Thursday, March 28, 2024

Home-Grown Staff: Celebrating Exceptional Talent with Key Staff Promotions

There’s nothing we love more than sharing our success stories. Today, we highlight more exciting leadership changes that the Community Services Department has undergone lately.

The beginning of Fiscal Year 24 saw the internal promotion of three incredible home-grown talents to three key positions within the Department.

Amy Bennett Promotes to Champions Club Operations Manager
In mid-October, Amy Bennett was promoted to Champions Club Operations Manager. Amy’s journey with Community Services spans over thirteen years, during which she has demonstrated unwavering dedication and a passion for excellence. Beginning from the ground up, Amy has steadily ascended through the ranks in the Community Services Department, showcasing her versatility in overseeing athletics, programs, camps, Club Metro, events, and more.

Amy’s leadership as the Assistant Recreation manager was pivotal in Champions Club’s successful launch and ongoing success. Venturing outside her comfort zone, she took charge of key revenue growth areas, steering the membership and fitness programs to unprecedented heights. Amy’s commitment to delivering world-class customer service is instrumental in fostering a thriving community within Champions Club.

Jennifer Blackstock Becomes New Recreation Programs Manager
Following a rigorous selection process that attracted numerous highly qualified candidates, Jennifer Blackstock was promoted to Recreation Programs Manager at the end of last year. Jennifer’s journey with the city began in 2018, and her strong leadership qualities have been evident since day one. Her tenacity and unwavering dedication to strong planning, staff training, and unparalleled pool safety and quality made her an outstanding Aquatics Supervisor. She will bring those qualities into her new role overseeing Southlake’s world-class recreation programs.

This promotion is a testament to her dedication, skills, and the positive impact she has made within the Community Services Department. We can’t wait to see what amazing things her team will accomplish under her leadership.

Zack Miller Steps Up as New Aquatics Supervisor

Zack Miller recently took over the Aquatics Supervisor position. Starting in a part-time role at the Marq, Zack’s journey exemplifies the City of Southlake’s commitment to fostering talent from within. Zack’s willingness to get involved, help solve departmental-wide problems, and commitment to world-class customer service helped him transition from a part-time Champions Club front desk employee to the full-time Aquatics Center Coordinator.
His technical knowledge and outstanding skills in aquatics have been a valuable asset, setting him up for success as he steps into the Aquatics Supervisor role.

Congratulations Amy Bennett, Jennifer Blackstock, and Zack Miller on your well-deserved promotions. These advancements signify the city’s dedication to promoting learning and growth!

Secure Your Spot for Thanksgiving Week Day Camps!

Halloween has come and gone, and now Thanksgiving is right around the corner. With kids out of school, it’s the perfect time to plan ahead and secure a coveted spot for one of our exciting upcoming day camps.

If you’re on the lookout for a fantastic and safe way to keep your children engaged during the Thanksgiving holiday, Champions Club has you covered. Here’s a glimpse of all the amazing camps we have in store for you:

Basketball Tech Camp

Brush up on your child’s basketball skills during this thrilling day camp. Our Basketball Tech Camp is suitable for players of all skill levels who want to enjoy a seriously fun basketball experience. We’ll focus on individual dribbling skills, passing, and shooting, while also teaching essential team concepts to tie it all together. This program is skill-based, utilizing engaging drills and games to reinforce the skills being taught. Plus, there will be game scrimmages to put those skills to the test. Register here.

Dodgeball Camp

Our incredibly popular program offers a variety of dodgeball versions with a strong emphasis on fun, teamwork, and exercise. We use specially designed coated foam balls for safe and enjoyable gameplay. Get ready for a blast of excitement! Register today.

Thanksgiving Holiday Camp Mania

This camp is an absolute favorite! Join us for three days filled with structured and free play, arts and crafts activities, and the chance to explore our incredible Champions Club facility. Claim your spot!

Cross Timbers Forest Preschool Thanksgiving Drop-In Classes

Spend your Thanksgiving Break with Cross Timbers Forest Preschool! Our forest preschool offers an immersive, hands-on experience that connects students to the wonders of nature. Our curriculum is centered around our local ecosystem and includes hikes, storytime, arts and crafts, imaginative play, and exciting discoveries. Forest Preschool helps students build knowledge of their surroundings, boost confidence, and create a deep connection with the natural world. Register today.

All our camps will run from Monday to Wednesday during Thanksgiving week. Don’t miss out – grab your spot before they fill up!

Champions Club Welcomes You to the 2023 Open House and Family Fun Day!

The Champions Club family is thrilled to invite you and your family to a day filled with fun and excitement at the Champions Club Open House!

Mark your calendars for Saturday, July 29, for a free morning of incredible activities. No passes are required! Join us from 10:00 AM- 12:00 PM and bring your little champs to experience world-class activities planned exclusively for them. Kids of all ages will be delighted by various activities, including games, crafts, a fun obstacle course, and more!

