Yesterday Davidson County church coordinators from across Nashville gathered for our lunch & learn to hear from a panel of school staff on best practices for partnership with MNPS. We were all blessed to hear from four individuals that support education across various spheres in Nashville, including Michelle Fletcher, a Communities in Schools Program Manager from Jere Baxter Middle, Robyn Prescott, a teacher and Title 1 Coordinator at Hermitage Elementary, Bailey Blackman, an Implementation Specialist with Community Achieves, and Jeremy Quinonez, a Community School Coordinator at Lawson High.

A few of the questions our program managers Jenny and Meredith asked of the panel included: “What makes a great United4Hope church partner?” “How has your school used church partners to assist with student achievement?” and “How have churches effectively demonstrated teacher/staff appreciation?” Church partners also had an opportunity to ask questions to the panelists. Themes that kept repeating throughout our time together include the power of showing up with the time and talent that you have, showing a keen listening posture towards the school, making a good match between volunteer gifts and engagement opportunities, and continuing to show up even when things don’t go as smoothly as you may have hoped. The atmosphere in the room was so collaborative and thoughtful. We believe we have some of the best church partners in the city! We are excited to continue collaborating for the flourishing of our schools.

Stay tuned for the next coordinator meetup!