By BARRY W. WALKER

Plymouth Bureau

PLYMOUTH — A crew of 12 Holderness School students recently gave back to the towns who supported them by helping remodel Plymouth’s Pemi Youth Center.

"These are tough times for non-profits that depend on charitable donations," said Center Director Daniel Mitchell. "Thanks to this group of a dozen Holderness School kids, we’re made terrific progress in a short amount of time."

Housed in what was once the Pemi Hose Company #1 firehouse and later the Plymouth Citizen Record, the Youth Center has upstairs space that it hopes to rent out to a tenant to provide a source of steady income.

The space needed considerable work, however. For 10 days last month, the students, working under the supervision of English teacher and Director of Athletics Bob Low and Director of Housekeeping Pam Bliss, finished the sheet rock, spackled, sealed the floors, painted the walls and ceilings, stained the wooden panels, and even added a mural to one of the walls.

The students were working during the "Special Programs" portion of their school calendar, according to Director of Communications Rick Carey.

"This is a two-week period each March when the students leave the classrooms for a range of different activities," he said. "Freshmen take Artward Bound, a series of workshops taught by visiting professional artists. Sophomores usually do volunteer work for the Interfaith Housing Commission. Juniors go on Out Back, a two-week camping excursion into the White Mountains. And seniors either do independent projects or take college-style seminar classes."

But while the rest of the sophomore class went to housing sites in Virginia for their volunteer work, the group of 12 stayed behind specifically to help with the Youth Center project. Student leaders seniors Bubba MacMahon of Unity and Evan Williams of New Canaan, Conn., worked with Plymouth students Henry Black, Cailey Lindberg, and James Olmstead, Gilford siblings Kristin and Kelly Keohan, Reed Laverack of Holderness and C.J. Vincent of Swanzey.

Team members from out of state included Colorado native Ashley Babcock, Casey Gilman of Gloucester, Mass., and Lucy Randall of Weston, Mass.

The Pemi Youth Center has provided daily after-school activities since 1999 for groups that may range from five to 70. The center houses an alternative café, provides live music from noted local musicians, delivers GED classes for single mothers, hosts meetings for various local groups, and more.

"We get our funding from the United Way, Grafton County, local churches, area banks and businesses, and generous individuals," said Youth Center Board of Trustees Chair Malcolm "Tink" Taylor. "But expenses are increasing all the time. If we can rent that upstairs space, that will be a big help, and the Holderness students have put us in a position to be able to do that."