Martha’s Vineyard Boys and Girls Club executive director Dhakir Warren is headed back to his former workplace, Martha’s Vineyard Regional High School, where he previously led the guidance and counseling staff before taking the club job in 2021.

This time around, Mr. Warren will be in the classroom, teaching history and coordinating Project Vine, the high school’s alternative program.

“It is a perfect fit for Dhakir [because] he’s passionate about helping support students who may struggle to fit in with the whole, big school,” high school principal Sara Dingledy told the Gazette during an interview in her office this week.

Often called a “school within a school,” Project Vine enrolls about 40 students who take classes in small groups, with the same teachers from year to year, and go on field trips together to reinforce peer-to-peer bonds.

Project Vine’s former director, Danielle Charbonneau, was named Massachusetts Teacher of the Year for 2023 by the state education department. Ms. Charbonneau and Project Vine teacher Ellen Muir, a married couple who commuted from Barnstable, have since left the high school, Ms. Dingledy said.

“I think there was fear that the program would fade away, but absolutely not,” Ms. Dingledy said. “We’ve picked a very big and vibrant personality, [whose] work in youth development fits perfectly in there.”

The new job marks a full-circle moment for Mr. Warren, who began his career as a high school teacher in Boston before moving to Martha’s Vineyard 10 years ago. Since then, his work has mostly taken place outside of the classroom.

“I have loved every minute of my experience at the Boys and Girls Club,” Mr. Warren told the Gazette by phone Tuesday. “I liken myself to a transformative leader and there was an opportunity here to come in and really just address some of the challenges that the organization was facing,” he said.

Mr. Warren said the club is now on a sound financial footing, has invested in building a strong, stable staff and is prepared for its planned future expansion.

“I’ve been able to really accomplish everything that I set out to accomplish,” he said. “And the team that has been built and that is going to remain in place to continue this work is just so phenomenal that I just felt like this [Project Vine] opportunity is one that I couldn’t pass up.”

Boys and Girls Club board chair Norman Rankow provided a statement praising Mr. Warren’s achievements over the past three years, which include doubling club membership to more than 380 Island children. The club also has added services for Island youngsters and their families, such as mental health counseling, dental clinics and a food pantry with household supplies.

Mr. Rankow’s statement did not address the matter of replacing the exective director, which Mr. Warren said was still under discussion at the club.

“Right now there are conversations around an interim and it’s looking favorable that Barbara Jean [Chauvin] will be stepping into the role...and then they will execute an executive search,” he said.

Ms. Chauvin and Mr. Warren previously worked together at the high school, and joined the Boys and Girls club as a team in 2021.

“She’s been my thought partner, strategic partner, she’s the yin to my yang, if you will, and we’ve accomplished so much together,” he said.

His time at the Boys and Girls club has given Mr. Warren the opportunity to understand what kids are like before they become high school students, he said.

“Being able to see the evolution of our youth from early ages, kindergarten on up to high school, has been really, really eye-opening for me,” Mr. Warren said.

Regardless of age, however, their core needs remain the same, he said.

“Youth crave stability and security and support, and being able to now take my experiences and deliver them directly in a service leadership capacity at the high school — I’m really excited,” Mr. Warren said.