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Utah County’s first Teen Center opens in AF
Elizabeth Spencer | Lehi Free Press
Polaris High School in American Fork opened doors to its new Teen Center, making it the first in Utah County. The Teen Center provides temporal supplies and academic services to teens who otherwise would struggle to attain them. At Polaris, students receive assistance helping them graduate high school while experiencing extreme hardship. Linda McCoy, the Teen Center Coordinator, has watched as the facility came to fruition.
“To see it come to life has been amazing and so rewarding,” said McCoy.
Polaris provides four unique services to teens while attending school: “The Hub,” the “Zen Den,” the “Learning Lab” and daycare for children of teen mothers.
“The Hub” offers students access to easy-to-prepare meals they may not get at home, personal hygiene products such as deodorants and toiletries, laundry facilities including detergent and a washer and dryer, and a variety of free warm coats.
Students may also visit the “Zen Den,” a room where one has time away to think, find peace and regulate emotions so they can return to class ready to learn. Students also have the opportunity to visit with a school psychologist or school-based therapist if they need extra resources beyond the “Zen Den.”
“The Learning Lab” offers academic support and free school supplies.
Polaris also allows teen moms to graduate by providing daycare to their students who have young children. Jessica Lewis got pregnant at the age of 16 and was able to have her son in daycare until she graduated. Before attending Polaris, she was told school was no longer an option.
“I wouldn’t have been able to graduate without the daycare,” said Lewis. She is now married with a job and calls her life “amazing.”
Whitney Keller got pregnant her sophomore year of high school and also used Polaris’ daycare.
“I loved it so much more than a normal school,” commented Keller.
She moved to Polaris after being bullied in a traditional school environment. Keller said she felt safe at Polaris and that everyone was more accepting. She felt it necessary to have her son close by while she attended classes. The daycare also motivated her to graduate faster so she could be with him. Keller accomplished that by graduating at the beginning of her senior year. She calls her son “the best thing that ever happened” to her. Keller is now married and a mother of three. She works with special needs adults and hopes to get her nursing license one day.
The Policy Project, a non-profit organization, provided $250,000 dollars for the Teen Center. Brooke Gledhill Wood with TPP toured the facility.
“This space is so special, it’s so beautiful and calm,” said Gledhill Wood.
She thinks the center sends a message to students that they are worth the investment. She added that students at Polaris are “precisely the demographic that can really benefit from the Teen Center funding.”
“When you’re struggling with basic needs, you can’t have a vision of your future,” she said.
The Teen Center works to provide students with that vision and hope for better things ahead.
“Now I am confident that our students are choosing to come to school despite hardship and adversity because they know their needs will be met,” shared Hannah Figueiredo, principal at Polaris.
Polaris serves 180 students from different areas of the Alpine School District. The school gives students experiencing difficulties the opportunity to graduate outside of what traditional schools offer. Entrance into Polaris is referral-based from high schools within the district.
