Media

A Word To Our Readers

Across the country, the month of October is recognized as National Crime Prevention and National Bullying Prevention Month. At Communities In Schools of North Carolina (CISNC), we hope to do our part to raise awareness about these important issues that face many of the students we serve. This month, if you have any information about crime prevention and/or bullying prevention, please let Communications & Media Specialist Rebecca Clendenin know.

As the state headquarters of the Communities In Schools network in North Carolina, CISNC is again pleased to share with you news from the state office, grant opportunities, news from our network and important dates and times for upcoming trainings and events. Remember to regularly visit our website for more information to keep students of all ages in school, ready to graduate and prepared for life.

Farewell to Longtime CISNC Employee Jan Handsome

Please join CISNC in thanking and wishing well Jan Handsome, CISNC's longtime AmeriCorps VISTA Supervisor. Jan, who suffered a stroke in early June, has retired after nine years of service to Communities In Schools. Herself a VISTA member and VISTA leader, Jan oversaw more than 200 VISTA members over the years. "My passion is to help others, to improve someone's else life," said Jan recently. "My service to Communities In Schools has been the best partnership I could have been a part of. Doing what I love—helping students see their potential—that has meant the world to me." Please join the state office in celebrating Jan’s tireless service to CISNC.

Tremendous Results from the P&G GIVE Education Campaign!

As part of Procter & Gamble's commitment to help children in need get off to a healthy start, receive access to education and build skills for life, GIVE Education partnered with the Communities In Schools national office this summer to keep more than one million kids in school. Specifically, the P&G GIVE Education program helped fight the nation's dropout crisis by inspiring consumers to help through simple actions and everyday purchases.

Click here for the tally of results from the P&G and Communities In Schools partnership—they are amazing: more than $300,000 in unrestricted funds raised, more than $500,000 in product donations across the CIS network, more than 900,000 media impressions. Congratulations to CIS National on a very successful inaugural year for GIVE Education!

"Overcoming Obstacles: CIS Success Stories" September Video

As always, CISNC is excited to share with you our latest "Overcoming Obstacles: CIS Success Stories" video, which explores the “hidden issue” of childhood hunger and showcases one of the most critical programs offered by Communities In Schools local affiliates around the state (and country)—The BackPack Pals Program—specifically in Lee County, home of Sanford, NC. Made possible by the manpower of weekly volunteers, BackPack Pals provides food in backpacks that low-income children can discreetly pick up from their guidance counselor each Friday and take home so they have enough food to make it through the weekend. Perhaps more than any other video we’ve produced this year, this one truly captures the essence of Communities In Schools—that we’re in the schools to enhance what schools and teachers can't do alone and in such a way that removes barriers to student success. Enjoy and please share widely! Special thanks to Denise Blanco-Durán for her assistance with Spanish translation.

CISNC Part of Multi-State Mentoring Initiative

The national office of Communities In Schools has been afforded an opportunity to develop a multi-state mentoring initiative which is funded by the Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention (OJJDP). This mentoring initiative will span across eight states including Arizona, Florida, Georgia, Louisiana, Kansas, North Carolina, Texas and Virginia. The mentoring initiative will allow local affiliates across these states to employ and utilize Mentor Coordinators to assist in current mentoring efforts. CISNC will provide training, technical assistance and coaching to the Mentor Coordinators to assist in the following:

Expand their knowledge, skills and qualifications by providing training guided by the elements of an effective mentoring program; and

Expand the capacity of the CIS Mentoring Multi-State Network by providing technical assistance and coaching to the affiliates.

CIS of Cape Fear, CIS of Cleveland County and CIS of Montgomery County will all be participating in the mentoring initiative, which will also focus on serving youth in the juvenile justice system.

