Chapter 5: A Turning Point

September 2002-August 2003

St. Paul's was again the site for the back-to-school kickoff for Woodville in late August. September marked the beginning of Woodville's designation as a Communities in Schools (CIS) site and the hiring of Phyllis Moyer as our Micah/CIS part-time on-site coordinator. A collaborative effort between St. Paul's, CIS and the school, Phyllis was charged to support all students and their families by coordinating mentors in the school, increasing parental involvement, and coordinating social service and professional psychological help for students. Phyllis's presence and involvement was a big step forward for Micah. Ms. Persons continued leading the school as principal, Betsy Carr served as St. Paul's consultant for Micah, and Buford Scott led the St. Paul's Micah Committee.

Work began on the production of a video, funded through a grant from the Episcopal Relief and Development Fund, to document our efforts and to tell Micah's story to others. It was completed in the summer.

The Partnership for Achieving Successful Schools (PASS) named Woodville one of four model schools. A team from the State Department of Education met with teachers and administrators to help improve our school and our test scores. Phyllis Moyer coordinated this program for Woodville.

In December, Nan Ellen Ritsch, with help from Lois Biddison, spearheaded a book fair for Woodville, giving St. Paul's members the opportunity to purchase books for the media center. Over 550 books were donated.

In December, Alberta Person announced she would retire at the end of the school year. This marked a turning point for Micah. In the spring, a group met with Richmond Public Schools Superintendent, Deborah Jewell-Sherman, who assured us that Woodville's new principal would continue the Woodville/St. Paul's partnership.

Twenty-two new mentors were integrated and placed during 2002-2003 school year and by the end of the school year, the number of volunteers had grown to 70. General information and guidelines were developed for new tutors and mentors, providing advice and suggestions for tutoring sessions, procedures for mentor training, background check requests. Classroom assistants also grew in number this year. St. Paul's volunteers with expertise in teaching provided workshops for Micah volunteers. Mentors/Tutors completed a survey, evaluating their experiences at the end of the year. The level of organization, support and structure for our volunteers, plus successful matching of students and volunteers improved dramatically under Phyllis Moyer's leadership.

Al Lacy worked to compile and summarize data and statistics as the Micah Committee's first attempt to measure our progress at Woodville. Incremental increases in student SOL scores, increased faculty engagement in school improvement and increased participation of Micah volunteers were all positive signs.

The number of faith community/school partnerships also grew this year under Buford Scott and the Reverend Ben Campbell's leadership. Groups from St. Paul's took "Micah-on-the-Road" to tell our story and encourage other faith communities to form similar partnerships with elementary schools in Richmond.

In May, the Micah Initiative became the Micah Outreach Ministry, part of the Outreach Board, and Betsy Carr became a part of the staff of St. Paul's. Micah was successfully integrated into the existing church structure.

SUMMER 2003

The Early Learners' Academy was not held this summer due to Woodville's designation as a summer school site. Some St. Paul's volunteers helped as classroom assistants during this summer, but there was no formal program with St. Paul's.

In July, 2003, the Micah Committee met our new principal, Rosalind Taylor, former principal at Swansboro Elementary School. At our request, Ms. Taylor outlined her vision for our continued involvement at Woodville, the core of which remained active mentors/tutors/volunteers in the school community. She also requested help with welcoming students and families, school supplies, and with continuing her relationship with consultant Tammy Jackson, who'd been instrumental to her success at Swansboro.

At this time, we mourned the passing of one of our founding members, Ruby Martin. Ruby's family designated the Micah Ministry as a recipient of memorial gifts, which, at this time, totaled $4,800. Buford Scott, chair, asked Mrs. Taylor to consider recognizing outstanding students with the Ruby Martin Memorial Fund. The decision was made to award camp scholarships to Shrine Mont's music and drama camp. Ms. Willis, guidance counselor, oversaw the process of selection, which included grades, good citizenship and community service. (This award continues to recognize outstanding students, but, with expanding summer camp opportunities for students, it was changed to a savings bond award in 2005.)

OTHER HIGHLIGHTS:

OTHER CHALLENGES: