With school out, Y be snow bored?

LYNN – A lot of Sherrece Doman’s friends work during school vacation week or “hang out and sleep,” but the KIPP Academy senior is dividing her vacation time between dance practice and playing volleyball at the Lynn YMCA.”I’d rather go away somewhere but I love volleyball,” Doman said.With parents working and obligations like dance practice looming, living up to vacation week’s name is not always possible for Lynn area students, including almost 40 teenagers like Doman and Jasmin Chhim, who spent Monday afternoon playing volleyball in the Y on Neptune Boulevard.The Y expanded its family hours this week and shifted its starting times for teenage activities in the gymnasium from 5 p.m. to noon. Even with the earlier opening time, Y volunteer and outreach director Wanntha Sim said students lined up at the Y’s front door as early as 9 a.m.”It gives them something to do over vacation,” Sim said.Like Doman, Chhim is a serious dancer who participates in several traditional Cambodian-American dance activities during the year, including Khmer New Year celebrations.The English High School junior works out or meets friends at the Y three times a week and said time off from school this week also gives her a chance to sled in Frey Park or Cook Street playground.Almost 80 teens crowd one side of the Y’s gym every school day afternoon to play basketball but only about half that number shot hoops on Monday. Y youth sports director Jesse Warren anticipates the number of teens coming to the Y will increase during vacation week.”Don’t worry, they’ll show up,” he said.Basketball players split the gym on Monday with volleyball players, who paid $5 apiece or up to $40 for a team to raise money to support a summer dance competition benefiting a Y teen program called Kaya.Oriented to youth ages 13 to 18 years old, Kaya focuses on fitness, community activities and academic support with help from partner organizations, including the Lynn Community Health Center.Sim started the volleyball program last spring to get more girls into the Y’s gym. Chhim said getting involved turned the Neptune Boulevard facility into a home away from home for her – even during vacation week.”It’s got a good vibe – I meet a lot of new people and there are a lot of opportunities to volunteer,” she said.