Longfellow Community School Coordinator Nestor Muro (L) with local police officers at the school's annual carnival in May.
September 27, 2018
Written by Néstor Muro, employed by Journey House as community school coordinator at Milwaukee’s H.W. Longfellow School.
September 24-28 is Community School Coordinators Appreciation Week! Learn more about the Milwaukee Community Schools Partnership and check back here all week to learn more about the exciting projects going on at Milwaukee’s Community Schools.
As the proud community school coordinator at H.W. Longfellow School and as we enter the second year as an official community school, I feel more inspired, determined and committed to work with families, staff, and community partners in support of our efforts to help students and families thrive.
Located in the heart of the Clarke Square community, our school community is often faced with numerous inequalities such as the lack of a mental health resource that will support our students and families. This summer, as a way to strengthen our partnership, between Journey House and Longfellow and to create synergy around collaboration, we hosted a Welcome Back to School Kick Off for both Longfellow and Journey House staff to mingle and learn about each other’s work, opening doors for future collaboration on family engagement events and in the after-school space. At the Welcome Back to School Kick Off we had food, music, raffle prices and a guest speaker from one of our newest partners at Journey House, Mindstar Counseling LLC. Mindstar Counseling LLC, is a local certified outpatient mental health clinic that serves adults and youth 3 years and above for a variety of mental health and social needs. Additionally, we had two international fellows through the U.S. State Department from the Republic of Congo and Israel share their work and offered their support in their short stay.
I am also excited about connecting families to local resources such as the new partnership with Mindstar Counseling LLC and bringing awareness to students and families of the resources and programs that our school has to offer. Furthermore, I look forward to sharing with families the immense support received from our partners through volunteering, workshops, donations, mentoring, field trips and more from the following but not limited to: Arts @ Large, Alverno College, Children’s Hospital, Ernst and Young, Journey House, Northwestern Mutual, Marquette University, Safe and Sound, United Way of Greater Milwaukee and Waukesha County, just to name a few.
A long-term goal is to continue to expose students and families to resources and opportunities that otherwise they may not have had and maintain the reputation that proceeds us as being a well-rounded and academically challenging community school. I aspire for students and families to continue to feel welcomed and supported by our staff, our school leaders and our community partners.
I feel confident that our team of talented and passionate educators will continue to serve our school community to the best of their ability and place Longfellow as one of the top schools in the state. In conclusion, I am grateful to be a part of the Longfellow, Journey House and the Clarke Square family and excited for what the future holds for us.