Principal Jessica Holman is a good sport. When the staff of Green Magnet Academy took students to the Change Center for a back to school celebration, Holman strapped on a pair of roller skates and ventured onto the floor.
OK. So two adults who actually could skate had her by both arms. And she didn’t stay long.
Holman said it’s all about encouraging kids to try new things. She urges them to approach new things with an open mind rather than a fixed mind. “Now I’ll be able to tell them Monday that this was hard for me but I tried it anyway.”
Assistant principal James Slay welcomed parents and grandparents while assistant principal Will Smith fed quarters into the basketball game for some of the older guys. The Change Center was hopping from 5-7 p.m. Friday (8/23) as the Green Magnet families ate pizza and filled the lobby around the skating rink.
The Change Center, 203 Harriet Tubman Street, was designed to be fun. In addition to strobe lights and fast music on a roller rink, there’s a climbing wall, a café and video/arcade games. Prices are reasonable: $5 to rent roller skates all day and $2 for a skate mate to help beginning skaters. Next time, we’ll rent one of those for Principal Holman.
Fall operating hours are 6-9 p.m. $2 Tuesdays; 6-10 p.m. Wednesdays for inline hockey; 6-10 p.m. Thursdays for pickup basketball; 6-10 p.m. Fridays; 3-10 p.m. Saturdays and 4-7 p.m. Sundays. The center is closed on Mondays.