Welcome back to Community Room for Episode 5 of Season 3! Last episode we talked about community-minded schools and how fostering students’ deep engagement really comes down to caring and connecting with our students – to listening, to building trust and rapport with them, to giving them voice and choice and to meet them where they are,

Today's episode is called “Care & Connection as Touchstones: a CS Approach”, and we chat with two Community School Coordinators in Prince George, BC (Central BC): Stephanie Mills and Jacqui Adams. Our guests today are right in the throes of the action in their district’s community school model. One of the best things about Community Schools’ is that they are responsive to the community they serve. They all look different, as they should, because they are in different communities and neighbourhoods, and each of those have distinct needs and gifts. Both Stephanie and Jacqui talk about their unique challenges and how it differs from community schools like those in the Lower Mainland.

RESOURCES:

acebc.ca
communityschools.org

Dakelh Holistic Lifelong Learning Model - https://www.sd57indigenouseducation.com/_files/ugd/665f8e_2ac09c026aaf4a8f80f64d644fb2ab37.pdf

District Strategic Plan and Dakelh Holistic Lifelong Learning Model - https://www.sd57.bc.ca/StrategicDirection/SiteAssets/2021.06.22%20Strategic%20Plan%20Implementation%20Year%201%20and%202%20Approved%20Website.pdf


QUOTE:

"According to the Indiana School Social Work Association “The uniqueness of school social work lies in the ecological perspective in which the student is viewed within the context of the classroom, the family, the community and his/her culture”. Social workers believe that early intervention and prevention efforts are important within the school environment. Skilled in the areas of conflict resolution and crisis intervention social workers are able to collaborate with teachers and other school staff to intervene early and effectively to ensure that each student receives an equal opportunity to thrive academically and socially."


BIO:

Stephanie Mills is a Community School Coordinator in Central BC. Stephanie has a bachelor's degree with a major in Psychology and an Honours bachelor's degree of Social Work. She began her Community School Coordinator work with the school district at the elementary level before moving to a secondary school earlier this year. Stephanie believes that connectedness and positive engagement can have a significant impact on student outcomes. Through her work with children, youth, and families Stephanie endeavors to increase student engagement at school and support positive connections with both school and community.

Jacqui Adams works for the school district during the school year, and during summer break she works at the hospital covering holidays. She is married with two beautiful daughters Bailey almost 27 and Kaitlyn 18. She has lived on Vancouver Island, in the Okanagan, Vancouver and the Fraser Valley, and Northern Central BC. She has three dogs who she says are like 3 additional children.