Rita On The Road Episode 3 - Club K9; Girls Empowerment Middle School (GEMS); Enchant (December 25, 2022)

Part 1-Zachary from Club K9
Part 2-Dr. Joyce Brooks and Tara Meierkord from Girls Empowerment Middle School (GEMS)
Part 3 Gene Lubas, Artistic Director from Hallmark Channel Presents Enchant
Theme Music: Dave Koz, O Christmas Tree
Engineer: Wesley Knight

What is Rita On The Road?

An audio magazine sharing compelling stories from the people who are the life-blood of Las Vegas.

0:00:00
Broadcasting from the entertainment capital of the world in Las Vegas at 91.5 KUNV Jazz and More. This is Rita on the Road. I'm your host, Rita Pardue. Part 1, we're heading over to Club K-9 to talk to Zachary. Some of you may have received a Christmas puppy this morning. We're going to get some dog training tips and help you out. Part 2, we're talking about the gift of education with Dr. Joyce Brooks, principal at Girls Empowerment Middle School, also known as GEMS. And joining in the conversation is Tara Meyercord, who is the Executive Director at GEMS. And, Part 3, we're heading over to the Las Vegas ballpark, to the Hallmark Channel Presents Enchant, to talk to the Artistic Director, Jean Lubas. And now, Part 1. 91.5 Jazz and more, this is Rita on the Road and we're actually on the road. Well, the car has stopped. We're in the parking lot of Club K9 and we're speaking with Zachary, the facility manager at Club K9. Hey, thank you, Zachary, for coming on board today. Absolutely. Thanks so much for having me this morning. My thought is, and the reason I wanted to have you on this episode of Rita on the Road is that I wonder how many people have received Christmas puppies today and even though it's it's so sweet and they're precious and they're cute the reality is it's hard work taking care of a puppy and training them. I know firsthand because a month or so ago I rescued little Roxy and Roxy's actually here with us in the car, in the backseat, in her hammock. And I'd like to have you, Zachary, share what you've been doing with Roxy and what Club K9 offers that people that might realize, you know, because like for me, 48 hours after rescuing Roxy, I needed help. And thank you so much for being that person. That was a great resource. So tell me all about what is your mission at Club K9?

0:02:28
Sure, so we've been a family-owned and operated business for about three decades now. We serve the Las Vegas Valley here for clients that are looking for everything from you know basic manners, puppy training, kickstart programs. We get into the advanced off-leash training and service dog programs as well as some behavioral programs for clients that deal with any level of reactivity. It was a great opportunity to help you and Roxy after you had rescued her to help break some of the bad habits and get things going in the right direction that she had developed from living in the puppy store for such an extended period of time and not have any opportunity to be exposed to life like you know puppies really need and deserve at such a young age. They've got to understand what the world looks like and what rules and boundaries are going to be putting into place. So it was a great opportunity for us to get to know one another and help Roxy get heading in

0:03:15
the right direction so we can get things started for you. Well thank you so much for that and for the folks listening today that you have that new little puppy and you're wondering well what can I do because whether you know the dog has issues like what Roxy experienced, dogs have to have manners. They do. So let's get the website. How can people reach you Zach? So you can find us at Club Canine Las Vegas dot com. You can also reach us via telephone seven days a week. We are open and operational at 702-885-1111. You mentioned about Roxy and the pet store and I just want to reassure people, you know, over the years I have had quite a few rescues. I even had a rescued a senior, a senior dog that had cancer and my home became hospice. And yes, there is such a thing as hospice care for pets, but we're focusing right now on just socializing your pet and each dog, just like people, are individuals with unique personalities. And that's what we see with puppies as well. So let's tell the listeners about what happens in a basic puppy training. So you've got this Christmas puppy and how old should the dog be when you start the training?

0:04:33
About 16 weeks old is a great age and milestone to get started with these dogs. Number one importance is their health and safety. We want to see that they're up to date and current in all their vaccinations. It's when they join us here at the facility, they're going to learn amongst so many other dogs. And number two is that milestone in brain development. So it's gonna be fair to the puppy with the program that we're gonna be teaching them so they can comprehend what we're looking for. Well what about

0:05:00
that dog that has the the aggressive side and you're recognizing it and you know you can't even have company over anymore. So how do you handle a situation like that that a dog especially like if you have small children around and the

