CIS Washington News

Excerpted from the The Spokesman-Review
Jody Lawrence-Turner
March 8, 2010

Dropout prevention, bringing local resources into schools for students, and helping young people stay healthy are among Communities in Schools’ goals. The national nonprofit was drawn to Spokane because of its dropout rate – one in three students. The local branch was established here in December 2007. Since then, executive director Ben Stuckart has helped bring dental services into several schools, provide food to more hungry children on weekends, and joined the steering committee for an effort to establish a fund that could improve the graduation rate.

Q: How does Communities in Schools connect local resources with schools?

A: We do that by putting a site coordinator in specific schools. So, in Spokane, we have coordinators at Cheney, Glover and Chase middle schools. There’s a volunteer coordinator at Sheridan Elementary School. Their job is to bring outside resources into the schools. For example, the dental-sealant service, Tooth Savers, is one we brought in.

Q: What are a few of the activities Communities in Schools is involved in?

A: We have a pretty robust afterschool program … where we have more than 50 students participating each night at each of the three locations. They bring in outside resources like Red Cross, which teaches baby-sitting courses. And Girl Scouts teaches “uniquely Me” – a program that addresses the critical nationwide problem of low self-esteem among adolescent and pre-adolescent girls.

It’s all community partners offering those programs. And we’re brokering them in and connecting them with children.

Another need that we came up with was nutrition. Schools offer free and reduced lunch programs, but then kids at night and over the weekend are hungry. We have a partnership with Second Harvest Food Bank to do food backpacks that we send home over the weekend. I think we’re up to over 60 children.

There’s a growing low-income area in Airway Heights, so we talked to Second Harvest Food Bank and the organization opened a Kids Café at Cheney Middle School. It serves free and abundant food every day that’s nutritious: granola bars, sunbutter (a spread made from sunflower seeds) and jelly sandwiches, fruit and vegetables. We probably feed 75 to 100 kids at Cheney Middle School.

Q: Why did the nonprofit get involved in the Children’s Investment Fund initiative?

A: I’ve seen the need directly. Our job is to connect community resources to schools, and I’ve seen the number of services available to our kids in schools through nonprofits has shrunk.

I understand the dropout rate, and I think it’s a huge social and economic issue that we need to address. Our organization can’t address it alone. I think there’s a need for something larger here in our community.

Excerpted from the Tacoma Weekly
By John Larson

A group of students at Sheridan Elementary School have been exploring their artistic abilities on Monday afternoons.

Catherine Swanson heard that Communities In Schools of Tacoma was looking for volunteers for an after-school art project. She spoke to John Levi III, coordinator of programs for Communities in School at Sheridan, and offered her services.

Levi had contacted the city of Tacoma, which sent the notice out on its art listserv e-mail list. When Swanson responded, Levi checked out her website and learned about her background.
“She is an established artist. I thought that would be important,” Levi said. “She seemed like a good fit.”

Sheridan does not offer a class specifically on art; teachers incorporate art into other subjects when appropriate.

“That is where we come in,” Levi said. “We provide things schools are not able to have anymore, due to lack of funding or other reasons.”
In January, Levi put together a list of after-school programs and students were able to sign up. The art class has a fee of $20 and a maximum of 25 children can participate.

They have met each Monday afternoon for the past nine weeks; the class ends on March 15.

Several students from the Junior Reserve Officer Training Corps at Mt. Tahoma High School are assistant teachers. One is Aaron Scafe, a junior.

“They are learning shapes, how to compare and contrast colors,” Scafe said of the children.

He said the class reminded him of after-school programs when he was that age. “We love the kids and try to make them have fun.”

Levi will not have an art class in spring, but hopes to offer it through the entire 2010-11 school year. “Youth need art,” he said. “This gives them a chance to explore the artist within them. It is like a breath of fresh air.”

