Every student must overcome challenges on the path to earning their high school diploma. Some need a little extra support to push forward and walk across the graduation stage. Communities in Schools (CIS) partners with Clover Park School District (CPSD) to provide that support and extra resources for students who need it.
The Lakewood chapter of CIS assigns site coordinators to Clover Park High School, Lochburn Middle School and Four Heroes, Lakeview, and Tillicum elementary schools. The site coordinators work on campus to provide any support a student might need so they can focus on coming to school ready to learn.
CIS added two new coordinators to work directly with students and families this year. A housing stability coordinator works with families experiencing homelessness and connects students with local organizations that allow them to focus on school at an unstable time.
A wellness coordinator attends to the social and emotional health of students and creates plans to help them practice self-care and self-regulation. They also provide calm corners at schools to give students a space to reflect and remove themselves from an overwhelming situation.
“It’s well known that if you’re tired, hungry or upset you can’t learn anything,” said CIS Community Engagement Manager Jordan Jones. “These calm corners allow students an opportunity to meet their basic needs and get tools to recognize where their emotions are so they can take steps to calm themselves and get back to class ready to learn.”
At the beginning of the year and before each break, the wellness coordinator has students track their social emotional states on a chart to monitor their progress throughout the year and see the effectiveness of their efforts in real time.
“This year we’ve seen some of our dreams be actualized,” Jones said. “We were able to do amazing things at all our schools and especially CPHS, where we held events like Leaders of Change and Be R.E.A.L. (Respect, Equality, Acceptance and Love) that created an outstanding group of student leaders who are changing the school’s culture.”