A place where kids grow up and meet new people, Boys and Girls Club offers job opportunities to students at Bryant High School. 

Boys and Girls Club is a place for K-5th grade to go to after school. Senior Kourtney Scott, a staff member who has been working since the beginning of this summer, says it’s similar to a daycare, but different in a way that the kids are more mature.

“Since [they’re] a little older kids they get a lot more freedom, and they get a lot more people to hang out with, and make memories and friends.”

Scott says the job is difficult, but worth the struggles.

“You have to grow up a little bit faster because you have to watch these kids every move, and you have to make sure they don’t do anything, besides that we are all teenagers ourselves,” Scott said. “It’s kind of hard to balance that because you haven’t fully grown up yourself, and it’s very time consuming, and I think if anyone would want to work there, you’d have to be very patient, especially with older kids, because they think they know everything. It’s definitely a tough job, but I wouldn’t change it for the world.”

Senior Isaiah Kearney went to Boys and Girls Club as a child. Now, as a teenager, he works at Boys and Girls Club because of his upbringing there. 

“As soon as I was able to get that opportunity to work, I took it and it’s had a really big impact on my life.”

While Kearney believes he has an impact on the children, he also believes the children have an impact on him.

“Some days I think they teach me more than I teach them,” he said. “Really just focusing on patience, they really teach me how to just think of not myself but think of putting others first, and understanding that waiting for good things is always the goal. It should be the goal every time I work up there.”

Kearney plans on continuing to work at Boys and Girls Club after high school.

“I know it will be a little bit difficult because I will be out of state, but knowing that I can always come back is something I don’t take for granted.” he said.

Both Scott and Kearney would recommend the job to other students at Bryant, as it has positively affected both their lives 

“Boys and Girls Club gives the opportunity to grow,” he said. “Growth in a way that you are able to experience new things, I guess mentally so to say. You’re taken out of the conversation of I and put more into the conversation of we.”