Not just hangin' out

Long Beach High School students Leah Cohen and Ali Thursland performed some karaoke for the crowd at Long Beach AWARE’s Teen Nite Out event on April 15. Photos by Tim Baker/Herald

Photos by Tim Baker/Herald

Freshmen Sydney Caven and Fiona Eramo were among the 400 students who attended Teen Nite Out on April 15.

Sophomores Emily Rivera and Jen Rotando and junior Jess Marcote belted out the tunes during Pop Idol karaoke.

With free food and activities, organizers said the event received positive feedback from students and parents.

Students Helena Young, Roselia Gonzolez, Jessica Peterson and Jeannie Ripley.

Activities like bubble soccer were a hit, organizers said.

Photo courtesy Judi Vining

Students gathered in the gym during the annual Teen Nite Out, the first to be held since Hurricane Sandy.

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About 400 Long Beach High School students turned out for the 10th annual Teen Nite Out event last Friday, which included free food and activities ranging from swimming and air hockey to karaoke “Pop Idol” and bubble soccer.

Long Beach AWARE, a coalition dedicated to prevent underage drinking, organized the April 15 event as an alcohol-free alternative for teens. It was the first to be held since Hurricane Sandy, funded by a grant from the Silvian Foundation.

“It was probably the best Teen Night Out we have ever had,” said Judi Vining, executive director of Long Beach AWARE, who added that 56 local businesses donated food. “You had kids from all areas of the community smiling, having fun, playing together, eating together and not wanting to leave. The drive behind this is really to sort of model and provide a venue where kids can totally enjoy themselves and have a myriad of things to do and not be under the influence, that’s the driving force.”