Albuquerque Public Schools
Making a Difference Every Day
In her weekly message, Superintendent Gabriella Blakey marks the start of Community School Coordinator Appreciation Week by spotlighting their important work.
Ask a principal to describe their community school impact coordinator, and you’ll likely hear words like “angel” and “indispensable.”
We have 68 community schools at APS, and our community school impact coordinators are the unsung heroes at each of those schools. They’re the individuals who go out into the community and partner with organizations to get our students and their families the resources they need so our kids can focus on their schoolwork. They work with the community school council to identify and address root causes of barriers to student success, mobilizing community resources to that end.
Their efforts have resulted in things like food pantries and clothing banks at schools to help families struggling financially. The services provided at each of our community schools vary depending on the needs at that school and available community resources.
But one thing is consistent. All of our coordinators constantly assess the needs at their schools and figure out how to address those needs. Their work plays a pivotal role in our efforts to improve outcomes for all of our students.
Take Jona Moberg, the community school impact coordinator at Emerson Elementary School. Beyond helping families get the resources they need, she’s been instrumental this year in supporting the school’s reading initiative.
Among the strategies listed in the school’s 90-day improvement plan is providing students with high-dosage tutoring in reading. Jona reached out to the city of Albuquerque and a host of other community partners and helped recruit close to 50 volunteers who were then trained to tutor students effectively.
When families and others at the school raised concerns about speeding near Emerson, Jona worked with the city and neighborhood associations to install speed bumps around the school. She also works with the Chaplain Corps to get donations for the Eagle’s Nest, the school’s food and clothing bank. If all that isn’t enough, she has great taste in football teams. Go Bengals!
At Rio Grande High School, Community School Impact Coordinator Jessica Ward has done an incredible job keeping the school connected to the community. She helps organize field trips for students and brings in guest speakers to classrooms tied to the school’s Sustaining the Future focus.
Jessica and the coordinators from the elementary and middle schools that feed into Rio Grande High also worked with community partners on a back-to-school bash this year. The event was a huge success, drawing close to 700 people. Best of all, students received free backpacks and families were able to access resources from community partners.
Jona and Jessica exemplify the work that all of our community school impact coordinators are doing. They figure out what barriers are hindering their students’ success and find partners to overcome them.
Community School Coordinator Appreciation Week begins on Sunday, and I want to be the first to thank Jona, Jessica and our 66 other coordinators for the incredible work they do to help our kids. They are all amazing, and they're making a difference in our students’ lives and in our community!