B AYO N N E By Pat Bonner Photos courtesy of PAL
I
f you are of a certain age and grew up in Bayonne, when you hear the letters PAL, you think of two things: boxing and boys basketball. However, I recently visited the Police Athletic League at its headquarters at the Midtown Community School on 23d Street and found that it had changed considerably from the program that was started more than 60 years ago. Its popular after school program has become the largest in the area and an affordable lifeline for many of Bayonne’s working parents. The Police Athletic League was launched shortly after World War II by members of the Bayonne Police Department. Jerry Clougher, a prominent local sportswriter, started the afterschool program in 1975 in the old PAL Building on Avenue A between 23rd and 24th Streets. The old PAL Building was demolished in 1992, and the program was moved to what is now known as the William Shemin Midtown Community School. CARE AND COMPETENCE The nonprofit afterschool program has grown from 35 children in 1975 to more than 200 today. The BPD remain big supporters. The program is run by a professional staff led by Executive Director K.T. Torello and Program Director Morgan Hull. They provide care and competence in supervising a group of kids from ages 4 to 13 who have a lot of energy to burn off after a day at school. The competence
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Mayor Davis helps out.
Meeting a
MODERN
NEED and doing it well
is easy to document. The staff are trained in CPR and first aid, are fingerprinted, and have completed at least some child care courses online through Penn State. A number are elementary school teachers. I witnessed the care part by seeing KT interact with the children in a number of minor crises such as a lost phone, bathroom accident, and the like. KT has been with the program for 30 years, and his patience is remarkable. Diane Torello, Chief Financial Officer, has been with the program for 32 years. Morgan Hull, today a Jersey City teacher, started in the program when she was 4 and has risen through the ranks to the number three position. Angie Fearon, Americans with Disabilities Act Coordinator, is another veteran who has been with the program for 20 years. She’s also a Bayonne teacher. OPEN FOR BUSY-NESS On school days, the center operates from 2:30 to 6 p.m. When the schools have a half day, the hours are from noon until 5:30 p.m., and a hot lunch is provided. The center is open on school holidays and provides a full day program. Buses pick up the children at all Bayonne’s elementary schools and bring them to the Shemin School. Parents can drop off and pick up their children provided the staff is informed. The first order of business is afternoon snack. This is usually something healthy, and the time in the cafeteria allows the kids to let off steam and be a little loud. At least, that’s how it sounded to me. They group the children by ages and gender. Boys ages 10, 11, 12 and 13 are together as well as a separate group of girls in those
