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Sharing
What Works
Where are asset-builders
showing up in our community? Everywhere.
Read what groups and
individuals are doing to support youth in their communities.
Assets
in the Community
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in Organizations
Assets
in Schools
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and Diversity
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and Individuals
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Assets in Schools
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More than 50 members
of the Youth Advisory Board for the Cherry Creek School District
planned and hosted the district's 3rd Annual Youth-Adult Summit at
Grandview High School on March __. The summit, titled "Pass It
On," was attended by 500 youth and adults. Contact:
Brenda Holben and Lynn Stambaugh, 303-486-4247,; bholben@ccsd.k12.co.us
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Gifted and Talented
Program Assistant, Pam Widmann, with the Cherry Creek School District,
was awarded a Community Asset Project grant to introduce the asset
framework to groups of students and coordinate a story-writing and
illustrating project. The students' work will travel to other schools
in the district for other youth to enjoy. Contact:
Brenda Holben and Lynn Stambaugh, 303-486-4247, bholben@ccsd.k12.co.us
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The 7th Annual
Asset Action Week in the Cherry Creek School District was held
March 18-22. The asset promotion efforts during the week included
providing each of the district's 6,500 employees a car-window decal
with the district's slogan, "Wrap Your Arms Around Cherry Creek
Kids," and faxing asset messages to each school, inviting them
to use them in their phone messages.
Contact:
Brenda Holben and Lynn Stambaugh, 303-486-4247,
bholben@ccsd.k12.co.us
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The Cherry
Creek School District is promoting the asset message through a
number of strategies. The assets are highlighted in the district's
calendars that go to 6,000 staff and 25,000 families each year. The
logo and tagline, "Wrap Your Arms Around Cherry Creek Kids,"
are placed on some of the buses in its fleet, and asset banners are
up at school entrances. The district's prevention office also provided
schools with camera-ready newsletters about asset building. Annual
events also promote the assets, including the Youth/Adult Summit,
Asset Action Week, and a Fitness Fair. Additionally, members of the
district's Youth Advisory Board are awarded stipends to fund asset
activities in their schools. The asset research and framework are
reviewed at all staff, parent, and community trainings, and the district
has designed its safety plan around promoting assets to safeguard
students.
Contact:
Brenda Holben and Lynn Stambaugh, 303-486-4247, bholben@ccsd.k12.co.us
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Smedley Elementary
in Denver is one of five Denver Public Schools taking part in the
Expect Success Program this year. With support from Assets for Colorado
Youth, Asset Team members are strategizing how to improve academic
achievement through increasing parent engagement and improving the
school climate. At an ACY-led staff training in January, teachers
connected with the relationship-building emphasis, and the majority
of staff made personal commitments to connect with more students.
Staff also crafted messages for parent engagement, including, "Let
us help you be well prepared," and "Let's talk." One
staff member commented, "The asset training was the most helpful
workshop our school has ever had." One staff member arranged
for ACY to conduct a training for parents of Kindergarten and ECE
students. On evaluation surveys, all of the 46 parents attending rated
the workshop worthwhile and said they would be willing to attend another
assets training.
Contact:
Stephanie Hoy, 303-863-2105,
stephanie@buildassets.org
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At Horace Mann
Middle School in Denver, Assets for Colorado Youth has trained
the staff and a group of parents on the asset framework. In the staff
training, "the staff really identified with the framework's concept
that positive youth development requires a community-wide effort,"
said Principal Jim Trevino. The training prompted teachers to outline
the roles that all teachers, students and parents need to fulfill
to guarantee academic success. From their list, the staff designed
a "Pledge of Support" and asked students and parents to
sign it at parent-teacher conferences. "Going through the exercise
of defining the expectations for all three groups really empowered
the teachers," said Trevino. Horace Mann has hired a parent liaison
to help continue parent engagement efforts.
Contact:
Stephanie Hoy, 303-863-2105,
stephanie@buildassets.org
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At Abraham
Lincoln High School in Denver, the 10-member Asset Team, led by
Principal Kathy Callum, includes staff members and parents. The group
is working to better involve all parents in the school, to increase
capacity for asset building in its staff and to strengthen communication
throughout its community of feeder schools.
