Category: Site Coordinator Snapshots


Site Coordinator Snapshot: Doing Whatever It Takes

Filed Under: Site Coordinator Snapshots, Site Coordinators, Uncategorized by Tracey Savell Reavis — Leave a comment
April 30, 2013

CIS of Charleston-Brenda MiddletonEven while she was recovering from breast cancer, Brenda Middleton was taking care of her students at St. John’s High School on John’s Island, near Charleston, S.C. When Middleton heard that one student was in trouble, she sent her 23-year-old daughter to pick the young woman up and bring her to the house for counseling, with the student’s parent’s permission.

The young woman her daughter brought to the house, Middleton explained, is her biggest success story. “Shayla started with me when she was in sixth grade, and I developed a good relationship with her and her family. She has had a lot of challenges, including her academic record and a history of getting into arguments and fights. When she came to my house, I told her what would happen if she continued down the road she was on. Then I told her what her life could be if she chose another road by going to college or into the military. This year is the first year she has not gotten into one single fight, and she’s passing all of her classes. She decided to go into the military after graduation.”

Middleton figured out how to use her illness as a learning tool for her students, said Jane Riley-Gambrell, executive director of Communities In Schools of the Charleston Area. “She visited them between treatments and let them know how much this challenge has made her appreciate life and relationships. Sharing her experience has taught ‘Brenda’s girls’ about resiliency and determination.  At times this spring when Brenda was too ill to go to the school, she sent her daughter to ‘check up.’ Toward the end of her recovery, she made the effort to attend the Senior Students Luncheon, understanding how much it would mean to her students.”

Prior to taking on the job of site coordinator, Middleton was a special education teacher at nearby James Island High School. “I took this job because it gave me a chance to be outside the box a teacher has to be in. Now I can do more to help the kids at my school. I can give my phone number to kids so they can call me if they need help. I can go to their houses or meet them somewhere if they need me.” Having started as a site coordinator at Haut Gap Middle School in 2006, she will watch her first class of sixth graders graduate this year.

“She is a member of the community in which she serves and parents trust her with their children. Brenda understands the culture created by generational poverty in a rural community and the relevance of relationships amongst this population. She makes more home visits than any other site coordinator on our staff,” Gambrell says. “The families that Brenda works with know that she means business when it comes to children attending school and that she will even come to their house and pick them up herself if necessary. She understands their challenges and will not be judgmental.”

 

Tags: , ,
Comment

Answering a Community’s Need

Filed Under: Site Coordinator Snapshots, Site Coordinators by Tracey Savell Reavis — 1 Comment
April 3, 2013

Site coordinator Amy Revis and the college pennants she uses for motivation at Spindale Elementary School. Photo courtesy of CIS of Rutherford County

As a reporter, Amy Revis asked a lot of questions. She pressed and probed others so she could write interesting and accurate articles. But when she transitioned to a career in education – first becoming a substitute teacher, then a tutor and finally a site coordinator for Communities In Schools of Rutherford County, N.C., Revis became the person who provided answers.

“When you are telling people’s stories you wonder how you can improve a situation,” said Revis, who has a degree in journalism from the University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill. “As a journalist, you can’t compromise the story you are working on. But when you come out of that world, it is rewarding to get involved and to be able to help.”

At Spindale Elementary School, where Revis has been the part-time site coordinator since 2009, the work seems full-time as she takes on the responsibility of case managing 40 of the school’s nearly 400 students. When she first arrived at Spindale, she was immediately given a chance to provide the answer to a very real and growing concern: How can students be supported so they are not worried about where their next meal will come from?

As in many communities across the country, the economy of Rutherford, a once-thriving area thanks to its textile mills, has been hit hard. Many families have been deeply affected by the job losses and even those who may not have needed help before, need it now. The Communities In Schools local affiliate saw a way to help students and the community, and the food backpack program was launched.

At Spindale, 85 percent of the students are eligible for free or reduced-lunch, a number that has increased from 60 percent only 10 years ago. And while Revis notes many at-risk students receive breakfast and lunch in school, it is the weekend that becomes problematic. Revis had no previous experience organizing such a program, but says she did a quick Google search and got all the information she needed. She rallied volunteers, speaking to church and business groups, and got permissions slips, the backpacks and the food to launch the program at Spindale. Every Friday afternoon, 95 students in need receive a backpack with enough food to provide them with meals for the weekend.