Read the full story here…

Reprinted from Northwest Military

By Tyler Hemstreet

Prior to December, Senior Airman Katherine Lamb just wasn’t up to speed on the latest happenings in the world of professional wrestling.

But since volunteering as a mentor at Lochburn Middle School in Lakewood and getting paired with eighth-grader Selena Verduzco, her eyes have been opened to World Wrestling Entertainment star John Cena and his many ring theatrics.

“Before, I wasn’t cool,” Lamb, 31, said with a laugh.

During the pair’s one hour a week meetings, Lamb works with Verduzco on a variety of school assignments, assisting the 13-year-old on whatever subjects she needs help with. The two also share stories and talk about their interests.

“She tells me about her concerns, and I give her my point of view,” said Lamb, who works on the command staff of the 62nd Mission Support Group at JBLM-McChord Field.

It’s all part of the Communities in Schools of Lakewood program, which features 66 mentors – 10 of which are airmen or soldiers from the base. Students who have been paired with a mentor get better grades, have fewer behavior infractions and even tend to have higher self- esteem, said Doug Baxter, mentor coordinator.

“The kids also know better in what direction they want to go in the future, and know better how to get there,” Baxter said.

The program also allows for students to stay working with their mentors as they move from elementary to high school within the Clover Park School District, better preparing them for college, he said.

Lamb, who speaks fluent Spanish, has given Verduzco a finer grasp of some of her math and history assignments. That has translated into higher grades.

“I have no more “F’s,” Verduzco said.

Once the school work is finished, the two have a chance to talk about their life experiences. The subjects range from Lamb talking about growing up in Puerto Rico, joining the Air Force and moving all around the country to Verduzco talking about her love of WWE wrestling and playing soccer.

“Mentoring helps you in a variety of different aspects – mainly learning to become a better listener,” Lamb said. “It’s a great bond and friendship.”

Verduzco enjoys hearing about Lamb’s travels and has formed a strong bond due partially to the fact her deceased father was a soldier in Mexico.

“She’s a best friend … it’s not like a teacher in the classroom telling you what to do,” the 13-year-old said.

The relationship has been mutually beneficial for both.

“You feel better that (the students) are changing their study habits for good,” Lamb said.

And Verduzco’s commitment to finishing her schoolwork has enabled her to raise her grade point average and play on the school’s soccer team.

“If you want to be on the soccer team, you need to do the (schoolwork),” Verduzco said.

Excerpted from the Federal Way Mirror Reporter
By KYRA LOW

It was a grand success at this year’s Communities in Schools Annual Breakfast. The event brought in $47,000, more than was collected last year and $12,000 above the group’s goal. The 11th annual breakfast brought in more than 400 community members and educators.

The event was emceed by Superintendent Tom Murphy, who is nearing the end of his long career at Federal Way Public Schools. Murphy received a long standing ovation during the breakfast.

The speaker for the event was Washington State University President Elson Floyd, who spoke of the changes in education over the years. Teaching was once only about the education, he said. However, that is no longer the case, as schools have expanded to many social services.

“Teaching has almost become secondary to everything else,” Floyd said. “Teachers have to deal with so many of the other social issues.”

However, through programs like Communities In Schools, schools are able to fill the voids and help all children.

“They represent our future,” Floyd said. “And our future will be incredibly bright thanks to your philanthropy. It’s all of our responsibilities. Thank you for what you do to produce the leaders of tomorrow.”

Murphy confirmed what Floyd said: That schools face many needs nowadays that aren’t related to education, but social services — and only with CIS are they able to reach those needs.

“Schools are not social service agencies. We cannot be social service agencies,” Murphy said. “Communities in Schools does that, and it’s only a click away,” he added, referring to CIS’s new online system that created a district wide resource contact list.

Read the full story here….

Dear Colleagues,

It was my great pleasure to represent you at a gathering of national education leaders with President Barack Obama at a White House event yesterday. While I was quite pleased to hear the President’s commitment to reducing the dropout rate and to helping young people graduate from high school prepared for success I was especially gratified to hear him recognize the work of Communities In Schools by name.

