Hawthorne Playground

These children, and their parents, utilize Hawthorne's Access Center. We wish them a safe, healthy and Happy Halloween!

This is Hawthorne's Access Center Board. This special board gives the parents of the children attending our center the information that they need to stay informed, plus it's pleasing to the eye!

The children of Hawthorne's Day Camp completed another art project under the direction of Recreation Leader Ms. Shara Gordon. These colorful beauties are called Chimes. Good job!

The children of Hawthorne Center's Day Camp enjoyed a Drum Workshop with Master Drummer Robert Kenyatta. They learned basic rhythms and practiced focusing their attention.

Hawthorne Center presented their presentation for the Annual Fire Prevention Play. The theme was based on the Men in Black motion picture series. Our production is called Girls in Black, Fire Safety. We enjoyed the process of creating performing art!

Our Summer Camp at Hawthorne Center has been working hard preparing a presentation for the Annual Fire Prevention Play. Yesterday we had our final dress rehearsal Gabriel B. is seen modeling his costume. The costumes were designed by Shara Gordon & Deedra De Palma. The video can be seen on Youtube. htts://youtu.be/xV7juyatHKc

Today was our first day at Hawthorne's Summer Camp, 2020. Some of our campers enjoyed creating ceramics under the direction of Rec Leader, Shara Gordon. Camper Francesca A., seen below, was especially engaged in this activity.

Nafis Singleton, RSI at Hawthorne Center, is seen here beautifying our kitchen in preparation for our Summer Camp. Welcome aboard Nafis!

Hi everyone! If you love comedy & are between the ages of 9-12 and 13-18 years of age, check this out. This may be your opportunity to shine.

Here's a chance for Philadelphia’s youth to become the next Kevin Hart, Tina Fey or Adam Goldberg with the Be Funny Philly Comedy Contest. The competition is open for children and teens from ages 9 to 18, and will be conducted virtually online. Contestants can submit videos from Memorial Day, May 25th until Flag Day, June 14th. There will be two age groups -- ages 9 to 12 & ages 13 to 18 -- and performances must be two to three minutes in length. Kids/young adults get... to create what funny means to them; they can do standup, video voiceovers, perform from a script, do an impression, present two or three tiktok videos, whatever tickles them. Funny can be so many different things, so each child is encouraged to find their own direction. Contestants will be judged solely on their video with the following criteria: Timing, Style, Presentation, Material, Likeability, Drive, Delivery, Originality, and mostly, Fun. (Videos must be submitted by a parent or guardian email. Videos must be family friendly, no curses or off color topics with no copyright infringement. Each contestant may only enter one video for consideration. Videos must be ready to play & unlocked.) For more information email: performingartspdpr.org or [email protected] See more

Today is Earth Day, 2020! We are asking the children, and parents, of Hawthorne's Afterschool Program to post a drawing or photo of your garden / plant you have in honor of Earth Day. These photos were taken @ Ms. Carmen's garden.

Summer Camp 2020 Updates Dear Families: In light of COVID-1 9, Parks & Recreation is working with public health officials to plan for a modified summer camp season that prioritizes health, safety, and childcare service for families. PPR summer camps will adhere to public health safety protocols and protect campers and staff. A critical aspect of this planning is continuing summer meals and providing families safe and stable places for their children to be over the summer whil...e they work. While specific details are still being worked out, we know our summer camps will be very different this year. COVID-19 safety protocols and physical distancing will reduce and change the type of activities offered at each camp. This *could* include, but is not limited to: limiting the size of our camps; keeping campers in small groups; no mixing between groups; mandatory mask-wearing; no field trips; and no aquatics activities . Once PPR summer camp opening dates and public health safety protocols are determined, they will be published and shared with families. You can also sign up to receive email updates at bit.ly/PPRsummer2020, visit our website (phila.gov/parksandrec), or follow @PhilaParkandRec on social media. If you have already registered for a Parks & Rec summer camp but no longer want your slot, please let us know immediately by emailing [email protected] Lastly, I want to invite you and your child to join us for our virtual programming. Last month, launched " Parks & Rec@ Home," a daily, family-friendly online program delivered on Facebook. New episodes are shared at 3 p.m. every afternoon on Parks & Rec's Facebook Page. Sincerely, Program Manager

