Community Life

The two community centers in the area provide Rocksprings residents with a variety of programming and entertainment.

The Athens-Clarke County Community Center, a facility owned and operated by the Leisure Services department on the edge of the Rocksprings community, provides residents of different ages and varied interests with programs that can fit their needs. The Rocksprings Community Center, a facility in the neighborhood, offers tutorial programs for students.

Jacqueline Elder, 49 and a Leisure Services employee, is in her fifth year of directing the center. She said the majority of the programming at the center is directed at school-aged children and senior citizens.

For kids, Elder said the center provides computer classes, an after school program, teen movie nights and a trivia competition.

She said that although a few high school students come, the children who attend the after school program tend to be about six to 12 years old. Elder said she is trying to improve the after school program and make it a more academic experience for students by providing tutors and encouraging University of Georgia students to provide assistance.

Kids may enjoy visiting the center and playing, but she said they don’t enjoy the homework part as much. To increase the focus on learning, Elder said she requires the students to spend 30 minutes on homework or reading each day.

The center also provides many activities for senior citizens. Elder said the seniors, who tend to live in a section of Rocksprings near the ACC center, enjoy trips,game days, cooking classes and other activities.

She said she develops programs that the seniors are interested in doing, noting that traveling seems to be a favorite among many. The types of trips they take vary, but she said she tries to find affordable day and weekend excursions that the seniors will enjoy.

In the past, the seniors have gone to see plays, visited the mountains, gone on tours and had shopping trips.

Despite all of these programs, the center is fairly small, and Elder said the county plans to build another facility just behind the existing center.

By Kristen Coulter and Whitney Kessler