Site coordinator Amy Revis reading to students at Spindale Elementary School. Photo courtesy of CIS of Rutherford County

Today, Communities In Schools of Rutherford County serves close to 750 students through the food backpack program at all 13 of the school sites. The food and volunteers all come from the community – a local food bank, churches, individuals, business, industry and civic clubs. Spindale also has a clothes closet that was created originally to handle emergencies. Revis has helped expand the service with the help of volunteers and donations, so that now it is available to help with basic needs including shoes, coats and toiletries.

“We want to do whatever we can to assure that children come to school on Monday ready to learn,” said Revis, who is also the part-time manager of the mentoring program for the 13 elementary and middle schools in Rutherford County. “If kids can’t concentrate because their clothes are too small or they’re hungry, we can provide for them and make them more comfortable. I remember one little girl being so grateful just to get lotion, something that can be taken for granted. We feel good about being able to support the students.”

Comment

A Circle and A Commitment

Filed Under: Site Coordinator Snapshots, Site Coordinators, Uncategorized by Tracey Savell Reavis — Leave a comment
March 19, 2013

Site coordinator Anthony Rogers with students from his Circle of Brotherhood/Sisterhood Conflict Resolution Program. Photo by Monica Weiss

While the news coming out of Detroit is often less than favorable, there is good work being done in the Motor City, and passionate people like Anthony Rogers who are making a difference in the lives of students every day.

After years of working in youth services, Rogers first learned about Communities In Schools of Detroit from a neighbor who had just been hired as a site coordinator. The neighbor took Rogers to introduce him to the school principal and recommend he be hired. From that single encounter, Rogers has been hooked on the power of Communities In Schools.

“I read up on [Bill] Milliken’s vision, and I said, ‘Wow, we’re on the same path,’” said Rogers, who started as a Communities In Schools mentor. A year later he became a site coordinator at Priest Elementary/Middle School.

At Priest, where nearly 1,000 children attend K through eighth grade, Rogers and two additional site coordinators provide Communities In Schools targeted services for 150 students. His work the past four years with Priest, and a partnership with Michigan’s Department of Human Services, have helped the school increase its attendance to 90 percent, and suspensions at the school are at an all-time low. Last year, under his leadership, the Communities In Schools staff also tutored 25 eighth-grade students who were on the verge of failing, and helped them all graduate.

Rogers also started an initiative called the Circle of Brotherhood/Sisterhood Conflict Resolution Program. Instead of resorting to fighting, the Circle brings students face-to-face to talk and listen to each other.

“Everyone has a turn, and everyone has a voice,” said Rogers describing the program, which is teaching valuable communication skills. He said seeing the open dialogue among students is ‘phenomenal.’ “It’s a beautiful thing to watch.”

He recalls his first encounter introducing the power of mediation skills and how it set the tone with the students.

“On my first day at Priest I was asked to speak with the worst-behaved student in the school. He was in the fifth grade at the time. I spoke with him for about 30 minutes and when I brought him back to his mother, he was smiling. After that the students just know they can say, ’Mr. Rogers, I need to come to the circle,’ and I’m available whenever it is needed.”

Rogers firmly believes his calling is his ability to connect so well with youth, and even in difficult times, his work with Communities In Schools demonstrates that every day.

“It is a challenge to stay committed to our path and to how we lead,” said Rogers. “But I think Communities In Schools is an awesome place, and we are doing the work. There is hope for Detroit and the public school system, and I’m committed to the change that can take place.”

Comment

Site Coordinator Snapshot: Recruiting New Mentors

Filed Under: Site Coordinator Snapshots, Volunteers by Tracey Savell Reavis — Leave a comment
February 26, 2013

Communities In Schools of Miami Site Coordinator Nadege Delinois-Jean.

For Nadege Delinois-Jean, the journey to becoming a site coordinator at Communities In Schools of Miami started behind the deli counter of a supermarket. While taking orders, the part-timer chatted with a customer about the work he did as the head of a grants program at Delinois-Jean’s alma mater, Florida International University. Delinois-Jean, who has a degree in public administration and who had always wanted to be a teacher, says she followed up the chance meeting with a phone call as soon as she took her next break.

