This month our employee spotlight goes to Vanessa Bishop, Regional Director of the Massachusetts region. When asked where she gets her inspiration from she had this to say, “My faith and students. When I think about both of them, they give me a purpose to keep going when things are challenging. My faith reminds me that there is a bigger purpose in everything that I do. On the same note, our students our the center of all the work and they deserve the best we can give. “
Read MoreOn Thursday, February 7th, AmeriCorps Teaching Fellow, Iris Restrepo and two students from East Somerville Community School got the chance to chat with Educational TV: Somerville about their experience in Citizen Schools.
Read MoreCitizen Schools, a national nonprofit organization headquartered in Boston, is pleased to announce Kathryn Gabriele has been named the Campus Director at the East Somerville Community School. As Campus Director, she will oversee Citizen Schools out-of-school time programming at East Somerville Community School, where she will work with a team of AmeriCorps Teaching Fellows and school administrative staff to provide hands-on learning experiences, taught in partnership with local volunteers, for students.
Read MoreOn Tuesday, December 11th, Citizen Schools Massachusetts students from the Trotter Innovation School, East Somerville Community School and Orchard Gardens K-8 schools got the chance showcase all that they have learned and practiced in a Mock Trial at the Moakley Courthouse in Boston, Massachusetts.
Read MoreAt Citizen Schools, no role is more essential to the success of our students than that of the AmeriCorps Teaching Fellow. Citizen Schools National Teaching Fellows create extraordinary enrichment and academic support experiences for the students we serve the nation. On a daily basis, Fellows deepen connections between schools and parents, help to develop social-emotional skills through mentoring and coaching students, and facilitate hands-on learning opportunities through our apprenticeships.
Read MoreBrenda Pulgarin was a 2018 summer intern at the Citizen Schools headquarters in Boston, serving on the External Engagement team. Her role consisted of analyzing volunteer survey responses and updating contact records in our database. Brenda attended the Edwards Middle School and is now a sophomore at the John D. O’Bryant School of Mathematics and Science.
Read MoreThanks to local support from the Biogen STAR Initiative as well as from the All Points North Foundation, this fall we are bringing our signature apprenticeship program to more middle school students than ever within the Somerville Public School District.
Read MoreCitizen Schools MA is proud to be partnering with 7 schools this year, including 2 launch campuses and 1 new district. Our team of 12 Campus Leaders and 73 Teaching Fellows are now serving over 1,700 students in the region.
Read MoreDeanna Christmas was a 2018 summer high school interns at the Citizen Schools headquarters in Boston on the Civic Engagement team. Her role consists of helping recruit volunteers for the apprenticeships and to support in ensuring that all the supplies are were ready for the upcoming semester of apprenticeships. Deanna attended the Browne Middle School and is now a sophomore at Chelsea High School. Here is her story.
Read MoreBenjamin Erazo was a 2018 summer intern at Citizen Schools headquarters in Boston. As a member of the Technology team, he was responsible for helping repair computers and assisting the tech team solve any problems. Benjamin attended the Browne Middle School in Chelsea, MA, and is now a sophomore at Chelsea High School.
Read MoreEach year, the President of the United States recognizes volunteers around the country who have done outstanding service. This year, Norwell resident Michael Bevilacqua was one of the recipients of the President’s Volunteer Service Award. Bevilacqua is a Citizen Teacher, part of Citizen Schools, an organization that partners with low-income communities to provide students with enriching experiences outside of the classroom in hands-on artistic, scientific and legal apprenticeships. Some of these apprenticeships include rocket science, 3D printing, mock trial, documentary filmmaking, social justice and photography.
Read MoreAt our annual WOW!NOW celebration in Boston, Mohamad Ali spoke about the importance of hiring employees with diverse perspectives and skillsets, how Citizen Schools is helping to close the 'IT skills gap,' and called on our cities, states and country to come together to provide opportunities for all students to have an equal opportunity for high-quality education.
Read MoreCitizen Schools has been awarded a $2M grant from the Biogen Foundation as part of the foundation's recently announced STAR Initiative. As 1 of 6 recipients of the STAR (Science, Teacher Support, Access and Readiness) Initiative, Citizen Schools will expand its signature apprenticeship program to provide hands-on STEM courses, taught by experts, to thousands of middle school students in the Somerville district, and to support classroom teacher instruction during the school day.
Read MoreOn Friday June 1, Citizen Schools’ diverse community of volunteer Citizen Teachers, corporate and community partners, AmeriCorps Teaching Fellows, Citizen Schools staff, students, family and friends gathered at the John F Kennedy Presidential Library in celebration of the impressive work of our students, Teaching Fellows and volunteer Citizen Teachers over the last year.
Read MoreEvery year, Citizen Schools honors the impact that Andrew Balson and Sherif Nada have had on Citizen Schools in their former roles as National Board chairs and in their current roles as Directors Emeriti with the presentation of two awards - The Andrew Balson Leadership Award and Sherif Nada Legacy Award. These awards are presented to two current and two former Citizen Schools Massachusetts students, respectively. This year, the award ceremony was held on May 22, 2018 and members of the community, staff, family and friends joined our National Board to celebrate at Citizen Schools headquarters in Boston.
Read MoreNew England Revolution right back Andrew Farrell recently visited the East Somerville Community School as the Revs wrapped up their apprenticeship program through Citizen Schools with a clinic and a donation of school supplies.
Read MoreThey’re helping to start a “Revolution” on the field – and in the classroom. Members of the New England Revolution Major League Soccer team will visit students at the East Somerville Community School, at 50 Cross Street in Somerville on Thursday, May 17 at 5:30 pm. as part of Citizen Schools’ apprenticeship program - which provides students with hands-on, project-based learning experiences that connect what they learn in school to real world career pathways. Revolution starting Defender Andrew Farrell, along with Marketing Supervisor Matthew Miller and a coach from the New England Revolution Academy, will be on hand, delivering school necessities donated at a recent Revolution home game and playing soccer with the students.
Read MoreIn the 2016-17 school year, Citizen Schools completed the second year of our initiative to pilot and evaluate digital courseware across our national network to learn more about how best to integrate technology into Expanded Learning Time (ELT) for middle school students.
Read MoreVolunteers come from all walks of life. Usually, they choose a cause that they feel passionate about or that they can relate to. Most volunteers are interested in making the difference and leaving a legacy in the organization they serve. Whether that impact is sustainable or not, depends on the community and the organization itself. However, their heart, dedication, and joy to serve others is what matters the most. In observance of National Volunteer Month, we decided to celebrate the individuals that bring our mission to life: our volunteers. Their passion, courage, and determination to join us in closing the opportunity gap inspires us everyday.
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