Boardman Park event had families on the hunt

By SEAN BARRON

news@vindy.com

BOARDMAN

You could say that Thera Bara’s successful efforts to find every item on a checklist was another feather in her cap.

“Baby, you got the last thing on the list!” said an excited Heather Bara, the 8-year-old Youngstown girl’s mother.

The euphoria came from the fact that mother and daughter found a feather, the last of 26 items that Thera saw and photographed during Saturday morning’s iSpy Nature Success After 6 Scavenger Hunt in Boardman Park.

The 45-minute funfest required the few dozen participants to form teams, then use iPhones to take pictures of their finds, including colorful rocks, an animal’s home, pine cones and two types of leaves. They also were tasked with locating items that were fuzzy, soft, thin, round, rough, smooth, hairy and made sounds.

First-, second- and third-place prizes were awarded.

Hosting the family-oriented gathering was Simon Roofing, which partnered with United Way of Youngstown and the Mahoning Valley.

United Way’s 4-year-old Success After 6 program provides resources for elementary-school students, including emotional, academic and social supports, enrichment opportunities and after-school programs, all aimed at breaking down barriers to success for the students and their families, noted Tina Chance, UW’s workforce campaign director.

The UW-based program also allows other students to assist those who might be struggling with maintaining good grades and in other ways, said Chance, adding that Success After 6 is in 12 area elementary schools, with Campbell Elementary being the most recently added.

The only “struggle” Thera seemed to have in completing the scavenger hunt was finding a feather amid the colorful fallen leaves along one of the trails. A sharp eye, however, brought an end to that challenge for the E.J. Blott Elementary School second-grader, who listed swimming and drawing as two of her favorite activities.

Participating in a slew of events that Boardman and Mill Creek parks host is a joyous pastime for the girl and her mother, Heather added.

Discovering the wide, light-brown feather also proved to be a triumphal find for David Israel Diaz, 8, of Campbell, who came with his father, Moises Diaz. Last week, though, the younger Diaz made the grade in another significant way.

“Yesterday, he got on the high honor roll,” David’s father said with pride.

When he’s not tracking down feathers and other nature-related treasures, David likely is enjoying activities that include bicycling, playing games on an iPhone and being on his school’s soccer team. Math is his favorite subject, the Campbell Elementary School third-grader said.

“It’s a very fun opportunity to explore the outdoors in fall and see the colors of fall on the trails,” observed Natalie Daves of Poland, who took part in the hunt with her mother, Raquel Martinez of Youngstown, and brother, Jon Bernardino.

Daves, a Youngstown State University chemistry major, said she’s originally from Pasadena, Calif., which tends to have mild weather year-round and little seasonal variations. Living in the Mahoning Valley has deepened her appreciation for the change in seasons, she said.

In addition, Daves and the other participants seemed undaunted by Saturday morning’s cool temperatures in the mid-40s and intermittent rain and wind.