Our work is best shared through the stories and images of our students, and testimonials from others touched by the work we do. We invite you to click on a story below… and be inspired.
Success Stories to Read
Setting up students for success: the difference a desk makes
Deanna works at Vista Middle School in Ferndale, where she is a member of the Student Support Team. As a Communities In Schools Site Coordinator, she meets with a caseload of students on a regular basis, individually mentoring them and connecting with their families to make sure they have what they need to be successful […]
Supporting High School students: an interview with Lupita
Lupita works at Mount Vernon High School, alongside the Student Support Team. She serves students who are struggling with academics, attendance or behavior by providing them with supportive mentoring and connecting them with needed resources to succeed. Lupita is a graduate of MVHS, which makes her a particularly powerful mentor, but she is also incredibly […]
Johnny’s story of success started with celebration
Esme helps support students at an elementary school in Mount Vernon. There, she is part of a multidisciplinary team of educators who are dedicated to helping struggling students succeed. Early in the fall of 2019, Esme met a 5th grader, let’s call him Johnny. She noticed that Johnny was frequently absent from school, and the […]
Our story: CIS of Whatcom-Skagit
Our film debut! Want to learn more about what we do in our communities? Listen to our partners and peers share the story of our work in this sneak peek into the world of CIS of Whatcom-Skagit.
Breaking Down Barriers
While spending time in classrooms this past month, I met and started forming a relationship with a third-grader, Sara. She is sweet and friendly, and I noticed she is still a “striving reader and writer,” meaning those academic areas do not come so easily to her. I learned through talking to her teacher and the […]
Robotics Club Kids 2013-14
Teamwork and facing challenges are lessons being learned in CIS robotics.
Graduation Coaching
Katie went from failing all but one class with a 0.8 GPA in the first quarter to passing all of her classes and raising her GPA to 1.9 at the semester. With regular check-ins with the CIS AmeriCorps members, Katie finished the year strong with a 2.5 GPA in the second semester.
Trip to the Lighthouse Mission
I have witnessed the students’ love those that are strangers to them and that are often seen as outcasts by our community due to their homelessness. I am proud of the way they are representing Shuksan Middle School and as individuals who care and want to help with serious social issues.
Informal Mentoring
I work for Communities in Schools at Squalicum High School and have gotten to know a lot of the students very well. There are a handful of students that are not involved in any of my formal structured programming but come into my office to chat, eat a treat (donated by Woods Coffee) and then […]
On the Road to Success
None of R.C.’s siblings have graduated with their HS diplomas. Of course, this is one of our goals with her. We want to get her to believe she can graduate on time, and to see herself as a success on her way to graduation. On average she has failed about three classes per semester since […]