0:05:16
dog is exhibiting that kind of mouthy kind of behavior. I mean all dogs come to us with their own individual needs and problems and we do our best as a business to you know alter our programs to make sure we're addressing the dog and the clients needs. You know building a great foundation with these dogs is very important and two exercise that we focus on extremely in these programs, whether it's building just some puppy basics or dealing with any level of reactivity, is starting to teach the dog a place command. A place command is gonna give these dogs a designated spot in your house that they'll learn to go to, no matter if your family's over for Christmas dinner and you want the dog to enjoy opening presents with the family, but maybe they're gonna lay in their bed that's located next to the fireplace and stay in it during the entire time that you're opening presents, so it's learning to be in a controlled atmosphere and respect your commands and the other one is holding a nice down command. Maybe you're out back joining a family barbecue and you'd like the dog to be with you but once again you don't need it begging at the side of the table so having it just off to the side of the table and learning to hold a down command can be an extreme benefit just like we utilize that place command

0:06:20
inside your home. You know when you said that when I first brought Roxy here and the program for the puppy training was two weeks and she actually was boarded at your facility. And I remember you said that, the two most important commands, and I thought, oh, I don't know about that. But now, after her training and bringing Roxy home, those really are the two most important commands. commands because instead of having her at my side every minute I think she had a separation anxiety. You know I know that probably sounds wild but she really did. I couldn't even the first 48 hours I she I couldn't even get in the shower. I was and I couldn't go to her place command and then down, life isn't crazy having her around. She's a beautiful dog and a sweet personality. Oh, thank you, thank you, thank you so much. Let's give that website again and phone number because folks, no matter if your dog is the best dog in the world, they do have to have manners and not run your household.

0:07:39
Absolutely. So it's Club K9, LasVegas.com. Our telephone number, you can reach us at seven days a week. It's going to be 702-885-1111.

0:07:49
We still have a little bit more time and I'd like to address, because I've been very impressed with, you know, the training situation that you have here, the classes. Let's say you have a really smart dog that can, you know, they don't even need the leash. So let's talk about a

0:08:05
little bit about commands like that. Getting into some of our more advanced training programs are definitely our most popular programs that we currently offer. The on and off leash programs, it's not necessarily where we recommend you walk through downtown Summerlin off leash, but we'd like to make the leash become as obsolete as possible and try to make the dogs a lot more receptive to your verbal commands. So whether you're in your house, in your backyard, maybe out hiking, the dog will be very receptive to what you ask. Whether it's go to your place, whether it's lay down, walk nicely next to you, respecting doorways. All of these sorts of things are a program that we definitely offer to make sure that we can have the most well-rounded dog possible and let them live their best life off-leash like they were meant to be.

0:08:46
And another aspect of the training that you offer is the dog that can help if you have maybe a disability. Absolutely.

0:08:56
Service Dog Training is a great program for those clients that need a little bit of extra help in life. They need the dog to perform any level of specific task on their behalf, whether they might have some PTSD or some trauma. We do a lot of pressure therapy for those clients to help soothe them when they're feeling overstimulated. We help clients with mobility issues, retrieval, medical alert. So a lot of ways dogs can be custom trained to help each client's individual

0:09:21
needs for those that are looking for a service dog. I am just so happy that I was able to connect with Club K9 and like I said I've rescued a lot of dogs over the years and I've never had one like Roxy but I I believe in little Roxy. I know she's she's going to be a perfect fit in in my home and help her to be feeling secure. I think anyone out there today listening if you've received that precious Christmas pup, here's a wonderful resource for you here in the Las Vegas Valley. So one more time, let's offer the website, the phone number, and any closing things you'd like to say.

0:10:08
Well, we appreciate the opportunity to be on the podcast today and reach the Las Vegas Valley and our wonderful community here. It's Club K9, and once again, it's clubk9lasvegas.com. Seven days a week, we're open and operational to speak with you. 702-885-1111. We look forward to serving our community for another 30 years.

0:10:27
Thank you so much.

0:10:28
Zachary from Club K9. This is 91.5 Jazz and More. I'm Rita on the Road. And for this segment, we have our two guests, Tara Myer-Kord, who's the Executive Director and Dr. Joyce Brooks, she's the Principal of GEMS, which stands for Girls Empowerment Middle School. Welcome. Welcome. I'm glad you both could come. Thank you so much. Yes, and you were telling me, Dr. Joyce Brooks, that you were a student here a while back. Yes. We don't have to say we were all babies when we started here, and you did, you were saying Tara, that you did your MBA work. So we all, we are all big supporters of UNLV. Absolutely. It's impacted all of our lives and to get to this far with our own personal educations, yay! And so it makes us realize how for young women coming up that we want to encourage them as well. So I'm going to look to you, Tara, to tell us about the history of what's been going on with GEMS.

