The sign reads Connect Create Belong. That’s what happens at Tyler’s House in JoCo

Acceptance. Belonging. Fun.

This is what you’ll hear if you ask teens why they’re at Tyler’s House KC on a Friday night.

“A place of happiness” is how 17-year-old Samuel Clayton describes the popular hang-out. Samuel will be a senior at Shawnee Mission North High School this year. He’s been walking to Tyler’s House, one mile east of the high school, since he was a sophomore.

Tyler’s House opened at 5903 Johnson Drive in Mission in 2021. For three summers now, high school students have been enjoying activities, making friends and finding comfort in a space created just for them. And it’s all free.

“In the beginning, growth was slow but it has blossomed,” said Yahir Fernandez, of Overland Park.

Now a college student, Fernandez, 19, has seen firsthand how the House’s popularity has grown. He served on the student advisory team that helped plan Tyler’s House to suit the interests and needs of high school students.

Tyler’s House began as the vision of Cori Hastings, a Shawnee Mission North parent who wanted to create a safe place for students after school — especially those who didn’t have extracurricular activities or who had to wait in an empty hallway for a ride home. She named the space in memory of the 10-year-old son of a friend. He died in 2003.

Opening in the midst of the pandemic was a challenge.

“It was tough,” Hastings said. “We still wore masks and parents were nervous about sending students here.”

As pandemic precautions were phased out, participation picked up.

Regulars like Fernandez continue to be involved as volunteers. Newcomers return because they feel accepted.

Students come to compete in video game tournaments, design floral arrangements, watch a movie, share their talent during open mic night and get away from friction at home.

Tyler’s House is designed to meet a diversity of interests, from arts to robotics, and to help those struggling with depression and other issues.

“People who come here get to know each other and make friends,” Fernandez said.

In July, he was among students learning to play ukulele chords.

Susan Kaldahl, an elementary music teacher from Merriam, taught ukulele to such popular tunes as “Row, Row, Row Your Boat.”

Besides acquiring a new skill, students are “enjoying the camaraderie of working together,” Kaldahl said.

Caden Churchill, 15, described Tyler’s House as “the perfect place to play music and spend time with friends.”

Caden, too, was learning ukulele chords.

While ukuleles were being strummed at the back of the room, other groups were playing cards and board games, building Legos, chatting or snacking.

In addition to friends and fun, there’s also food.

“If they come in hungry, there’s always something to eat,” Hastings said.

A snack bar and cafe have been part of Tyler’s House since it opened.

New this year is a makerspace with two 3D printers and a laser cutter.

Henry Gamber, 22, was hired as the makerspace leader this summer and is enthusiastic about all the possibilities the technology offers.

Students learn graphic design skills as they create a wide variety of 3D items such as a business card holder, an intricate miniature bust of Abraham Lincoln and other objects — all from a digital file. They use the laser cutter to make earrings, coasters, pendants and decorative signs from wood or plastic.

One of the laser-etched wooden signs reads: Connect Create Belong.

“That’s what we do here,” Gamber said.

Tyler’s House KC is at 5903 Johnson Drive in Mission. Go here for more information.