What are Community Schools?
Community schools are public schools where a full-time coordinator works with the entire school community—students, parents, teachers, administrators, service providers, and neighbors—to identify the community’s most pressing needs, such as expanded medical services, after-school programming, and job training. The coordinator then works with service providers and City agencies to bring these resources directly into the school. Community schools become neighborhood centers, improving access to programs and services for students, families, and neighbors.
George Washington High School
George Washington High School was designated a City of Philadelphia community school in 2017. After extensive outreach and feedback collection led by the community school coordinator and assisted by the community school committee, the following priorities were identified for the school.
Top priorities
- Increase access to career exploration and employment opportunities
- Expand cultural and social opportunities for students and community members
- Increase access to more programs that support immigrant youth and adults
Secondary priorities
- Build partnerships to expand college and career access for students
- Increase substance abuse awareness resources
- Expand access to nutritious food
My Role as Community School Intern
My job as the intern to the community school coordinator is to provide added capacity to George Washington School, allowing educators to focus on academics. I have helped to organize community programs, liaised with community and service partners, and assisted in the oversight of new initiatives from planning to evaluation.
2nd Annual George Washington Community Fair
I had the opportunity to assist in the coordination of a community fair for over 700 community members and partners to attend the fair and celebrate George Washington High School’s designation as a community school and the new connections to resources and support that the designation will bring. Various City departments and local organizations were in attendance to promote programs and resources, and there was an array of family-friendly activities such as bounce houses, Philly Bubble Sports games, and Home Depot workshops for kids.
Job Fair
The Mayor's Office of Education, GWHS, and JEVS, partnered on a community Job fair. We were very excited about bringing quality employers to a convenient location for job-seekers living in the area. We advertised extensively and hoped for a great turnout!
GW Seniors
We gave seniors at George Washington the opportunity to attend the job fair and gain some experience while also exploring different career options. Students were asked to dress professionally, however we allowed students to come regardless of their apparel.
Employers
We invited a variety of employers, a total of 20 to be exact all who were willing to hire on the spot if they found the right candidate. We were extremely grateful to have them come out. The turn out was not ideal so half way through the fair when there was not a large variety of people some employers began to leave the event
Dear GW,
I wanted to extend my gratitude and thankfulness to George Washington High School and the neighboring community for welcoming me with open arms to their community. It has been my pleasure to support the community school in striving to achieve their 3 main goals along with their 3 sub-goals.
I have gained experience that I will be able to transfer over to my future career path. I would say that my main job was to add capacity and assist where I am needed, through this I have gained experience as an administrator, support staff, principal, teacher, counselor and more. I am beyond thankful for this experience. I got to see a school function, with all of its moving parts first hand.
Thanks again,
your friend Erikah