0:11:38
Okay, so Girls Empowerment Middle School was formerly known as Girls Athletic Leadership School. We started about three years ago. So I was originally one of the founding board members back in 2019. And this is our third year of operations. So we have we were the first all girls charter school who was that brought brought to Nevada. And we focus on sixth, seventh, and eighth graders. So our campus is right across from UNLV, literally a half a mile from the studio. Our girls are coming from, you know, family situations that might be difficult economically. They have a lot of challenges and our school is a tuition-free, safe environment for them. We have small class sizes. We have a tremendous amount of teaching experience in our teachers. So I think between our six full-time educators we have over 225 years of experience in teaching. So we are just kind of a little gem in the desert, we like to say, of a place for for girls who are, you know, awkward middle school time frame. I know my my middle school experience was awkward, so we try to give the girls a voice and empower them to advocate for themselves, to speak up for themselves, and then obviously educate them and help them see that they have a future and potential beyond just what their environment might be on a day-to-day basis.

0:13:00
Well, something that you mentioned that I keyed into right away when you said, safe, tuition-free, and as this program this morning is airing on Christmas Day, but it's a season of no matter what you practice whether it's Hanukkah, Kwanzaa, whatever it is that you practice, the thought of gift-giving and the gift of education. So Dr. Brooks, would you explain like what is the mission statement for the school? So right in

0:13:35
line with what Ms. Myer-Carr just said, empowering. That's like the main focus. So our mission is to empower girls to excel academically, develop their voices, and lead fearlessly in a safe, caring educational environment.

0:13:49
How do you identify who is going to be the recipient of this gift of education? This is fantastic to be enrolled in a school, what you're offering. So how for our listeners, how would they contact you or fill out the forms or be set up for the interview process? I guess that's what you go through. So step us through it.

0:14:13
They can go to our website which is www.gemslv.org and there's an enrollment application there. So actually we because we're a tuition-free charter school, we have we're open enrollment so anybody is able to apply. We have an enrollment runs from January 3rd through February 28th and then if we have more students that are interested in applying say for next year then we'll go through a lottery process. So we give priority to students that are within the two mile radius of our school just because it's easier for them to get to school. Because we are a charter school there's no public there's no school bus system, so we have to rely on parents or family members or the school, or excuse me, Regional Transportation Commission, those kinds of things. So we prioritize students that are within a short radius of the school, but it's open to anyone. So anybody who's in sixth, seventh, or eighth grade can apply. We accept students all throughout the year, so if we have an opening in say seventh grade in January and you're interested in bringing your student to GEMS in January, we would absolutely accept them.

0:15:16
So we are open to all. The timing is perfect because you said, now what was that window of time again? January 3rd through February 28th. Excellent, excellent. Just to reinforce it, let's give that website information again, and we'll do it again as we're concluding our interview. What is it again? It's

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www.gemslv.org.

0:15:43
Can you step us through what can you expect in a typical kind of day if there is such a thing as a typical

0:15:52
kind of day at GEMS? Well you know our days are pretty typical because they are so unusual. I've been in education over 30 years and coming from the public school system, you know, typical to me is just the normal chaos. And we have that daily. Our gyms is a smaller population, but we have the same types of, you know, activities happening daily. You know, when parents drop our students off, excitement starts at the door, and it doesn't stop until they leave. So we find ways all day to make sure they're engaged, you know, especially with the academics. But we have other activities going on throughout the day. A typical day is just, you know, when they come, they go through their six, seven courses, and they have their lunch in the middle of the day. We have a recess break outside just to give them that time to unwind like we all need that. And we just typically make sure that each day is filled with something new and unique. And we use a good day whether we plan it or not.

0:16:48
Yeah.

0:16:49
Yeah, and I would just add to that that one of the things that I think has been really valuable for our students is we have a social emotional learning class with an amazing teacher who really focuses on mental health, health and well-being, teaching the girls how to advocate for themselves because that's a big component of what we want to do is we want to give them those tools. They go through that class every single day. We also have an independent study class where we're able to, you know, work with the students if there's maybe somebody struggling or maybe somebody is excelling in a certain area, we can really isolate that and have those students work together on specific tasks if they're struggling or, like I said, elevate them if they're if they're really excelling at something. So we try to meet the students where they are, so that they can be successful academically and then also to feel confident in themselves. So it's a really awesome experience.

0:17:40
Well, it truly is. It truly is because I like that you were mentioning that particular class because life skills are so important. Not only getting your basics that are going to help you meet the requirements for graduation, but just the basics, how to maneuver through life. And that's challenging. So I am very impressed that you're offering that.

