It was a day of celebration last week as the Davis School District achieved a huge milestone, that of opening the 10th and final Teen Center, completing the goal of having one in every high school in the district. The Dart Den at Davis High School will offer resources to assist the most vulnerable students.

Teen centers offer students essentials such as food, hygiene supplies, laundry facilities, showers a quiet place to study and academic support.

“We made it!” said Jodi Lunt, Executive Director of the Davis Education Foundation. “It’s a great day for Davis County. Our vision is to have centers of hope, hope for students becoming and self actualizing to be their best self.”

 The Dart Den represents the culmination of years of hard work by thousands of sponsors and partners, she said. “With the opening of this center, we can now ensure that all high school students in Davis County, no matter where they are, have access to the resources they need to succeed, stay on the path to graduation, and build better futures.”

“It’s a little tender that this is our last high school teen center,” said Superintendent Dr. Dan Linford. “A number of years ago we really couldn't have imagined it. That our communities would come together and embrace this idea. And some of us were stunned. We looked at each other and said, ‘this is needed in Davis School District and we’re going to take care of it.’”

Linford said he was grateful for everyone’s support. “I’m grateful for all the young people who looked at their peers and did the same thing that we’re asking our community to do every day and say, ‘how can we help?’”

“I’m Cruz Rushton, the student body president at Davis High and I’m really excited to finally see the student center be open to the public,” he said. “I really want to emphasize the importance of the teen center. The teen center will be a place of belonging for all teenagers throughout the Davis High community.”

Students can gather here seeking comfort and forming a union with one another, said Rushton. “They will be able to find a place to study and find great sources of food and hygiene. At Davis High we have many students who qualify as homeless. This place will be an area where they can find help with sleep, school and life needs.”

“You know what you all have created here,” said Weber State University President Brad Mortensen. “Between the vision of the students, the architects, the builders and Dr. Hawthorne (DHS principal), the whole team is really inspiring. We’re proud to be a partner with Davis School District.”

The Dart Den will help students who may feel like they're at their lowest point have a place where they can belong and get the support they need, he said. “They’ll go off and in 20 to 30 years from now we’ll just tell amazing stories and it will be because of the great work that you all have done.”

This is what happens when a community comes together, said Linford. “A community from all backgrounds, all positions, all shapes and sizes and particularly the students, the young people who saw this. This is something we can all agree on, taking care of our own, taking care of our homeless students. So thank you for your goodness and for your generosity as we build this and certainly for your labor and your heart.”

“Next we'll be addressing how to serve in the junior highs,” said Lunt. “We want a continuum of services earlier than when they reach the centers. It’s the teen center 2.0. I am humbled and grateful for the county, when we called they stepped up. Davis County is a compassionate, kind and generous community that we have the opportunity to be a part of.” λ