Tag Archive: Summer


Site Coordinator Snapshots: A Lifelong Adventure

Filed Under: Site Coordinator Snapshots by Briana Kerensky — 2 Comments
November 27, 2012
Kit Fox and students looking at boat plans

Communities In Schools of Charleston Site Coordinator Kit Fox and students looking at plans to build a boat.

For Communities In Schools of Charleston, S.C. Site Coordinator Christopher “Kit” Fox, helping students is a lifelong adventure.

As a teenager, Fox struggled with listening to authority figures and focusing in the classroom. But after participating in Outward Bound programs, dedicated to teaching empowerment and leadership skills through outdoor-based activities, Fox found the focus he needed and decided to dedicate his life to helping students find their direction by participating in the great outdoors. After high school, he graduated from college with a degree in adventure education. As a therapeutic instructor, he supported students by taking them away from daily distractions and giving them a chance to build self-confidence in nature.

Now in his third year with Communities In Schools, Fox continues to use his adventure education skills to help young people find their way. Last summer, the site coordinator worked with five students to build a 21-foot pirogue, a type of flat-bottomed boat.

“Over the summer they learned how to use basic hand tools to create something beautiful and functional,” Fox said. “We taught them a marketable skill, got them away from the TV, and created a passion they can take with them. It was really great.”

In addition to working with tools, Fox also taught the students how to swim and fish. Despite the fact that many of the students the site coordinator works with live near water, due to their parents’ hectic work schedules, the students did not have anyone to teach them how to swim.

Students taking their boat onto the water

Students taking the completed boat onto the water.

“It was really exciting and rewarding,” Fox said. “We worked all summer to get them comfortable with the water. At the beginning they were afraid. It was murky and there were waves, and they were scared. But by the time we launched the boat they were like fish.”

On the day Fox and the students first set the boat afloat, more than 70 people walked down to the beach to cheer them on. The only way Fox could describe the students’ faces when they saw the boat out on the water was “beaming.”

“I was proud of what they had accomplished and it felt good to see them so happy. It was a lot of hard work, but they learned patience and so many different skills, and to see it all come to fruition was amazing.”

Even though summer is over and everyone is getting ready for winter weather, Fox is looking ahead. He already has the materials donated to build a 16-foot sea kayak, and hopes to have last summer’s participants help teach a new group of youth woodworking skills.

“I’m really excited about getting even more students involved in outdoor activities,” Fox said.

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What We’re Reading

Filed Under: What We're Reading by Briana Kerensky — Leave a comment
August 17, 2012
read and roll book bus

A librarian helps students check out books from the "Read and Roll Book Bus." Photo courtesy ARLnow.com.

Washingtonian: A study published this week in the journal Pediatrics showed state lawmakers’ work to ban sugary sweets in school is actually having an effect on young people’s waistlines. According to the study, which monitored children from 6,300 public schools in 40 states over a three-year period, children who live in states with strict food laws (including banning soda from school vending machines) gained less weight than children who live in states without such laws.

Many states only ban junk food in elementary schools, but the laws were the most effective when they were applied to the entire school system. By establishing food backpack programs, delivering healthy lunches during the summer break and organizing healthy snack times during the school day, Communities In Schools helps ensure that kids get the food their bodies need to be healthy, and their brains need to focus and succeed in the classroom.

Washington Post: This summer, the crowds of children eagerly standing on neighborhood corners in Arlington, Va., (home of the Communities In Schools national office) weren’t waiting for the ice cream truck. Rather, they were waiting for the “Read and Roll Book Bus,” a mobile library that delivers books to children during the summer break. Containing more than 2,000 donated books, the Read and Roll Book Bus makes up to four weekly stops and even plays a jingle to alert kids that the bus is coming.

Studies have shown that students without access to books during the summer are more likely to forget information from the previous school year than students with access to books, putting them at a disadvantage in the fall. Programs like the Read and Roll Book Bus combat the summer slide by bringing the books to children, free of charge. What an extraordinary, fun idea!

