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The Tates Creek High School Step Team is a program designed to create a connection to the school through participation in a step team.  The overall goal of the program is to create an atmosphere of acceptance and appreciation for diversity.  The objectives are for each student to achieve satisfactory academic standing, improve self esteem, and gain a sense of belonging to their school and community.  The program primarily targets minority students, although we invite young people of all races and ethnic backgrounds to participate.  The activities of the team are associated with African-American culture that everyone can enjoy.

The youth help make decisions in the program.  Input is sought from participants regarding scheduling of performances, costume design, and step routines.  Students are asked to evaluate their step performance and behavior following each event.

Tates Creek High School is on the south end of Lexington and has a diverse enrollment of 1,800 students.  The TCHS Transition Program sponsors the Step Team, which began in October of 2001.  The Transition Program is a dropout prevention effort that targets high-risk students.  It provides attendance and grade monitoring, communication with parents/guardians, tutoring, and mediation between students and teachers.  It has been in existence for the past eight years at all five area high schools.  The Step Team has a sponsor, a social worker.  Volunteer coaches and the sponsor will be coordinating and supervising the program.  The coaches will mentor and teach the students their step routines.  The sponsor and principals will arrange performances and provide supervision as well as discipline, conduct parent meetings, and determine the criteria for eligibility in the program.