Nicky Fuchs / Special to the Home News

Makela Roche and Maria Estavez use the Jenga pieces to create their own game while having some girl talk in the Teen Lounge at the Whitney Ranch Recreation Center.

By Jeremy Twitchell (contact)

Tue, Nov 11, 2008 (midnight)

Nicky Fuchs / Special to the Home News

Maria Estavez gets hits the ball while playing walleyball, one of the many activities scheduled as a part of Teen Club at the Whitney Ranch Recreational Center.

Nicky Fuchs / Special to the Home News

Nina Mares, left, and Alicia Danilaff play cards in the teen lounge at the Whitney Ranch Recreation Center while waiting for walleyball to start.

It's a Tuesday afternoon outside the Whitney Ranch Recreation Center. School has just let out across the street at Thurman White Middle School, and a large group of teenagers is making its way through the recreation center's parking lot.

Last year, that may have been a concern for center staff, who said that fights, vandalism and even the occasional fire used to follow the students.

But since Whitney Ranch this year started an after-school group for middle school students, called Teen Club, the center's staff said such problems are a thing of the past.

"I can see the kids can just get a little out of hand when they don't have anything to do," said Recreation Program Coordinator Danielle Truitt, who runs Teen Club. "But when we give them something to do — and I can't emphasize this enough — when we give them something to do, they're all over it."

Prior to the club's launch, center staff said, they had three or four incidents a week involving teens outside and inside Whitney Ranch. In the 2 1/2 months since it launched, there have been only two incidents, staff members said, both of them minor.

"A lot of them weren't bad kids," Recreation Assistant Tim Sentigar said. "They were just bored. There was not a lot for them to do."

Sentigar, 17, is one of two older teenagers who assist Truitt in running the program. Their presence, Truitt said, helps the club run more smoothly, because the younger teens have someone to whom they better relate.

Sentigar said he can see how the club is already making a difference in the participants' lives.

"I definitely think it's an advantage for kids to avoid tough situations outside of school," he said. "It's a chance for them to come here and be comfortable as opposed to just walking home from school and not knowing what's going to happen."

In addition to structured activities and games, Teen Club has its own room in Whitney Ranch that is dedicated to unstructured activities. There are tables and board games, two TVs with DVD players, a Nintendo GameCube and areas for quiet study for club members to do homework.

But staff members are most proud of the workshops held once or twice a week. One program focuses on character development, another on understanding finances, another on nutrition and exercise. Henderson Police officers have also visited to discuss issues like bullying and drug awareness.

"(Teen Club) helps build good character, such as being honest, respectful, and caring for others," said Sike Azu-Irondi Jr., an eighth grader at Thurman White and vice president of the Teen Council that helps plan club activities. "They're helping us be better people."

To reward the teenagers for participating in the workshops, Teen Club holds a special blowout each Friday for the members who have attended a majority of that week's events.

Teen Council President Courtney Burns said Teen Club works, because it allows the teens to spend time with kids their own age and direct their own activities.

"For teenagers, some of us don't want to hang out in other places (at Whitney Ranch), because a lot of the smaller kids are there," she said. "It's nice to be able to hang out with people our own age and do our own thing."

Staff members say attendance at Teen Club is usually between 20 and 35. There is no charge to participate, but a membership card is required, which can be obtained at any recreation center for a one-time fee of $2.

Jeremy Twitchell can be reached at 990-8928 or jeremy.twitchell@hbcpub.com.