(Video coverage of the full White House event is available at http://www.c-spanarchives.org/program/292311-1, with the President’s recognition of Communities In Schools programs shortly after the 27:00 mark. )

That recognition, with some of the lead-in from President Obama’s speech to give it context, went as follows:

“As my Education Secretary, Arne Duncan, says, our kids get only one chance at an education, and we need to get it right. Of course, getting it right requires more than just transforming our lowest performing schools. It requires giving students who are behind in school a chance to catch up and a path to a diploma. It requires focusing on students, from middle school through high school, who face factors at home, in the neighborhood, or in school that put them at risk of dropping out. And it requires replicating innovative ideas that make class feel engaging and relevant — because most high school dropouts in a recent study said the reason they dropped out was that they weren’t interested in class and they weren’t motivated to do their work.

So that’s why we’ll build on the efforts of places like Communities in Schools that make sure kids who are at risk of dropping out have one-on-one support.”

As this type of acknowledgment comes as a direct result of the hard work we have been doing on behalf of students, families and schools for more than 30 years, you should be proud of your work and the respect it has garnered among our President and national leaders; it is truly the dedication, enthusiasm and tireless commitment to quality of the Communities In Schools network that makes this all possible.

Now, inspired by this boost into the national spotlight, we should all look forward to continuing our hard work in order to meet the President’s challenge of achieving excellence in our nation’s schools.

Again, thank you for the great work you do and congratulations for having it recognized by President Obama.

Warmly,
Daniel J. Cardinali

Excerpted from the The Spokesman-Review
Jody Lawrence-Turner
February 24, 2010

Third-grader Tyrese Patrick opened wide and showed no fear as his teeth were inspected, scraped and a few were covered with a sealant by the dental hygienist visiting his school.

The 8-year-old had been put at ease by Gail Heacox, who explained the tools of her mobile dental office as Tyrese lay on her portable chair in the temporarily converted nurse’s office at Sheridan Elementary School.

Heacox is the first hygienist in Spokane County to offer the school-based dental sealant program, a preventive effort overseen by the Washington Department of Health. The veteran hygienist was brought into the schools through Communities in Schools, a nonprofit that seeks to connect students with community resources.

“If kids’ teeth hurt, they can’t learn,” said Ben Stuckart, director of Communities in Schools.

According to the Washington Department of Health, an estimated 51 million school hours are lost per year in the United States because of dental-related illnesses.

The need for dental care was discovered during conversations in the schools where “dental and medical kept coming up,” Stuckart said.
“One of the problems is that if a single parent works all day, they do not have time to get kids to an appointment,” Stuckart said. “Access at the school is key.”

Before the visit, each school is informed when the dental hygienist will be coming. Forms are sent home with students to get parents’ permission and insurance information. If a student doesn’t have insurance, the dental care is done free of charge.

Heacox assesses the students’ teeth, cleans them, then uses sealant to close cracks where a cavity could easily grow. Other services include oral hygiene instructions and painting the teeth with a highly concentrated fluoride that makes them stronger.

An informational sheet is sent home to the parents indicating whether the child has cavities or other problems that need to be addressed by a dentist.

“She does such a great service,” said Heacox’s assistant, Toni Carey. “Some of these students would never be seen by a dentist.”

When Heacox started dental work, she never planned to focus on children, she said. “It’s been the most fun, rewarding … and challenging job I’ve ever done.”

Read the full story here….

Around a hundred supporters turned out on a beautiful spring day in Olympia to urge legislators to fund Communities In Schools organizations in Washington. The day marked the culmination of a year of legislative meetings by staff and board members across our network, as well as hundreds of letters written on our behalf, as we sought to lay the groundwork for eventual state funding.

