Our Historical Timeline

 

 1984-1987

United Way Needs Assessment Identifies 25% school dropout rate as one of the top community concerns.

 

1987-1988

United Way Needs Assessment identifies 25% of school dropout rate as one of the top community concerns.

 

1988-1989

Cities In Schools Board of Directors established. One part-time teacher, a half-time social worker and a nurse are repositioned to CIS. Thirty-nine students stayed in school; 57% promoted at end of school year and 82% after summer school.

 

1989-1990

CIS becomes an United Way member agency. Full-time teacher was hired to teach CIS and a full-time social worker. Sixty-four students enrolled; 97% stayed in school, 64% promoted at end of school year and 71% after summer school.

 

1990-1991

Level II CIS is created for tenth grade students. “Veterans” Program started for students who have successfully completed CIS class, but have not graduated. 109 students enrolled. 74% are promoted at end of school year; 81% after summer school. A second part-time teacher and a second full-time social worker.

 

1991-1992

117 students enrolled. 86% stayed in school. 85% promoted at year-end and 96% after summer school.

 

1992-1993

Second site initiated at Ferndale Middle School with 40 seventh and eighth graders. One full-time teacher and half-time school social worker make up CIS team at Ferndale. Total of 172 students enrolled at Central High and Ferndale Middle Schools.

 

1993-1994

Two sites are operational with a total of 203 students. 123 volunteer partners were paired with 136 students seventh through tenth graders.

 

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1995-1996

An agreement for coordination with CIS of Greater Greensboro

is established in May by vote of the Board of Directors of both

organizations. CIS of High Point establishes an administrative

office. A site director is hired for Central High School. 257

students are served. 93% promotion rate and 95% stayed in school or graduated.

                           

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1996-1997

High Point Cities in Schools becomes Communities In Schools of High Point INC. as of July 1, 1996. It became officially chartered by National Communities In Schools after a quality and standards review in April.

261 students were served. 94% of students stayed in school or graduated and 96% were promoted.

 

1998-1999

A sixth school site, Johnson Street Elementary, was added through the Communities of Faith Partnership of Wesley Memorial United Methodist Church and the school. CIS coordinated a partnership of First Presbyterian Church and Union Hill Elementary school. ThinkCOLLEGE, renamed 21st Century Scholars Advisor Project, in High Point and Greensboro was developed. A partnership with GTCC provided a summer transitional program into college for 50 high school graduates. All school sites shifted to a comprehensive school model which enabled CIS to serve 1016 High Point children and youth.

 

1999-2000

Three new elementary sites were established at Parkview, Kirkman Park and Northwood Elementary. Jump Start Reading was developed in partnership with the Chamber of Commerce, the High Point business community and Guilford County Schools. Jump Start provided 299 volunteer tutors for all fourth graders reading below grade level. 68% of students showed improvement on EOG tests and 33% reached grade level. Partnerships with 111 business, 15 churches and 7 civic clubs were connected to schools.

 

2000-2001

CIS The second year of Jump Start Reading created two new sites at Montlieu and Allen Jay Elementary. 460 volunteers were recruited, trained, and matched with all fifth graders reading below (level 2) grade level. The outcome for Jump Start Reading was 79% of fifth graders scored at grade level and 98% improved.

21st Century Scholars began to enroll students at the seventh grade level, held career fairs, financial aid workshops, job shadowing and college visits. 330 students were served and 13 last dollar scholarships were awarded to graduating seniors.

A year-end event for 12 CIS school sites and 4 Jump Start school sites was held on May 31, 2001. Over 800 students, parents, volunteers and friends attended.

 

2001-2002

CIS partnered with the High Point Housing Authority to place a Scholars Advisor to work with students from J.C. Morgan and Carson Stout Housing communities who attended Welborn Middle and T. Wingate Andrews High school to promote high school graduation.

Another partnership developed during this year was with N.C.A&T 6 year GEAR UP program for college readiness.

Jump Start had another successful year with 236 volunteers working with 3rd and 5th grade students who showed 94% improvement on the End of Grade test scores and 65% moved to grade level in reading.

530 middle and high school students enrolled in the 21st Century Scholars program. 66 seniors graduated with 10 students receiving last dollar scholarships.

There were 4062 students served in 14 school sites.

The end of the year event had over 900 parents, students, and volunteers in attendance.

 

2002-2003

CIS added 1 new site, Fairview Elementary.