Kids won’t have all the fun, however! Parents can also learn about the exciting lineup of programs and classes for Fall. If you’re not a Champions Club member, this is the perfect chance to explore what you’re missing at our award-winning community recreational facility.

Our friendly staff will have free snacks and drinks available, and they will be more than willing to give you a tour of the facility and answer all your questions. Learn what differentiates us from other gyms and see the Champions Club difference. Our vision is to be the premier destination for life-long memories.

Don’t miss your chance to join the Champions Club family. We’ll see you all on July 29!

Celebrate Park and Recreation Month this July!

The City of Southlake’s Community Services Department celebrates Park and Recreation Month this July with the theme “Where Community Grows.” This month plays a vital role in building strong, vibrant, and resilient communities through the power of parks and recreation.

 

Southlake’s Community Services Department boasts world-class parks and recreation professionals dedicated to helping our community grow! Park and Recreation Month, an initiative of the National Recreation and Park Association (NRPA), is about shining a light on the positive impact of public parks and recreational services on their community. It’s time to celebrate how our Southlake community grows all month long.

 

We will highlight participants and staff from all our Community Services divisions during July. You can see the essential services, and the people who provide them, by following our social media page @experiencesouthlake.

 

To help celebrate Park and Recreation Month further, the Community Services Department put together a Parks and Recreation calendar of events. There is a highlighted activity for Southlake residents and visitors to do with their friends and family every day in July. July is always a blast with many world-class activities!

 

To learn more about Park and Recreation Month and its history, visit www.nrpa.org/July. Check out our daily calendar of ways to join the celebration at www.experiencesouthlaketexas.com.

Meet Our New MOD, Melanie!

There are a lot of new faces at Champions Club, and Melanie Starkey, our new Manager on Duty, is one of them.

Champions Club members know that the sleek black polos our MODs wear signify world-class customer service, and Melanie is ready to rise to the occasion. Melanie has a track record of outstanding customer service, having worked in the customer service industry for over seven years. For Melanie, it’s not just about doing the job. It’s about serving our community.

“I’m deeply passionate about providing the best possible customer care. I am currently enrolled in college, pursuing a bachelor’s in business administration. What brought me to Southlake is wanting to grow as a public servant for a vibrant community,” stated Melanie.

Since beginning in her position, Melanie has taken the time to get to know the Champions Club family. She’s thrilled to work for and with an amazing group of people and states that her favorite part of the job has been connecting with Champions Club members. “I love being a part of their daily lives!”

Champions Club members can find Melanie behind the front desk or running around the facility. She’s always willing to help our members, answer questions, and resolve issues. She also loves to talk and is eager to strike up a conversation to get to know our members better! Don’t be shy next time you visit Champions Club, and be sure to stop and chat with Melanie.

Like all Recreation professionals, Melanie understands the value of free time and fueling hobbies outside work. When she’s not at Champions Club, she likes to spend time with her friends, family, and dog Nugget. “I also love live music, reading, and playing video games!” exclaimed Melanie.

Welcome to the team, Melanie! We’re excited to see how you continue to provide world-class customer service to our Champions Club family.

 

A Jiu-Jitsu Story

There’s nothing the Community Services Athletics Division loves more than hearing success stories from our programs.

We recently received an incredible essay from one of our Jiu-Jitsu participants, Thomas Highsmith. Thomas recounts his experience moving to Southlake from Washington D.C. at eight years old and finding his home with Sensei George Weidenhof and the Southlake Jiu-Jitsu community.

Thomas felt like a “tiny twig in a forest of giant oak trees,” during his first few classes as a second grader. In order to accommodate his busy schedule, Thomas started out his Jiu-Jitsu journey in the advanced class. Rising to the challenge of being amongst older and more experienced peers, Thomas knew early on that Jiu-Jitsu was where he wanted to spend his evenings after school.

The road to becoming a black belt was long and winding. Thomas had to prove competency in over a dozen techniques and build up the stamina to learn more than 15 School Rules. Sensei Weidenhof’s community encouraged him in his practice and encouraged him to become a leader on and off the mat.

After multiple years of dedication, determination, and practice, Thomas Highsmith is officially a black belt! He feels “truly humbled by this experience, all I have learned, the history that precedes me, and the sacrifices of many people involved. I have gained so much confidence, kindled a burning internal desire to always achieve my very best, learned the difference between kindness and being nice, and am grasping the challenging tenets of effective leadership.”

Thomas’s story demonstrates the positive impact participating in youth athletics can have on a child’s life. Finding Jiu-Jitsu helped Thomas grow as an athlete, person, and leader and eased his transition to Southlake to the point of becoming an active participant in the community. The confidence Jiu-Jitsu gave Thomas on the mat transferred to him “actively embracing leadership roles in academic team projects and at the Southlake Public Library.” Thomas attributes this seamless transition to “the art of Jiujitsu, its virtues, Sensei’s consistent reinforcement, and the accountability he places upon every member of [the] class.”

