Preschool activities and after school activities that enrich and extended learning opportunities for Lincoln kids.

The Cougar Den, formally Culler CLC is an integral piece of a pre-existing system designed with the intent to strengthen our neighboring community, promote success within our school building, and support the families who make up our population. Following our Initiative to keep kids in the classroom, we have – to our core – adopted the Full-Service Community school model.

We Show you all of this to prove that Culler CLC lives to bridge the gaps. This program is completely free to students and families furthering our initiative to “Focus on the outcomes and not the incomes” whether it be through strengthening our network of partners or directly supporting the needs of our population promoting successful students and thriving families. None of these things made possible without a supportive cast of leaders or the countless amounts of resources those leaders provide.

Collaborating with our various partners we pride ourselves on finding unique ways to integrate their skills and assets and meld them to match our school’s culture. Utilizing a Data-Driven approach enables us to aggressively attack disparities and accurately match resources to students and families; promoting unity and prosperity, focusing on outcomes and not incomes.

Staffed and designed by The Malone Center, Culler CLC is powered utilizing the 21st Century Community Learning Center Grant, LPS Title I Funds, and matching resources from our Local funders.

Program impact:

Culler CLC is a correlation of different clubs and moving parts that help to make up our Day-to-Day population. The program is currently home to 182 students and counting who all participate in several different before and after school enrichment activities and extended learning opportunities offered throughout the school week. Our program is designed to operate for a minimum of 97% of the regular school season.

Although the After School program at Culler is a large piece of Culler CLC, our program is mingled within the school day and built to support LPS and Culler Middle Schools initiatives. Malone Staff partners with the school on various teams like The MTSS-B and All tiers Committee generating student wellness and supporting Classroom environments targeting behavioral support. We are also a small piece of our parent engagement committee and the spearhead of our School neighborhood Association.

Parent engagement and staff café Pictures:

Pictured are photos from past events such as Family Dinners and Parent Engagements, as well as our Staff Café hosted at the beginning of this School Year. These events all directly correlate with our mission to strengthen our population and neighboring community and support our families.

Partnerships and Collaborations:

In the past we have partnered with several different organizations such as Kiwanis, The YMCA, and various others and Currently we are partnered with The University of Nebraska Lincoln, Lincoln Urban Arts, Kratos Sports Performance, The Flying Classroom and many more. Local funders help to make our program great and key collaborations from the likes of The University Of Omaha, Wesleyan University, and Duncan Aviation help to inspire our program and create new opportunities.

Club Model:

Our Program is split into 3 parts that helps to make up our club model. Sports & Recreation/ Health & Wellness, Arts & Communications, and STEM + which stands for Science Technology Engineering and Mathematics. This model helps us to monitor student engagement and identify the wants and needs of our student population.

Club Breakdowns:

• Rails, and Racecars:
  RRRC is a STEM+ Club designed by the University of Nebraska Lincoln and led by their constituents as well as our 8th Grade Science Teacher, Mary Harrington. This club promotes Science and Engineering through several challenging Group activities.
• The Flying Classroom:
  The Flying Classroom is also a STEM+ Club that was designed and led by its own staff. We Collaborated with Duncan Aviation to provide a unique in-person experience and a once-a-week opportunity for students to work hands-on with unique and explorative applications that promotes a positive sense of self and active participation within a classroom setting.
• Kratos Sports and Performance:
  Located in our School Gym, Kratos Sports and Performance operates twice a week for 45-minutes focused on strenuous physical activity and designed to promote safe practices within youth athletics.
• Lincoln Urban Arts Institute:
  Lincoln Urban Arts Operates once a week and allows kids the opportunity to utilize their creativity and participate in activities they may not have experienced in their normal art classes throughout the school day.
• Student Lead Clubs:
  We also offer a wide variety of Student Leadership Clubs and Clubs Run by students including Student Council, Anime and Anime Drawing, Pick-up Basketball and Soccer, and Student Accountability Clubs ie., Housekeeping and program improvement.