Issue link: http://educator.cta.org/i/1419056
I can reach them through regular community workshops," says Rasshan, a member of Asso- ciated Pomona Teachers. "Community schools emp ower p arents b e cause th eir h ealth and success create the best environment for their students to succeed." R a ssh a n s ay s h av i n g th e s e re l a t i o n sh i p s meant that when the pandemic struck, a net- w ork already exi st ed to reach out to school community members to provide support. She says se veral food di stributions were h eld at Ganesha High and its feeder schools (" We con- sider them part of our family, too"), while the school quickly distributed necessary technology and addressed connectivity issues. Ganesha also used COVID relief funds to hire more tutors when the pandemic forced in-person tutoring opportunities to go virtual. " This work means so much to me, because you have to build love, passion and commitment for your town and the people we serve. Commu- nity schools are a way to cultivate that," Rasshan says. "I think we're going to see some real effective change." A community school should be the heart of a community, uniting diverse and engaged stakeholders to strengthen the school community and support the whole child — meaning students are not only supported in academics but also learning in environments that make them feel safe, valued, engaged, challenged and healthy. At Buena Vista Horace Mann K-8 Commu- nity School (BVHM) in San Francisco, families expressed a need for help with a safe and stable place to sleep at night. What followed was a delib- erate and coordinated effort to elevate the issue, leading to the creation of the Stay Over Program, a cross-sector collaboration that provides an overnight sleeping program for up to 20 BVHM families in the school's gymnasium — the only program of its kind nationwide. "We started with the need, we started with the data, and then we moved forward with shared leadership," says Chandler. "We have successfully hosted hundreds of families." In Los Angeles, 74th Street Academy commu- nity school coordinator Nicole Douglass says the school became a community hub during the pandemic, with fami lies turning to it for e ver y thing from gro ceries "This work means so much to me, because you have to build love, passion and commitment for your town and the people we serve. Community schools are a way to cultivate that." —Danielle Rasshan, Associated Pomona Teachers Ingrid Villeda, forefront, with colleagues helping distribute food at 93rd Street Academy in Los Angeles. 20 cta.org Feature