Hawthorne Center welcomed members of upper level management from Philadelphia Parks and Recreation this afternoon. Left to right, Paul Dignam, Anthony Bocchicchio, Anne Marie Dunne, Terry Kerwawich Valerie Arhondakis, Shara Gordon, Recreation Leader @ Hawthorne Center and Orlando Rendon. Seen in the red, Carmen Butler-Burton, Recreation Leader @ Hawthorne.

Carmen Butler, Recreation Leader @ Hawthorne Center will be featured tomorrow on FB Parks and Rec @ Home. The title of the mini workshop is Exercise. The activities are for all age groups. Check out the activities you can do at home or in our beautiful parks. Enjoy!

Recreation Leader, Shara Gordon, is seen recruiting 2 neighborhood youth to work this coming summer at Hawthorne's Summer Day Camp. This will be the first work experience for both young men. Nasir Golatt, center and David Reyes on the right.

Otis Givens, our Master Teacher of Old School Dance technique, passed away on April 1, 2020. He was born on September 13, 1937 and was 82 years old. He was dedicated to his craft and taught at Hawthorne Center for many years. He's seen with Ms. Debbie Battle, his long time dance partner. He will be truly missed!

Philadelphia Parks & Recreation is sponsoring a virtual stand-up comedy contest in May. Children can perform a 2-minute (ages 9-12) routine with professional comedians serving as judges. The winners will receive a scholarship to YPTC for this summer and can perform their routine before a live crowd at a future event. We will even provide the children with a virtual comedy class to help get their ideas and performances going. We will have more details next week.

Hawthorne Cultural Center celebrates Black History Month by honoring Dance legend Katherine Dunham. The celebration will take place on Monday, February 10, 2020 at 7:00 pm. The Open Dance class will be free and open to the public.

In celebration of the Dr. Martin Luther King Day of Service, Hawthorne Center gave the opportunity to decorate tissue boxes with a variety of craft materials to give to a local nursing home. The members of the Gamma chapter of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority Incorporated showed up in full force! Delta Sigma Theta Sorority Inc. is an organization of college educated women committed to the constructive development of its' members and to public service. Thanks to all for a wonderful day of service!

Hawthorne will be hosting a Frugal Findings Pop Up on Saturday, January 25, 2020. All clothing is free to the public, come and check it out!

Happy New Year from the children in Hawthorne's ASP Program! We look forward to 2020 and all the wonderful programs ahead. Stay warm!

Hawthorne Center finally has new computers in our Computer Lab! Now you can update your computer skills on our new state of the art computers. Our classes take place on Tuesday and Thursdays from 1:45 to 4:00pm.

Happy holidays to all of our friends and families from Recreation Leaders, Carmen Butler-Burton and Shara Gordon at the Hawthorne Cultural Center. Enjoy!

Our performance last night at Venice Island Performing Arts Center was awesome! Our costume designer, Ms. Deedre DePalmas seen in the center, did a wonderful job creating a theme and costumes for the Annual Dance Festival. Special thanks to Bill Powell, Performing Arts Coordinator and Carmen Butler-Burton, Dance Teacher and Choreographer.

Hawthorne Center's Afterschool Program performed at Venice Island last night. The Reach Program culminated their 2019 season with a wonderful performance! We are proud of our children! Vocals taught by Ms. Randy and choreography by Ms. Carmen.

Our girls, here at Hawthorne, are preparing for "showtime"! The performance is at Venice Island on Thursday, December 19, 2019. Dedre DePalma is in charge of our costume design. She is seen here fitting Couture Hall for her costume.

The children in Hawthorne's AfterSchool Program performed at the Annual City Hall Tree Lighting Ceremony yesterday. The children got to meet Mayor Jim Kenney & sang carols under the direction of Miss Randy. What a wonderful experience for our children!

