Communities In Schools of Lexington/Davidson County

Earlier this year, James was pulled from his bed in the middle of a school day by the high school truancy officer after his Communities In Schools site coordinator expressed concern for him. She noticed that James had been absent more days than he had attended and was in danger of not only falling behind, but of entering the juvenile court system.

What really caught her attention was that even with his excessive absences, James, a quiet, polite sophomore, still had passing grades in all of his classes. Why would such a bright student give up the chance to graduate and, more than likely, receive scholarships to attend college?

He was afraid to leave his mother at home alone during the day with her abusive partner.

With a few phone calls, the site coordinator had James enrolled in an online learning program to make up for his missing time at school. She also helped him come up with a plan to balance his perceived obligations to his mother with his academic work. James now completes his assignments each day on a laptop within sight of her office.

When a recent campus visit to North Carolina A&T State University was announced, James was the first in line to hand in his permission slip – he can’t wait to become a first-generation college student.

James is like hundreds of other young people in Lexington and Davidson County who are facing dizzying obstacles; challenges that force them to choose between home and school, between family and self, and most often between survival in the present and success in the future.

In the face of so much need, it’s hard to know where to start and easy to accept that as individuals we’re powerless to make a real difference. Where do we put our limited resources if we want to have the biggest impact?

To us at Communities In Schools, the answer is a simple one. We invest in individuals who do have the tools to change student’s lives for the better; the site coordinators who keep track of grades, absences, and behavior, intervening when necessary, as well as the mentors who show up week after week to offer a stable presence and friendly guidance.

James is proof that incredible transformation is possible when the right support system is in place.

We want you to know that by helping us reach our $20,000 year-end goal before December 31, you are making an investment in that support system.

You are personally guaranteeing that the resources will be there to empower students like James who are in need of an advocate, a friend, a solution, and a chance to succeed.

Thank you for choosing to change your community for the better. Thank you for supporting Communities In Schools of Lexington/Davidson County. 

Athletic director believes mentoring builds community

Matt Swift joins Cory, a fourth grade student at Southwest Elementary School, for lunch at least once a week.

Those who know him well aren’t surprised to hear Cory say he hates to read.

But the Southwest Elementary School fourth-grader knows that to be successful in the subject he’s most passionate about – math – he has to endure. Word problems won’t solve themselves.

“I know I have to do it,” Cory confided during a recent lunch hour with his mentor, Matt Swift.

“He’s really great at math,” said Swift, who works as the athletic program director for the City of Lexington Parks and Recreation Department. He was matched as a mentor to Cory through Communities In Schools of Lexington/Davidson County three years ago but the two had already become acquainted through youth athletics and through Swift’s wife, Kristina Swift, a former teacher of Cory’s.

“Being around so many kids with my job I saw … great kids with so much potential that just needed someone to guide them and help them,” Swift said. “Knowing there are so many kids in Lexington that have a chance to do anything they want but may not have the guidance or resources to reach their potential, I decided I wanted to help them achieve that success.”

With Cory, a lover of all things sports, Swift focuses on making the connection between academic success and success as an athlete.

“He’s helping me get where I need to go,” Cory said. The aspiring physical education teacher (if his career in the NFL doesn’t work out) knows that Swift expects the very best from him, or else he won’t be on the field with his fellow junior Yellow Jackets on game day. “He helps me behave.”

“His big thing is athletics but of course that’s all determined by academics. He needs to know he’s not automatically going to Carolina (to play football). There’s a lot more involved,” Swift said. “I’m just opening his eyes to the things he can do; the things that are out there that he has not had access to in the past.”

Together, Swift and Cory enjoy having lunch, attending sporting events, or just talking about school, life and goals for the future. “He seems happy when we discuss these things. I think it excites him to know the possibilities he has if he continues on the right path in life,” Swift said. “He has definitely improved his overall grades. (He still has) a ways to go in reading but we are getting there. He is much more confident in the classroom than (he was) previously.”

What drives Swift, he added, is the knowledge that the impact of his volunteer work goes far beyond what he is able to accomplish on an individual level with Cory.

“Being a mentor, whether through CIS or independently, is one of the most fulfilling things you can do. The feeling of seeing them improve all aspects of their life is unbelievable One of the things I find gratifying is thinking about the things that I could have done better as a student and making sure to steer (Cory) away from that. I just want him to be the good person I know he is and that I know he can be.

“Lexington is my home. So often you hear … people speaking of community, what can we do or how can we change this or that. Well, sometimes you have to get up off your rear end and contribute to making this a great community. I feel like by mentoring I’m being a small piece of that puzzle.”

Stitch for Students volunteer coordinator, Carol Williams holds the bag of entries while the winners’ names are drawn at First Baptist Church on Sept. 24, 2013.