CIS Site Coordinators Head to the Mountains

High elevation...fresh mountain air..beautiful scenery...35 dedicated Site Coordinators. All of these things combined made for an amazing renewal seminar in early September that was hosted by the N.C. Center for the Advancement of Teaching (NCCAT). CISNC and NCCAT partnered to provide an annual seminar entitled "The Last Dropout"—providing Site Coordinators with an experience beyond a normal staff development. Participating Site Coordinators from across the state spent five days learning about themselves, their colleagues and how to challenge thinking to achieve the CIS mission. NCCAT facilitator, Dr. Ernest Johnson, says it best —"We come here to fill up our cup." Participants had a chance to listen and interact with practitioners who shared content on understanding individual work styles, racial identity and strategies to effectively engage youth. Site Coordinators also had an opportunity to hear directly from a panel of students regarding their experiences and uphill battles to become successful in life. This event truly created a stronger network of Site Coordinators that felt "connected"—connected to self, connected to each other and connected to the belief that we could eventually see the last dropout.

Teens 2 Teens Founder Among Nominees for People Magazine's Readers' Choice Hero

Please take a moment and vote for Krissi Fajgenbaum for the People Magazine's Readers' Choice Hero of the Year. The grand prize is $10,000, which her organization Teens 2 Teens desperately needs to purchase shoes, boots and coats for teens in need in the Appalachian Mountains.

Krissi is an 18-year-old recent graduate of Ravenscroft High School in Raleigh. She came to see CISNC several years ago with her mother to discuss a partnership with CISNC. Rather than a project of CIS, the state office helped her create her own nonprofit but agreed to help her set up the two boutiques in underserved counties. One is in Swain County (home of CIS of the Great Smoky Mountains) where CIS helped to set up a great little boutique, Teens 2 Teens, to offer gently-used clothes for kids who need them. She was inspired to do this by the documentary on Appalachia. Her project is now rolling along. She just started her freshman year at UNC-Chapel Hill.

Krissi is already a hero to CIS but help her become one nationally! You can vote as many times as you want. Click here to vote.

Free Tickets Available to "BE BOLD: Back Off Bully" Benefit Concert

Peaceful Schools-NC, an evidence-based bullying prevention initiative, has 50-75 tickets that they would like to place in the hands of CIS students and mentors who would benefit from attending this event on October 23 at Koka Booth Amphitheater in Cary. If interested, please contact N.C. Psychoanalytic Foundation Executive DirectorSarah Stiegler by October 15. See this flyer for more information about the event, featuring Gabbie Ray.

Teen Driving Safety Grants—November 15 Deadline

Teen driving accidents are one of the biggest challenges for some of our rural communities and traffic accidents are the #1 killer of young adults. Project Ignition, sponsored by State Farm and coordinated by the National Youth Leadership Council, provides grants for public high schools to support their students in addressing teen driver safety through service-learning. Students and teachers develop innovative service-learning projects, working to ultimately influence driving behaviors and save lives on the road through public awareness and engagement campaigns. Public high schools that enroll students in grades 9-12 in the U.S. are invited to apply. Twenty-five schools will be chosen to receive $2,000 grants to support the implementation of their campaigns from January to April 2012. Ten of these 25 schools will be selected to receive $5,000 to support their participation in a national conference or event. The application deadline is November 15, 2011. Visit the Project Ignition website for the application and tools to create a high-quality proposal.

50 Other Grant Opportunities

CISNC is pleased to provide other grant opportunities, thanks to our friends at Global Youth Justice. Click here for 50+ grant announcements perhaps relevant to your work to serve North Carolina's children and youth.

Institute for Emerging Issues Prize for Innovation

For the second year, the Raleigh-based Institute for Emerging Issues is excited to announce its "Emerging Issues Prize for Innovation" where teams of students submit proposals to address some of the biggest challenges facing our state. This year the topic is increasing the high school graduation rate. Click here for more information about the prize. The winning team of students will be announced at the 2012 Forum and will receive $5,000 to implement their idea. The competition is open to both high school and college students, and there is a separate prize for each category. Please pass this flyer along to teachers, students and others who are able to participate or spread the word.