These 4 girls from Hawthorne Center will be representing us in the Citywide Dance Festival next month at Venice Island. We had a successful costume fitting, the countdown to performance has begun! The girls are Jada, Couture, Madaline and Maggie.

Our girls are preparing for The Annual Dance Festival at Venice Island in Manayunk. It's crunch time, the performance is on December 19th, less than one month away.

The Hawthorne Center offers Mexican Folkloric Dance on Friday evenings. Alfredo Navarro is the teacher and teaches beginning and advance classes on Friday evenings.

Happy Friday! Our ASP is celebrating the upcoming weekend by having structured playtime, Enjoy the long weekend!

This beautiful alter was constructed as a part of the Dia De Muertos or Day of the Dead commemoration at Hawthorne Center. The alter is colorful and consists of flowers, fruit, and family trees containing photos of our deseased family members.

The Dia De Muertos or Day of the Dead Celebration held at Hawthorne Recreation Center was a great success! The purpose was to honor our family ancestors. The Aztecs wore their traditional garb that consisted of beautiful feathers.

Antakari Machi from Danza Azteca Del Anahuac is seen here preparing props for the Day of the Dead celebration. Hawthorne is hosting Day of the Dead beginning tomorrow, 10/30/2019 at 6:00 pm. Come out and learn about Mexican culture!

Our Halloween Party at Hawthorne Center was a blast! We had a good turn out and the children (and staff) really enjoyed themselves.

Hawthorne Center is hosting a Halloween Party tomorrow night for children ages 12 and under, from 6:00-8:00pm. Come out and enjoy!

Hawthorne's new Basketball Court is almost complete. The young men in the neighborhood appear to be enjoying it already!

Our ASP is pleased to have Ms. Randy Thompson teaching choir music. Ms. Thompson is preparing our children for a Holiday program in December. Great Work!

PPR sponsered a "Disability Inclusion Day" for Recreation Leaders last Friday, September, 27, 2019. The summit was held at Lincoln Financial Field, teaching Rec Leaders of the resources that are available to include community members with disablitiles. Representatives from Hawthorn Centers were: Ms. Dee DePalmas and Rec Leader Shara Gordon.

Hawthorne's ASP children participate in activities @ the Hawthorne Garden Club. This is an excellent program that gives children who live in urban areas to experience gardening.

Hawthorne Center's new Basketball is nearly complete. The court has come a long way in the last few months. Our neighbors are awaiting it's opening!

Welcome back to Hawthorne's After-School Program! We are so glad that so many parents choose us to care for their children. Happy birthday to Couture Hall!

Wu-Shu/ Tai-Chi takes place on Thursday and Saturdays at Hawthorne Center. When the weather is nice, they practice outside. Brandon is seen here completing a study with a pole.

The Mexican Aztecs practice at our center every Wednesday and Thursday evenings. It is very exciting to observe while they maintain their tradition.

Thanks to our wonderful staff at Ridgeway Pool! Your hard work kept our swimmers safe & sound. Left: Lifeguard, Solomaya Schwab with Lola Ramljak. Top right: Alisa Lozano, Blaze Schmidt and Megan Chui. Bottom Right: Officer Eddie Savage and Eric Grisolm.

The Ridgeway Pool is officially closed. Thanks to the staff for a wonderful season!The Ridgeway Pool is officially closed. Thanks to the staff for a wonderful season!

These 2 young gentlemen also won medals and represented Ridgeway very well. Jaylen Adams won a medal for his participation in the Freestyle competition. Ishan Stanley won 2 medals for the Freestyle and Backstroke competitions. Congratulations young men!

Ridgeway's Swim team excelled at the Little Quaker Swim Meet. They won a total of 5 medals between 3 swimmers. On the front row, left to right are Anja Suub-Hironaka, Lola Ramljak. Back row Jaylen Adams, Ishan Stanley and Milo Driscoll. Good job!

Yesterday, The Little Quaker Swim Meet finally took place. Lola Ramljak, the youngest swimmer on Ridgeway's Team, won 2 medals. Lola, who is 6 years old, competed in the Flutterkick w/ board and the Freestyle competitions. Congratulations!