We are pleased to announce that the following Stitch for Students participants will receive $25 gift cards to Cracker Barrel as a token of our appreciation of their hard work and dedication to the project:

Betty & Frank

Samantha Massey

Irene Truelove

We sincerely thank everyone who donated their time an energy to making the third annual Stitch for Students an overwhelming success!

Greg Collins took over the CIS program at Central Davidson Middle School for the 2013/14 school year.

Name: Greg Collins

School: Central Davidson Middle School

Birthday Month: November         

Hometown: Cherryville, NC

How long have you worked in education? 13 years

What’s your favorite food?  Steak and shrimp

What do you do when you aren’t at school (hobbies)?  Spend time with my family

What’s the best lesson you learned from a mentor you had in your life?  “You never fail until you quit trying”

What’s your favorite book?  Alex Cross series by James Patterson

What does CIS mean to you? A way for kids to know someone cares.

What is one thing you’ve learned about the CIS program that you didn’t already know?  Can reach out and help kids who are directly served by a mentor

Yolanda Ortiz took control of the CIS program at Pickett Elementary School this year. She looks forward to growing the program and ensure students in need get the help they deserve.

Name: Yolanda Ortiz

School: Pickett Elementary

Birthday Month: December

Hometown: Lexington

How long have you worked in education? I have worked in education since 2001. I took a couple years off to spend time with my children. I am excited to be back in education.

What’s your favorite food?  AC Shrimp at Don Juans

What do you do when you aren’t at school (hobbies)? Spend time with my family and event planning.

What’s the best lesson you learned from a mentor you had in your life? I have never had a mentor, but I feel it is great to have someone who can be a part of your life in a supportive way, especially in education.

What does CIS mean to you?  It means being a supportive leader in the school system that helps mentors carry out their goals in helping children succeed. Also, I like to get to know each of my students and provide help in any way.

What is one thing you’ve learned about the CIS program that you didn’t already know?  How much support and help there is for those in need. This program is not only for the students in the program, but for the schools needs as well.

New CIS Site Coordinator, Amanda Bostick meets with CIS-enrolled students at Lexington Senior High School to get acquainted and start the 2013/14 school year off on the right foot.

Name: Amanda Bostick                  

School: Lexington Senior High School

Birthday Month: October

Hometown: Lexington

How long have you worked in education? This is my first time and I love it.

What’s your favorite food?  Hard question … I have to say anything Japanese.

What do you do when you aren’t at school (hobbies)?  Coaching my kids’ (all three) soccer teams, playing outdoors with them, reading, and hanging out with my family.

What’s the best lesson you learned from a mentor you had in your life? Do not stress over things you cannot control but work hard on the things you can control.

What’s your favorite book? The Last Lecture (by Randy Pausch)

What does CIS mean to you? To me CIS is a chance to surround students with positive influences and give them choices they may not otherwise have. At (Lexington Sr.  High) it is helping students get college-ready and graduate with a set future; being there for students who sometimes really just need a person to talk to; helping them all believe in themselves and that they truly can be anyone and do anything as long as they set their minds to it.

What is one thing you’ve learned about the CIS program that you didn’t already know?  That CIS is more than just providing mentors to students. We are here for all the students – CIS-enrolled or not – who need school supplies, snacks,  and support. It is by far the best most rewarding job EVER!

We are now officially registered for the Food Lion MVP Rewards program!

That means the more you shop at Food Lion, the more cash we can earn.

For each purchase you make of the following brands we’ll automatically get 1% (up to $2,500 per quarter!):

Food Lion Brand
My Essentials
Healthy Accents
Home 360
Nature’s Place
Smart Option
Taste of Inspirations
Butcher’s Brand Premium Beef

To get started all you have to do is register your MVP card for CIS and shop like you always do. Seriously, that’s it!

• Go to FoodLionMVPRewards.com
• Click “Register Your MVP Card”
• Enter your card number
• Enter Charity Code: 252671

UPDATE: We are now officially active with over 25 registered members!

Keep sharing because the more members we have the more CASH we can earn!

Stitch for Students volunteers produced more than enough nap blankets this year to give to Pre-Kindergarten students at 13 different schools.

Nearly 450 Pre-Kindergarten students in the Davidson County, Lexington City, and Thomasville City school systems now know what it feels like to have something to call their own thanks to the hard work and generous spirit of a group of local volunteers.

Stitch for Students was founded as a summer sewing project in 2011 after Betty Jane Honeycutt , a local community volunteer and member of First Baptist Church in Lexington, approached Communities In Schools of Lexington/Davidson County with the unique idea to provide something handmade to students who may not have many personal possessions.

As part of Stitch for Students, anyone with basic sewing ability could volunteer to sew simple nap blankets for students to use during nap time. Not only did individuals step up to help, local businesses and community groups such as Quilting Quest on Cotton Grove Road and Senior Services of Davidson County also rallied groups to participate in the project.