“I called right away, and after I came in to meet with him, I ended up getting a job at the university.” The position was with Robert Vos, who helmed GEAR UP Edison, a program that provided grants to help increase the number of low-income students getting into to college. Delinois-Jean worked with the local chapter of GEAR UP for seven years, and it was what led her to Communities In Schools. After her work at GEAR UP, she spent two years working for Communities In Schools as a data specialist at North Miami Middle School. When a site coordinator position became available in 2010, she got a call to apply.

As a site coordinator at North Miami Middle School, Delinois-Jean works with approximately 100 students to ensure they receive targeted and sustained services. One of the programs she’s most proud of expanding at the school is a mentoring group that serves boys and girls in all grades. She works with the City of North Miami mentoring program to recruit new mentors. Roughly 10 civic employees from the city arrive every Wednesday and along with 23 students, fill the school’s media center from 8:00 to 9:00 a.m.

“Kids need mentors. They need people to talk to,” said Delinois-Jean. “The mentors come every week and you can see the kids opening up. The ones that were in trouble are doing great. I’m very happy with the program and the results because I see the progress the kids are making and I see improvements in their grades and conduct.”

And her latest project, a partnership with Sabrena O’Keefe, assistant professor at the Center for Leadership & Service at Florida International University (FIU), is the Academy of Leaders. It includes 12 FIU students working twice a month with North Miami Middle School students to teach them life skills.

“Being a site coordinator gives me a chance to help people,” said Delinois-Jean. “I love to help people, I love to empower people. I think it’s in my blood. My happiness comes from seeing others succeed.”

Tags: , , ,
Comment

Site Coordinator Snapshot: Making Perfect Matches

Filed Under: Site Coordinator Snapshots by Erica Rafferty — Leave a comment
February 8, 2013
Mayor of Pittsburgh and Cindy Bostick

Pittsburgh Mayor Luke Ravenstahl and Mentoring Coordinator Cindy Bostick. Ravenstahl serves as a sixth-grade mentor.

Cindy Bostick can tick off an impressive list of people who serve as mentors in Pittsburgh – the city’s mayor, lawyers, doctors, retired teachers   and the president of a local community college, just to name a few. As the mentoring coordinator for Communities In Schools of Pittsburgh-Allegheny County, it’s her job to make sure she is matching the students she serves with the best mentors possible.

Bostick has worked for the Pennsylvania affiliate for more than 20 years, and she currently manages nearly 100 mentors across two Pittsburgh public schools as part of the “Be a 6th Grade Mentor” program. This program is an initiative among Pittsburgh Public Schools, The Mentoring Partnership of Southwestern PA, the Youth Futures Commission and United Way of Allegheny County. Mentors meet with their mentees for 45 minutes a week from October through May, helping them to build the skills they need to achieve.

“We want to help students develop career dreams and aspirations, and to understand the relevance of their academics and how it will impact their future,” said Bostick.

The mentors have a guidebook with different topics to discuss with the students, such as developing goals, doing well in school, and discussing what the mentors do for a career and what it was like when they were in school. Some days, the mentors may just listen to students and help them resolve any challenges or concerns they have.

Bostick only asks for a one-year commitment from the mentors, but she said that about 50 percent of the mentors stay with their mentees through eighth grade.

“We have seen mentors say, ‘I can’t walk away – I am invested in this child’s life. I am coming back next year,’” said Bostick. “It’s amazing to see the different walks of life people come from to spend 45 minutes a week with a child to sit, talk and help them dream big.”

One of the most challenging parts of Bostick’s role is making sure the mentor-mentee matches work. When they do, incredible transformation can take place.

Bostick remembers a student named Jesse. Referred to the program to work on his social skills, Jesse was extremely shy, barely nodding and shaking his head in response to questions. Bostick matched him with a woman who owned a consulting company and was ready to give Jesse all the support he needed. She worked with Jesse for three years, and in that time he not only started speaking frequently, but took on a leadership role in his eighth grade student council.

“These students are like little tulips. Sometimes they are all closed up and then – they blossom.”

Tags: , ,
Comment