Media

A Word To Our Readers

Summer is here! Communities In Schools of North Carolina (CISNC) congratulates all of our affiliates on a job well done this past school year. The tireless work of our 37 affiliates to surround students with a community of support is invaluable. Similarly, we would like to congratulate each and every one of our CIS students this year, especially our graduates!

Here at the state office, we are gearing up for upcoming trainings for Staff, Executive Directors and Site Coordinators, as well as kicking off a major back-to-school supply drive campaign in partnership with Walmart.

Communities In Schools works every day to make sure we surround our students with a community of support, empowering them to stay in school and achieve in life. And we thank you for your continued support of CISNC and our work as the leading dropout prevention organization in North Carolina. Thank you for reading!

CISNC and Walmart Kick Off Statewide "Build A Backpack" Back-To-School Supply Drive

CISNC is thrilled to partner Walmart to launch a new statewide initiative where all 138 Walmarts across the state will collect school supplies for Communities In Schools. This is the biggest back-to-school supply drive ever attempted by Walmart in North Carolina and certainly shows Walmart's commitment in North Carolina to CIS as their strategic education partner.

The campaign will launch on July 17 and run through August 21. Stay tuned for more details, including specifics about how the campaign will work, FAQs and a localizable press release template, from Training & Events Coordinator April Clark and Communications & Media Specialist Rebecca Clendenin.

CISNC Partners with Kramden Institute to Provide Refurbished Computers to Graduating PLC Students

CISNC is pleased to announce a renewed partnership with Kramden Institute, Inc., a nonprofit whose mission is to bridge the digital divide for students who work hard in school but cannot afford a computer. Kramden donated 69 laptops and 119 desktops to students graduating from the five CIS Performance Learning Centers (PLCs) of North Carolina. Students going on to higher education received a laptop computer, and those going into the workforce and/or the military service received desktop computers. Click here for more information.

"Overcoming Obstacles: CIS Success Stories" May Video

"Programs don't change kids—relationships do." One of the most famous and most quoted of all CIS values, as stated once by Communities In Schools Founder and former President Bill Milliken. In last month's "Overcoming Obstacles" video, see for yourself how one caring adult, street gang outreach worker Travis Burrell, is daily pouring into the lives of young people at Ferndale Middle School in High Point, NC—young people who, without someone like Travis, are all too quickly on a track toward juvenile delinquency or worse. Burrell has himself walked a mile in their shoes and so now goes that extra mile to keep "his kids" from falling through the cracks. Click here for a beautifully-written blog post by multimedia producer Justin Cook, depicting his reflections on meeting Travis.

Ideas for Blog Posts Highlighting Graduation?

Know of a student who has overcame the odds and is graduating this spring? Have tips for graduating seniors? CISNC continues to recruit guest bloggers for its blog, which this month is featuring the of Graduation. Please let Communications & Media Specialist Rebecca Clendenin know if you have ideas for guest bloggers or other ideas.

Important CISDM Announcements

Please also note that the 2011-2012 School Year will be added to CISDM on July 1, 2011. At this time, returning CIS students can be promoted and new students can be added in the database for the new school year. Please remember any data entry for the 2010-2011 School Year will need to be backed dated after this time. Additionally, several new reports have been added to CISDM. Please take a look at the Student TQS Data Report, Site Level TQS Data Report, and Case Profile Report. Lastly, please click see below for details about the upcoming "Completing the EOY Report using CISDM" webinar hosted by CIS National on June 22.

Call for Mentor/Mentee Photographs

In order to build a new N.C. Mentoring Partnership website, CISNC needs your help! We want to feature our volunteers in action. If you have any photographs of mentors and mentees to share, please send them, along with any photo permissions, to Communications & Media Specialist Rebecca Clendenin. Thanks for your help!

Launch of CIS Alumni Network

Communities In Schools National is pleased to announce the CIS Alumni Network, which launched on May 20. The Alumni Network affords peer-to-peer support for CIS alums and mentorship opportunities to current CIS students. Best of all, CIS alumni are perhaps our organization's strongest brand ambassadors and champions for CIS. Check out and join the online community—an awesome resource for all! Click here for more information about the Alumni Network.

Reminder: Be On The Lookout and Please Display: CIS Alumni Postcards and Posters

Communities In Schools National is partnering with our student alumni to build a network that connects alumni and engages them in service, professional development and networking. The objective is to recruit as many CIS student alumni around the country to build this network, and to help them continue their journey even after they graduate. In order to engage the graduating class of 2011, CIS National is sending each local affiliate 4” x 6” postcards to hand out to each graduating senior, along with 11” x 17” posters to be displayed in your school and CIS onsite office. These materials will promote the alumni network and offer clear instructions about registering online. Thanks for your participation in helping build this network. Any questions can be directed to Alumni Network Specialist Mordecai Scott.

Unsung Heroes Award Nominations Now Accepted

The Unsung Heroes Award celebrates members of the Communities In Schools national network who embody the core values of the organization and demonstrate excellence in their jobs while implementing the Communities In Schools model. Site coordinators will be honored, since it is they who work at the school level to “love our students into change.” CIS National would like to enlist your support in identifying nominees who should receive one of these awards, which will be presented during a celebration in Washington, D.C. in the fall. It is a great opportunity to publicly recognize these dedicated staff members. The nominations need to be made by local affiliate executive directors. To review the nomination process, please click here and log in with your ID and password.