The second year with the High Point Housing Authority partnership produced 11 high school graduates.

21st Century Scholars had a total of 132 graduates from High Point Central and T. Wingate Andrews receiving over $28,000.00 in scholarships.

The curriculum for Jump Start was redesigned to be more volunteer friendly and CIS was able to match 277 volunteers with 291 3rd and 4th grade students. 86% showed improvement in reading and 83% moved to grade level in reading.

Project Pueblo, a program addressing the Hispanic and Latino needs, was implemented at 5 school sites.

REAL, an entrepreneurship program, was introduced to the high schools and incorporated into the marketing classes.

4735 students were served at 14 school sites.

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2003-2004

With funding from a grant from the ABC Board, CIS was able to conduct an Alcohol Awareness campaign called “Think Don’t Drink” All school sites participated, and special sessions for the Latino population were conducted.

The partnership with High Point Housing Authority continued to prove successful with 13 high school graduates. The program added another Scholar Advisor to work with students attending Ferndale Middle and High Point Central High schools.

The 21st Century Scholars had 137 high school graduates with 10 students receiving CIS last dollar scholarships totaling $10,650.00.

Jump Start Reading focused on 3rd and 4th grade students at 11 elementary school sites. 228 volunteers helped 187 students with their reading skills. 88% improved their reading scores and 50% of the students moved to grade level in reading.

CIS partnered with CIS of Greensboro, United Way of Greater High Point and Greensboro, Lorillard Tobacco, Learning Together and Guilford County Schools to pilot a reading program called GrandPals for 2nd grade students at Union Hill and Fairview Elementary.

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2004-2005

CIS had another great year operating in 13 schools (2 high schools, 3 middle schools and 8 elementary schools) serving 4453 students with a program emphasis on the tool “A Safe Place to Learn and Grow”. Additional funding from the ABC board allowed CIS of High Point to have the first set of CIS Billboard advertisement with art work submitted by a student. This student was the winner of the “Think Don’t Drink” campaign.

The tool “A One on One Relationship with a Caring Adult”, resulted in placing 405 volunteers, tutors and mentors who contributed 15,630 hours to students in the schools. 138 Jump Start volunteers helped 3rd and 4th grade students prepare for the end-of-grade tests in reading. 81% of the students improved on their test scores and 55% moved to grade level in reading.

The second year of GrandPals resulted in 84% of 2nd grade students moving to grade level in reading and 78% of 3rd grade students moving to and above grade level in reading.

There was a significant increase in the number of high school graduates who received assistance from the Scholar Advisors provided by the partnership with the High Point Housing Authority. There were 46 housing student graduated. The total number of 21st century scholars that graduated was 160 with 12 students receiving CIS scholarships.

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2005-2006

CIS served 4,184 students this year in 13 school sites (2 high schools, 3 middle schools, and 8 elementary schools). The program focus was on the life tool, “A Healthy Start and a Chance for a Healthy Future”. CIS hosted 9 comprehensive health fairs.

393 volunteers, serving as mentors, tutors, breakfast and lunch buddies, contributed 14,148 hours of services to students.

93 Jump Start students were paired with 73 volunteers resulting in 88% showing improvement on EOG scores and 69% moving to the next grade level in reading.

21st Century Scholars had 135 seniors to graduate and CIS granted $12,300.00 in scholarships for students that planned to attend a 2 or 4 year institution.

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2006-2007

4193 students at 13 CIS sites were served and program efforts focused on “A Healthy Start for a Healthy Future”.  Health fairs were hosted at 8 schools inviting parents and community members to attend. After hearing presentations from a professional storyteller, 4 students published books on the topic of alcohol abuse and misuse.

Over 14,351 hours of services were given by 393 volunteers who served in the capacity of tutors, mentors, breakfast and lunch buddies and an Americorps VISTA. 84 3rd and 4th grade students received tutoring through the Jump Start Reading program. 80% of the students increased their reading score and 62% of the students were on grade level in reading at the end of the program.

143 21st Century Scholar seniors graduated and CIS granted $10,500.00 in scholarships for students to attend 2 or 4 year institutions of higher education. The senior class of 2007 received $1,485,109.00 in scholarship offers with 76 students going to 4 year institutions and 54 pursuing 2 year degrees.

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2007-2008

Joe With Communities In Schools Founder, Bill Milliken

Currently in 12 school sites serving 4126 students with 360 volunteers.