Charlotte-Mecklenburg Winner of Prestigious Broad Prize

CISNC congratulates Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools, a winner of the prestigious 2011 Broad (pronounced "Brode") Prize, recently announced by U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan. Sponsored by the Los Angeles-based Eli and Edythe Broad Foundation, the Broad Prize comes with a monetary award of $550,000 dollars that will be distributed as college scholarships for the district’s high school seniors.

The 133,600-student district was recognized for its work in reducing achievement gaps and for improving graduation rates, SAT scores, and end-of-year exam scores. Communities In Schools local affiliate, Communities In Schools of Charlotte-Mecklenburg, works in 44 schools with high poverty rates, providing integrated student services to more than 5,700 CMS students.

"There are so many factors that contribute to a student’s performance in school," said Ann Blakeney Clark, Chief Academic Officer with Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools. "Communities In Schools has played an integral role in supporting our efforts to help low income and minority students succeed and graduate, which is a specific focus of the Broad Foundation. The staff, resources and volunteers that CIS brings into our schools provide much-needed support that not only impacts the promotion and graduation rates of students, but positively affects the total school environment. We appreciate and recognize the value of key partners such as Communities In Schools."

The Broad Prize is the largest of its kind honoring school districts. Its goal is to reward districts that improve achievement for disadvantaged students, while creating an incentive for districts to make successful changes. Charlotte-Mecklenburg is the 10th recipient of the award since its inception in 2002.

"I am proud of the role Communities In Schools of Charlotte-Mecklenburg played in the district’s work to support the achievement of low-income and minority students," said Linda Harrill, CISNC President & CEO. "Thanks to the dedication of our affiliates across North Carolina and our partnership with local school districts and communities, we will continue our efforts to increase the number of children who graduate on-time, ready for college and career."

FirstSchool Gardens Featured on "NBC Nightly News with Brian Williams"

Congratulations to CIS of Moore County's FirstSchool Gardens Program, featured in the September 16th edition of "NBC Nightly News with Brian Williams," as one of the inaugural Service Sites for FoodCorps. The FirstSchool Garden Program is designed to address the future of dropout prevention for 1-in-3 children who now face serious health challenges preventing them from staying in school, learning and being prepared for life. Click here for the article that appeared in the Southern Pines Pilot about the national attention the FirstSchool Gardens Program has attracted. Want to learn more? Check out the "Overcoming Obstacles: CIS Success Stories" video CISNC produced on the Gardens Program. Congratulations to FirstSchool Gardens Director Kathy Byron and the FirstSchool Garden staff, Blue Cross and Blue Shield of NC, Moore County Schools and FoodCorps for helping CIS of Moore County make the national news!

Visit by Congressman Howard Coble to Pinehurst Elementary

On September 30, Pinehurst Elementary was host to Congressman Howard Coble (R-NC), who visited the school to see the Young Explorer computer stations there. With help from IBM, CISNC recently provided Young Explorer computer centers, each valued at $2,600, to early childhood development programs in 26 counties across the state. The computer centers are part of IBM’s KidSmart Program, a global early learning technology initiative to support the early childhood education of children internationally. The center comes with award-winning educational software to help children learn and explore concepts in math, science and language. Children also learn important socialization skills such as working together and sharing. Special thanks to CISNC Board Member Tina Wilson of IBM for her partnership in this endeavor.

Teens 2 Teens To Be Featured on HLN (formerly CNN Headline News)

Be sure to tune in to CNN on Tuesday, October 18, 8:30-9 a.m. EST, and Saturday, October 22, 10:30-11 a.m. EST, to catch a piece on Teens 2 Teens, serving our CIS affiliates in the Great Smoky Mountains. For more information about Teens 2 Teens and its founder Krissi Fajgenbaum, see the article above.

Lexington Senior High School Awarded $5,000

Congratulations to Lexington Senior High School (LSHS) in Davidson County for winning first prize of $5,000 in the P&G School The Nation Contest! Thanks to all who voted on Facebook! Click here to learn more about LSHS.

