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Written by Aimee Crane
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Wednesday, 18 January 2012 20:54 |
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 There is a girl at Borman Elementary who is very shy and quiet. She is very well behaved and always gets her work done, although she is very behind academically. She has been participating in the Communities In Schools of North Texas 21st Century After-School program for several months now.
Last week, her class was playing sports during club time, and she chose to sit out next to her CISNT coach while the kids played an active game of spider ball. As they were sitting there, the student gave a big sigh and asked her coach why her mommy and daddy hit her so much. The coach felt a quick moment of panic inside but then took a deep breath and asked her what she meant-did she mean a spanking on her bottom when she misbehaved? The little girl answered no, it was always on her back. When the coach asked if her parents hit her when she was in trouble, the little girl said no, that she couldn't figure out why her parents hit her.
The coach reassured the little girl and asked a few more questions and later filed a Child Protective Services report. There have previously been CPS reports filed and the school is aware of a little bit of what is going on. However, the little girl is so quiet and tends to fade into the background and does not talk much about family life. But now we will be able to consistently check in with her four afternoons each week to see how she is doing-if she is just processing something that has happened a long time ago or if something has occurred recently. She has many more eyes watching over her safety and emotional stability-both during the day as well as during the Communities In Schools of North Texas 21st Century After-School program. |
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Written by Jennifer Hughes
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Wednesday, 11 January 2012 21:26 |
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 This month I will be writing about Eric and his mentor Sherie Broagniz. Sherie is a newly retired Math teacher from Briahill Middle School in Lewisville ISD who wanted to spend part of her free time helping students learn math.
I paired her with Eric, a reluctant 7th grade boy at DeLay Middle School who was just not that interested in Math. His teachers said he is bright but not showing any effort in class. The first time they met, they made corrections on his homework and have since been going over math skills that will help him in class. At that time, Eric had been resistant to the help, but Sherie did not give up and kept pushing him to keep trying.
I was so happy to receive this e-mail from his teacher this week. "Eric is doing an incredible job in math class. He turns his homework in on time, he's making better grades, he's participating more, and he even helps some of the other students in class. In the last two tests he has made one of the highest grades in the class. I'm really proud of him and very thankful to Ms. Broagniz. She is exactly what Eric needed" |
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Written by Nicole Scott
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Monday, 09 January 2012 19:51 |
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 Meg Hudson is an Academic Enrichment Specialist in the Communities In Schools of North Texas 21st Century Community Learning Center at Ginnings Elementary in Denton ISD. She started with us in October and has been working with the 2nd and 3rd grade students. Meg had a rough first couple of months with her class. The majority of her students were not being respectful. They would ignore her directions and rules, and they would often try to argue with her about the simple instructions she had just given. Her class has also struggled with transitioning from one activity to another without chaos. She is such a sweet and soft spoken person that some of the students began taking advantage of her kindness and mistaking that for weakness.
Meg became overwhelmed by the behavior of her class and turned to the other Academic Enrichment Specialists at Ginnings for input and suggestions on how they run their classes and how she could fix these issues in her class. It was great to see the 21st Century staff working together to help her solve this problem. Meg decided to make some changes in her class and things slowly started to get better. Students now understand that all of the "fun" activities are earned and if their behavior is not appropriate and they are disrespectful, they will not have the privilege of participating in those activities. The students in Meg's class have continued to show improvements in their behavior and transitioning from one activity to another has become much easier. Meg and I are both happy with the progress her students are making in 21st Century.
Meg was also in charge of our music and dance enrichment club. She had 22 girls in her club and they got into small groups to create their own dance routines. Meg has a passion for music and did an absolutely amazing job with the students in her club. She allowed them to be as creative as they wanted when choreographing their routines. There were a handful of small groups that would eventually perform their routines for other students in 21st Century as well as parents. The music and dance club spent almost 2 months preparing for their big performance. The students worked very hard and were always so excited to go to their club at the end of each day. Although there were small group performances, Meg also wanted to have the whole dance club perform together so she taught them all how to line dance. Most of the girls had never line danced before, but they loved learning a new style of dance! All of the girls in the club loved having Meg as their teacher. I think each and every one of the students came up to me at some point to let me know how awesome their club was and how much they enjoyed being in Meg's club!