0:18:07
And I wanted to add to that what she just said about that class. You know, that class is more than just a life skills class. In the name of it is empowerment, so it directly aligns with our mission statement. So the teacher that's in that classroom, that lady is the one that really drives that home. It's just her presence in, you know, the curriculum, the way she teaches, the relationships she builds with the students. I mean, if you stop any student in the hallway, they will have a kind word to say about her. Because what she does in that classroom, she creates, I mean, it's like magic. Because she takes their situations and meets them individually and makes sure that they know she cares. And so to expand upon that, she and I got together in a collaboration and I started to bring in monthly empowerment speakers to kind of enhance what she's doing. And she's like, wow, this just took wings. So the girls get real speakers coming from the community, you know, powerful, educated women of all races, nationalities.

0:19:08
Well, let's give that website again, especially since now the new semester is going to be taking flight in January. So it's important to fill out those applications, get your information in, and line up that potential opportunity to interview. So website info again.

0:19:28
Yes, www.gemslv.org.

0:19:33
Fantastic. Anything else you'd like to add?

0:19:36
I can say that they can also go to their website and fill out an interest form if they just want to come in and take a tour or to just meet with one of us and ask questions, you know, so they'll know more about the school.

0:19:48
Thank you. That was, you were just listening to Dr. Joyce Brooks, principal of GEMS and Tara Meyercord, executive director. Thank you both for sharing and coming in and telling us about the gift of education. Thank you so much. Thank you. 91.5 Jazz and More, this is Rita on the Road and I am at the Las Vegas ballpark and we're behind the scenes of the Hallmark Channel Presents Enchant and we've got here the Artistic Director, Gene Lucas.

0:20:27
Welcome.

0:20:28
Hello and Merry Christmas.

0:20:29
Oh, this is so exciting to be at Enchant. Tell us what you've been doing, because I understand the Enchant show has been in what, eight cities across the country?

0:20:40
Eight cities across the country, and we have two here in Vegas, so that makes nine total shows across the country. From St. Petersburg, Florida, all the way across the country to San Jose, Dallas, Texas, Nashville, Scottsdale, Arizona, Sacramento, California, and the two that are here, Washington DC, and the two that are here in Las Vegas. One is at the ballpark, as you had said earlier, in the Summerlin area, and one is on the strip at the Resorts World Resort. Being that this is Christmas Day, how much longer will Enchant be running? Well, we're going to be spreading holiday cheer all the way through to January 1st.

0:21:19
Fantastic.

0:21:20
For those that like to draw out the holidays.

0:21:23
Of course.

0:21:24
And bring it into the new year. So we'll be here and then the lights go out on January 2nd.

0:21:29
Oh no.

0:21:30
So that we can prepare for next year. That's right, that's right. Well this is such an incredible experience. Let's describe for our listeners what you can expect when you walk through

0:21:41
that gate here at Enchant. What do you see? You see a lot of lights. We have, I believe, 4 million lights in the park this year. Oh my goodness, I believe it. So, you know, the elves are busy polishing those lights. No, I'm just teasing. But we have everything from the guardians at the gates to protect the village of Enchant. We have an ice path, not an ice skating rink as is usually portrayed in various holiday presentations. Our ice skating is you skate through trees and paths and things like that. It's a lot of fun and we have our own skate so you don't need to bring your skates. We have everything here for that. We have a European village where we try to recreate the gorgeous Christmas time villages that are in Central and Eastern Europe, Germany, Switzerland, Czech Republic, all of those places where you can buy crafts, holiday crafts, you can buy sweaters, you can buy Christmas decorations, and best of all, you can eat yourself to death because there's all kinds of really great food offerings. And you know, not your typical, you're not gonna get Cracker Jack and peanuts like you do at a baseball game, but you'll get something like grilled cheese and tomato soup.

0:23:02
I've heard that is fantastic.

0:23:03
Oh, it's awesome.

0:23:04
And the hot cocoa, that's popular.

0:23:06
The hot cocoa, and you can get hot cocoa, and then we also have hot cocoa for adults. So if you want a little bit of peppermint schnapps, if you want a little bit of Kahlua in there, you can get that too. So also, of course, the main feature of Enchant is the light maze. It's similar to the corn mazes that they do at Halloween time, except ours every year has a theme, a different theme, and this year's theme at the ballpark is the Mischievous Elf, because we all know Eddie. Eddie is, you know, he thinks he's Mrs. Claus's favorite. But he has, he went into Santa's toy sack, present sack, excuse me, and he wanted to try out some of the toys and unfortunately he fell asleep and now the eight toys are missing. Oh. So it's a little bit of a treasure hunt or a scavenger hunt and you receive a passport from the elves at the front of the maze, and it lists the names of the toys. And when you find them in the maze, which are actually lighted sculptures, they're oversized sculptures, you'll find a ballerina, and an airplane, and a train, and a teddy bear, a whole bunch of stuff like that. But they're usually like 30 to 40 feet high.

