wishes you a very

       
Sept-Nov Newsletter

Our Alignment Rockford family wishes you and your family a very safe and happy holiday season and we hope that each of you knows how much you are valued and appreciated. Thank you for choosing to make a difference in our community by investing in our students! 

FACES OF ALIGNMENT ROCKFORD - Meet our new family! 

Anisha Grimmett
Executive Director

Anisha is an Auburn High School graduate and proud RAMM scholarship recipient. She has a Bachelor's degree in Electrical Engineering Technology from DeVry Institute. She previously worked for UTC Aerospace Systems for 20 years in various engineering and leadership roles, and most recently in Human Resources launching a new global leadership development program for UTC Aerospace Systems. 

Now that you are a couple months in what has surprised you about AR?  
What surprised me the most was how much the community sincerely values Alignment Rockford.  They truly understand the value AR brings to help our children and aid in their development to becoming life-long learners.

Your second day on the job was the Academy Expo - how was that experience for you?
It was A-MA-ZING!  It was such an overwhelming feeling of excitement for our kids to see all the different careers just within the Rockford area.  And it was even better to see our community truly embrace our future and get kids excited for the "what's next"!!

Where would you like to lead the organization in your first year? 
I would like to continue the focus on career & college awareness and increase the focus on Healthy Starts, which supports children from birth to age 5



Arianne Baer
Administrative Assistant

Arianne is originally from Crystal Lake, IL but moved to Pecatonica, IL eleven years ago. She is the mother of four busy daughters, Madeline (19), Chloe (16), Lily (11), and Veronica (10). Arianne's hobbies include traveling, camping, and bonfires with friends. She also enjoys volunteering and performing with Pec Playhouse Theatre (PPT), a local non-profit theatre company, where she has served on their board of directors and was the committee head for the annual fundraising event for 6 years. Before joining Alignment Rockford, Arianne was the administrative assistant in the Academic Affairs Office at Rockford University where she assisted in serving the needs of the provost, faculty, and students. Prior to that, Arianne was the assistant to the Library Director of Pecatonica Public Library.

Can you describe what your first few months with AR have been like?
Yes, it has been almost three months since I joined the Alignment Rockford team. I joined Alignment Rockford just in time to assist with the final preparations for our Academy Expo. I was surprised at all the work that goes into the planning of the event. The community support and enthusiasm amongst Industry Experts is impressive.  I believe the work being done is critical and will continue to make a difference to the future of our community.
 
You came into the organization at a time of dramatic staff and team restructuring - anything that surprised you?
Yes, being new myself during the dramatic staff and team restructuring allows me to feel I am part of the change and growth of Alignment Rockford. Good things are happening with the team restructuring which leads to effective and productive work. I am pleased and grateful with the welcoming I have received from everyone. This simply affirms we are all adjusting to the AR restructuring. I am thrilled to be a part of the AR community and look forward to our continued hard work and our favorable outcomes. 

Related media:
2017 Academy Expo!
Thanks to our Academy Expo team, our sponsors, our volunteers, RPS 205, the Rockford Park District, and our eager students, this year's Expo was a huge success! 


On October 4th approximately 1,750 RPS 205 freshman filled the Indoor Sports Center (ISC) at Mercyhealth Sportscore Two, the new location for the Academy Expo this year. At the sixth annual event over 450 community volunteers provided the students with highly interactive and engaging booth demonstrations of  over 100 local careers that align with the various pathways offered within RPS 205's college and career academies. The results are in - this year's event was a great success! Check out the survey results below. 
 

A team of 10 student ambassador/volunteer pairs voted on each booth's appearance, presentation, and interactive activity to select a winner within each Academy and an overall Best in Show. It was a really tough decision this year. Here's what they voted: 


Thank you to our sponsors!

Related media: 

2017-2018 Capstone Kick-Off!
On August 30th approximately 150 of this year's senior Capstone students filled the Discovery Center Museum's Kresge Hall to hear keynote speakers, Rockford Mayor Tom McNamara and RPS 205 Superintendent Dr. Ehren Jarrett welcome the students and congratulate them for choosing to improve our community by taking on the year-long capstone project course. Following the keynote, the students broke into various rooms by their chosen college and career academy for panel presentations and small group discussions led by over 40 business leaders within the industry aligned to the students' Academy to help the students brainstorm project ideas. 

Since the kick-off event nearly 40 community volunteers have volunteered to provide ongoing small group classroom support and workshops for the Capstone students to mentor students as their projects progress. 





Related media:
Seeking Stakeholder Input!

The Postsecondary & Workforce Readiness Act (PWR) established a voluntary  system for school districts to award College and Career Pathways Endorsements to high school graduates. Endorsements signify that a student is ready to pursue postsecondary education or enter a career related to a selected career interest area and incentivize career exploration and development, particularly in high-demand sectors. 

A cross-industry Postsecondary and Workforce Readiness Act Public-Private Steering Committee has developed a list of competencies considered to be essential employability skills to be used as benchmarks toward a College and Career Pathway Endorsement. The steering committee is seeking stakeholder feedback on this list of competencies.

Please consider taking this brief survey to ensure that our students are leaving high school with the skills required for success within your industry!  



Legacy of Service
Thank you to the Boy Scouts of America Blackhawk Area Council for honoring Alignment Rockford with this year's Legacy of Service Award in the non-profit category! Alignment Rockford is humbled and grateful for the recognition! 




It's easy to give to the important work of Alignment Rockford using our secure PayPal account.  It's safe and simple--just click the Donate button to the right.

Doing some holiday shopping? When you shop with AmazonSmile, Amazon will donate to Alignment Rockford. Amazon supports us every time you shop. Click this link to begin your holiday shopping now!  Amazon Smile 
Alignment Rockford's mission is to align community resources in support of public school strategies to raise student achievement, improve the health and happiness of our children, and advance the economic and social well-being of our community.