Music and dance club was a huge success thanks to Meg and the girls who signed up for this club! I had male and female students approaching me after clubs began. They begged me to let them be in the dance club, but since they were at their maximum capacity I was unable to add more students. However, when we return from winter break students will have the opportunity to choose from 5 different clubs, one of course being music and dance. I'm so thankful to have Meg at Ginnings and I can't wait to see what Meg and her new music and dance group have in store for us! |
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Written by Lauren Miller
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Thursday, 08 December 2011 18:56 |
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 On Monday, November 28, all Communities In Schools 21st Century Community Learning Center students at Peters Colony Elementary School were officially enrolled into Club 21 University! On the first day or "Orientation Day," an introduction to the various types of college (such as Community College, University, College, etc.) and the various types of degrees (i.e., Associates, Bachelor's, Master's, and Doctoral). Students also discussed the majors they chose which depended on their career choice.
Each Club 21 team created their own college name, which ranged from Cool Cats College to Facebook College. During days 2 & 3 (or "Admissions" & "College Prep"), students created an Admissions Packet, College Application and Graduation Regalia.
On Thursday, December 1, all present Club 21 University students graduated from their affiliated college. A valedictorian and salutatorian were chosen for each college based on behavior and leadership. A traditional processional with college banners and graduation regalia created a unique environment that parents and Club 21 students truly enjoyed!
To end College Week successfully, Club 21 students attended the University of North Texas vs. Middle Tennessee football game in the brand new UNT football stadium - giving students a small glimpse of College Life! Thank you UNT for donating tickets to our program - it is a great addition to our College Week! |
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Written by Stacey Corbett
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Wednesday, 07 December 2011 22:52 |
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Here are some sobering statistics about fatherless homes:
- 90% of all homeless and runaway children are from fatherless homes
- 85% of all children that exhibit behavioral disorders come from fatherless homes
- 71% of all high school dropouts come from fatherless homes
- 85% of all youth sitting in prisons grew up in a fatherless home
Men who mentor or teach a child have a profound impact on a child's life.
The Communities In Schools of North Texas afterschool "A.C.E." program at Lakeland Elementary in Lewisville ISD has seen just that. At the beginning of the school year we started with four female teachers. We have several young men in our program who come from fatherless homes and are raised by single mothers. In several of these children we have seen behavioral problems such as anger, name calling, blatantly being disrespectful to teachers and classmates, low self-esteem, theft, and fighting. One such young man has even been in trouble several times with the police at the age of 8. The day I met "Dylan" he was ignoring his teachers instructions, turning circles in line down the hall way and telling other kids to "shut up." He went into shut down mode, and anytime I tried talking to him he would ignore my questions or attempts to make conversation and say, "I hate A.C.E. I want to go home." Dylan's behavior did not improve and we had to ask mom to come and pick him up. Dylan needed the A.C.E program and his A.C.E. teachers, classroom teacher, and principal wanted him to succeed. I did not see Dylan for two months after that week because he refused to come to program or he would spend all his time trying to get kicked out.
Enter Marcellus Mayberry.
 Marcellus Mayberry is a young man from Chicago who went to school in Mississippi. He is currently working toward his Masters in Genetics at the University of North Texas and would eventually like to teach at the high school or college level. Marcellus has a passion for working with at-risk youth. The day Marcellus stepped on our campus the entire program knew he was there. I had told one boy who came to get a backpack from me earlier that morning about Mr. Mayberry. On their way to the A.C.E. program, I caught the older boys brusquely walking (some running) down the hallways to ask if "He" was here. It was also on this very same day when I was overseeing dismissal, I heard a voice call, "MISS! MISS! My name is not on the bus list and I'm supposed to ride it home!" I looked up and to my surprise, it was Dylan. Tears welled up in my eyes as I heard the story. Apparently, Dylan saw Mr. Mayberry in the hallway and it was that moment he decided to give the A.C.E. program a try.
In the two weeks Marcellus has been with our program our boys have done a complete 180. They have manners and hold the door for one another. They have a secret handshake that only they know. They laugh; give each other high fives and encouragement. They follow directions and the behavior problems have dwindled down to next to nothing. Everyday my 4th and 5th grade boys want to know whose class Mr. Mayberry will be in that day and which group he will be with in tutoring. Dylan attends regularly. He still has some of the same characteristics as before, but we are slowly seeing a change with a gentle touch and some firm redirection from Mr. Mayberry. Dylan had even begun to listen and responds well to Mr. Mayberry's female counterparts. Men who mentor or teach a child have a profound impact on a child's life and it has never been more apparent to me as it has with a young man by the name of Mr. Mayberry.
If you would like to become a mentor or know someone who you think would make a great mentor, please complete our online volunteer application. Click here to learn more. |
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