Sensei Weidenhof was kind enough to pass Thomas’s moving essay to our staff. According to Weidenhof, he is “so proud of Thomas, an amazing young man! The support was the best from the monitors at the Front Desk to Athletics Supervisor Jonathan Weeks.”

Congratulations on your achievements, Thomas, and thank you for sharing your journey with us!

Community Services Aquatics Team Receives the TAAF Gold Member City Award

The last few weeks have been very rewarding as Community Services staff continue to receive awards!

The City of Southlake recently received the Gold Member City Award from the Texas Amateur Athletic Federation (TAAF). The Gold Member City Award recognizes significant participation, support, and TAAF involvement.

The Texas Amateur Athletic Federation is a nonprofit organization that promotes, organizes, and conducts amateur athletics in the State of Texas. Their mission is to create and maintain in the State of Texas a permanent organization representative of amateur athletics and/or organizations devoted thereto; to establish and maintain the highest ideals of amateur sports in the State of Texas; promote the development of physical education and encourage the standardization of rules of all amateur athletics, games, and competitions.

The Community Services Department operates various athletic programs that range from Volleyball, Flag Football to Basketball! In addition, the Community Services Aquatics team played a critical role in this year’s TAAF Region 4 Swim Meet.

The Community Services Aquatics team was heavily involved in planning and executing the TAAF Region 4 Summer Regional Swim Meet. Carroll ISD hosted the swim meet from July 8-9, 2022. One hundred swimmers from local cities attended the competition.

Community Services Aquatics Supervisor Jennifer Blackstock served as the TAAF Region 4 Swim Commissioner. Aquatics Coordinator Zack Miller was elected as the TAAF Region 4 Assistant Swim Commissioner.

The Community Services Department is committed to providing world-class experiences to the community. Our team takes the recreation field to new heights, from athletics to aquatics!

Congratulations to Jenn and Zack for being recognized for their outstanding customer service and commitment to quality water programming and safety! We tip our hats to all Community Services employees who make participating with Southlake athletics a life-long memory!

 

 

Winter Basketball Will be a Slam Dunk!

Winter Basketball sign-ups are racing down the court, so sign up your players before the buzzer goes off and the deadline passes!

The deadlines for the Winter Basketball season are Tuesday, October 25 for individual players and Monday, October 31 for teams. Here’s everything you need to know:

Individual Player Registration
Individuals can register independently before the deadline. Team selection is based on Coaches Look unless in Co-Ed 6-Year-Old League. Coaches Look is a mini combine for coaches to assess players before a team draft.

All players are assigned to a team and provided with a uniform. The games are on Saturdays.

Team Registration
If you already have an all-star team lined up, sign your team up by October 31. Teams must provide their own coach and light/ dark jerseys. All games are on Saturdays.

Key Dates for Leagues:
Coaches Look: November 5
Coaches Meeting: November 10
Practice Begins: Week of November 28
Season Dates: December 3-February 11 (no games or practices December 19-31)
League Playoffs: February 18 (Top 4 Teams)

Volunteer Coaches Wanted
We are still looking for world-class leaders to motivate our players to keep their heads in the game. If you are interested in being a volunteer coach, please indicate that on your registration form. Coaching is a great way to give back to the community, mentor emerging leaders, and inspire a life-long love of Basketball!

We’ll see you on the court! Register today!

Educational Fall Programming is Full STEAM Ahead!

School is back in session, and it’s time for the kiddos to return to a learning mindset. Kids that can’t get enough science subjects in school are in luck because our Fall programming roster is full STEAM ahead!

The need for STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Art, and Mathematics) professionals is growing. The best time to get kids interested in STEAM professions is when they are young. Early exposure to STEAM fields prepares students for successful careers. In addition, it encourages curiosity, increases problem-solving skills, and introduces project-based learning. Our world-class programming staff carefully curated a Fall schedule full of STEAM program opportunities to supplement what they learn in the classroom in a fun and engaging way.

Here are some of the incredible STEAM programs available this Fall:

  •  iCode Tech Club- Coding, Game Development & Robotics
  • Super Hero vs. Super Villain Science
  • Bubble Smoke & Crazy Chemworks
  • Mad Machines & 3D Inventions
  • Responsive Robotics with Cubelets
  • Bot Builders with Cubelets
  • STEAM Lab- Minecraft Epic-Workshop
  • STEAM Lab- Scientists- Workshop
  • STEAM Lab- Amusement Park Engineering- Workshop
  • STEAM Lab- Brick Art + Designing with Machines- Workshop
  • Kinderbots
  • Mining & Building Epic
  • Mining & Building- Mini Camp
  • Animation Studio- Minecraft Themed- Mini Camp
  • Mega Machines Robotics- Camp
  • Brick City & Transportation
  • Pokemania- Camp
  • Atoms, Molecules & Matter
  • Chemical Reactions & Explosions
  • Cells & the Life Cycle
  • Water & Its Properties

With so many mind-expanding programs to choose from, your kiddo will discover a newfound love for STEAM! Learn more about each of these classes and register here.