On January 3, 2012, a team of incredible teachers and facilitators opened Clarksville Youth Enrichment Programs, a center for students to explore, design, and create in their own, unique areas of interest.
The center offers school-year sessions for Pre-K-8th graders in Engineering/STEM, Musical Multiplication, Art, Problem Solving, Comprehension Mission, Test De-Stress, Creative Writing/Reading, and Endeavors (Pre-K-1st grade program) on Monday, Tuesday, and Thursday evenings. We also offer Scheduled Focus Tutoring and Drop-In Homework Help on these evenings.
Daily summer sessions will be offered during the months of June and July for Pre-K-8th graders in Engineering/STEM, Art, Creative Writing/Reading, Drama, Games/Strategies, Problem Solving, A Trip Around the World, Crafts & Calligraphy, Mad Scientist, and Endeavors programs. These sessions are designed specifically to enrich students in their areas of choice, build upon their existing talents, and allow them to think and create in new and exciting ways! We are presently open for registration, and spaces are limited.
Facilitators for these programs include a variety of creative, experienced professionals. Among them are the dedicated individuals below:
Brooke Knight, Director of Clarksville Youth Enrichment Programs, will be facilitating the Engineering and Musical Multiplication programs. Recently nominated as Tennessee Teacher of the Year, Brooke holds an MA in Education, a BS in Broadcast Journalism, and a minor in Classical Piano. In addition, Brooke has received specialized training in the Engineering Design Process and teaches with an emphasis in problem solving while “thinking outside the box.”
Clare Taylor, Art program facilitator, is a local, professional artist who holds a BFA with a concentration in Pottery/Ceramic Sculpture and Painting. Clare’s work is part of numerous private and public collections, including the Gaylord Opryland Hotel Collection and the Montgomery County Library Collection. A founding member of the Downtown Artists Co-op, Clare is working toward her Master’s degree in Community Counseling, with a specific passion for Art Therapy.
Patricia South, Educational Specialist & Program Facilitator, holds a Master of Arts in Education. With 10 years of teaching experience, Patricia has held the title of Distinguished Classroom Teacher for the state of Tennessee and the Green Apple award for exceptional teaching nominated by her peers. Patricia specializes in the use of creative strategies while teaching.
Pam Ketch, Educational Specialist & Program Facilitator, has 14 years of classroom experience and has tutored, coached, and taught various community children and youth classes for many years. Pam specializes in teaching children applicable, critical thinking skills.
Jessica Ledbetter, Educational Specialist & Program Facilitator, holds degrees in both Education and Special Education. With a variety of teaching experiences including Life Skills, Developmentally Delayed, and Gifted students, Jessica brings an array of experience and knowledge regarding developmentally appropriate practices.
Shawn Knight, Drama program facilitator, is a professional Equity actor and company member at the Nashville Children’s Theatre, which has been ranked by Time magazine as one of the five best Children’s Theatres in the country. A professor at Belmont University, he holds an MA in English, an MFA in Theatre, and has been seen on stage at the Tennessee Repertory Theatre, the Kentucky Repertory Theatre, the Kentucky Shakespeare Festival, the Cincinnati Playhouse in the Park (Tony Award® recipient), and dozens of other venues.
Bobbi Knight, Manager of Clarksville Youth Enrichment Programs, has 39 years teaching experience with an MS degree in Math and a minor in Curriculum and Instruction. Bobbi has served as teacher, computer lab teacher, and Educational Technologist for Fort Campbell Schools where she received a Superintendent’s Award for her achievements.
Harold Knight, Educational Strategist, has 36 years teaching experience. Holding a BS in Education with a concentration in Reading and an MS in Administration and Supervision, Harold holds both a Superintendent’s Award and Teacher of the Year Award for Fort Campbell Schools. He facilitated Odyssey of the Mind, a competitive Engineering Team, which successfully placed in both regional and world tournaments as well as Math competition teams which successfully placed in state finals.
This is just a sampling of the amazing, talented program facilitators who comprise our staff. For the summer months, students are invited to sign up for multiple-week sessions for an hour and a half daily. Throughout the summer, all four two-week sessions will offer something new and unique, intended to allow your children to choose all the sessions that most interest them.
We also invite, and would love, for you and your child to swing by and visit the center sometime soon to simply say hello! We are located behind the Co-Op on Dunbar Cave Road in Dunbar Park at 235A on Monday, Tuesday, and Thursday evenings from 4:00pm-6:00pm with Wednesdays available by appointment, and Monday-Friday all summer from 8:00am-3:00pm.
Thank you for taking your valuable time to allow us to introduce our programs. This center was created in the honor and for the enrichment of Clarksville’s youth!