Dr. Bernita Dinwiddie was not looking for a job. “Believe me!” she laughs. Moving to Fernandina Beach, Fla., in 2006 was the start of retirement for her and her husband. She had left behind a job in education in Chicago, where she worked for 40 years, first as a teacher and then as an assistant principal and principal, serving for several years as the Communities In Schools liaison.

But when the principal of Hilliard Middle-Senior High School told Dr. Dinwiddie’s husband how much she could use someone with Dr. Dinwiddie’s experience, that was that. She soon found herself volunteering, then on the payroll as a part-time tutor, moving from there into her current position as a site coordinator.

“Dr. D.’s passion for children, sensitivity to their unique needs, and diligence in finding and coordinating services on their behalf is a model for service professionals and site coordinators everywhere,” says Susan Milana, Communities In Schools of Nassau County’s executive director.

That diligence and the results that stem from it earned Dr. Dinwiddie an Unsung Heroes Award from Communities In Schools, one of five people to receive the award in 2010. The Unsung Heroes award is given each year to Communities In Schools employees who demonstrate high levels of commitment, accountability, persistence, coordination and a dedication to equality.

All the Way
Torrey Scott calls Dr. Dinwiddie a “spectacular lady.” Torrey graduated from Hilliard in May 2011, also the month he turned 18. His future today looks a lot better than it did when he was a third-grader recently arrived from Dallas, Texas. “My family moved to Florida and I had a really hard time getting used to living here,” he says.

By the time he reached high school, academics had long since ceased to be a priority. “Getting through school has been my biggest accomplishment in life so far,” he says. “I did think I might not make it to graduation.”

In tenth grade, Torrey met Dr. Dinwiddie. She put him in the Communities In Schools Before-School Academic Program at the high school and made sure that he could get the bus to school for the early morning tutoring sessions with teachers from the school. Because the high school starts later, high school students get picked up after the elementary school kids. Dr. Dinwiddie arranged for Torrey and some other students in the tutoring program to ride to the elementary school.

“I had a D in math when we started and I came up to a B,” he says proudly. He goes on to say, “With the help of my tutors, I started making As and Bs, with a C every once in a while.”

Torrey is one of 113 Level Two students Dr. Dinwiddie works with, in addition to providing Level One Services to the 800 plus students at the school, which includes grades 6 through 12. Level Two students need more targeted interventions, like tutoring and counseling, for example, while Level One services are available to all students in the school and may include services like health screenings and career fairs.

It’s hard to believe when you talk to Torrey that Dr. Dinwiddie is not devoted just to him. When he needed her, she was there, he says, to talk about anything and everything. Or, as he puts it, “Life. I talked to her about my worries. I asked for advice. We talked about how to handle issues, how to talk to a teacher or deal with a person I was having problems with.”

She brings this gift of attention and dedication to all of the students she works closely with. “Ask a Communities In Schools student about Dr. D. and the answer will always include phrases like: ‘She really cares about me.’ ‘I wouldn’t be here if it weren’t for her.’ ‘She helped me feel good about myself.’ ‘She believed in me when no one else did,’” Milana says.

Authenticity carries Dr. Dinwiddie over rough spots and smooth ones. “When you build relationships with these students, they have to know you truly care about them and their well-being. When they see my attitude, it helps to form their attitude. To get them where we want them to go, their attitude has be that they will do their very best.” She returns that positive attitude by giving them the support and presence they need every step of the way to shaking hands and receiving a high school diploma.

Defining Dreams
For Dr. Dinwiddie, the best part of her job is that ability to help students define their dreams. “We have to get them to realize that they can achieve those dreams. If they can dream it, they can do it,” she says emphatically. “Our core job is to help them learn to believe in themselves.”

That may sound easy but convincing a sixth grader to have dreams about life after high school is no simple task. “Sometimes, they just look at me and say, ‘Huh?’ she laughs. She knows it’s no joke, however. “When their grades start to fall or they have problems outside of school, that can hinder their ability to achieve in school and create those dreams.” Her job is to find out what the problems are and solve them so the students can concentrate on their job, which can be summed up in one word, “school.”

The hardest part of the job, she says, is watching students who need help but resist her efforts and those of others around them. “I’ve learned to keep trying, to be persistent and determined.” The reward for that determination, she says, are those “tough” students who come around and accept the help she can offer.

Thanks to the intervention and support of Dr. Dinwiddie, the Communities In Schools career counselor and a host of others at school and outside of it, including his parents, Torrey does not lack for dreams and the tools he needs to achieve them. When asked what he plans to do next, his first answer is “go to college.”

He has at least three futures that look promising. “I plan to have a career in either sports medicine, music or cooking.” An enthusiastic drummer, Torrey has also devoted extracurricular time to serving as the football team’s student manager. And, he says, confidently, “I can cook. My grandmother taught me how.”

For Dr. Dinwiddie, Torrey’s graduation was part of a number that she has a real fondness for. It’s 95 percent. “When we can say that more than 95 percent of our Level Two students graduate from this school, that’s our greatest success.”