ST, GEORGE — Two weeks into the new school year and Washington County students in need are receiving additional access to help. While most students arrive after a possible shower and loading up on breakfast, some can’t.
That's where the Pine Valley High School Teen Center comes into play.
"One girl was so embarrassed, she was sweating, and she had sweat, and she's like, I'm so embarrassed, do you have a shirt? And I'm like, 'Heck yes, I do! And she's like, 'Oh, thank you,' and went in the bathroom. And she's like, 'But I don't have deodorant.' I'm like, 'I got you,'" shared school aide Megan Paxman.
Paxman, who students have nicknamed Pac-Man, is the center mom. The center itself is one of five in the Washington County School District aimed at helping students at any school with items of dignity and a place for a mental health break.
"Most of the families that I work with, the parents are working two or three jobs, but they just don't make enough to afford the housing and the food and everything else," explained Washington County School District At-Risk Coordinator Brian Gunnell. "We have some students that either with or without parents, live in places like automobiles and storage units."
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Gunnell has been a school counselor for over 20 years and has dreamed of a space like the teen center. On the morning FOX 13 News visited the Pine View facility, about 40 kids came and went.
"We identify about 1,000 students per year that are experiencing some kind of homelessness during the school year. And our free and reduced lunch numbers typically are up around 13,000 to 14,000 kids a year that need [or] qualify for free lunch. So there are high needs here," Gunnell said.
According to the district, at Pine View High School alone, there are 50 students identified as homeless, which is typical for a school in the district.
Each of the five centers costs $250,000 to build and maintain, with private donations making them possible, rather than relying on taxpayers.
"The kids can come in and get everything from a pencil or a little snack," Gunnell explained. "If they need to wash their clothes or take a shower, they can come in."
While most of the teen centers are self-contained in separate locations, Pine View is built directly inside the high school. The walls are bare, but all of the teen centers are currently in competition over who can paint the best mural to cover the empty space.
There’s also shame being covered up by pride.
"One student, when we were doing one tour, said to me, 'Thank you for caring about us," remembered Gunnell. "And I'm like, 'Well, we've always cared.' He says, 'Yeah, but like, you haven't had this.'"