Education Week: What are your memories from the first day of school? This year, more than a million fathers, grandfathers, uncles and other positive male role models are expected to create a lasting memory for their children by accompanying them on the first day of school.

Million Father March, a program created by 10 men from Chicago eight years ago, is now a nationwide movement supporting the important role of men in the growth and well-being of their children. Million Father March leaders anticipate that more than a million men will become engaged in their children’s education this fall by taking them to class on the first day of school – meeting teachers and beginning a year-long commitment of nurturing their kids.

Communities In Schools understands the vital role of male role models in a child’s education. Many of our affiliates actively recruit men to act as mentors and tutors for children who may not have a father figure at home, and organize programs such as the XY Zone and father-son/father-daughter nights to facilitate healthy relationships that benefit children as they learn and grow into responsible adults.

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Partners with a Purpose

Filed Under: Families, Programs by Erica Rafferty — Leave a comment
July 31, 2012
Essary with family and lunch

Communities In Schools of East Texas Site Coordinator Nancy Essary (left) with a church volunteer and children receiving lunch.

The First Baptist Church of Diana wanted to help the students of its small community in Diana, Texas. It was 2007, and one of the parishioners was concerned that the students who participated in meal programs during the school year would go hungry over the summer without the same assistance. Knowing they wanted to do something but needing additional help, they called Nancy Essary, who had just finished her first year as site coordinator for Communities In Schools of East Texas and was rumored to help match community resources to student needs.

“Your phone will ring. There is someone on the other end, and the person either is offering something or need something. And either way works well. What this all boils down to is relationships – having a relationship with another organization that wants to help,” said Essary.

Essary coordinated with the New Diana Independent School District (NDISD) to find students’ addresses and phone numbers, and to get parent permission slips signed. This allowed the church to focus on planning the logistics of purchasing, preparing and delivering lunches. Five days a week for nine weeks, starting the first weekday after school let out and ending the last weekday before school started, church and school staff volunteers delivered lunches across Diana.

Since that fateful phone call five years ago, the site coordinator estimates that this joint partnership has served approximately 7,500 lunches to students.

This past summer, about 75 church members and several school administrators from NDISD joined forces to plan and drop off lunches to nearly 25 students of all ages. Oftentimes, delivering those meals means driving miles from the community center, down unpaved roads and to homes that literally are in the middle of nowhere. Many of the children may see no one else but their family and the volunteers for the entire summer.

For Essary, not only does the summer program give students nourishment, but it also serves as a great opportunity to make sure other student needs are met as well.

“The point is that we are bringing another caring adult into their lives,” she said. “They are hearing another positive voice, and that is just a win-win across the board.”

In the past, there was a donor who bought the lunch meat and bread for the summer program. This year, Essary said most of the food was purchased out of pocket by the church volunteers and school staff.

Despite the shortage in funding, the program never has turned a student away. In fact, when volunteers learn that a family may need more than just lunch delivered, the church finds a way to provide groceries or meals on the weekend, too.

To Nancy Essary, this summer lunch program is a living example of Communities In Schools’ mission to surround students with a community of support.

“This is the true heart of Communities In Schools – partnering with these other organizations. It’s always a team effort, and everyone has the same vision and focus of what will help these students achieve their potential.”

Check out some fantastic photos of Nancy Essary and the lunch program!

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Keeping Reading Skills Sharp All Summer Long

Filed Under: General by Briana Kerensky — Leave a comment
July 24, 2012
summer reading billboard

Teachers assign summer reading to make sure students stay engaged in learning until they’re back in school. Photo courtesy San Antonio Public Library via Flickr.

Throughout the month of July, we’ve talked about the “summer slide” and how being out of school can impact students’ ability to retain knowledge gained in the classroom. We’ve also talked about things parents and mentors can do to alleviate summer brain drain, and even created an awesome Pinterest board with lots of fun and creative ideas. But there’s one aspect of summer learning that Beyond the Classroom has yet to discuss: assigned reading.