CIS students from High Point Central were the first students in the

nation to launch the Pen or Pencil B.U.S. Boycott, followed by

Ferndale Middle and T. Wingate Andrews. Students traveling to

Memphis, Tennessee to participate in a youth summit as part

of the 40th Anniversary of Dr. Martin Luther King’s death.

On April 22, 2008 CIS celebrated 20 years of service to the student

of High Point. The celebration took place at the High Point Country Club.

The featured speaker was William (Bill) Milliken, the founder of CIS National.

The evening was a big celebration for everyone who has been involved

with CIS. Executive Director, Mrs. Cerise Collins presented artwork

depicting Bill Horney and commemorating the 20th anniversary of CIS.

 

2008-2009

6,706 students were served at 12 school sites.  These services were made possible with the help of 342 volunteers giving 10,346 hours, 36 agencies and211 businesses, faith partners and individual connecting over 79,282 services to these students. 12 of our CIS seniors received scholarships totaling to $10,000 from the 21st century scholars program.  Some of the other achievements the CIS students accomplished are: 99% of the students stayed in school and 90% were promoted to the next grade.  We increased our GrandPals sites to 3 schools. They are Fairview, Union Hill, and Montlieu with 100% of the 2nd and 3rd grade students showing improvement in reading.

 

2009-2010

What a year! We were awarded the status of Nationally Accredited Affiliate Organization by the National Communities In Schools Office.  This accomplishment was highlighted by having 3 Comprehensive and 9 Developing CIS sites that served 6,962 students.  We increased success in every area of service; 99% stayed in school, 96% were promoted to the next grade, the attendance rate for our students was 95%, and the CIS seniors had a 100% graduation rate.  All of these goals were made possible with the help of 446 volunteers giving 9,360 hours and 334 agencies, businesses, faith partners and individuals.

 

2010-2011

Another milestone for CIS of High Point was when we hosted our very first signature fundraising event, “Dancing with the High Point Stars”.  We were graced with several local stars as well as professional dancers Georgia Ambarian and Eric Luna.  The event added to the excitement of another stellar year where we served 6,380 students at 10 schools with the support of 483 volunteers who clocked in over 11,000 volunteer hours.  We had 95 students to graduate and 12 of those students received scholarships.  CIS of High Point was one of 16 affiliates nationwide, to receive funding from the Edna McConnell Clark Foundation, True North Fund designed to expand the number of students served by CIS.

 

2011-2012

We served over 6,500 students at 10 schools with the help of 590 volunteers donating 16,023 hours.  Our community lost a volunteer extraordinaire, Mrs. Gina Jacobs. Our “Above and Beyond Volunteer Award” was renamed the “Gina Jacobs Award” which was given to a special volunteer at each of the CIS schools.  98% of our seniors graduated on time, with 19 of those seniors receiving the  21st century scholars scholarship which we also to refer it to the CIS last dollar scholarships.

We received a 10 year commitment for a $10,000 a year sponsorship from SmartChoice, who was also our 2012 Business Partner of the Year, for our signature fundraiser “Dancing with the High Point Stars”.  Special thanks to Kreber, Inc. for gratis designing of all promotional materials for Dancing with the High Point Stars.

 

2012 – 2013

We had another great year with a record number of 836 volunteers serving as tutors, mentors, breakfast and lunch buddies, classroom helpers, speakers and more.  We had programs at 10 CIS and 5 Non-CIS sites serving 7248 students, exceeding our goal for True North expansion funding. 99% of our 169 seniors graduated from High Point Central and T. Wingate Andrews on time, with 14 students receiving last dollar scholarships.  85% of Jump Start students improved on their End of Grade testing in Reading.  Our re-accreditation review was held in June.

 

2013 – 2014

 

“Celebrating 25 Years of Student Success in High Point”

 

We had OUTSTANDING year with a record number of 1098 volunteers serving as tutors, mentors, breakfast and lunch buddies, classroom helpers, speakers and more.  With programming at 10 CIS and 3 Non-CIS sites serving 7915 students, we exceeded our goal for True North expansion funding.  Over 250 community partners contributed to CIS during the school year.   99% of our seniors graduated from High Point Central and T. Wingate Andrews on time, with 16 students receiving last dollar scholarships.

We hosted our very first Progressive Picnic and raised funds to help support the families we serve.  The Picnic was graciously hosted by Ivey and Richard Orr, Mary Eliza and Chip Duckett, Anne and Julian Busby, and Melanie and Andy Eskew.  Over 150 people attended to help support the mission of Communities In Schools.  A most magnificent way to ignite a great year!

