Meet Ramon Vicente, an eighth-grader at Chatham Middle School (CMS). Ramon is an active student and community member. Through his involvement with various Communities In Schools programs and his local church, the people who know him best have noticed a drastic improvement in his academics and behaviors. Ramon has always demonstrated respect, curiosity, and an … Continue Reading
Stories
Here are some success stories from our programs.
Cooking Program Plants Seeds of Sustainability
\ Check out Chatham Middle School students on WRAL TV! These students participated in CIS CC’s Cooking Matters program, a collaboration with the Inter-Faith Food Shuttle.
“Programs Don’t Change People, Relationships Do” ~Bill Milliken
The mission of Chatham County Schools (CCS) is “to graduate globally competitive and confident students by providing a rigorous and relevant curriculum in a supportive, safe and nurturing learning environment.” This is a lofty mission, and it’s difficult to achieve when many students face serious challenges both inside and outside of the classroom. That is … Continue Reading
“Our kids are hungry for knowledge. We just need to feed them the right way.”~Jazmin Mendoza Sosa
In November 2016, with increased support from Chatham County Schools, Communities In Schools Chatham County (CISCC) expanded its services to Virginia Cross Elementary (VCE) in Siler City to reach the younger siblings of Chatham Middle School (CMS) students and their classmates. Jazmin Mendoza Sosa is the CISCC Student Support Specialist at VCE, and she … Continue Reading
Engaged Parents, Stronger Families
What if you were self-employed but found yourself struggling because you didn’t have a training manual on how to effectively manage your employees? What if half of your employees spoke a language that you didn’t understand well? What if your staff broke the company rules and you didn’t have an appropriate discipline strategy? Wouldn’t it … Continue Reading
Operation Round Up Supports CISCC’s Expansion into Bonlee School
WHAT IS OPERATION ROUND UP? Operation Round Up is a volunteer program in which Central Electric Members can choose to round up their electric bill to the next whole dollar each month, in order to help those in need. The money is used to provide assistance for all kinds of worthy projects in Chatham, … Continue Reading
Where Are They Now? CIS Chatham Nurtures Growth
Communities In Schools Chatham County (CIS CC, and formerly Chatham County Together!) has been serving at-risk youth in Chatham County since 1989. Over the years, programs have evolved, new programs have been added, programs’ names have been changed, and some programs have even been moved to other local agencies to oversee. What has stayed … Continue Reading
Teen Court: A Positive Side of Peer Pressure
The courtroom was silent, except for some shuffling papers and nervous whispers. Eyes locked on the judge: “Would the defendant please stand and face the jury. Now, if the Foreperson would please read the sentence of the jury.” Eyes shifted to the Foreperson as he stood and read the verdict: “Four hours of jury duty; … Continue Reading
Restorative Justice: An Opportunity Rather Than a Punishmet
It’s not a person’s mistakes which define them—it’s the way they make amends. ~Freya North Teenagers often make mistakes, and sometimes those mistakes get them in trouble with the law. When someone breaks the law, they have to face the consequences. What if the consequences for delinquent youth focused less on punishing them and more … Continue Reading
“The best thing a kid can tell you is, ‘I don’t need you anymore!’”
Steve Townsend became connected to CISCC almost 10 years ago when it was Chatham County Together! Prior to his retirement and coming to NC, Steve lived in Houston, Texas and worked in the Oil and Gas Industry. While in Houston, he felt a calling to mentor kids at risk—students identified as “on the brink of success”— … Continue Reading
