September 23, 2019
This week kicks off Community School Coordinator Appreciation Week in the country and here at the Y we have quite a lot to appreciate. For those of you who are unfamiliar with Community Schools or our work in them, public schools are designated as Community Schools because they are located in areas of concentrated poverty where extra resources are needed and applied to help the students and their families receive the same fair chance to thrive and succeed as all children deserve, without being held back by the inequitable barriers created by poverty that too often affect a student's ability to learn and realize their fullest potential.
I am deeply proud of our work in Community Schools and of the Y associates responsible for it. It's not easy work. It takes compassion, patience, tremendous expertise and sensitivity to do it right. We’re expanding our community school footprint in Baltimore City from 13 to 20 this school year, which will give the Y an opportunity to have significant impact on over 11,000 students and their families. Some of the most talented Y associates you’ll ever meet work inside each community school, coordinating with the school’s principals and community stakeholders to identify and coalesce resources to help students overcome the barriers to success that exist in their neighborhoods and, in some cases, their homes.
The following are just a few examples of the excellent work our Community Schools Coordinators, many of whom are licensed social workers, have recently done to accomplish their critically important mission:
Kenya Smith, the Community School Coordinator at Reginald F. Lewis High School, supported the 12th grade administrator and advisors to host the first "Senior Service Learning Day Party.” With Kenya's help, they celebrated more than 40 class of 2020 graduates who completed their graduation requirement of finishing at least 75 hours of service learning. One student even completed more than 275 hours! She received a certificate of appreciation and gifts from the school.
The "Project Lit literacy and social responsibility program," led by Community School Coordinator Cynthia Rodriguez at Holabird Academy Elementary and Middle School, in which students promoted literacy and provided books to their community. With Cynthia's support, the students ran their own book club and coordinated multiple resources, including a bookmobile, a student-led small group reading time, and sought book donations from partners for the school library, with donations sent home with each student! This project was implemented and run by the students and for the students; connecting students, school staff, partners and the community. They were recognized for their hard work through participation in WE Day Baltimore, where they were able to meet one of their favorite bands and WE ambassadors.
This past spring, Natasha Bentzen, the Community School Coordinator at Armistead Gardens, planned and hosted a community school fair in partnership with nine local businesses and organizations that brought together the community for a day of fun and to raise funds for afterschool clubs and activities. Natasha and her team raised $9,000 during this five hour event!
Abby Baldwin, Community School Coordinator at the Academy for College and Career Exploration (ACCE) in Hampden, helped ease racial tension that boiled over there by beginning in-depth conversations with students, the Hampden Community Council, and the Hampden Village Merchants around developing more positive relationships among the various groups. One project students decided to do was to decorate pots and plant sunflowers to deliver to neighbors of the school. The school’s English As A Second Language (ESOL) class managed the project as a part of their service learning initiative. One of the key parts to the lesson was to write a letter to their neighbors explaining why they were delivering the plant. Once the project was set up, Abby supported the ESOL teacher and students by walking down the street and knocking on doors with the students. One neighbor was so moved by the letter her student had written that she decided to post the story to her Instagram account (see below).
These stories are just a tiny fraction of the events, activities and support Y Community Schools Coordinators provide day in and day out for the school communities they support. Hats off and a huge debt of gratitude to our Community Schools Coordinators:
With deep appreciation to our Community Schools Coordinators: Natasha Bentzen, Abby Baldwin, Kenya Smith, Andrew Mitchell, Justin Hunt, Jovan Custis, Shanelle England, Renee McNair, Anna Scribner, Cynthia Rodreguez, Ramona Dowdell and Catrina Springer (and those we are still in the process of hiring)! You are all doing vitally important work!
The full list of Y Community Schools (existing and new) follows:
Academy for College and Career Exploration
Armistead Gardens Elementary
The Crossroads School
Holabird Academy
Forest Park High
Fort Worthington Elementary/Middle
Frederick Douglass High
Graceland Park/ O'Donnell Heights Elementary/Middle
Gwynns Falls Elementary
Johnston Square Elementary
Lakeland Elementary/Middle
Moravia Park Elementary
Mount Royal Elementary/Middle
Northwood Elementary
Patterson High
Reginald F. Lewis High
Rosemont Elementary/Middle
Violetville Elementary/Middle
Walter P. Carter Elementary/Middle
Waverly Elementary/Middle
All the best,
John
John K. Hoey
President & CEO
The Y in Central Maryland