Allyson Vukovich and Jill Padgett had some good news to share before they left on a business trip last week.
“Jill and I were asked to represent the work we are doing here in Des Moines at the Coalition for Community Schools Day on Capitol Hill in Washington DC this week,” said Vukovich, the DMPS Director of Community Schools. “It’s Community School Coordinator Appreciation Week. We now have 19 CSCs districtwide.”
The opportunity celebrated and recognized the work underway at DMPS to meet more and more needs of students and their families.
Padgett coordinates the coordinators at the following schools:
- East High School (Antonia Valadez)
- North High School (Tim Johnson)
- Hoover High School (Gretchen Critelli)
- Roosevelt High School (Lupe Thomason)
- Lincoln High School (Cara Edmondson)
- Central Campus (Sonya Smith)
- Scavo High School (Lyn Marchant)
- Callanan Middle School (Louis Fountain)
- Goodrell Middle School (Sharlene Claytor)
- Hiatt Middle School (Tiffany Braxton)
- Weeks Middle School (Charlene Beattie)
- Capitol View Elementary School (Adriyel Mondloch)
- King Elementary School (Al Perez)
- Lovejoy Elementary School (Theron Hobbs)
- Moulton Elementary School (Brent Osborne)
- Monroe Elementary School (Lesleyann Christensen)
- Morris Elementary School (Brad Buckley)
- McKinley Elementary School (Molly Girsch)
- Samuelson Elementary School (Pashion Muhammad)
One third of DMPS students are served by a community partner and half participate in out of school programs facilitated by the district’s community schools. Highlights of their impact include school-based food pantries, dental/medical clinics, eyeglass giveaways to visually impaired students, and free legal aid to district families.
While they’re in Washington, Vukovich and Padgett also met with Senator Charles Grassley, Senator Joni Ernst and Representative Cindy Axne from the Iowa congressional delegation.
An invitation to the nation’s capital to share success stories – another signpost along the way to becoming the model for urban education.