In March, the SEG Foundation sent out a press release heralding that it would be recognizing four regional schools with its newly founded “Assist for Good Grant.”

“Today, the SEG Foundation will recognize winners of the first-ever ‘Assist for Good’ grant program introduced earlier this month for Utah middle and high schools,” the release said. “At a reception at the Delta Center prior to this evening’s Utah Mammoth game against the Washington Capitals, the SEG Foundation and SEG co-founder Ashley Smith, will celebrate four of the ten grant recipients. Student groups at these junior high and high schools will receive up to $2,000 in grant funding to use for school projects focused on student wellness, inclusion initiatives, campus improvements, and service efforts.”

Among the first four recipients were West Valley City’s Roots Charter High School, Salt Lake City’s West High School and Millcreek’s Wasatch Junior High.

Joining them was Ogden High School, which received a $2,000 grant for its Tiger Hangout experience, described as “an area of the school where students can receive emotional support and access mental health resources.”

The Tiger Hangout was an idea hatched in Ogden High School teacher Natalie Day’s six International Baccalaureate Career Pathways students.

Day, who is also a health sciences teacher and cheerleading coach at the school, told the Standard-Examiner on Friday that the Tiger Hangout is meant to be a safe space for students facing mental stresses.

“If they need to take a moment to rejuvenate, it’s a space that’s more aesthetically pleasing,” she said. “We’re going to have couches, plants, positive quotes, suicide hotline cards for when kids are struggling.”

She said it will be located next to the teen center, which opened in 2024.

Day said coming across the new Assist for Good Grant program ultimately sparked her students to come up with the Tiger Hangout.

“I came upon the Assist for Good Grant, and I teach the IB CP kids — which is your career pathways kids in the IB program,” she said. “They have to do community outreach as part of their program. I had let them know, ‘Hey, there’s this grant from the Utah Mammoth and Utah Jazz called Assist for Good. You have to come up with a name and what you’re going to do with it.’ They came up with the whole project and how they were going to rotate checking in with students making sure mentally they’re good. They came up with the whole project.”

She said the money is going toward the purchase of things to spruce up the room such as decoration, couches, plants, a whiteboard, supplies and games to play with other students. Future IB CP students will take care of the space.

“It will be open in the next week or two,” Day said.

Day said the students putting together the Tiger Hangout were recognized before and during the March 26 Mammoth game and had the opportunity to watch the game for free.

She added that she’s happy to see the Tiger Hangout come together, especially with all the work her IB students put into the project.

“It is super fun to see how excited they are and how thoughtful they’ve been about making sure that they make an impact on the school,” she said. “It’s really exciting to see their thought process and how much they’ve put into it. They’re going to make a difference.”