TPS Boys & Girls Club…A Safe Place for Kids
The Boys & Girls Club of Tahlequah will begin on the first day of school, August 16, 2023. The mission of BGC is to inspire, educate, and empower all young people to realize their full potential as productive, responsible, and caring citizens, in a safe environment. We are proud to continue our relationship with the Boys & Girls Club of Tahlequah to have a positive impact on the lives of our students. Boys & Girls Club is located at all school sites in the Tahlequah School District serving approximately 800 youth per day. BGC provides a variety of educational enhancement programs before and after school, as well as the summer program during the month of June.
The first hour of BGC is designated as Power Hour. Each site uses the BGC program Project Learn to help members develop academic, behavioral, and social skills through homework completion, high yield learning activities, and tutoring. Project Learn is intended to complement and reinforce what youth learn during the school day in an informal learning space to offer both remediation and enrichment activities. The Boys & Girls Club of Tahlequah receives funding through the NOVO Foundation to include a social-emotional learning component during Power Hour. All sites implement Smart Moves which is a BGCA prevention/education program designed to help members with their decision-making and critical-thinking skills, as well as learn how to avoid and/or resist alcohol, tobacco, and other drugs. In addition, sites implement the BGCA Career Launch program for job-readiness and career preparation for teens, although all sites are encouraged to provide career activities at all age levels. Career Launch provides fun and interactive activities that help youth explore a broad range of career activities, match their interest to career clusters, and identify the skills and education needed for their particular career path. The program is designed to support youth in preparing for their first job, internships, summer employment, and more.
The second hour provides a variety of enrichment activities implemented at the various sites. These include Reading Buddies, Walking and Running Clubs, Kickboxing, Robotics, Crochet Club, Music, Spanish Club, Yoga, Arts & Crafts, Scrapbooking, Lego Club, STEM, Cheer, Dance, Book Club, Cup Stacking, Chess Club, Archery, Cherokee Language/Music/Storytelling/Culture, Cherokee Challenge Bowl, Heritage Club, Bike Club, NASA, Outdoor Games, Board Games, Origami, JROTC, Drones, and Paint Club. The sites also use the MyFuture platform through the Boys & Girls Club of America. This provides a web-based platform to BGC members and staff with high quality activities so members can learn new skills, earn recognition, and share their work with their peers.
Through a partnership with the Department of Justice, BGC provides a mentoring program to approximately 20 members at each site to promote positive outcomes and reduce risk factors in youth. The program connects at-risk and high-risk youth with caring mentors, skill-building programs, and positive youth development opportunities.
BGC enrollment will be held during Open House on August 14, 2023. Each site has a designated coordinator that can be contacted for additional information: Heather Taylor, Cherokee Elementary; Amy Spears, Greenwood Elementary; Cheryl Arnall, Heritage Elementary; Kevin Benson, Tahlequah Middle School; and Candace Lane, Tahlequah High School. You can reach the Boys & Girls Club of Tahlequah office at 918.456.6888.
Written by Sharon Ballew, Boys and Girls Club of Tahlequah