New Faces at the Boys & Girls Club of Brookings and Brookings Clubhouse

The Boys & Girls Club of Brookings and the Brookings Clubhouse have both added multiple new positions and had experienced staff members accept new roles.

In June, Grace Juergens started as the 4th and 5th Grade Director after previously working as a Lead Youth Development Specialist. She grew up on a farm in southern Minnesota and moved to Brookings to attend SDSU, where she is currently finishing her degree.

Ms. Grace has enjoyed spending each day at the Club with the kids. Any free time she finds, she likes to travel, read, and spend time with her cat, friends, and family.

Also in June, Sally Brechbill started as the new Membership Coordinator but quickly stepped into the 1st-3rd Grade Director role in September after Ms. Hailey moved to Moody County. Ms. Sally worked with youth through volleyball and summer camps, and wanted to continue working with them after graduating from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln.

“Growing up, I always had amazing mentors that impacted my growth,” Ms. Sally said. “That inspired me to continue that onto the next generation of youth.”

Her favorite part of the Club so far has been creating fun new programming with staff and community members for the Club kids to experience. Ms. Sally enjoys cheering on the Nebraska Cornhuskers, reading, and spending time with her dog, Watts.

Meagan Kronke took over the Membership Coordinator position after Ms. Sally. Her experience as the front desk receptionist for the past four months has helped create a smooth transition.

“My favorite part about working here is the positive environment and seeing the kids’ faces and smiles each day,” Ms. Meagan said.

Ms. Meagan grew up in Minnesota and her favorite color is purple. She likes to go for walks and spend time with her family and pets.

Hannah Faulhaber worked at the Brookings Club as a Youth Development Specialist for nearly a year before starting as the Program AmeriCorps VISTA in August. While she loved working directly with the kids, Ms. Hannah said that she was interested in the Program VISTA position because she wanted to make an even bigger impact on the Club and the youth that come here.

Ms. Hannah is currently finishing her degree at SDSU in Human Development and Family Studies and plans to become a Certified Child Life Specialist after graduating. Her career goal and love for working with kids stemmed from her experience at the Boys & Girls Club of Brookings, she said.

Matt Sass, the Elementary Director at the Boys & Girls Club of Brookings, has been proud and happy to see his staff grow and change in different positions and communities.

“It is so great when we can promote internally and keep seeing the staff grow professionally,” Mr. Matt said. “The majority of our full-time staff started as a YDS, working just part time, and now they are in leadership roles in our organization!”

Jacinda Carlson has worked at the Boys & Girls Club of Brookings for almost two years, both at the Elementary Club and at the Early Childhood Education Clubhouse. At the end of September, she officially started as the Continued Education Director after working as the interim director for two months.

“I’m looking forward to getting to know the families of all the Continued Education kids more,” Ms. Jacinda said. “I love making those connections and being able to communicate with one another to make their kids’ experience the best it can be!”

Ms. Jacinda is currently attending SDSU and likes to spend her free time doing anything active, like golf, volleyball, and softball.

Amy Overby started teaching Preschool at the Clubhouse in August after previously teaching Head Start Preschool in Madison, SD.

Ms. Amy enjoys spending time with her students in the classroom and teaching them how to self-regulate, problem solve, and speak up for themselves.

“I’m looking forward to seeing how all of my students progress and develop their relationships with each other throughout the year,” Ms. Amy said.

Jessica Berg started teaching Junior Kindergarten at the Clubhouse in August after completing her bachelor’s degree in Early Childhood Education. She had previously been a preschool teacher for five years prior to joining our Clubhouse team.

“My favorite part about working here is seeing the students grow in knowledge every day,” Ms. Jessica said.

At home, Ms. Jessica likes to spend time playing different sports and games with her husband, two children and dog.