CIS of High Point hosted our 4th Annual “Dancing With The High Point Stars” event.  Our very own Shirley cook was the first CIS staff member to participate as a dancer.   Special thanks to Jack Kreber, our Board Chair, for gratis designing and printing of all the promotional material.

CIS of High Point came under new leadership in January as Cerise Collins accepted a position as Regional Coordinator with CIS of North Carolina.  Wanda Stewart who had been the previous Director of Programs and Scholars for CIS of High Point, was selected to serve in the position as the new Executive Director of CIS of High Point.

Lastly, CIS of High Point with the commitment of staff, Site Coordinators, and Board members to uplift and promote the mission of CIS, CIS received reaccreditation as a Nationally Accredited Affiliate by our National Office.

 

2014 – 2015

We had another great year with a record number of 1376 volunteers serving as tutors, mentors, breakfast and lunch buddies, classroom helpers, speakers and more.  We had programs at 12 CIS and 8 Non-CIS sites serving 8663 students, exceeding our goal for True North expansion funding. 100% of our 169 seniors graduated from High Point Central and T. Wingate Andrews on time, with 13 students receiving last dollar scholarships.  92% of Jump Start students improved on their End of Grade testing in Reading.

We hosted our 2nd Annual Progressive Picnic and raised funds to help support the families we serve.  The Picnic was graciously hosted by Kathy and Steve Rohrbeck, Audrey Congdon and Jack Harris, and Nan and Rufus Yates.  Over 200 people attended to help support the mission of Communities In Schools.  A most magnificent way to ignite a great year!

Our signature fundraiser “Dancing With The High Point Stars. Special thanks to Kreber, Inc. for gratis designing of all promotional materials for Dancing With The High Point Stars.  Our 5th year was the best yet.  We had a record number of 600 attending and raising over $60,000.

 

2015 – 2016

Another great year for CIS-HP!  1208 volunteers serving as tutors, mentors, breakfast and lunch buddies, classroom helpers, speakers, and more; 12 CIS Model programs; 3 Non-CIS outreach sites; serving 7500+ students; 100% of our 82 seniors graduated from High Point Central and T. Wingate Andrews on time; 17 students receiving last dollar scholarships; 95% of Jump Start students improved on their End of Grade testing in Reading.

We hosted our 3rd Annual Progressive Picnic and raised funds to help support the students and families we serve.  The Picnic was graciously hosted by Beachy and Dan Allen, Kirsten and Tony Bertschi, Tara and Austin Elliot, and Sarah and John Foster.  Over 250 people attended to help support the mission of Communities In Schools.  What a testimony for the value of true community partnerships!

 

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CIS-HP’s signature fundraiser “Dancing With The High Point Stars

was again a star-studded event held in February. Special thanks to

Kreber, Inc. for gratis designing of all promotional materials for this

magnificent event.  Our 6th year exhibited strength and sound

support from our beautiful community!  We raised $53,000+ with

500 in attendance dancing the night away with Fred Astaire Dance

Studios for the greatest cause in the world, our future!

 

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2016 – 2017

2016-2017 was a record breaking year for CIS-HP! 1208 volunteers serving as tutors, mentors, breakfast and lunch buddies, classroom helpers, speakers, and more; 10 CIS Model programs; 3 General Use sites; serving 7,000+ students; 100% of our seniors graduated from High Point Central and T. Wingate Andrews on time; 7 students receiving an aggregate of $20,000 in Last Dollar Scholarships; 95% of Jump Start students improved on their End of Grade testing in Reading.

 

CIS of High Point 2017 Last Dollar Scholarship Recipients

We hosted our 4th Annual Progressive Picnic and raised funds to help support the students and families we serve. This year the committee voted to change the name to “CIS Annual Community Picnic.”   It was held again on Brantley Circle where it is deemed the new home of the annual fundraising event. Over 200 people attended to help support the mission of Communities In Schools. What a testimony for the value of true community partnerships!

CIS-HP’s signature fundraiser “Dancing With The High Point Stars was again a star studded event held in February. Special thanks to Kreber, Inc. for gratis designing of all promotional materials for this magnificent event. Our 7th year exhibited strength and sound support from our beautiful community! We raised $62,000+ with more than 500 in attendance dancing the night away with Fred Astaire Dance Studios for the greatest cause in the world, our future!