County Spotlights

Joy Bowling serves as the Communities In Schools (CIS) Site Coordinator at two elementary schools in Summers County, West Virginia: Talcott Elementary and Jumping Branch Elementary.   She has been recognized for her dedication in this role, including being named the 2023-2024 Professional Support Person of the Year by Summers County Schools. This award highlights her work in supporting students through the CIS program, which connects community resources to help address barrie

Communities In Schools plays a key role in supporting students across Randolph County. Site Coordinators are part of the county attendance team and work to create and support attendance initiatives that help students show up each day. Site coordinators create fun Incentives such as parades, bulletin boards, certificates with prize drawings, Attendo (BINGO), “Attend”dances, no tardy parties, movies and special lunches to recognize improvement in attendance. Randolph County CIS

From the moment you walk through the doors of any school in Marshall County, you can feel it: the warmth, the support, and the unwavering commitment to every child who enters. At the heart of that spirit are the Communities In Schools coordinators, whose compassion and dedication help make this sense of family possible each and every day.  These incredible women work tirelessly behind the scenes, often without recognition, to ensure that students and families have what they n

Logan County, West Virginia, is a close-knit Appalachian community known for its strong spirit of resilience and deep-rooted pride in its people. The county’s residents share a remarkable sense of unity and care, especially visible through the dedication of its schools and local organizations. Logan County Schools serve a diverse student population, many of whom face challenges related to poverty and limited resources. Despite these obstacles, programs like Communities In Sch

Communities In Schools (CIS) of Jackson County, West Virginia, plays a vital role in supporting local students by connecting them with essential resources to help them overcome challenges and thrive academically and personally. Through dedicated site coordinators embedded in Jackson County schools, the organization facilitates access to services such as tutoring, counseling, clothing, food assistance, and family support programs, fostering stronger ties between schools, famil

Communities In Schools is proudly serving students at Nutter Fort Primary School, Nutter Fort Intermediate School, and Liberty Middle School.  Communities In Schools has been present within Harrison County since 2022. The site coordinators named their CIS offices as the “Helping Hub,” creating a consistent, welcoming space where students know exactly where to find support as they transition from primary to intermediate to middle school.   The Harrison County CIS team meets s

A 17-year-old student had taken on immense responsibility: marrying to emancipate herself from her mother and then gaining custody of her 4-year-old sister after the mother lost parental rights. The weight of it all led her to consider dropping out of school to focus entirely on caring for her sibling. With the school social worker, Communities In Schools intervened decisively. We successfully enrolled the younger sister in CHOICES pre-K for early education and reliable dayti

Recently, our Communities In Schools Site Coordinator learned that one of our school families might be staying in a local hotel. Initial attempts to reach the mother failed—her phone had been shut off. Undeterred, the coordinator searched social media, located her profile, and reconnected to get an updated number. What emerged was a heartbreaking cascade of hardships: the mother had lost her job, totaled her only vehicle in an accident, faced multiple hospitalizations, had ut

At Van Elementary School, one name is spoken with deep appreciation and gratitude—our exceptional Communities In Schools Coordinator. His daily presence on campus is far more than a job; it’s a true lifeline for students, staff, and families alike. Every morning, long before the first bell, he’s already there—greeting children with a warm smile, helping a student find a winter coat, or quietly checking in on a family facing hardship. He meets every child exactly where they ar

Over the holiday season, a family at our school lost much of their home to a severe fire. The principals quickly alerted me to the emergency and asked me to reach out. What I learned was heartbreaking: the children were temporarily staying with friends, the family had no insurance and no funds for repairs, and the guardians were sleeping in their truck to stay close by. Drawing on my knowledge of community resources, I immediately connected the family with a local non-profit

At West Side Middle School, Communities In Schools launched “Saturday Wash Days” in our Student Support Center, opening the building on weekends so students and families can access free laundry facilities, supplies, and a safe, welcoming space to handle this essential need. One family faced significant barriers: they lacked transportation and couldn’t bring their laundry to school. For several weeks, the Family Support Worker and I picked up their laundry from home, washed an

A dedicated Communities In Schools team member successfully kept two separate families from remaining on the streets and helped them secure permanent housing. While the families faced homelessness, she quickly arranged temporary safe places to stay and ensured the children attended school consistently by personally providing transportation by picking them up and dropping them off before and after school until reliable bus services could be established. She worked closely with

One experience that continues to touch me deeply involved collaborating with another CIS Site Coordinator to support a set of siblings experiencing housing instability. The family qualified for McKinney-Vento services, and after months of dedicated advocacy, resource coordination, and persistence, we successfully secured them permanent housing—a major milestone on its own. The truly unforgettable moment came on move-in day. As we filled the apartment with furniture and essent

A senior who had struggled with extreme chronic absenteeism—missing 86 days freshman year, 72 sophomore year, and 38 junior year (when she first joined CIS)—barely passed classes and rarely attended. This year, we set a shared goal to end the pattern of chronic absence. With steady support, she’s now missed only 14 days with just 15 left in her senior year, is passing all classes, and has applied to college—a huge leap forward. A second-year sophomore arrived distrustful, fre

In third grade, one student stood out for all the wrong reasons: chronically absent, often falling asleep in class, rarely completing work, and completely closed off during our one-on-one meetings. Despite these challenges, his intelligence and creativity shone through—he had tremendous potential waiting to be unlocked. His father was equally guarded and distrustful, making progress feel impossible. Each meeting, I tried a new gentle approach, and in the hallways I consistent

Last school year, a freshman was struggling with poor attendance, failing multiple classes, and a broken laptop that made completing assignments nearly impossible. Communities In Schools arranged for the repair using county funds, removing a key barrier to learning—even though one guidance counselor felt the family didn’t “need” the help. Determined to turn things around, the student attended summer school to recover credits and set a clear goal: attend every class and pass a

One student was quietly struggling in the classroom—often squinting at the board, falling behind in reading, and showing declining grades. During a routine school vision screening, she failed the test, revealing a potential issue that had gone unnoticed. This child had never  visited an eye doctor before. With no family transportation or resources to follow up, she might have continued without care. That's where Communities In Schools WV stepped in: our site coordinator arran

Kendra Sparks is a dedicated Communities In Schools (CIS) Site Coordinator (also referred to as a CIS Facilitator) serving in Wyoming County Schools, West Virginia.  She has been with Wyoming County Schools for many years, and her work focuses on supporting students through the Communities In Schools program, which helps remove barriers to learning by connecting kids and families to community resources, mentoring, attendance initiatives, and more.  Examples of her impact incl

If you are looking for a small place with a big heart and an even bigger impact on students and families, Tyler County never falls short. The Communities In Schools Coordinators of Tyler County go far beyond meeting basic needs; they provide safe spaces, open hearts, and listening ears for students who need to know that someone truly cares. Their presence in the schools creates an environment where students feel supported, valued, and understood. Sometimes at moments when tha

Taylor County is grateful to have a CIS Site Coordinator at all five schools supporting students and families in their most vulnerable moments. The Site Coordinators work tirelessly to fill in the gaps and ensure that all students have access to the supports and items they need.     One highlight of their work is their annual Back-to-School Bash started in 2022. This event, hosted at Grafton High School, invites families to an evening of fun and connection. Community partners