Page 213 - Microsoft Word - Annual Report 2016

RECREATION COMMITTEE

THE BOXFORD PARK PROGRAM

The Boxford Park Program is run by the Town of Boxford, supervised by the Recreation
Committee. For the summer of 2016, the Park Program ran 3 hours a day 9:30-12:30, on
Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays, for 5 weeks in July, at Cole School.

· 399 Children Registered (365 in 2015)

· 49 Local High School and College Students Employed (40 in 2015)
· 55 unpaid interns and counselors-in-training

Certified teacher and Boxford mom Nancy Coughlin continued as the Park Director; Boxford
parent Garbrielle Burnham was Assistant Director. This year we also hired a nurse: Briana
Posanka, who is also the school nurse at Cole. And we hired an Art Director to organize crafts.

Other events for program participants:

· Certified CPR training for 20 counselors and CITs at Topsfield Fire Department.
· Orientation for park employees, including speakers about First Aid, Guidance, Legal
Issues, and Police.
· Bike Safety Day, including a bike ride from Cole School through the Townsend Farms
loop and back, coordinated with the Boxford Police to keep the roads safe

· Fire Safety Day, coordinated with the Boxford Fire Department, in which they brought
the fire truck to the Cole playground and taught the kids how to put together the hoses.
· Tie-Dye Day, during which the kids were able to dye their own T-shirts

· Arts and Crafts Extravaganza
· Multiple days with inflatable water slides and jousting

Participating families pay a nominal amount to join the Park Program; this income goes to pay
the local high school and college students who work as Park Instructors. The Park stayed within
budget in 2016 and maintains a positive balance going into 2017.

Planning is already underway for 2017. The Rec Committee and Personnel Board have
approved hiring two additional Assistant Park Directors to supervise the large number of kids;
these jobs are currently advertised on the Park website: www.parkprogram.org. Also, the
application for counselor positions is available on the website; applications are already coming
in.

Christina Eckert