0:24:23
Exactly. And that's what I wanted to mention when you said the airplane and the train, you can climb in there.

0:24:30
They're almost life-size.

0:24:31
Oh, it is amazing. In fact, how many oh wow moments do you think people say when they walk in? Oh wow, oh wow, oh wow. It is incredible.

0:24:41
So one of the really great aspects of this year is that, as you had mentioned earlier, Hallmark Channel is presenting us this year. And so it's really cool because a lot of people, when they come to Enchant, they're like, I feel like I'm in a Hallmark Channel movie.

0:24:55
Christmas movie.

0:24:56
It feels that way. But one of the great things is for all the people, all of our guests who are doing the maze and they find all of the toys, you put your name on your passport after you get all of your stamps, and you take it to the Hallmark little room that we have here where they show clips of the Hallmark films and you can buy Hallmark wine and and pillows and ornaments etc. There's a little mailbox that you put your passport in and at the end of the year all nine of the Enchants will put their passports into a big tub and one lucky person will win a walk-on role in the next Hallmark film. Oh how exciting. Yeah. Very exciting. They'll be flown to wherever wherever it's being filmed and the family will get to do a walk-on into one of the films. So that's an exciting exciting thing. It truly is. We also have a lot of we

0:25:49
have of course Mrs. Claus. Yes I'm glad you mentioned that because I feel so honored that I was prepared to be the grandmotherly type. And the costumes, so tell us about the costumes, how those came

0:26:15
about. Right. As we are with Santa, of course I failed to mention the star of the show, Santa. He has the Santa landing where we have entertainers out there waiting to entertain the people, our guests waiting to go and speak to Santa. But this year we decided with Santa and Mrs. Claus, and even with the elves, we wanted to bring them into the 21st century. I mean, they're not wearing, you know, clothes that you would get at H&M or something like that. So it's a little bit of a modern take on the Santa costume. We also have our elves are very elaborate. They're not what you would see at the regular mall Christmas event. Our elves are a little bit more middle earth. Like I said, the whole feeling, the whole theme of Enchant is a European Christmas. So it's sort of a Nordic, almost Lord of the Rings type elves.

0:27:10
Yes.

0:27:11
Because they're not in your typical red, white, and green, you know, peppermint stick costumes with curly toes. But they're really fun. Come and see how exciting we've made those costumes.

0:27:21
Well, now that we've told everyone all about, we need to explain how to get a ticket, the important thing. So, enchantmagic.com, that is the website, and it's very user-friendly. Enchantmagic.com, scroll down and click on your tickets this is the final week running through January the 1st and bring the family out oh it is so amazing the costumes and as you mentioned about the elves I was impressed that there's their

0:27:54
hoods light up yeah it is oh so amazing mystical creatures yes so there you have it. We also have a lot of entertainment here. Hallmark Channel presented us with a stage that we can do. We have some young acrobatic acts. We have some young dance teams. So it's pretty exciting. Las Vegas Opera, different schools have orchestras or

0:28:20
show choirs. UNLV. I know it's UNLV because KUNV has a relationship with UNLV.

0:28:27
UNLV musicians are represented, drumline, marimba ensemble, jazz ensemble, different schools. So we also bring the community in too, which is a lot of fun.

0:28:39
That is wonderful. Well, once again, that website, enchantmagic.com, tickets are available. Come on out, get your hot cocoa.

0:28:48
It's delicious.

0:28:49
It is wonderful. Anything else that you'd like to share before we finish up?

0:28:53
No, we're just so lucky that Vegas is welcoming us. Open arms. Please come and see us. It's a lot of fun. And find out why everyone is saying, wow, when they walk in the gates.

0:29:08
Thank you, Gene Lewis, Artistic Director for Hallmark Presents Enchant. Merry Christmas! Thank you to our guests Zachary at Club K9, Dr. Joyce Brooks and Tara Meyercord from Girls Empowerment Middle School, Jean Lubas from Hallmark Channel Presents Enchant, I'm Rita Pardew Middle School, Jean Lubas from Hallmark Channel Presents Enchant, I'm Rita Pardew wishing everyone a Merry Christmas from 91.5 Jazz and More.

Transcribed with Cockatoo