Tag Archive: Summer


Site Coordinator Snapshot: the power of a single moment

Filed Under: Site Coordinator Snapshots, Site Coordinators by Briana Kerensky — Leave a comment
October 4, 2011

Today’s Site Coordinator Snapshot is by Network Communications Specialist Erica Rafferty.

Nancy Essary

Communities In Schools Site Coordinator Nancy Essary can sum up the value of her work in a single moment.

It’s funny how a single moment can shape your point of view, your beliefs and sometimes your life. For Nancy Essary, a site coordinator with Communities In Schools of East Texas for the past five and a half years, that moment happened on the first day of school this year.

Originally, my post about Nancy Essary was about how she spends every summer with Communities In Schools delivering lunches across Diana, Texas to low-income students whose next meal is not always certain. An undeniably powerful story, you can watch a video of Nancy telling the story at the bottom of this post.

But when she told me about the first day of school this year, and of a single, simple moment that she will never forget, I knew that, too, was a story to be shared. View full article »

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Not your average boot camp

Filed Under: National Office, Programs, Uncategorized by Briana Kerensky — 1 Comment
August 9, 2011

Today’s blog post comes from Communities In Schools’ Distance Education Specialist Ashleigh Farrar.

Kansas boot camp

National staff members and site coordinators at boot camp in Lawrence, Kansas.

Boot Camp. Two words that may intimidate most, but this summer, Communities In Schools site coordinators were up for the challenge.

Last year, the very first class of site coordinators enrolled in the Site Coordinator Certification Program. The Knowledge Management Team began this program with a strong intent to provide a very crucial service to the Communities In Schools network. This service is a prescribed set of online courses designed to increase the knowledge and professionalism of the individuals who have the most direct impact on youth: site coordinators.

A little over a year later, that first class of 46 site coordinators enrolled in the program has graduated and now the program serves a much larger group, with more than 400 individuals enrolled. This summer, to jump-start the program, the Knowledge Management Team traveled around the country to conduct Site Coordinator Certification Program Boot Camps. These training boot camps were designed to support the Site Coordinator Certification Program and were held in Atlanta, Austin, Texas, Lawrence, Kan., and Charleston, S.C. The events lasted one-and-a-half to three days each.
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Build a backpack, make a difference

Filed Under: Programs by Briana Kerensky — Leave a comment
July 14, 2011

Today’s blog post comes from Rebecca Clendenin, Communities In Schools of North Carolina’s communications and media specialist. Communities In Schools of North Carolina is gearing up to launch one of the largest back-to-school programs the state has ever seen.

Build A Backpack logoIt’s officially another blistering summer here in North Carolina, and a new school year plagued by one of the largest annual public school budget cuts in years lies just around the corner. Notwithstanding the seasonal discomfort or the gloomy fiscal forecast, Communities In Schools of North Carolina could not be more excited about our partnership with Walmart in the largest Walmart-sponsored back-to-school supply drive ever conducted in North Carolina history.

The 2011 “Build A Backpack” statewide back-to-school supply campaign kicks off this Sunday, July 17, at all 138 Walmart stores across the state.  The campaign runs until Sunday, August 21.

School supplies can be expensive, especially for middle and high school students. “Build A Backpack” provides an easy way for North Carolinians to help make a difference in their own communities. Because 97 percent of the students Communities In Schools serves are economically disadvantaged, individuals who donate supplies can feel good knowing that their contributions will be put to good use. Even one pack of pencils can make a vital difference.

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Summertime is primetime for student enrichment

Filed Under: General, Programs by Tracey Savell Reavis — Leave a comment
June 21, 2011
girl with puppy

A Communities in Schools of Chesterfield student with a dog from a local shelter during a service project field trip.

When the last bell rings signaling the end of classes, Communities In Schools affiliates around the country start heating up for the summer. Site coordinators, executive directors and volunteers all pitch in to create summer programs that mix in fun with education and enhance the progress that students have made during the school year.

This summer Communities In Schools of Chesterfield, Va., kicks off the 17th year of its service-learning camp. Some 40 students, those about to enter the 4th and 5th grades, will participate in activities such as dodgeball and scavenger hunts, in a free program that lasts four weeks. And in keeping with the mission of the summer program—to help students prepare for the changes and responsibilities that will come with entering middle school—there are service project field trips and group sessions that address problem solving.

“What’s surprising is you find kids who may not be leaders in academic areas, but they really shine in some other area,” says Jay Swedenborg, Chesterfield’s executive director and a founder of the summer program. “When we take them to feed the homeless, the kids will get in an assembly line, and make and pack sandwiches in 20 minutes. Or when we went to an animal shelter, they got hands-on experience to see how they can make a difference.” View full article »

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