From Seedlings to Screen: A.G. Gaston Boys & Girls Club Puts STEM at Forefront

By Mia Watkins | For the Birmingham Times

The Walter Howlett Club of the A.G. Gaston Boys & Girls Club may be a place for recreation for local children, but it is also on the cutting edge of science and technology education.

As the club celebrates its 60th anniversary, CEO Andre McFadden said it is looking to its future and how it can equip its members to thrive.

“What can we do now that could open up possibilities for them later?” he said. “Or just encourage and stimulate the imagination, something that you never thought that you might want to do, and it turns into something.”

The first step into STEM for the club includes being an AT&T Connected Learning Center, one of the first in the state of Alabama. AT&T, in partnership with Dell Technologies and the national Boys & Girls Clubs of America, aims to address the digital divide through the centers and a $50,000 contribution.

McFadden said AT&T upgraded the technology in the Howlett building that had been there since the facility opened in 2020.

“We know how fast technology changes,” he said. “We had desktop computers with the towers and smaller screens. AT&T took all of that out and replaced it with all-in-one computers, so it’s just the monitor there. Members can log in and do different things. Kids like new.”

He said that because of the rapid pace of artificial intelligence, the club is looking beyond archaic skills like coding and into purchasing drones for children and teens.

These skills can translate into jobs for older club members.

“You can get a drone license when you’re 16,” McFadden said. “If you’re a teenager here and we have drones as part of our STEM program, and you can get a drone certificate, that opens up a whole lot of job possibilities for you.”

Real-World Experiences

Other real-world experiences that McFadden is looking forward to providing at the A.G. Gaston Boys & Girls Club include Esports.

“You sort of have to understand technology and STEM in order to participate in Esports. We’re hoping that will encourage some of our kids to want to design games. Don’t just play the game, how do you design the game?”

He hopes to have the program up by late 2026.

These opportunities aren’t just on a screen. The club is also home to a Freight Farm in partnership with Major League Baseball. The farm, located on the back side of the campus, is an extension of the raised bed garden that houses fruits like strawberries and flowers.

The Freight Farm gets its name from the freight box, similar to the ones on the back of 18-wheelers. On the outside, it’s decorated with a colorful mural highlighting the partnership. On the inside and up a few stairs, are three movable walls where students plug in seedlings that grow into vegetables that they can take home to their families.

Javon Tatum has been tending the hydroponic garden since September 2025. In the afternoons, you can find him giving younger students lessons on growing plants.

“I came in with open arms,” he said. “It’s given me a lot of freedom and free range to put on the program and full creative control regarding it.”

He said the staff at the club have one mission: to give back to the kids who spend their time there in a way that teaches them something.

“It’s always tricky trying to be creative to make sure that you are doing programming that’s both educational and engaging to keep the kids together,” he said. “As we are trying to teach them about the technicalities and the science behind it, we want to make sure that we are using different things so it can be fun.”

One afternoon in April, Tatum is surrounded by a group of first through third graders who are learning about fertilizer.

“That looks like pee!” one kid yells out.

Tatum keeps going, explaining that the yellowish liquid will help seeds sprout and get ready to be placed in the Freight Farm. After the lesson, he calls on each child to tell him what they’ve learned. They all reply enthusiastically.

Tatum explains that the kids’ knowledge of gardening has grown tremendously.

“A lot of them didn’t know that food at the grocery store was actually grown,” he said. “Seeing the kids’ excitement and seeing the kids come by, they’ve planted a lot of stuff in the hydroponic garden. Every day they come in and are like, ‘How are my plants?’ They get to see the benefits of something they did a couple of weeks ago and the fruition coming out of it.”

Learning for Years to Come

Tatum said that the STEM programs are essential.

“If it wasn’t for this Boys & Girls Club, they might not have the opportunity through their school,” he said. I’m just giving them other resources to access STEM. This may be the only time a lot of kids might see a hydroponic or freight farm system.”

McFadden said that he’s always looking for experiences that keep the kids at the club learning for years to come.

“Always look at what’s relevant and be where the kids are,” he said. “Actually, I try to be a little ahead of them. As long as I set up the foundation so it can grow for another 60 years, that’ll be gratifying.”