Unfortunatly, The Little Quaker Swim Meet, a competition for our youngest swimmers, had to be postponed today. The thunderstorms that passed through would not allow our young swimmers to compete safely. We will inform you when a new date has been decided.

Our Swim Team, based at Ridgeway Pool, participated in the District Swim Meet held at Cruz Recreation Center. Although this was the first meet for most of the children, they returned to Hawthorne Center with 8 medals. Congratulations !

The children from Hawthorne's Summer Day Camp performed in the Annual Fire Prevention Play competition yesterday. Their hours of hard word paid off, they won third place! Congratulations!

This is Ridgeway's Swim Team 2019! They are preparing for upcoming Swim Meets. The first is the 10th District Swim Meet this Friday, July 26,2019 @ Cruz Recreation Center, 11:00 am. For most of the kids, this will be their first Swim Meet.

Our campers visited Johnson's Corner Farm, Medford New Jersey last week. They are seen enjoying a Hayride. The campers appeared to enjoy picking corn, which was fresh and delicious, and string beans.

Our annual Swimming Lessons have begun at Ridgeway Pool! For many of the children, this is their first structured experience in the water. We wish them well!

Last week our children went on a Rock Climbing expedition, a first time experience for many.

Our Day Campers here at Hawthorne Center enjoy a wide variety of arts and crafts. They appear to enjoy themselves more with each activity.

This is the staff of the Intro to Performing Arts Camp. These dedicated artists work with young children for 6 weeks out of the summer to create performing art. Teachers, right to left are: Raimundo, Lisa White-Jones and Kimpedro Rodriguez.

A 6 week Ceramic Workshop has begun at Hawthorne Center. This class is for adults only and is taught by John Brown.

The Ridgeway Pool opens tomorrow, June 21, 2019. The hours on the initial day will be 12 noon to 5:00 pm. Come & enjoy!The Ridgeway Pool opens tomorrow, June 21, 2019. The hours on the initial day will be 12 noon to 5:00 pm. Come & enjoy!

Our Summer Campers embarked on their first trip of the Summer season yesterday. They went to the Fish Hatchery in the Northeast section of Philadelphia. The children actually caught fish and learned about the process of raising fish.

Hawthorne's Youth Summit was a smashing success! Our youth came together on Friday, June 14th, to give their ideas on what programs they would like to see at our center. Seen below are the participants. At the bottom, left to right, Shara Gordon, Recreation Leader at Hawthorne, Deedra De Palma, Costume designer extrodinare, and Ruth Scott, ASP teacher.

Ridgeway Pool is opening on Friday, June 21, 2019. Come & take a dip!Ridgeway Pool is opening on Friday, June 21, 2019. Come & take a dip!

The Spring Art Show has been displayed at City Hall on the second floor of the NE Hallway. The display cases contain the work of our talented staff and the creative children from Hawthorne's Afterschool Program. The display will continue until July 26, 2019.

The Ridgeway Pool Shed has been freshly painted in preparation for our 2019 Summer season. Ridgeway will open on June 21, 2019. Come and check us out!

Two dancers who use or have used the Hawthorne Center have recently been honored. The Philly Dance Legends Awards ceremony took place on Friday, May 3, 2019 at Treasures Banquet Hall in Germantown. Ms. Debbie Battle rehearses regularly at our center. Ms Ione Nash, age 95 years old, has danced for many years and had a segment of a documentary filmed here at the Hawthorne Center. Congratulations Ladies!

Hawthorne Cultural Arts Center will be hosting a Youth Summit on Friday, June 14, 2019. The purpose of the summit is for young people from the ages of 6 - 18 years to voice their opinion concerning upcoming programs at our center. The summit will begin at 6:30 and refreshments will be served.

As our school year comes to a close, Hawthorne Center would like to thank our ASP teachers Lisa Molina, seen in the rear, on the left and Ruth Scott for their excellent work and dedication to our children.