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Connecting Students with Caring Adults!

Connecting Students with Caring Adults to Help Students Succeed!

It’s 2pm on Monday and Dee, a Communities In Schools Volunteer Tutor, has arrived to meet with eleven-year-old Maria (not her real name). Maria is a fourth grade student and the pair have been meeting twice a week for three years to support Maria’s reading proficiency. They play word games, Dee encourages Maria to read more difficult books, they giggle at funny stories - and in some cases - they turn stories they read into little paper books. Maria likes to color these books and takes them home to read (again) to her baby cousin.

What could be a challenging 30-minute tutoring session is instead, a happy half hour that engages and challenges Maria. The bond these two share is evident by the way hands are held and they lean into each other as they read, page by page, through the materials. Maria’s Resource Room teacher says she has shown progress in English Language Arts - and working with her tutor has also helped Maria understand new concepts like synonyms and antonyms. Most importantly, Dee’s support makes reading an enjoyable experience instead of a deplorable task.

For Maria, meeting Dee twice a week for three years has provided her with a consistent and caring adult INSIDE school. Across the other ten public school campuses that Communities In Schools serves, there are another 79 tutors facilitating similar experiences.

Welcome New CIS Site Coordinators!

Kartrina Ortiz, our new Site Coordinator at Nava Elementary School, grew up in Santa Fe and attended college in Dallas Texas where she received her Bachelor's Degree in Children and Family Dynamics. After working with children and families she returned to Santa Fe and became a Licensed Master Social Worker. Katrina is passionate about working with students to help them build strong foundations to succeed in school and achieve their dreams!

Adrian Sotelo, a graduate from the Class of 2015 at Capital High, is returning to campus as a CIS Site Coordinator! Adrian attended Knox College in Galesburg, Illinois and received his BA in Spanish and Honors in Composition Rhetoric. Having been raised in a low-income community, he wants to work with students that share a similar background. He looks forward to helping young adults realize their own potential and to become thoughtful communicators who inspire their own community to pursue a college education.


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