LYNNFIELD — The Summer Rec program at the Lynnfield Middle School is bringing back the good old summertime, allowing kids just to be kids. The program harkens back to the “Leave it to Beaver” days when kids rode their bikes to the neighborhood park and spent hours wiling away the time with their friends and playing pickup games of their own choosing. Compare and contrast with what today’s youth sports and activities have turned into, with every move being dictated by adults.
Games like gaga ball, kick ball and four square, drawing pictures with colored chalk on the pavement, and even something so simple as just hanging out with friends in a shady spot are what you will see on any given summer day.
Michael Wein, an eighth-grade civics teacher at Lynnfield Middle School, was a volunteer counselor the summer before his ninth grade year. The next summer, he became a paid staff member and he’s been at it for the last 25 years.
Lynnfield Rec Director Julie Mallett said close to 400 children registered for the program. Last Wednesday, 185 kids showed up to participate. Wein said parents like the fact their kids can come whenever they want.
“They like the fact that they can drop off one day and then, if they decide, to not drop off the next day,” Wein said. “Also, we’re not super expensive, so if you only come one or two days a week it’s probably still good value for the money.”
Activities include four square, basketball, pickleball, tennis ball and gaga ball (think below-the-knee dodge ball in an octagon-shaped space). The most popular activities are gaga ball, soccer and just hanging out with friends, Wein said. Nothing is scheduled – except the daily 10:30 popsicle give-away.
“Kids just like to get together and maybe play cards or talk or just have down time,” Wein said. “We try to encourage them to put away their phones, and we do feel that not everything has to be organized. Summer Rec gives kids the chance to just hang out together on their own terms. We also try to have them solve their own problems. When I was a kid and I came to this camp, I had to figure things out. That’s an important skill. We don’t let things get out of control, but we try to let them figure things out.”
Summer Rec does not buy into the theory that every child has to be a winner and get a trophy.
“We try to teach that not everyone wins every round and we try to have winners in every round, then a new round starts up,” Wein said.
Every day there is an arts and crafts project such as sandart bottles, designing your own t-shirt, or coloring.
Student counselors usually begin with Summer Rec the summer before ninth grade, as Wein did. After that, they can become paid counselors once they hit high-school age. Wein said some counselors continue to work through their college years. On average, there are more than 30 Lynnfield kids on the payroll working at rec programs.
Alex Calichman, a senior at Sacred Heart University, has been with the program since she was a volunteer counselor as a rising freshman.
“I love seeing the kids I had when they were little and maybe were in the first grade, they were trouble-prone, but now they have turned into the best kids I’ve ever worked with,” she said. “It’s really nice to see them evolve.”
Annie DeRosa is a sixth grade special education teacher at the middle school. This is her first year at Summer Rec but she spent three years as counselor for the Rec’s day trip program: Rec Adventures. Her favorite part of Summer Rec is its unstructured approach.
“It’s old-school, good-time fun. I know some people could be thrown off by the fact it’s not structured, but I love it. Kids get to do things on their own, they solve problems on their own,” she said. “I also love the way the high school kids interact with the younger kids. They really run the show for the most part and I love that because it’s just so organic.”
DeRosa said she is amazed at how many kids ride their bikes (imagine that!) to Summer Rec and to school.
“I’ve never seen anything like it, it’s great,” she said. “We have a ton of kids on their bikes, even during the school year.”
Nikki Louise Ferullo has been working at Summer Rec for 29 years. Like DeRosa, she loves the fact that campers call their own shots. She said she comes back every year because she loves the kids.
“My favorite part is just watching the kids play. Just to see them out there playing a game or doing a craft. They look forward to it,” she said. “They’re not structured on the computer, they’re out playing four square and kickball, all those things that kids should be doing. They make their own choices.”
Ferullo said she’s been working with the Rec Department for so long that it’s not unusual for her to see children of former campers.
“It’s fun to see the looks when I tell them what their parents were like,” Ferullo said.
Marco Lafratta, 11, has been attending Summer Rec for four or five years. He said he always tries his hardest to make new friends at both the middle school, where he is an incoming sixth grader, and Summer Rec. He is looking forward to a Rec Adventure trip to Canobie Lake Park later this month.
“I had a heck of a year in fifth grade with nice teachers,” he said. “At Summer Rec, it’s mostly about hanging outside, making friends, and having fun. So far, it’s been one heck of a ride to the sixth grade.”
