An after-school program in martial arts at Dibble is proving to have positive results in more ways than just learning the skills of taekwondo.

Taught by black belt Neal Johnson and assistant instructor green belt Travis Shroyer, the after school program held at Dibble’s basketball gymnasium has attracted on average about 40 youngsters.

The 18-month-old program is so popular that Shroyer, who is a McClain County Sheriff’s Deputy, said they may open up a second session next school year for white belts.

“The kids are just now getting their green belts,” Shroyer said. “I’m a green belt also and am working my way up with the kiddos.”

The belt categories are white, yellow, orange, green, blue, red, red with black stripes and black.

The sessions start about 3:30 after the school day and usually last for 45 minutes to an hour.

“I’m going to work with the kids all the way up to black belt,” Shroyer said.

“One of the goals of the McClain County Sheriff’s Department is to have interaction with the kids so we strive to make a positive impact with the community and with the kids.”

One of the students was a disciplinary problem in school and another student suffered from mild autism.

Taekwondo, in addition to the martial arts, also teaches discipline.

The disciplinary problems for the one student have been all but erased and the autistic student has a new outlook on life.

“That student now listens and pays attention and displays almost no symptoms,” Shroyer said.

“It’s important to have positive interaction with the kids,” the deputy said. “Some of them just need a strong positive influence. As a father, I think it’s important for them to be able to protect themselves.

Shroyer has been a deputy for 12 years and prior to that he worked in K9 some in Cleveland County and some in McClain County.

The program costs $40.

“But for those students who can’t afford it we don’t make them pay as long as they can provide their uniforms.”

Many similar programs charge $100 to $150 a month.

“We don’t charge for profit,” Shroyer said. “We just need to have enough money to buy pads to keep the kids safe.”

A native of Pauls Valley, Shroyer graduated from Yukon High School.

Taekwondo is a modern Korean martial art similar to karate.