Tenth Annual N.C. OPT-ED Alliance Day

October 14, 2011, McKimmon Conference & Training Center, Raleigh, NC

Alliance Day is a powerful conference, which unites secondary school students through graduate students together in promoting continued education in the science, technology, engineering and mathematics fields (STEM) and the social, behavioral and economic sciences (SBES).

N.C. OPT-ED Alliance Day features:

Keynote Speaker;

Student Poster Presentations;

Student Oral Presentations;

Informative Workshops; and

Undergraduate and Graduate Recruitment Fair.

N.C. OPT-ED invites students participating in CREST, ERC, HBCU-UP, LSAMP, NC-MSEN, NCCCS BioNetwork, McNair, RISE, AGEP and SBE and other programs and institutions to attend. Click here for more information.

Ninth Annual Hispanic Achievement Statewide Conference

October 15, 2011, McKimmon Conference & Training Center, Raleigh, NC

This conference is meant for superintendents, assistant superintendents, principals, assistant principals, counselors, teachers, social workers, other administrators, nonprofit staff, college faculty responsible for training in the field of education, college education majors and community leaders. Hosted by the N.C. Society of Hispanic Professionals (NCSHP) and in partnership with the N.C. Department of Public Instruction, this conference seeks to:

Empower education leaders and teachers with a better knowledge of the Hispanic student population and the factors that interfere with their educational performance;

Teach methods and practices that will help Hispanic/ESL students overcome barriers to academic success and promote their involvement in school life; and

Feature successful practitioners who will share their experience and expertise in ESL programs, bilingual education, parental involvement, and linguistically diverse populations as a positive resource.

Click here for more information and to register.

CISNC Mentoring Summit

October 25, 2011, McKimmon Conference & Training Center, Raleigh, NC

Supported by the North Carolina Mentoring Partnership, a MENTOR affiliate, the 2011 Communities In Schools of North Carolina Mentoring Summit will be October 25. The event has been organized in partnership with the N.C. Commission on Volunteerism and Community Service of the Office of the Governor and United Way of North Carolina.

This one-day gathering will focus on engaging the community in mentoring and strengthening mentoring programs across the state. The keynote speaker will be Jean E. Rhodes, Ph.D., Professor of Psychology at the University of Massachusetts–Boston, Chair of MENTOR's Research and Policy Council, Research Director of the Center for Evidence-Based Mentoring and a nationally-recognized research expert on youth mentoring whose book—Stand by Me: The Risks and Rewards of Mentoring Today's Youth (Harvard University Press)—was recently issued in paperback.

Workshops will include:

Mentoring Students in Poverty

Recruiting Mentors from Diverse Populations

The Psychology of Persuasion

Understanding the Current Youth Culture

Effective Mentoring Practices

Supporting Teachers through Mentoring

Mentoring Gang Involved Youth

Using Social Media Changes Everything!(Or Does It?)

The cost to attend the Mentoring Summit is $25. Click here for more information and to register.

Upcoming National Webinars

October 13, 2011, 1 p.m., Employment and Volunteer Recruiting on the National Website

The Communities In Schools national office's website is launching a brand-new jobs and volunteer section. Visitors to the Communities In Schools website will be able to search for job opportunities, internships and volunteer opportunities locally. Affiliates will be responsible for posting their job and volunteer opportunities to the national website. Join Online Communications Specialist Briana Kerensky and Human Resources Coordinator Jessica Adams to learn how you can take advantage of this critical new tool.

October 26, 2011, 1 p.m., Building a Strong Online Presence

When used effectively, social media is an invaluable tool to promote your affiliate and the mission of Communities In Schools. Join John Minh Nguyen, Chief Information Officer for Communities In Schools of North Texas, and Briana Kerensky, Online Communications Specialist for the national office, in sharing best practices and time-saving strategies to build a strong social media presence.

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.

"BE BOLD: Back Off Bully" Benefit Concert

October 23, 2011, 1-5 p.m., Koka Booth Amphitheater, Cary, NC

Tickets are $10. Proceeds from this benefit event will support Peaceful Schools-NC, an evidenced-based bullying prevention initiative. See this flyer for more information.