As the Washington network of thirteen CIS organizations comes into our own as the leader in school-based coordinated services we seek to complement our funding (traditionally business, foundation and individually supported) with consistent funding from the State of Washington. Such funding will sustain our momentum of reaching thousands more youth in need and at risk of dropping out.

This is our first year at a concerted network-wide request, and with a state budget deficit of $2.8 billion we knew our chances were a long shot at best. But we decided to use the opportunity to more assertively educate policy makers about the work we are doing – work that ultimately decreases unemployment, reduces social service costs and drives our tax base. And in the words of Senate supporter, Tracey Eide, “If you don’t come down and ask you’re never going to get anything.”

As we all feared, proposed House and Senate budgets released yesterday were marked more by cutting programs than adding new ones, no matter how effective. And while the budgets did not include Communities In Schools funding our efforts have still enjoyed considerable success. When it comes to dropout prevention and school-based coordination, we are now front-and-center in the minds of leading legislators and policy makers. When our economy eventually rebounds we are, more than ever, poised to gain state funding.

We knew going in this was going to be a multi-year process. Count our first year a success that we will build on over the course of 2010, let culminate on Olympia Day 2011, and result in state funding for our Washington State network.

Thanks to everyone for your support and hard work as we work to make state funding a reality in Washington!

For 31 years the Telly Awards has honored the very best in video, film and commercials. Now for the first time they’ve introduced People’s Telly categories on a YouTube channel to let you be the judge and help pick the next Telly Awards winners. The first round of votes ends March 5th

Our Communities In Schools event video, produced and directed by David Merwin, has been nominated for the best nonprofit, online video. Please click here to vote with a quick thumbs up!

Excerpted from the Auburn Reporter

Communities In Schools of Auburn (CISA) finished distributing a semi load of notebook paper to Auburn schools last Monday.

All 22 schools received a half-pallet of paper to ensure all students have the necessary supplies.

Communities In Schools of Auburn was aided in the distribution effort by a number of volunteers who brought their trucks and muscles to the two-day effort. The donation is the result of a partnership between Communities In Schools of Auburn and the World Vision Storehouse Program.

CISA pays a membership fee in the Storehouse Program and receives monthly distributions of essential supplies for students and families in need. Grooming aids, clothing and cleaning products are routinely included.

Supplies are targeted to the schools in the downtown core with the highest rates of poverty, but given the tremendous amount of product in this distribution, Communities In Schools of Auburn was able to assist students at every district school.

“Our extraordinary partnership with World Vision allows Communities In Schools of Auburn to serve more schools and students in need. We are very grateful to have the support of such a high caliber organization,” says Arlene Pierini, Executive Director of Communities In Schools of Auburn.

“Our students use journals extensively in their curriculum,” says Brad Sprague, Principal of West Auburn High School. “This donation ensures our students have the supplies they need to be successful.”

Story excerpted from the Auburn Reporter. Read the entire story here.

Who knew Mardi Gras could find its way up to Seattle in January? But on a rainy winter night, typical of the Pacific Northwest, Mardi Gras was in full swing. The costumes were extravagant, the laughs were affable and the beads abundant. And all of this festivity was in the spirit of giving. On January 30th, 2010 Communities In Schools held its first-annual Mardi Gras Dinner Auction to both celebrate and support the organization’s statewide mission to keep kids in school.

The guests of the night clearly captured this spirit of donation and dedication and met it with their own share of festivity and fun. Bidding wars broke out as guests tried to claim their favorite items in the silent auction. Throughout the presentation attendees stood to celebrate our work. And when the invitation to give was announced, auction paddles were pushed into the air.

Through the energy and compassion of the 125 guests, Communities In Schools is, after expenses $12,000 more able to do our work. Schools can’t do it alone, and neither can we. We sincerely thank all our supporters, our sponsors—Pike Brewing Co., Mercer Estates, Service Linen Supply, and Linda and Larry Huseby—and each and every guest that showed their support for kids and families.

 

Thank you,
Communities In Schools of Washington
Board and Staff