CISNCAP Site Coordinators: Asyja Smith, Vickie Freemen, Dextina Nebo and Yeabii Abebe

As Black History Month drew to a close and Women’s History Month began, the site coordinator for Communities in School at HD Woodson High School, Vickie Freeman, organized the Sister-Sister Vibes: Women Empowerment Brunch for approximately 40 students. The brunch was designed to introduce Black female students to the critical Divine Nine organizations, a group of nine historically African American fraternities and sororities that comprise the National Pan-Hellenic Council, and instill in them a strong sense of self-worth and empowerment in young black women, a goal Ms. Freeman is particularly passionate about. While the brunch focused on exposing Black female students to the four major Divine Nine organizations, Ms. Freeman also wanted the event to communicate to students a sense of self-worth and empowerment as young Black women. This message was echoed throughout the event as guest speakers Tia Brumsted, Education Assistant Superintendent for Health and Wellness Division of Office of the State Superintendent of Education (OSSE), and Dr. Faith Gibson-Hubbard, CISNCAP board member, emphasized the importance of sisterhood, community, and leadership as students prepared to embark on their journey after high school.

Ms. Brumsted shared with the students that she graduated from Spelman College [in Atlanta, Georgia], “I always knew that I was going to be a leader in some way. I always had those characteristics and had people in my life who told me that, but I didn’t fully understand it until I was in a safe environment. And so, seeing you all here today, from first-year students up to seniors to the amazing staff and community staff for this school, it is so amazing to know that you have this healing transformative space right in front of you every day already in high school.” Dr. Gibson-Hubbard noted in her comments to the students that the brunch itself was a reflection of the sisterhood that students could enjoy in sororities beyond HD Woodson. She stated, “…And know that there is plenty more sisterhood coming for you. This is just the beginning. There is so much more greatness.”

Following the event, Executive Director Rustin Lewis addressed a smaller group, highlighting that CISNCAP serves nearly 4,000 students across the District. Kudos to Vickie for her visionary approach to positively impacting female HD Woodson High School students. Thanks to H.D. Woodson High School leadership and staff for collaborating with CISNCAP on this successful event. The site coordinators tailor events and programming to meet the specific needs of their school community. He also expressed his gratitude for the unwavering support provided to our students by Ms. Brumsted and Dr. Gibson Hubbard through their inspiring words.

Please see the YouTube links for Ms. Tia Brumsted and Dr. Faith Gibson Hubbard’s inspiring presentations.

Dr. Gibson Hubbard: https://youtu.be/NSlPaZFQONc

Ms. Tia Brumsted: https://youtu.be/_fCLbWFOg0w

On Wednesday, January 17, 2024 Communities In Schools Executive Director, Dr. Rustin Lewis, participated in a panel on chronic absenteeism and truancy before the DC State Board of Education. Chronic absenteeism is defined as a student missing more than 10% of all school days, whether the absence is excused or unexcused. Over the course of a school year, that equates to over three weeks of missing classes. Dr. Lewis commented, “students are eager to attend and learn, and we are responsible for removing any obstacles that hinder them. Our Coordinators employ various successful methods to reduce chronic absenteeism: they provide incentives and recognition, offer support and intervention for students at risk of missing school, and create a positive and engaging environment.”    7News covered the event.

On Thursday, December 21st, Communities In Schools of the Nation’s Capital (CISNCAP) will host the 2nd Annual COMMUNITY WINTERLAND Holiday Party at Brookland Middle School. This festive event will celebrate the holiday season with 20 CISNCAP caseload students and 18 CISNCAP/Children’s Inc. sponsored students. The children will enjoy a pizza, punch, and cupcake feast and express their gratitude by writing “Thank You” cards and letters to their Children’s Inc. sponsors and other supporters. They will also spread holiday cheer by creating cards for the young residents of the Ronald McDonald House of Greater Washington, DC.
We are excited to announce that Mrs. Sharae Long, Sr. Director of People from Class Inc., will be our honored guest. Class Inc. has generously pledged to donate $1,000 in gift cards for our students. We also look forward to donating gift cards and sponsorships from our collaborative partner, Angel Tree.
“I believe it’s essential for my caseload students to understand the value of giving back and sharing joy with others, especially during the holiday season,” says Ms. LaTroy Bailey, CISNCAP/Brookland Middle School Coordinator.
Support CISNCAP by donating at Donate – Communities in Schools – Nation’s Capital (cisnationscapital.org).

Burrville Elementary Principal Dr. Chunita Pilgrim, DC Council Chair Phil Mendelson, and Adeola Lawal

What an amazing evening! A group of passionate and dedicated individuals came together to support DC students. The event recognized Dr. Chunita Pilgrim, Principal of Burrville Elementary School, who was awarded the Principal of the Year Award. Kim Lawal and Adeola Lawal accepted the Partner of the Year Award on behalf of the Children’s Gift Foundation.

Burrville Elementary School, also known as the Ville on the Hill, is located in Ward 7 and serves 278 students in grades PK3-5. According to the DCPS School Profiles Home website, the school’s PARCC Math Student Performance for the academic year 2022-23 is 22-23%.