$100 Million in New HHS Community Transformation Grants Available

The Health & Human Services Community Transformation Grants, created by the Affordable Care Act, are aimed at helping communities implement projects proven to reduce chronic disease, violence and injury, and to improve mental health and equity. Specifically, this round of funding increases the grant cycle to a five-year period, which will allow communities more time to tailor and implement strategies, engage communities and ultimately shift norms around healthy eating and physical activity. It will also engage multiple sectors, encouraging community-based organizations, local and state governments to work together to build sustainable, effective change. Additionally, 20 percent of these funds will be dedicated to rural and frontier communities, areas which face particular challenges in resources and implementation. This funding cycle emphasizes health equity, with specific outcomes geared towards improving health among those who face the greatest disparities, along with resources dedicated directly toward building capacity. Click here for more information.

U.S. Cellular's "Calling All Communities" Returns in September With More Chances for Schools to Share $1 Million

U.S. Cellular is pleased to announce that its "Calling All Communities" campaign will return in September with exciting changes that will spread the impact of its $1 million prize to more schools across the country. For the third year, the campaign will challenge schools to rally community support for the chance to enhance students' learning opportunities any way they see fit. This year, instead of 10 schools, 18 schools that garner the most community votes will win a share of $1 million. Since the program began in 2008, U.S. Cellular has awarded $2 million to schools. Calling All Communities champions have used their winnings in a variety of ways to strengthen the learning experience for thousands of students across the country. Many outfitted their classrooms with new computers, Promethean boards and other technologies. Other winners improved outdated infrastructure and renovated gymnasiums, school kitchens and sciences labs. A few paid portions of their proceeds forward by giving college scholarships to graduating students and donating 10 percent to non-profits around the world. For more information about U.S. Cellular, its cutting-edge phone lineup, high-speed nationwide network and past Calling All Communities campaigns, click here or visit U.S. Cellular's Facebook Page. Check back this summer for details about the 2011 Calling All Communities campaign. Official rules will be available when the program launches in September.

Congratulations to CIS of Cape Fear on Achieving National Accreditation

Please join CISNC in congratulating CIS of Cape Fear for achieving National Accreditation by demonstrating compliance with all Communities In Schools Total Quality System (TQS) standards. North Carolina continues to be the country's leader in accredited affiliates—12 and counting!

CIS of Rutherford County's Leader of the Pack 5K Run & Fun Run A Big Success

On May 14, CIS of Rutherford County hosted its 2nd Annual Leader of the Pack 5k & Fun Run. With the participation and the generous support of a host of sponsors, CIS of Rutherford was able to add more than $7,000 to its program support this year. Click here to view race results and photos. Congratulations, CIS of Rutherford!

CIS of Brunswick County Hosts Big Toy Day

More than 75 exhibitors and 1,400 people enjoyed the 3rd Annual CIS of Brunswick County Big Toy Day at the Cape Fear Regional Jetport on May 21. Whether a child preferred planes, cars, trucks or animals, the event held something special for everyone. Designed to provide a fun-filled educational experience for kids of all ages, the day gave a behind-the-scenes peak into the careers of pilots, truck drivers, fire fighters, law enforcement agents, military services, sanitation crews, construction workers, animal trainers and more. Congratulations to CIS of Brunswick on this successful event.

Call for Affiliate Events to be Featured on CISNC's Website

In an effort to serve as the state's center for dropout prevention, CISNC is happy to feature your local events on our website's What's Happening at CISNC calendar. Each CIS affiliate can add two events per month, and the deadline for event submissions is the 15th of the month prior to the event. (For example, events for August should be in by July 15th.) Please note: Events will only be posted one month in advance. Please make sure to include the affiliate name, sponsors, date, location (address), time and a description of the event. Please include a contact for more information about the event. Send events to Training & Events Coordinator April Clark.

Executive Directors' Summer Meeting

June 22 - 23, 2011

CISNC will hold its annual Executive Directors' Summer Meeting at the Embassy Suites in Greensboro Wednesday, June 22, through Thursday, June 23. The focus will be on research—research about dropout prevention and the CIS Model—and how to use the information to secure support for CIS. The Executive Directors' meeting is free to all Executive Directors. The meeting includes meals and double room occupancy. For Executive Directors requesting a single room the fee is $150.00. To register, click here.

Upcoming National Webinars

June 22, 2011, 2 p.m., Completing the EOY Report using CISDM

This webinar will provide a step-by-step tutorial on how to complete the 2010-2011 EOY report using CISDM. Any staff members who will be involved in preparing data for the EOY report are invited to join. After this webinar, Research & Evaluation Specialist Nevin Daryani will work each affiliate interested in populating their report via CISDM.

June 29, 2011, 2 p.m., Engaging Your Board In Fundraising

To register for these or any other upcoming webinars, visit the Communities In Schools WebEx Event Center website and click on “Register” next to the topic that interests you.

CISNC Summer Training Institute

August 17, 2011, 9:30 a.m. - 3:30 p.m., McKimmon Conference & Training Center, Raleigh, NC

August 19, 2011, 9:30 a.m. - 3:30 p.m., Friendship Missionary Baptist Church , Charlotte, NC

Participants may choose which day they would like to attend. Parking is free and lunch will be provided at both locations. This year’s training institute will provide an opportunity to learn about:

Poverty and its effect on brain development for students

Roles and expectations for the first year Site Coordinator

Implementing the CIS model

Engaging parents effectively

Our motivational keynote speaker will be Kwain Bryant. Mr. Bryant is a program developer and national training specialist with Empowerment Exchange—founded in 2001. He is an "educator" in every sense of the word. Mr. Bryant is a graduate of North Carolina Central University, the place where he developed the passion for Health Education and empowering others. Mr. Bryant will also lead a special session on effective strategies to engage parents.

To register in Raleigh please click here.

To register in Charlotte please click here.

Group registration is available however, when registering online please use ONE email per person or else the registration will not be accepted.