When most students think about assigned summer reading, it’s with an internal (or audible) groan. But when teachers give out lists of books at the end of the school year, it’s not with the intent of torturing students. Rather, it’s an effective way of making sure students stay engaged in learning and keep their language skills sharp until they’re back in the classroom. For students who don’t normally enjoy reading, or have trouble doing so, assigned summer reading ensures that books stay in their hands. And having a couple of months to complete the assignment means less pressure, so kids may actually enjoy reading and discussing the books with their families or friends.

Some of my favorite books were given to me as summer reading in high school. To this day, I absolutely love taking The Poisonwood Bible and Snow Falling on Cedars to the beach, two books I would never have read if I had not been assigned them by a teacher.

What are some favorite books you learned about through assigned summer reading? Please share them in our comments section!

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A “Cool” Solution to Career Readiness

Filed Under: Programs by Tracey Savell Reavis — Leave a comment
July 19, 2012
students at fire department

Students from Communities In Schools of Randolph County had the chance to participate in a job shadowing event at a local fire department. Photo courtesy Communities In Schools of Randolph County.

Middle and high school students involved with Communities In Schools can often find a respite from the sweltering heat of the summer months—one that actually helps them gain valuable life skills. That’s because many Communities In Schools local affiliates provide summer career readiness programs. For students, that translates into experiencing the business world by taking on summer internships, jobs or job shadowing opportunities.

This summer, 21 students from Communities In Schools of the Heart of Texas are being placed in local businesses as part of a program founded by a local workforce development board. Student employees will work approximately 200 hours over nine weeks in nonprofits, schools and government agencies. This marks the fourth year the affiliate has helped find students work and skills-improvement opportunities.

For Imani Lewis, a Communities In Schools of Atlanta alumnus who has completed a number of internships, the experiences have proven invaluable. She is currently interning at New Leaders, a national nonprofit focused on developing effective leadership to ensure the best education for minority and impoverished students. Her internship also reinforces one of Communities In Schools’ basic tenets—providing students with an opportunity to give back to their community.

“As an intern, whether for a semester or a summer, you will gain innumerable skills, make countless connections, expand your network and learn what type of workplace suits you best,” said Lewis. “And you get a taste of the real world outside of high school and college.”

Career training can take place during the school year as well, providing a foundation of skills that can help students gain future summer employment. There is community involvement in career guidance at Communities In Schools of Randolph County, N.C., as well. They work with the Arcade-Trinity Chamber of Commerce to give middle school students opportunities to learn what skills are needed for various jobs. The program typically takes place in February, on Groundhog Day, and involves students “shadowing” employees to gain an insider’s perspective. Some of the companies that participate include banks, real estate agencies and nonprofit organizations. This past year, the 65 students who participated in the half-day program went to approximately 35 businesses to see up close what kind of education is required to work at companies such as the Guil-Rand Fire Department and  Archdale Drug, a local pharmacy. Some students even got to watch a veterinarian perform surgery.

Randolph County Wet Whistle Coffee Shop

A student learns barista skills at a local coffee shop. Photo courtesy Communities In Schools of Randolph County.

While students participating in the job shadowing program get to experience short-term exposure to the business world, Randolph County Executive Director Sandi Norman said the local affiliate has been talking about developing an internship program to give students a more in-depth career readiness experience.

During the past school year, 39 juniors and seniors from Communities In Schools of Marietta/Cobb County, Ga., got a taste of their possible futures by participating in job shadowing and internship programs. Working with the Marietta Rotary Club and the Cobb Chamber’s Partners in Education program, students received Dress for Success clothing vouchers and worked “mini” (three- to five-day) internships on job sites such as courthouses and utility companies. The program, now in its fifth year, not only speaks to the value of involvement with local civic organizations and businesses, said Communities In Schools of Marietta/Cobb County Executive Director Carol Fey, it also offers students the opportunity to develop their career goals.

“Internships and job shadowing give students a true idea of what specific careers entail,” she added. “They get to have a real-life work experience, with the emphasis on what education they need.”

Placing students in summer jobs and internship programs is just one example of the commitment Communities In Schools has to empowering students to stay in school and achieve in life.

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