John Marshall High School

In a time of great uncertainty, on many levels, there are still things that remain known and certain. We still know that for many students, school is the most consistent presence in their lives. We still know that there are great inequities in what our students and families have access to. We still know that our students are rich with ideas and dreams and goals. We still know that our students want to demonstrate to us that they are competent and successful and valuable. We still know that the connections students have with school staff are some of the most important of their lives. We still know that there is always room for growth in how we service our students and families. During this time of great uncertainty, I still know that Community Schools are a key equity strategy to reach and engage students, families and community. As we move forward into this year of great uncertainty, I will be challenging myself to dig deeper. Reflect more. Listen harder. Take greater risk. While this year is uncertain, I am certain that it is the right time to make great and meaningful changes. I look forward to learning a lot this year and working hard to helping JM continue respond to our student and community needs.

When I think back to when I was 15, 16, 17 years old, and recall what was on my plate, it was playing tennis, participating in school clubs, spending time with family and working a very part-time job. The experiences of many of our students are quite different than that, and maybe particularly with students who are experiencing housing insecurity. When we think of housing insecurity, at least in the school district, we are referring to students and/or families who do not have a stable place to live - they may be couch hopping with friends, living with an extended family member, staying at a housing facility in town such as the Women's Shelter or Family Promise, or sleeping in a car. Housing insecurity can lead to a host of issues such as struggling mental health, chronic school absenteeism, and higher school drop out rates. At John Marshall, we have many students and families experiencing housing insecurity...and likely way more than JM staff are aware of. Over the last year of working in my role as Community Schools Site Facilitator, I have regularly intersected with youth in a variety of insecure housing situations. Just today, as I was packing up to leave work, a student was brought down to the Rocket Community Room by a member of our guidance department to get some school supplies. Upon talking with the student, I learned she was living with her boyfriend and a couple other teen-aged youth. She was having to work a lot to help pay for their housing, as well as food, car, clothing, etc... She spent time with me in the room learning how to log into her Google classroom, navigate Skyward, select clothing and learn about some of the food resources available to her in Rochester. She talked candidly with me about how hard it was for her to accept these items, as she is usually a person who is doing the helping and not needing the help.

Another student who frequents the Community Room to access items, but also to trouble-shoot or touch base with myself, is Arquisha. The first time I met Arquisha I knew that there was something very special about her. She has an infectious smile, a kind spirit and an independent attitude. As I got to know her better, I learned that she was living on her own at Gage East. Gage East is a apartment complex in NW Rochester that provides affordable, permanent, and supportive housing to homeless youth and families in Rochester. Youth living alone at Gage East can access resources and pay a portion of their job paycheck to their housing costs. Arquisha balances a job as a care assistant in Rochester, while attending school full-time. I asked Arquisha what are her dreams for her future. She shared, "A dream that I have for the future is to graduate. Nobody in my family graduated from college so I would love to set the example for my younger cousins and siblings and show them that anything is possible if you just push forward." I also asked her, what does she think is the biggest misconception that people have about her? "One misconception people have about me is that I have my life together because of the things that I have and I live alone. This is a misconception because I wasn't always in the place that I am now and I work every day on bettering myself. I don't think I have it all together - I'm just shaping my life and I'm growing and learning more every day."

I continually wrestle with how to best support youth experiencing housing insecurity in my role at JM. There are things I can do at my school site, but I also recognize that there are many contributing factors that are outside my direct control, and can only educate myself and help support community programming that works to support families and youth.

Congratulations to the John Marshall Ethics Team who has been recognized by the Rotary Clubs of Rochester for developing best ethics project after participation in the Rotary 2019 Ethics Workshop on November 13, 2019. The Keynote speaker: Christopher Michaelson, Fellow, The Holloran Center, Professor, Ethics and Business Law Department, Opus College of Business, University of St. Thomas, enlightened the students on ethics, and took them through a simulation of an ethical dilemma with the help of Rotarian table facilitators. Students heard four Rochester community leaders talk about ethical situations tied to their professions and students had an opportunity to ask questions about the associated decision-making and outcomes. Students then discussed with their classmates ethical dilemmas they experience at their school. Each team went back to their school to discuss further which ethical dilemma they wanted to work on and/or started working on the one they chose. John Marshall chose “Respect” as their ethical dilemma and produced a video for staff and students, especially for the incoming 9th graders. The video is titled JM Respect. The video is outstanding. (written by Diane Ilstrup)

