1973
March 12– The Community Education Board met for the first time, including the Model City Coordinator
March 26– Goals of hiring a full-time director and opening two pilot schools in city and county were established
June 22– Dr. Don Butler is hired by Community Education Board as the first director of Community Education
September 5– Phone survey conducted to obtain information on community school programming
Fall– First classes offered and first theater production presented
1974
June– Interlocal agreement signed between Bowling Green Independent and Warren County Public school districts, the city of Bowling Green, and Warren County Fiscal Court in support of Community Education
1974
1975
March– Enrichment classes offered in 14 schools and centers with 1,100 participants
October– Enrichment classes offered in 13 schools with more than 70 activities and more than 7,000 participants
1976
September– Pam Sarrett is hired as Community Education director
1976
1978
August– Karen Schmalzbauer becomes the new director of Community Education.
Fall– 86 Enrichment classes are offered throughout the city and county
1979
Fall– Volunteer program initiated
1979
1979-1980
Enrichment classes offered at 24 sites
1980-1981
Enrichment classes offered at 31 sites
1980-1981
1983
Summer– A summer program for children initiated
Fall– After-school program began at McNeill Elementary
1984
Winter– After-school program began at Potter Gray Elementary
1984
1985
Fall– Youth Volunteerism program initiated
Winter– Rape Crisis Center started; ACTION grant funded latch-key program
1989
Fall– After-school care expands to four more sites; Youth program serves 565 youth who performed more than 10,000 service hours
1989
1990
January– Magic Me tutoring program begun at Girls’ Club
1991
Mayor’s Youth Service Awards
Summer– Super Summer Club offered at two elementary schools
Fall– After-school care expands to a total of seven sites
1991
1992
Community Education loses its home due to fire and water damage at High Street Community Center
November– Frank Brown is hired as Community Education director
1993
Summer– Full day, all summer programming offered
Nancy Firkins is hired as the new Community Education director.
Fall– After-school care offered in nine schools serving 350 children
1993
1994
Summer– Full day, all summer programming served 200 students at two elementary schools
1995
Service-learning initiated at the Alternative School; after-school care offered in 12 elementary schools
1995
1996
Youth Activities Program began to serve middle school youth during summer; kindergarten wraparound (K-Care) program served half-day kindergarten students at McNeill Elementary
1997
K-Care expands to four sites; AmeriCorps VISTA Service Learning program in middle and high schools; after-school care grew to 14 sites with 530 students
1997
1998
Along with co-sponsor Western Kentucky University Resource and Referral Department of Childcare Services, the first-ever Stand for Children Day is held in Bowling Green-Warren County.
2000
June– Debi Wade Jordan selected as executive director of Community Education
September– Collaborated with Bowling Green Independent School District to offer two 21st Century Learning Center after-school programs; the total number of after-school programs increased to 15 and one before-school program; 838 children served in all mentioned programs
2000
2001
Spring– Offered on-line enrichment classes for the first time
August– Offered after-school programs at 16 elementary schools; offered before-school programs at three elementary schools; received state Department of Juvenile Justice Delinquency Prevention grant to offer after-school programming at Bowling Green Junior High School; began after-school program at Moss Middle School; 1,075 children served in all mentioned programs
2002
Spring- Enrichment classes continue to grow; continued to offer on-line as well as traditional courses serving 667 participants for 2001-2002
Summer- Community Education offered two elementary all-day, all summer Super Summer Clubs and one middle school Youth Activities Program serving about 500 children; returned to offering summer enrichment classes for the first time in several years
August- Added an after-school program at Drakes Creek Middle School; served a total of 1,223 children in all before- and after-school programs at 16 elementary and three middle schools; Community Education employees now number 10 full-time staff members, about 120 part-time staff members, and several enrichment instructors
2002
2005
May–
- Served 1,270 children and youth in before- and after-school programs
- Awarded service-learning mini-grants to teachers and staff in both school districts
- Provided anti-bullying, service learning, developmental assets, volunteer and volunteer management training. Enrichment classes offered in two long sessions (spring and fall) and two short sessions (winter and summer)
- Along with co-sponsor Bowling Green High School Youth Service Center, the first Summer Activities Fair was held for summer camps/programs for students in K-12th grade
2006
February– Hosted first adult spelling bee fundraiser – Spellabration – to address decreasing funding and increasing costs for programs.
2006
2007
October– Purchased property from Dr. Clark Carthrae to build a permanent home for Community Education. The building was designed by Ben Holton of Williams Associates Architects and was constructed by Smith and Smith Contracting.
2009
November- Hosted ribbon cutting for the new office building at 1227 Westen St.
2009
2010
Fall– Created Teen Angel, a Christmas assistance program, to meet the needs of teenagers who no longer qualified for assistance through another long-standing program. Partnerships with the BGISD and WCPS’s Youth Services Centers, the Ministerial Association, Vision- a multi-agency Council, and other local agencies were forged to create this program which served 98 teens this first year.
2012
Fall- Added school-age programming at the newly constructed Jody Richards Elementary School
2012
2016
Fall- The first-ever Blockbusters at the Ballpark, Community Education’s new fundraiser, is held at the Bowling Green Ballpark (home of the Hot Rods) to replace the long-running Spellabration. The blockbusters shown were “Star Wars: The Force Awakens” and the Disney animated movie, “Big Hero 6”.
2018
Fall- Added school-age programming at the newly constructed Jennings Creek Elementary School. Before-school programs are now in nine schools and after-school programs are now in 19 schools.
2018
2019
Fall- Debi Wade Jordan retired after more than 19 years as Executive Director. Bill Oldham, long-time Community Education board member and previous Advisory Council member, was hired as the new Executive Director.