Together, Stitch for Students volunteers produced more than enough blankets to meet the needs of 13 different schools with Pre-Kindergarten programs. The blankets were sorted, stacked, and delivered early last week.

“What a wonderful job these folks have done in stepping up to the challenge and meeting this need in our school community,” said Carol Williams, who joined the Stitch for Students team this year as volunteer coordinator. “We want to thank all our volunteers for a job well done.”

“I decided to sew again for Stitch for Students because I wanted to make sure that the elementary schools that feed into South Davidson High School – Silver Valley and Denton Elementary – were taken care of.” said Ginger Hill, a teacher at South Davidson High School.

“I hope that the students who receive the blankets will feel warmth, care and love. I don’t know if I made a difference for the students but it felt wonderful to deliver the blankets to the schools and know that they would be put to good use,” Hill added. “Who knows, maybe someday at SDHS a student I teach will tell me the story about their sleep blanket from long ago. We can only plant the seed.”

Those wishing to participate in Stitch for Students next year should contact Carol Williams at Stitch4Students@yahoo.com.

A bounce house provided by Ryan Short Entertainment was one of the more popular attractions at Big Toy Day 2013.

Thanks to an outpouring of community support by sponsors, volunteers, and the CIS board of directors, the fourth run of Big Toy Day was our most successful yet!

As our second largest fundraiser of the year, proceeds from Big Toy Day are vital to sustaining the mentoring and outreach programs that we administer in 24 different local schools. This year we are proud to report that our profits grew by 44 percent compared to last year!

Throughout the day more than 1,100 people hailing from across the Triad and beyond joined us at the Davidson County Airport to explore over 50 “big toys” including tractors, classic cars, emergency vehicles, and construction equipment. Visitors purchased more 500 hot dogs and enjoyed a variety of free activities including a bounce house, carnival games, and face painting.

Chapter 1083 of the Experimental Aircraft Association (EAA) gave close to 100 free flights to children between the ages of 8 and 17 through the Young Eagles program and four lucky winners left Big Toy Day with raffle prizes including two bicycles (Chloe Koonts & Camden Baker), a high definition television (Libby O’Shea), and a Samsung Galaxy tablet (Carolyn Auman).

In addition to Fly High Lexington, operators of the Davidson County Airport, we would like to thank the following businesses for helping make Big Toy Day great: BB&T, Brinkley Walser, Buttke Dairy Enterprises, Carolina Drawers, CE Print Solutions, Coltrane and Company, Country Roads RV Center, Davidson Pediatric & Adolescent Medicine, Davis Chevrolet, Davidson County Community College, The Dispatch, Duke Energy, GW Smith Lumber Company, Hometown TV Today, Industrial Federal Bank, Lexington Family Physicians, Lexington Veterinary Associates, Mountcastle Insurance, NewBridge Bank, Parrott Insurance, Signworks, Inc., Thomasville Medical Center, Turlington and Company, Valendrawers, Wake Forest Baptist Health Lexington Medical Center, Windstream , and Younts Insurance.

Brigette Tinsley, an environmental engineer at PPG, has been a CIS mentor for three years. She is pictured with the yearbook that was presented to her by her mentee, Selicity, a rising seventh grade student at Central Davidson Middle School.

Brigette Tinsley, an environmental engineer at PPG, has been a CIS mentor for three years. Her lunch buddy, Selicity, surprised her with a yearbook at the end of the school year. It had been signed by all the students in Selicity’s class at Central Davidson Middle School.

Here’s what Tinsley had to say about the yearbook and her relationship with Selicity:

How long have you and Selicity been together as mentor and mentee? I started as Selecity’s buddy (when she was) in third grade. So this fall, we’ll enter our fourth year together. Wow!

How did you feel when she presented you with the yearbook? The yearbook idea was so sweet! It just shows how giving of a person she is. The biggest thing I’ve learned and appreciate about Selecity is her open, giving nature. She will be friends with anyone from the very popular to the very quiet and shy. She’s a friend to all and you can even see how the teachers and school administrators recognize this sweet nature. The yearbook was signed from those in her current grade and even those classmates back from elementary school. I ate lunch with them every week so I guess I became everyone’s lunch buddy! Very sweet – I keep the book on my desk at work.

What are the major things you think Selicity has gained from your relationship with her? I hope she’s recognizing that she can have anything she wants for herself, she just needs to work for it and believe she’s worth only the best.

If you could make sure she never forgets one thing you’ve tried to teach her, what would that be? To believe in yourself and honor you over anyone else. By that I mean, to never sacrifice what you know is right and may bring harm to you just for approval by others.

What do you think you have gained from working with her? I really appreciate the opportunity to pause and see life from a smaller scale. I have children younger than Selicity and spending time with her helps me to step back and remember problems and issues in their life may seem small to adults, but it’s a major part of their existance. We need to help them see beyond their years and realize that growing up is tough, but having someone to talk things through with and laugh always make it a little better.