YES! Launch

WOW! December is here! It's been a very busy time at YES! We're in the midst of completing our YES! Launch training sessions.

So far, we've visited Tioga, Waverly, U-E, CV, Harpursville, Norwich, U-V and Vestal. All of the schools will have completed this training by Christmas break!

Two weeks ago we welcomed 100 YES! LEADers for two days of bowling fun at Midway and Sunset Lanes. It was a great time. Thanks to those who came out. Be sure to check out the pictures from the events in our photo gallery.

We finally wrapped up our Red Ribbon Week Poster Contest. We honored all of our winners at various receptions in Chenango, Broome and Tioga counties. A special thank you to our Leadership Advisory members that joined us to present the winners with their prizes.

Starting on Wednesday, Tioga will give the first YES! LEADS presentations of the year. I'm very excited to get our there to see them. I'll let you know how it goes!

YES! Ignites

Today we hosted our YES! Ignites training program (formerly known as First Day Training). Over 500 middle and high school students from Tioga, Chenango and Broome counties packed the Binghamton Regency to attend workshops on presentation tips, public speaking and leadership skills.

We were also very lucky to have Ed Gerety on hand for a powerful opening keynote. Ed provided lots of laughs, but his message of leadership and stepping up to the plate left each YES! LEADer with something to think about. Ty Sells from Youth to Youth International in Ohio finished off our day with a memorable closing keynote. Ty challenged each YES! LEADer to make a difference everyday.

YES! LEADers will receive one more day of training before they prepare to go into elementary classrooms.

YES! Ignites provided YES! LEADers with the opportunity to meet new students from other schools. It’s always great to see them interacting and getting to know one another. It also gives them a chance to get new ideas from other schools.

While it’s a busy day for all of our YES! LEADers it’s the official beginning of a year full of great experiences.

Getting Ready For a GREAT Year!

In the last few weeks, YES! has been traveling to all of the schools gearing up for our new year of ADSIP! We have lots of great things planned this year including some new events for our Peer Leaders to enjoy.

All of our groups are getting ready to end our YES! Ignites event on October 20th. This year our annual event will feature two great keynote speakers: Ty Sells and Ed Gerety. We’re very excited to have these two outstanding motivational speakers join us. Workshops will be presented on leadership skills, team building, presentation tips, and information on the current drug drugs. This training will help all of our Peer Leaders as they prepare in the next several months to give their own presentations to elementary students.

Also, a special congratulations goes out to Sarah Wheeler, a senior from Susquehanna Valley High School, who has been named our October Student of the Month. Be sure to check out our YES! Student of the Month recognition announcement during each Binghamton Senators home game. Keep up the great work Sarah!

Back To School Time

Backpacks are brimming with supplies and new outfits hang in the closet ready for the first day of school. Children across the Southern Tier are looking forward to the start of the school year next week, as are many parents. The return of school is an exciting time. However, in that excitement there can be anxiety. Children are facing new classes, teachers, friends and sometimes entirely new schools. Have you talked with your child about the beginning of the school year? What are their thoughts about the first day? Their answers might surprise you.

If your child expresses some anxiety try some of the following steps to calm their fears about the return to school:

* Listen to them, sometimes listening to your child and assuring them that their anxiety is natural and normal is the best thing you can do.

* Call the school and arrange a tour before school starts. A before school open house is common for kindergarteners, but isn’t always available for older students. If you call the school, there might be a time you and your child can stop by and see the classroom before school begins.

* Share a story with your child about your days in school. Remember that “mean” teacher that turned out to be your favorite, or what about the friends you met and the games you played. Kids love to hear stories about their parents and grandparents childhoods.

* Make a special craft for the first day. Having a customized folder or pencil box can be a nice reminder of home on the first day of school. Check out this new back to school family fun activity.

* Leave a lunch note. Slip a note into their lunch box on the first day of school letting you know you’re proud of them. For older students, try something small, like a smiley face or a heart on their sandwich bag. They will know it’s there, but their friends won’t.

Back to school is an exciting time for families, by taking some time and listening to your child you can insure their return to school is as smooth as possible.

Movie Night Under the Stars

Tonight, we'll be hosting our Movie Night Under the Stars in Owego. Sadly, the rain has forced us to move the event inside the Tioga County Boys & Girls Club, but it will still be a great time.

We've mailed out 600 tickets to families in Western Broome and Tioga Counties. Members from our high school ADSIP (Alcohol & Drug Student Information Program) will be on hand to present "movie trailers".

We'll be showing the awesome adventure movie "The Goonies" on a 26 FOOT SCREEN! It should be a great time. Can't wait to see you there!

Super Splash Day

Today, we welcomed thousands of families to our Super Splash Day game with the Binghamton Mets


Super Splash Day was a free family fun day for parents and children that included a wet zone that allowed families to beat the heat with water games and squirt guns. Some families enjoyed the game from the dry zone.

It was a hot day out there today, so the wet zone cooled people down.


Thanks for coming out to the ballpark today. We hope you had a great time!

ADSIP BeachBQ

On Tuesday, 91 Peer Leaders joined us for our first ever ADSIP BeachBQ held at Green Lakes State Park. Despite the rainy weather we've experienced lately here in New York, the rain held off and we were able to enjoy a nice day at a beautiful park.

This was an exclusive invitation only event. Out of our 500 Peer Leaders, only 221 were invited to join us. We ventured to Syracuse with three chartered buses. Upon arriving at the park, Peer Leaders had the change to swim, enjoy the brand new playground, take a hike around the gorgeous lake, and play volleyball.

Brooks BBQ provided us with a delicious meal!

After eating, we embarked on our YES! Amazing Race. With 16 teams competing, Peer Leaders had to complete tasks like the Egg Toss, a 6 Legged Race, our Cupcake Conundrum, Trivia, and the Combination Hunt. Packs A Punch was the team that came in with a time of 34 minutes and 12 seconds. The Hawaiian Hotties were a close second, coming in only 29 seconds behind.

All the teams had a great time competing. It was a fun time!

Thanks to all those who joined on our trip.

We hope to had a great time!