By Torre Peña
Responding to student complaints that there is nothing for teenagers to do in Saratoga, Saratoga High School will have an open gym Saturday nights from 8:30 to 11:00 p.m. beginning Feb. 8.
Offering basketball, volleyball, badminton and ping pong, the pilot program will initially run for six weeks in February and March. The open gym will be coordinated by the recreation department and is for high school students living in Saratoga. And it's free.
"I think it's a great idea," said Joan Pisani, Saratoga's recreation director.
"It gives them a place to hang out on weekends without spending a lot of money."
Lynna Taylor, Healthy Lifestyles coordinator at Saratoga High, approached Pisani with the idea two weeks ago, seeking a joint effort with the recreation department. Pisani embraced the idea and reacted immediately to start the program.
The Healthy Lifestyles program at Saratoga High focuses on peer counseling and empowering students to make good choices. The students in the program are very enthusiastic about the open gym, said Taylor.
"It started because there are kids looking for stuff to do," said Taylor.
Costing $450, the pilot program will get most of its funding from Healthy Lifestyles, which receives money from the PTSA state funds earmarked for health education. After a six-week trial, the open gym program will be evaluated before it continues permanently, Taylor said.
Pisani wants to keep the program as receptive to and comfortable for teens as possible. If a student happens to bring a friend with them from outside Saratoga, they won't be turned away, she said.
"We're trying to make it positive and not have tons of rules," Pisani added.
The success of "The Boneyard," a teen activity run by the Recreation Department since last March, causes Pisani to be optimistic about the open gym. The Boneyard offers teens the opportunity to see live music at the Warner Hutton House on weekends. Previously held on Saturday nights, the Boneyard will now move to Friday, avoiding a conflict with open gym nights.
Sensitive to the city's current budget constraints, Pisani hopes to recruit staff for the program from within the recreation department.
"Everything we do now has to recover its costs; we've cut most programs that don't support themselves." For the open gym to extend beyond the initial six weeks, there must be interest among the students, she said.
"Doing something new is high-risk, because 200 kids aren't going to show up the first night," said Karen Hyde, Saratoga High's vice principal. "But I hope it doesn't take too long."
Hyde said she hopes that the program will help to re-center the community around the school and offer a place where the kids have something fun and positive to do.
"It's at an easy place; everyone knows where it is. They already hang out there anyway," she said.
The open gym at Saratoga High is set for Feb. 8 and March 1, 8, 15 and 29 from 8:30 to 11:00 p.m.
This article appeared in the Saratoga News, January 29, 1997.
©1997 Metro Publishing, Inc. All rights reserved.