Surrounding students with a community of support, empowering them to stay in school and achieve in life.
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- CIS ANNOUNCES CHALLENGE SCHOOL WINNERS
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Last year, Communities In Schools of Federal Way served
8,859 students
, including providing intensive case management to
517 students
facing individual and systemic barriers to academic success. We worked with over 100 volunteers who provided over
5,000 hours
of service to address student needs, and we leveraged resources and support from over
50 community partners
. The result is
97% of students
stayed in school or graduated!
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We have officially started serving students in the Highline School District and are excited to introduce you to our three new School Outreach Coordinators! Each one brings a unique set of skills and experiences to their role of empowering students to stay in school and achieve in life. Click on their photos to learn more about them!
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JULIA CAIN-LAFLEUR
Highline High School
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"I strongly believe that youth bring a different perspective, outlook and focus to the world, and that by helping youth find their strengths and skills, we can encourage future generations to become stronger in what they believe and what they want to accomplish."
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FATOU BAH
Tyee High School
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"My personal philosophy working with youth is To always treat every student with patience, understanding and kindness... I might not connect with a student one day but I always keep trying and make sure their presence is acknowledged. "
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ERIKA WASHINGTON
Madrona Elementary School
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"As a School Outreach Coordinator, you always have to show up as your best self; understanding that students rely on your presence and need consistency."
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CIS ANNOUNCES CHALLENGE SCHOOLS WINNERS
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Communities In Schools National announced today the CIS affiliates that will share $13 million in grant funding to support students in 23 communities across 11 states. The winning affiliates,
including CIS South King County Alliance (Federal Way, Renton, and Kent), were selected in a competitive grant process funded through a multi-million-dollar donation by AbbVie, a research-based global bio-pharmaceutical company. Recipients were chosen based on their ability to improve graduation rates, reduce chronic absenteeism, and increase college and career readiness for students in kindergarten through grade 12, especially in high-poverty neighborhoods.
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Chy'unna, Decatur High School
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“You matter, you have a voice.
We matter, we have a voice. We as a whole have the power to change the entire world”.
These are the words of Chy’unna Williams, a senior at Decatur High School who spoke at the Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Celebration at the Performing Arts and Events Center.
School Outreach Coordinator, Darius Alexander, met Chy when she was an 8th grader at Saghalie Middle School while working with her younger brother and sister. Since moving to Decatur, Chy checks in with Darius and CIS AmeriCorps Tehliyah on a regular basis. Together, they worked to help Chy prepare for her speech, support her leadership efforts at school, and plan for her future after high school.
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Jae’Shanel, Todd Beamer High School
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Jae’Shanel transferred to Todd Beamer High School after the start of the school year. She had difficulties adjusting to a new environment, teachers, and students. As a result, she significantly fell behind in her classes. She expressed feeling lost and overwhelmed because the workload at her old school did not match the workload pace at TBHS. She had a lot of missing assignments and did not know where to begin.
With the support of Communities In Schools, Jae’Shanel was matched with a mentor to help her navigate the challenges of starting at a new school. Additionally, she worked 1-1 with the School Outreach Coordinator to map out her academic and personal goals. Through continuous discussions, Jae’ Shanel was able to draw a plan and follow the steps she created to get to where she wants to be. Her goal was to be eligible to play basketball for the school team.
In order to compete, students must pass their classes. Jae’Shanel worked hard to pull up her grades. Our School Outreach Coordinator met with a few of her teachers to go over class expectations and her overall performance. Additionally, she stayed after school to work on late assignments. Since she held up her end of the bargain, her mentor provided her with a pair a sneakers for basketball tryouts. She was geared up not only with some new kicks but also academically. Jae’Shanel improved her English grades from an F to an A. Furthermore, she currently holds an A or B in seven/eight of her classes. Congratulations, Jae’Shanel! Keep up the hard work!
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We are so proud of our CIS of Federal Way Alumni, David! David is made of AMBITION, and is one of seven students from across the country featured in the Communities In Schools National 'What We Are Made of' project.
3-D mosaic portraits were created using objects that represent who they are as individuals and the support that helped them succeed. The project asks communities to look closer and listen harder to our youth and illustrates the vital role we all play in seeing the story within every student.
The exhibit is on display at the Touchstone Gallery in Washington D.C.. Congratulations to David, and all of the CIS students and Alumni across the country who are showing the world what you are made of!
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Our former School Outreach Coordinator at Thomas Jefferson High School may have moved back home to New Jersey but that hasn't stopped her from keeping in contact and visiting her former CIS students when she is in Washington!
Miss Papaya returned to Washington in June to see her former students GRADUATE and most recently visited over the Christmas break and took them out to eat. The students noticed the CIS advertisement in the mall and they stopped for a photo! Thank you to Soraia (Miss Papaya), for continuing to be a mentor and role model for our students!
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The GSA at Sequoyah Middle School is a very active club making a positive impact on their community. They recently held a "No Name-Calling Week." Students were encouraged to write kind messages to friends, classmates, and staff. The GSA students spent the week collecting these messages and making them into a "kindness chain" to display at the next pep assembly. Students also took a pledge to do their best to avoid using slurs and mean names towards others. In four days, the pledge had gotten over 100 signatures! It was an awesome week and it was great seeing so many students and faculty getting involved!
The group also recently had a guest speaker. Connor is a Senior at Federal Way High School and you may remember him as our student speaker at our Breakfast in the fall! He identifies as a transgender male and calls himself a "gay icon." Connor spoke to the GSA about his story and answered their LGBTQ related questions. Our School Outreach Coordinators were so grateful for the opportunity to connect their middle schoolers with such an inspirational advocate for the LGBTQ community.
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As we wrap up
#NationalMentoringMonth
we have shared with you on
Facebook
some of our favorite quotes from our mentees about their mentors. Below is a heartfelt quote from one of our Seniors about the impact their mentor has made in their life. Check out our
Facebook
to read other great quotes and get inspired to join our team of amazing mentors!
One hour a week is all it takes to make a difference in the life of a child. If you would like more information call Jennifer at 253-529-7440 or email at
jennifery@cisfederalway.org
.
Thank you, to all of our mentors, past and present, who have made lasting impacts on the lives of over 500 students in Federal Way!
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Whatever it takes. However they need us. We're in schools to keep kids in school.
You can be a part of the solution and help young people in our community work toward a better and brighter future. If you support our mission to empower students to stay in school and achieve in life, then please consider making a donation to Communities In Schools of Federal Way.
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