Family Night

By SARAH POULTON
VINDICATOR STAFF WRITER
WICE A YEAR ON Family Night, pupils, parents and staff of Rutherford B. Hayes Middle School in Youngstown get together with games and food instead of books, lectures, talk of grades or competitive sports.
In 2005, Carol Staten, principal of Hayes Middle School, collaborated with the Continuous Improvement Team and Student Council to make Family Night a reality. The team is made up of parents, teachers and pupils.
Family Night began last spring and is held in October and at the end of the school year, Staten said.
Pupils were given the opportunity to participate in basketball, volleyball, line dancing, arts and crafts, a Chinese auction, board games and a nice meal with their families.
"Hayes has a very family atmosphere," Staten said. "That's how we operate. We nurture the children from kindergarten through eighth grade. Our position here is not to stop with them until they graduate from high school. I consider all of these kids family."
Positive experience
Family Night was operated by parent volunteers, student council and staff members, Staten said. Proceeds generated from Family Night will be given back to the pupils by funding different activities such as the Winter Ball, an eighth-grade dance, or a trip to a Cleveland Cavaliers game for pupils on the honor roll or with perfect attendance.
Dennis Mamone, seventh-grade social studies teacher and department chairman, said that he wishes more positive things would be remembered about Hayes Middle School.
"The North Side Community builds good community relations between parents, kids and the school system," Mamone said.
Willie Williams and her 14-year-old grandson, Friedman Davis, a seventh-grader, were at Family Night celebrating three generations of family members attending Hayes Middle School. Williams was a volunteer at family night and appreciates how much the teachers and staff give back to the children.
"It's amazing," Williams said. "Mrs. Staten really reaches out to the community. Whenever and wherever, if she calls me and needs help, I'll be there."
While Williams was busy helping with the Chinese auction, Friedman was enthusiastic about his first time at Family Night.
"It's fun," Friedman said. "My favorite part is everything; just watching people having fun. I just came from the basketball court, now I'm going back."
Ralph Goldston, Youngstown resident and cafeteria volunteer, said the program is great because it gives parents and pupils a chance to interact.
"This is excellent," Goldston said. "You get to see the kids in a different light. More schools should do this."
Vanessa White, 14, is an eighth-grader whose favorite part of the event was playing volleyball and eating popcorn. After being a pupil at Hayes Middle School for four years, she is amazed at how far the school has come since she was a fifth-grader.
"It changed with the new activities; the after-school program is really fun," Vanessa said. "My family is having fun together here."
After the long hours that she put in to make this night a reality, Adelle Clinkscale, community leader in the Family Readiness Center, spent the evening reminiscing about her days at Hayes with some old friends.
"I went here when it was Hayes Jr. High School," Clinkscale said. "I know about 60 percent of the parents here. I'm trying to give something back because it's all about the kids."
Clinkscale was responsible for getting donations for the Chinese auction. She received donations from local restaurants and staff members helped out with the baskets.
All pupils who attended Family Night had to bring a parent or guardian with them, Staten said.
Alumni
Hayes Middle School alumni were invited to revisit their roots.
Amber Rushton, 16, is a tenth-grader at Liberty High School. She attended Family Night hoping to run into old friends and to have a good time.
"I saw a couple of friends that I haven't seen in a few years," Amber said. "It's great to see all the old faces and the new faces."
About 200 pupils participated in Family Night, but total attendance was between 350 to 400 people, Mamone said.
The Continuous Improvement Team wanted to do a family night with no academics, only fun, and that happened, Staten said.