CISNCAP has been in partnership with Burrville Elementary School since 2018. The relationship between CISNCAP and Burrville Elementary has been successful partly due to the close and trusting relationship that Principal Pilgrim created with her CISNCAP Site Coordinator, Asja Smith. Ms. Smith said, “Principal Pilgrim’s vision for Burrville is truly remarkable. She inspires and motivates everyone around her to become the best version of themselves. Under her leadership, the school has grown significantly each year, and it’s no surprise that the Ville on the Hill is on top. Her unwavering commitment to excellence and passion for education are truly inspiring.”

The Children’s Gift Foundation was also honored at the event. The Foundation has partnered with CISNCAP since 2004 and provides resources such as clothing, shoes, canned food, and hygiene products to students enrolled in our ten partner schools.

The Children’s Gift Foundation’s mission is to provide underserved, at-risk, and homeless children with new educational supplies, apparel, and other resources, free of charge from infanthood to age eighteen.

“The Foundation provides CISNCAP with essential resources that help students overcome barriers that impede their focus and success,” said Dr. Lewis. 

The Honorable DC Councilman Chairman Phil Mendelson opened the reception by sharing his excitement and reassurance that he was familiar with the critical needs of DC students and clearly understood how the partnership between CISNCAP, Burrville Elementary School, and the Children’s Gift Foundation all work seamlessly together to create a community of support for DC Students.

(Site Coordinator Phoebee Jean and Stanton Elementary School Principal Richardson)

At the end of the school year, Stanton Elementary School Site Coordinator Jovan Johnson identified a critical community need within the school: students need access to clean clothing. He noticed that many students needed help with their clothing at home or within their neighborhoods. Before transferring to CISNCAP Cardozo Education Campus, he encouraged the new CISNCAP Site Coordinator, Phoebe Jean, to work on this issue.

Phoebe assessed the school community and found that families often used public laundromats in Maryland (a few miles from Stanton Elementary School). The lack of clean uniforms has been a barrier for many students at Stanton Elementary School, and in collaboration with Principal Richardson, Phoebe, and Jovan devised a plan to address this crisis. Applying funds from the Office of the State Superintendent of Education for a Community School Incentive Initiative grant, Phoebe purchased a washer and dryer to be installed on-site. Now, there is a washing and drying facility available to students.

This initiative will benefit hundreds of students and their families. As a result, we expect that in-seat attendance will increase for students who previously missed school days due to being embarrassed about the lack of clean uniforms.

“Stanton Elementary School serves over 300 Students and Families in Washington, DC’s Ward 8 is a robust community full of promise yet plagued by challenges. Oftentimes, our community has limited access to vital resources that make everyday life a possibility. At Stanton, our hope is to engage families in a meaningful way as we build and strengthen our relationships and ties to the community. We know that having clean clothes is such an important part of starting your day on the right foot and feeling confident! We are so thankful to our Communities in Schools of the Nation’s Capital partners for their help in sponsoring our brand-new Laundry room! Now, we can do our part to eliminate a barrier that has historically kept children home from school and ensure that every scholar is their best self every day!”
– Principal Allen Richardson, Stanton Elementary School

As the CISNCAP Connected School Manager at Kramer Middle School in S.E., DC, I have observed that our students tend to be overlooked despite facing unique challenges outside of school daily. One of my caseload students, K.D., is in the 8th grade and is 13 years old. He loves football and aspires to be a high school and college student-athlete.

K.D. joined Communities In Schools of the Nation’s Capital (CISNCAP) as a self-referral and expressed interest in wanting a mentor. I was excited for him to be my mentee, and while building a relationship with him, he confided in me that he needed an adult he could trust to help him navigate challenges at school. I told him that I would be his mentor and that he could trust me to provide Social Emotional Learning (SEL) support.

I connected him with a tutor and counseling support service to address some of his barriers. Additionally, he is playing on the football team, which teaches him life skills. I conduct classroom push-ins and check-ins with him weekly to ensure he is part of my Life Skills group called “Man Time.” I also gave him advice on how to persevere despite adversity.

This school year has been going well for K.D. His attendance has been consistent, and his grades are good. K.D. feels he has access to resources such as Communities In Schools of the Nation’s Capital at his school. We are now working on identifying high schools that would fit him academically and athletically. I plan to connect him with some high school football coaches so that he can start visiting schools of interest.

Communities In Schools of the Nation’s Capital (CISNCAP) thanks Amazon and Communities In Schools of NVA for donating 3,000 school bags to our affiliate.  The bags are packed with a 12-piece pencil bag with 2 pencils, 2 pens, a pink eraser, a sharpener, a glue stick, crayons, soap, folder, notebook, ruler, and either tissues, wipes, or hand sanitizer.

CISNCAP serves 10 DCPS schools throughout the city in Wards 1, 5, 6, 7, and 8.  Our mission is to surround students with a community of support, empowering them to stay in school and achieve in life.

On August 12^th, CISNCAP is partnering with East River Family Strengthening Collaborative (ERFSC) to host a Back to School event. Students from CISNCAP partner schools are welcome.