The Chance to Blossom

Jonee Coleman enjoys the many opportunities that Communities In Schools has brought to her and her classmates at the Reynaldo Martinez Middle School in Las Vegas, Nev., from the Career Club to birthday parties.

Jonee Coleman is a typical 10-year-old with school spirit — one of many such children at Reynaldo Martinez Elementary School who has blossomed thanks to an array of programs that Communities In Schools has brought into the year-round school in the Clark County school district of Las Vegas.

Shy but friendly, Jonee enjoys soccer and drawing, and would like to be an artist when she grows up.  When asked what she likes best about school, Jonee replied, “Learning.”  A student at Reynaldo Martinez since kindergarten, Jonee lives with her parents, older brother and younger sister.  While Jonee has seen classmates come and go at her school, Communities In Schools has been a source of stability for Jonee, and she has participated in almost every Communities In Schools program offered at Reynaldo Martinez.

Through one Communities In Schools program, the Career Club, Jonee and her classmates have been able to take part in experiences that help them start thinking about what they want to be when they grow up. Jonee’s class staged a mock trial in which the State of Nevada tried “Curly Pig” for unlawfully boiling the Big Bad Wolf. (Curly Pig was found guilty, because the evidence showed that acquiring such a large cauldron showed premeditation.) She and her classmates have also explored careers in the medical field through a triage center in the multipurpose room with 300 donated “sick” teddy bears.  And, they got to try out careers in the performing arts when they took part in a seven-week after-school program that culminated in a staged performance of a historical musical, “Fabulous Las Vegas.”

In conjunction with Career Club, the school also offers an e-mentoring program, which has matched close to 100 students with IBM mentors from eight states in the United States, as well as Chile, Venezuela, Spain and Germany, and about 50 members of the City of Las Vegas Fire Department.  Mentors offer encouragement and support, while also providing a way for students to practice their computer skills during school.

“Miracles are happening over there every day,” observed Louise Helton, then executive director of Communities In Schools of Southern Nevada, referring to the impact these and other programs are having on the students at Reynaldo Martinez.  The affiliate has wasted no time in addressing some of the most pressing issues of children and families in the community — namely, hunger, dental and medical care and the presence of caring adults who foster a sense of hope.

“The need is great in our community,” said Helton, who estimates that nearly 100 percent of the total student population at Reynaldo Martinez lives below poverty level, 20 percent are homeless and 65 percent have active dental problems.  In addition, the school has a 75 percent transiency rate.  “The programs at Reynaldo Martinez offer a high level of support for families and are geared toward helping students feel like they’re ‘regular’ kids,” Helton added.

Collectively, the programs at Reynaldo Martinez Elementary have paid off; reports show that behavior incidents have decreased by 60 percent and the school’s transiency rate has been reduced by 10 percent.  In fact, Reynaldo Martinez Elementary now has a higher than average attendance rate.  “If families know a school is special, they’ll make an effort to keep their kids in that school,” Helton noted.

Jonee’s favorite program at Reynaldo Martinez Elementary, the Birthday Closet, provides birthday parties for kids who may have never experienced one.  The need became obvious to Principal Pat Hodges when she realized that many of the children in her school had never really celebrated their birthdays.  Communities In Schools partnered with the Junior League of Las Vegas to hold the monthly birthday parties in the school’s multipurpose room.

Children are invited to the party during their birth month.  They enjoy traditional party activities such as playing games and eating cake and ice cream; each of the children then selects a present from the Toy Showcase behind the curtain on the stage.  The program has provided birthday parties for about 1,000 children. “It’s a simple idea,” said Helton, “but has made an incredible difference in making the kids feel special.  Aside from having their basic needs met, these kids need some joy in their lives.”

Just ask Jonee, and she’ll tell you what makes her feel special: “I like the birthday parties at school. I think they’re good because some kids don’t have birthdays at home.”

January 2006