By Bethany Bray
Staff and children in the Shawsheen Extended Day program's Kids Club are finding truth in the famous movie line "there's no place like home" this week.
The middle- and elementary-school-age students returned to their building on the campus of Phillips Academy Feb. 1, for the first time since a sprinkler line broke on New Year's Eve, causing major water damage to two floors.
Sydney Bialo, executive director and founder of SHED Inc., called Monday a "homecoming" for the staff and 175 young children displaced by the flooding.
For the last month, the program had been operating out of Andover Public School buildings, on an emergency basis, while its facility was repaired. SHED is grateful to the schools and Superintendent Claudia Bach for their help, said Bialo, and is covering any extra costs incurred while SHED used school facilities.
Although there is still some work to be completed, including painting, the Kid's Club building's electrical system, some carpeting, ceiling tiles, walls and the fire alarm system have been replaced. The building has been thoroughly cleaned and supplies and furnishings have been replaced and refurbished.
"However, the most important achievement this month has been what our amazing staff has accomplished. From start to finish, they have been involved in the cleanup effort, planning, relocating, scheduling and daily supervision of your children, all without missing a beat," Bialo and Kid's Club Director Linda Shottes-Bouchard wrote parents this week. "Coming from the wonderful situation we have at 65 Phillips St., to having to relocate, literally, overnight to the local schools, was a Herculean task. The staff made it appear effortless, smooth and easy. This is a testament to their skill and dedication."
Bialo founded SHED 25 years ago as a program for half-day kindergartners at Shawsheen School. The program quickly grew, and SHED and its Kid's Club program now serve about 300 Andover children every day, kindergarten through eighth-grade.
SHED's kindergarten building, also located on the Phillips Academy campus, was not affected by the flooding and has been operating as usual this winter.
