Culture Club Wraps Up a Dynamic Semester of Youth Empowerment Across Baton Rouge Schools

Culture Club's Hornet Cafe at Scotlandville High School is bustling during the peak rush.

Culture Club wrapped up its spring semester with a powerful lineup of student-led projects, field experiences, and creative exploration at Capitol High School and Scotlandville Magnet High School. The program, which centers youth voices through culturally-relevant education, gave students a platform to lead, grow, and give back to the community.

Throughout the semester, students participated in weekly after-school sessions focused on entrepreneurship, identity, creative storytelling, and agroforestry. From photography and e-sports to campus improvement projects, Culture Club emphasized hands-on learning rooted in self-expression and community pride.

At Capitol High, students took part in a campus beautification initiative, painting vibrant stencils on the school’s raised garden beds. The work blended art with environmental education and promoted campus stewardship. Meanwhile, Scotlandville Magnet High students built new garden installations on their campus, expanding access to fresh food and outdoor learning spaces.

Scotlandville students also stepped off campus for a special Earth Day field trip to Howell Park, where they joined Baton Roots’ celebration focused on sustainability, nature exploration, and tech recycling. The students even conducted youth-led interviews of Baton Roots apprentices, volunteers, and some of The Walls Project’s full-time staff.

Entrepreneurship took center stage this semester as well. In March, Scotlandville launched its Hornet Brew Café, a student-run coffee shop that blends business skills with hospitality training. Students also heard from guest entrepreneur Justin Burnett, managing partner of Dearmans Diner, who shared his path to business ownership and emphasized the importance of passion, perseverance, and community roots.

Related Post: Buzzing with Potential: The Hornet Brew Café and Scotlandville’s Student Entrepreneurs

Culture Club also celebrated student success and school spirit. At Capitol High, the April PBIS event brought students together for a movie and snack celebration, recognizing positive behavior and reinforcing the importance of togetherness and respect.

To close out the semester, Culture Club hosted a Culture Club Preview Fair, where students explored new tracks for next year’s programming—including visual arts, music production, agriculture, tech, and entrepreneurship. The fair gave students a chance to share feedback and shape the future of the program.

With every session, field trip, and creative project, Culture Club deepened students’ sense of belonging, voice, and agency. As the semester comes to a close, students have not only learned about their history and community—they’ve contributed to it.