A new project linking the Boys and Girls Club of the Sioux Empire and the Sioux Falls School District should provide more opportunities for the community’s youth. It involves building an expansion to an existing school.
Sioux Falls’ first out-of-school club should be able to serve hundreds of students daily with opportunities and services to students and families at McGovern Middle.
Stacy Jones is CEO of the local Boys and Girls Club chapter. She said the completed space will include 16,000 square feet.
“More space, you’re going to be able to bring in more tools, more programming," Jones said. "It’s going to bring in a lot of unique programming we aren’t able to provide today just because it’ll have dedicated larger space, so we’ll be able to enhance things like podcasting, and lyricism, and virtual reality goggles.”
McGovern Middle is located on the northwestern edge of the city. Jones said a lot of thought went into this location.
“It allows for great programming just steps away from kids at the end of the school day or summer," Jones said. "They’re able to go right down the hall, into the club, experience that programming and have a great, safe educational place to be after school. This side of Sioux Falls is continuing to develop and continuing to grow, and absolutely this is a great location for this club because a lot of those services and programming these kids need is far away from them right now.”
McGovern principal Tim Koehler said this will provide real opportunities to his students.
“The ability to just walk right out our doors and right into the Boys and Girls Club just provides such a wonderful opportunity for them," Koehler said. "There’s culinary, there’s some STEM items that’ll be available for them, there’s just a lot of opportunities they wouldn’t be able to experience without the Boys and Girls Club out here.”
The project will begin construction in spring 2024 and is slated for completion by fall 2025.