Community schools, at their core, represent an equity strategy to designed to identify practices or systems that might be fostering or hindering student success, and continue to seek out partnerships among all of the key players that shape a child's opportunities. In order to really chart a coarse for programming, we must know what is and is not working for our key stakeholders. So, this past winter and spring, all four Rochester Community Schools (JM, ALC, Riverside and Gage) engaged in conducting a comprehensive needs assessment. This means we actively sought out feedback from all of our key stakeholders - students, parents, staff, and neighbors through small focus groups, phone calls, electronic surveys, and analysis of existing sources of data. Personally, I found the small focus groups most informative - so much of our data is numbers that it was really interesting to just sit and talk with people. We did this, and we heard and learned a lot. The next steps are to let others take a look at the data, and collectively identify what are some BIG take-aways. What is already going really well that we should continue to do and support? And what are some gaps or areas for growth that we need to think about what can we change or add to better support this area? And that is where we are at right now. This data will really help to guide us in making informed decisions about what our constituents are feeling right now. Please stay tuned for updates moving forward!

Last Spring, in the midst of Distance Learning, I received an email from Brittany Mack from Affinity Plus Federal Credit Union. Brittany and I had met a few months earlier at the annual Project Community Connect, which is an event intended to bring dozens of community resources under one roof for a day to educate and connect community members about what is available locally. Brittany wrote me and basically said she had some news she needed to share with me....a bit of a cliffhanger for me. We connected via phone the next day and she told me that she'd secretly written a grant on behalf of John Marshall Community Schools to support students during COVID and she had been awarded $2000. WOW!!! What an amazing surprise!! We eventually received the grant monies and were able to use it to purchase gift cards to local businesses where groceries, hygiene and clothing items could be purchased. Over summer and fall, we've been able to support students and families in many ways. These include families who have experienced job loss, students who live independently and support themselves, families going through medical issues that have impacted them financially, and families that just need a boost of support right now in especially challenging times. Thank you Affinity!!

This month, myself and several JM students have had the pleasure of working alongside master gardener, and ultra-dedicated JM volunteer, Tom Kramer. I know I'm biased, but I believe JM has one of the most beautiful school campuses in Rochester...and one of the main reasons for that is the passion and commitment Tom has shown to the JM grounds and school for the past 12 seasons. Back in 2008, when one of Tom's children was set to begin school at JM, he approached the school and said, "I'd like to help." Tom had noticed that the weeds were high and the yards were collecting a lot of trash. He fully believes in the 'broken windows syndrome', if you allow garbage, weeds and graffiti, people think it is okay. Once Tom got the go-ahead, he went to town purposely maintaining and modifying 21 gardens at John Marshall. If you're ever looking for a nice place to take a walk, do a stroll through the JM campus. We currently have some students who are volunteering to come help Tom with planting and weeding, but are looking for a sustainable community and family plan going forward. If you are connected with any master gardeners, gardening clubs, or would to become involved with supporting the maintenance of the JM grounds, please contact Mrs. Vasquez. Tom is looking to step back from his responsibilities at JM and we're looking to help fill his shoes.

- laptops to be refurbished for student use (with power cord and less than 10 years old)

- gift cards in small denominations to grocery, gas or superstores

- current style fall/winter teen clothing and JM spirit wear - VERY GOOD to NEW condition only, please

Please contact Mrs. Vasquez directly to make a donation (information on bottom)

Thank you!

One of our focuses this year for Community Schools is increased communication. I know you are thinking, WOW--we already hear a lot from the school...,and yes, that is true. We are looking to increase communication especially to students through the use of social media. Our goal is to reach a greater student body about school and community resources, current leadership/volunteer opportunities, and family or community events..basically information that can increase a student's access to opportunities at school or help remove barriers to school success. Please help us spread the word by asking your student to follow our Community Schools Instagram site. Thank you!

Instagram: ROCKETCOMMROOM

Affinity Plus Federal Credit Union

Burn Boot Camp, North Site

Channel One Regional Food Bank

Gloria Del Lutheran Church

Individual donors

Leadership Greater Rochester

Rochester Area Youth Tech Community

Email: ervasquez@rochester.k12.mn.us
Website: https://jmhs.rochesterschools.org/about-us/community-school-at-jm
Location: 1410 15th Avenue Northwest, Rochester, MN, USA
Phone: 507.328.5292