TPS Boys & Girls Club…A Safe Place for Kids

The Boys & Girls Club program will begin on the first day of school, August 6, 2026. The mission of the Boys & Girls Club of Tahlequah is to enable all young people, especially those who need us most, to reach their full potential as productive, caring, responsible citizens. 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 1,000 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. Boys & Girls Club will also be implementing Positive Action, a program that uses age-appropriate strategies to support positive behavior, emotional management, social skills, decision-making, and peer relationships at all age levels.

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. In addition, the Middle School will have Torch Club for members ages 10-13 and is a leadership and service club focusing on character development through activities in service, education, health, fitness, and social recreation. Keystone Club will be at the High School and is the ultimate teen program through the Boys & Girls Club of America. It offers teens leadership and service opportunities in academic success, career exploration, community service, and teen outreach. These programs will complement our Junior Youth of the Year and Teen Youth of the Year programs.

Through a partnership with the Department of Justice, Boys & Girls Club provides a mentoring program to approximately 22-30 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.

Pre-K Center members will be able to enroll at Pre-K Roundup. BGC enrollment for grades K-5 will be held during each site’s Open House on Tuesday, August 4, 2026, 4:00-7:00 pm. Middle School and High School members can enroll online with their school enrollment. Each site has a designated coordinator that can be contacted for additional information: Tiffany Cacy, Sequoyah Pre-K; Heather Taylor, Cherokee Elementary; Amy Spears, Greenwood Elementary; Cheryl Arnall, Heritage Elementary; Kevin Benson, Tahlequah Middle School; and Sierra DeMoss, 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