Albuquerque Public Schools
Volunteers Revitalize Jackson Middle School During Spring Break
Students, staff and community unite for "Culture of Care" project, improving school environment and student support.
It was a chilly, breezy Wednesday morning in the middle of spring break, but that didn’t keep several dozen volunteers from descending on Jackson Middle School to tackle school improvement projects.
Students, parents, school employees, community volunteers and staff from the APS Police Department all donated their time to the effort. Some painted positive messages on sidewalks, like “You Belong Here,” “Be Kind to One Another” and “Make it Happen.”
Others worked in the school’s Student Success Center, a room where students can go to regroup when they’re feeling upset or overwhelmed. Another batch of volunteers was at the school basketball courts freshening up the faded lines and scraping dirt and weeds off the edges of the concrete. Still others painted outdoor trashcans and created a wallball space on the campus.
The “Culture of Care” project was organized by the APS Police Department’s Integrated Supports Team, which partners with students, staff, families and law enforcement to foster a safe, supportive school environment through prevention, intervention and restorative practices. Through restorative circles, mediation and targeted interventions, IST promotes accountability, healing and conflict resolution, helping students stay on track academically and socially while cultivating a positive school culture.
While the IST team coordinated the event, recruited volunteers and solicited donations from local Walmarts and others, Jackson Middle School students came up with the projects, students like Mariah Molina and Henizjay Langford Laquaiz.
Molina, an eighth grader, came up with the idea of stocking a cabinet in the Student Success Center with notebooks, paper, pencils and other school supplies and hygiene items for students.
“I decided to make this so kids don’t get bullied for not having the supplies that they need,” Molina said. Walmart donated the supplies along with athletic equipment, paint and other items for the “Culture of Care” project. They also provided several volunteers to help with the various projects.
Langford Laquaiz, a sixth-grader at Jackson Middle School, said the school looked drab, and he and other students brainstormed ideas for improving it. He pushed for redoing the basketball courts.
His mother, Shevita Langford, said she hopes students notice all the improvements around their campus, particularly the refreshed basketball courts she worked on. She praised the Culture of Care event, saying it lets students know they’re not alone and there are other people out there paying attention and taking things into consideration to see what helps you as a whole.”
Jackson Middle School staff members were also thrilled with the project.
“It warms my heart. It really does,” said Anne Claspell, Jackson’s head special education teacher. “This is an amazing school and our students are awesome. It makes me hopeful for the future.”
Lydia Williams said she and the other members of the IST team work hard to ensure students feel safe and supported, and that’s why it was important for students to pick the school improvement projects.
She said she’s incredibly grateful to everyone who showed up and to all of the generous donors, including Walmart, Chick-fil-A, 99.9 The Beat with Byron Powdrell and Marriott.
“It’s fantastic,” added Assistant Principal Kimberly Crabtree. “I cannot wait for our students to see all the things and then having the new athletic equipment that they got for us.”