Dear friends and partners,
I started working with Communities In Schools as a Site Coordinator in 2019 after working as a middle school science teacher. Site Coordinators are the absolute backbone of CIS – fostering relationships every day that transform how students see and experience the world around them. They are the people who students know and trust. To know that kids are counting on you to help them process and carry their burdens isn't always easy. That’s why I take my new role as a Director of Development very seriously – there is just so much at stake. Every day, I aim to take care of our team so that they have every resource they need to take care of students and their families.
This month, I'm also reflecting on how special it is for me to be able to work with so many members of the Hispanic community. As the son of two immigrants, I grew up both in the United States and in Mexico. I know how hard it can be to straddle different cultures, but I also know how incredibly generous and welcoming our community can be. When I moved to Greer from Mexico, my English was terrible, and I had a stutter that made it even harder for others to understand me. It was scary and I often felt alone. Because of my experience, I know firsthand just how critical it is for students to have access to a caring adult who makes them feel like they belong and have a future here. That's what CIS provides every day.
Thank you for being a part of this work and advocating for students' potential in schools and in their communities! Together, we're creating access to resources and opportunities that help them see, confront, and overcome any barriers that stand between them and their future.
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Michael Arsiniega
Upstate Director of Development
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Happy Hispanic Heritage Month!
De la familia del CIS a la suya, feliz mes de la Herencia Hispana!
This month, we honor the histories, cultures, and contributions of Hispanic Americans – and celebrate the Hispanic students and families we serve, our teammates, partnering organizations, and volunteers.
We are grateful to our team of site coordinators across the state who are collaborating with school partners to plan incredible celebrations for their students and communities!
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CISSC Named 2022 WhatWorksSC Finalists
We're honored to share that we've been chosen as a finalist for this year's Dick and Tunky Riley WhatWorksSC award from The Riley Institute at Furman!
Join us on October 25th as we gather in Columbia to celebrate programs that are positively impacting South Carolina's public education. To register, click here.
Read more about the award and the other two finalists here.
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Engaging Families in North Charleston
Family engagement is key to what we do at Communities In Schools! As part of her Guest Speaker Series, CIS Site Coordinator Jennifer Winston collaborated with others on North Charleston Elementary's Family & Parenting Engagement Team to make the "Grits with Grandparents" event a huge success!
They welcomed special guest Tamara C. Curry, an Associate Probate Judge for Charleston County, who focused on bridging the gap with grandparents by sharing helpful resources and so much more.
A huge shoutout to Jennifer and her team for not only being #AllinforKids, but all in for families too! To watch a short video of the event, click here.
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Celebrating Attendance Awareness Month
Attendance is the 'A' in our ABCs! We know that addressing the root causes of absenteeism, offering personalized interventions, and awarding students with incentives can make all the difference.
This month, volunteers from Colonial Life spent time at Sandel Elementary welcoming students to school and handing out incentives to celebrate their Attendance Awareness Campaign.
Through our model of Integrated Student Supports, we're proud to work alongside school districts, administrators, and community partners to holistically target and address any barriers that students face when trying to attend school.
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"I am 'all in' for kids because they truly represent our future, and sometimes it just takes that one person – that one champion – to help a student unlock their full potential. I love being that ONE!” – Kizzie |
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Meet our Site Coordinator of the Year, Kizzie Mabry-Thomas!
This month, Communities In Schools celebrated Coordinator Appreciation Week, and our very own Kizzie Mabry-Thomas was spotlighted by CIS nationally.
Kizzie has provided CIS with nearly ten exemplary years of service. An outstanding teammate who never hesitates to dive in and help, Kizzie regularly attends special events hosted by other staff members to lend support, serve food, collect tickets, speak to parents, or do anything else that needs to be done.
Kizzie is highly regarded by her principal, who remarked on her year-end review, "If you are lucky enough to have a Ms. Kizzie, you have everything you need." Kizzie goes above and beyond for the students at her school to provide daily Positive Behavioral Interventions and Supports (PBIS), guest speakers, and evening and weekend events for families. She is well known in the community and the go-to person for anyone who has questions about community resources.
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Learn more about our Upstate Director of Development, Michael Arsiniega!
Mike may be new to the role, but he isn’t new to the team. He was a site coordinator at Berea Middle School for more than two years before taking this new title. Mike has been in the field of education for over a decade – working first as an outdoor educator at Camp Greenville, then as a zoo educator at the Greenville Zoo, and finally as a middle school science teacher before joining the CIS team.
Having lived and worked in many places outside of Greenville, Mike always yearns to come back. "I love the people here. I am excited about my new role because it will allow me to take my skills as a Site Coordinator and my passion for connecting families with resources to a new level."
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"I am proud to be a new board member. My first interaction with the CIS program was in Charlotte in 2017. I went there to work with students on financial literacy, and I loved the way students engaged with their CIS site coordinator as a trusted advisor." – Sedrick |
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Meet our new Board Member, Sedrick McCallum!
Sedrick joined the SouthState Community Development Team in January 2021 with working knowledge of Community Development and the South Carolina territory. Sedrick brings more than 25 years of financial services experience along with an expansive background in business development. In addition to his experience in community development and banking, Sedrick is also an entrepreneur and served in the National Guard as a reservist from 2008 to 2016. Sedrick came to SouthState from Synovus where he served as Senior Community Development Manager for SC and GA.
"I went to college with the intent and passion of being an English teacher. After a couple of years in the classroom, I moved on to banking but took some nuggets with me. I understood students are not monoliths and as educators we must provide individualized attention to bring out the best in each student and meet them where they are. CIS has a similar logic. Each student can achieve with the right prescription."
We are grateful to have Sedrick on the CISSC team!
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"I cannot think of a more appropriate manner for GHA to participate in building healthier communities than by having an investment in our youth." – Phillip Liston, GHA President |
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Spotlighting the Greenville Health Authority
So much of what we've accomplished in the Upstate over the past five years would not have been possible without the support of the Greenville Health Authority (GHA). They have funded CIS programming at Welcome Elementary, Grove Elementary, Berea Elementary, Alexander Elementary, and Carolina High.
GHA's mission is to fund health related care, health research and health education that promotes the health of Greenville County residents. They focus on grants that improve access to healthcare, address Social Determinants of Health, target improved outcomes for Mental and Behavioral Health, and promote healthy eating and exercise.
"The Greenville Health Authority is proud to lend its support to the Communities In Schools initiative with funds from our Healthy Greenville grants program. The CIS program provides funding for trained staff members to be present in selected school sites to provide support and direction for students and their families on their social emotional needs and academic advancement." – Phillip Liston, GHA President
Thank you for supporting our work in Greenville and being #AllinforKids!
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In case you missed it: Dive into our 2021-22 Annual Report!
The Communities In Schools program ensures that students have everything they need to succeed – food, access to technology and school supplies, emotional support, and more. By bringing community resources to students, we are creating equitable learning conditions in schools and beyond.
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Communities In Schools Releases New Film
See Communities In Schools in action in the new film, The Push! The 22-minute documentary follows CIS of Atlanta student, Ja-Mez, on his journey to graduation – an event that once seemed impossible until he came under the wing of Darrell Smith, his CIS site coordinator.
“I want the audience to witness the unique and exceptional care we take in developing relationships with students we serve. I am grateful to share the work that site coordinators across the country perform daily to ensure that all students have access to the American Dream.” – Darrell Smith, CIS Site Coordinator
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