When the school day ends, the fun begins for members of the North Kitsap Boys and Girls Club. Open to all middle school-aged students, the club meets Monday through Thursday from 2:45-5:30 p.m. at Kingston Middle School to provide social and learning opportunities for sixth-, seventh- and eighth-graders who aren’t quite ready to go home when the bell rings.

“The club was founded four years ago to make after-school activities available to kids as an alternative to traditional sports programs or drill team,” explained program director, Fabienne Finch. “What’s more, we now have sixth-graders at the middle school, and they aren’t old enough to participate in any school-sanctioned sport except wrestling.”

Meeting in various rooms throughout the school, the Boys and Girls Club runs on a fixed schedule with different activities each day of the week. The club day begins with a healthy snack and time to complete homework before the main event.

Mondays are movie days, complete with popcorn. On Tuesdays it’s art, with a choice of projects related to the season. Tuesdays also offer Tae Kwon Do for a small fee. Every Wednesday, Miss Fabienne and her assistant Miss Kim (Francisco), fire up the ranges in the home and family classroom to guide their charges through adventures in cooking and baking. Field trips, such as an outing to a driving range or Chuckie Cheese, are undertaken on Thursdays.

“The trips are very popular,” said Finch. “The kids have to earn them by having no more than two missing assignments per class. It’s a real incentive.”

“The club is a good way to make new friends. It encourages you to do your homework, and then you can do the fun stuff,” said Boys and Girls Club member, Patrick Daniels.

“It’s a good way to try new activities,” added fellow sixth-grader, Chris Daniels. “We also get exercise when we go out to play on the field.”

The North Kitsap Boys and Girls Club has 60 members; a dozen or more students are in attendance on any given day. The program is open to any student aged 11 to 14. Membership costs $20 per year. Field trips and a few special events have an additional, though moderate fee. Scholarships are available through sponsors such as Kingston Kiwanis, a major benefactor of the program. Students may ride the activity bus home at the end of the day.

The program is active throughout the school year, extending into summer with a six-week, two-day-a-week day camp. In the past, summer activities have included field trips, hiking, kayaking, horseback riding and swimming.

Finch applies for numerous grants and is always on the lookout for other means of funding new programs. She also seeks volunteers with a range of talents. At this time she is especially interested in adults who can assist with needlecraft, knitting and crocheting classes, and those with a green thumb who can help her bring the greenhouses of the middle school’s defunct horticulture program back into use this spring.

When the future community center is built at Kingston’s Village Green, the Boys and Girls Club is promised some dedicated space. With more room, the program can be extended to elementary and high school students. Although space is sometimes tight at the middle school, Finch believes the club provides a valuable and necessary service where it’s needed most.

“We keep kids from falling between the cracks,” said Finch. “We’re an important part of this community.”

For more information on the North Kitsap Boys and Girls Club, contact Fabienne Finch at (360) 394-4961.