went into the program.

“The kids are very glad it happened,” Berry said.

“Spruce Mountain Middle School cafeteria was the perfect headquarters for the program,” DiPompo added.