Communities in Schools
Many children of all ages in our community suffer silently, carrying much heavier loads than books in their backpack. They face great hardships like losing a home, parent, or sibling, and often lose the will to continue to work toward graduation. Feelings of abandonment, hopelessness, depression, suicide and more are packed into these children’s lives, causing them to give up on a chance of ever becoming successful in life.
Such was the story for Alexis, a former student assisted by Communities in Schools of Glynn
County (CIS of Glynn) who lost both her mother and stepfather in a domestic dispute in fourth grade. She tearfully shared her testimony of how her CIS site coordinator, Tara Williford, changed her life and helped her to graduate high school and continue to college: “It takes a lot for somebody to care for you as they have for me. And it hurts because my own family, my own blood, won’t do that. But she’s willing to do that for me.”
“It takes a village to raise a child,” is an African proverb meaning that an entire community of people must interact with children for those children to experience and grow in a safe and healthy environment. And that is exactly what CIS of Glynn is doing. They work tirelessly to prevent students like Alexis from dropping out by surrounding them with a community of support, empowering them to stay in school and achieve in life. Following this mission, CIS focuses on helping to increase the graduation rate by providing services and support to enable students to overcome those life challenges they face.
CIS of Glynn is part of a national organization founded by Bill Milliken, who believed that “It’s relationships, not programs, that change children.” His idea of bringing community resources inside public schools began in New York City in the 1970s and has grown to work directly with 2,300 schools in 25 states.
By working alongside the Glynn County School System, CIS of Glynn manages cases of those students most at-risk to drop out of school by tracking their academic, behavior and attendance data and providing the support they need to stay focused on the goal of graduation and success in life. They believe that every child needs and deserves the “Five Basic Needs”: a one-on-one relationship with a caring adult, a safe place to learn and grow, a healthy start and a healthy future, a marketable skill to use upon graduation, and a chance to give back to peers and the community.
Brandon Lewis, Tara Williford and Jazmin Ponce at last year’s CIS Shamrockin’ fundraiser.
CIS currently serves eight schools in Glynn County: Brunswick High School, Glynn Academy, Glynn Middle School, Needwood Middle School, Altama Elementary School, Burroughs-Molette Elementary School, Goodyear Elementary School, and Glynn Learning Center. While successful promotion to the next grade level is the goal for all students, high school case loads remain the largest among all levels. CIS hires site coordinators for each of the schools it serves. The site coordinators work with school administrators to determine which students need intervention. They meet with these students, their teachers, the CIS staff, and in some cases their parents and/or social workers, to devise a plan and address the issues to improve academics and behavior.
And the program works. According to Executive Director Lynn Love, “We had 18 seniors at each high school last year, and they all graduated on time. And they all had a plan after graduation.” During the 2018-2019 school year, the more than 460 students who received CIS of Glynn services achieved an overall promotion rate of 86.4 percent. For the second consecutive year, 100 percent of students at Brunswick High School and Glynn Academy who received CIS services graduated from high school, which contributed to an overall Glynn County graduation rate of 93.7 percent. Glynn County was also recognized as a state leader in graduation rates for the second consecutive year for the 2018-2019 school year. This year, there are 42 CIS seniors at Brunswick High and Glynn Academy. Currently 20 have been accepted into college and others are awaiting acceptance, pending scores and transcripts, or looking at trade schools or military.
CIS Seniors: BHS and GA seniors in the CIS of Glynn program (some students not pictured)
Jazmin Ponce, site coordinator at Glynn Academy, sees firsthand the impact CIS of Glynn makes on these students. “It’s been pretty amazing, seeing them get to this point now and getting them graduated.” All Ponce’s senior students plan to or have already applied to the College of Coastal Georgia and all are signed up for the SAT.
Graduation rates aren’t the only numbers growing for Communities in Schools. In addition to establishing an additional program site at Altama Elementary School at the start of the 2019-2020 school year, CIS and the school system also implemented a new strategy in which the CIS Student Support Team leader now oversees the progress monitoring of more than 500 students in the schools with CIS program sites. This includes all students at those schools, not just the ones who are involved directly at the CIS program. And progress monitoring doesn’t only include improving student’s academic success. Many cases involve personal influence in their everyday lives such as helping a child to see a dentist, getting eye glasses, finding a homecoming dress, assisting with senior picture fees, and so much more to give the child a support system that they sometimes do not receive at home.
After all, the mission of Communities in Schools is to help students achieve in life, and that means in their academics, their future plans and their personal lives. In addition to determining the simple things like what supplies are needed for school, the CIS team also case manages the complex issues such as social and emotional distress, trauma, family discord and more. “We are in the business of creating developmental relationships,” says Tonya Barbee, CIS Clinical Program Manager. Tonya uses a specific training method with site coordinators and CIS staff applying research-based language on a developmental framework of five levels. The first: just listen and be warm.
Asked how the organization has continued to improve, Love says that over time, growth has come from the increased need for assistance from the school system and has been achieved by more support within the community. She also says the partnership with the school system has really strengthened over the last two years, driving the direction for which schools should be considered for CIS services in the future. “Our ultimate goal is to establish a CIS program site in every Title I school in Glynn County,” Love said.
Dr. Valerie Whitehead, executive director for strategy and innovation for the Glynn County School System, serves as the school system’s liaison on the CIS of Glynn Board of Directors. “After working first-hand in the schools with CIS and tracking the data on discipline referrals and interventions, we saw that CIS was having better success in providing interventions that really work.” Whitehead praises CIS for their vision. Rather than viewing the child’s need for progress as something wrong with the child, the CIS staff looks at issues “from the angle of ‘What’s wrong with this picture? What’s going on in this child’s life that we can address so the child can be successful?’”
CIS students
Love encourages Glynn County to join Communities in Schools in improving our community by starting with our county’s students. “At the end of the day, the more kids we can graduate and either connect them to the workforce or college or the military, the stronger and healthier our community is going to be.” There are a number of ways to show your support.
You can help CIS’ mission while having a jammin’ good time at their 7th annual fundraising event: JAMbalaya on February 28th at scenic Village Creek Landing on St. Simons Island. This New Orleans-themed night will feature Cajun dishes, drinks, and live music by the modern-rock five-piece Jupiter Coyote. Come celebrate the successes of this incredible organization and contribute to the continued expansion of lives saved through CIS of Glynn, all while enjoying a festive night at a beautiful venue. Tickets are $75 and include a delicious meal and two drink tickets (cash bar will be available). Ticket purchases can easily be made by sending a Venmo to @CIS-Glynn38. For other payment options and questions, contact Casey Cate at ccate@cisglynn.org or 912.223.4641.
Unable to attend the event? Volunteers are always needed at CIS of Glynn, especially those able to tutor or mentor a student. To find out how you can help, contact Casey. Monetary donations are always welcome and can made online at glynncounty.communitiesinschools.org or made payable to Communities in Schools of Glynn County and mailed to P.O. Box 2318, Brunswick, GA 31521. Items always in need include backpacks, general school supplies, non-perishable snacks, socks, undergarments, coats and personal hygiene items. 100 percent of donations go directly toward student support and are 100 percent tax deductible. To stay up to date on ways you can be a part of the CIS organization, follow CIS of Glynn on Facebook (Facebook.com/cisofglynncounty) and Instagram (@cisofglynn).
It takes a village to support our community’s children in need. Become a part of Communities in Schools of Glynn County’s village today to impact a child for life.