Lincoln's 1,500-strong student population is predominately Latino
(78.6%), with smaller populations of Whites (11%), Asians (6.7%) and
other ethnic groups (3.7%).
Some of the parents on Lincoln's Asset Team also serve on the school's
bilingual Parent Advisory Committee (PAC). When the parents from PAC
received an asset training from ACY, a handful of students attended
with their parents. After the students heard the asset message and
learned what adults can do to strengthen the lives of young people,
they wanted to help spread the message. The students worked with Bilingual
Teacher Martha Montijo to recruit other students and secure a youth
role in an asset presentation for parents from Lincoln and two of
its feeder schools: Castro Elementary and Kepner Middle School.
The eight Lincoln students were a highlight of the Saturday morning
parent event in February that drew more than 100 participants. The
students took turns describing why parents needed to build assets
in their children. One young man, Marco, advised, "You need to
make sure that your son or daughter is at school, because I know a
lot of students are hanging out at McDonalds and Burger King during
the day instead of going to class." As part of the presentation,
the students passed out flyers to all the parents encouraging them
to call the school at least twice a month to find out if their child
is in class. The flyers also listed the names of staff who spoke Spanish
and who could help Spanish-speaking parents when they called. The
students and the Asset Team members hope this strategy will help Lincoln
to raise its low average attendance rate of 80 percent.
The students also helped draft a pledge that the parents were encouraged
to sign, asking parents to commit to: talk to high school staff every
2 weeks about their child's progress; talk to their child daily about
the child's interests, dreams and goals; attend school functions that
their child was interested in or participating in; and get to know
their child's friends and help their child to build positive relationships.
Contact: Stephanie
Hoy, 303-863-2105,
stephanie@buildasset.org
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Castro Elementary
in Denver, another Expect Success Project school, has set up both
an Assets Team and a Parent Leadership Team to address parent engagement
and a caring school climate. Following an asset training for staff,
one staff member placed a bulletin board in the teacher's lounge where
teachers can write positive comments about each other. In parent trainings,
many of the parents expressed the need for English classes for parents
in order to increase parent's comfort level in the school. One of
Castro's teachers volunteered to teach English one afternoon/week
and the first class drew 35 parents.
Contact:
Patsy Roybal, 303-985-0122, patsyjr@aol.com
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Kepner Middle
School in Denver, also a part of the Expect Success Project, has
started a student leadership class in each of its three grades. The
students are learning about the assets and how to apply them in the
school community. Drama teacher Jennie Goldberg teaches the classes.
Jennie escorted three of her students to the Spring Asset Summit in
Copper Mountain to speak before Colorado's statewide network of asset
builders.
Contact:
Jennie Goldberg, 303-727-5250
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Denison Montessori
School in southwest Denver keeps moving forward with its asset
work. In the school's life skills training, the staff is introducing
the Expect Great Things video to discuss self-esteem and decision-making
skills. For the younger children, staff is using La Loteria (Assets
Bingo) to teach the assets. The school's strength-based approach to
bully-proofing is going to result on a focus on the language of peace,
hoping to develop a list, similar to the 150 Ways to Show Kids You
Care brochure, consisting of the language of peace. In December, María
Guajardo Lucero from ACY conducted a presentation on assets and parent
engagement to the Denison Parent Organization.
Contact:
María Guajardo Lucero, 303-863-2103, maria@buildassets.org
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Longmont
asset coordinator, Jill St. Aubin-King, piloted a 12-week middle school
course on the developmental assets last fall. At the end of the trimester,
students not only had an understanding of the asset framework and
why assets are so important, but also completed a project to help
their school become more caring.
Contact:
Jill St. Aubin-King, 303-651-8580; jill.staubinking@ci.longmont.co.us
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Students at
South Routt County High School in Oak Creek and Hayden Middle
School, both in Routt County, took part in Challenge Day at their
schools. During the day, the students and their teachers, parents,
administrators, counselors, and members of the community addressed
the issues of substance abuse, violence, stereotypes, racism and teasing.
Through games, activities and group discussions, participants learned
how to break down walls of separation and create new levels of respect
for each other. The facilitators, Vinny Ferraro and Donna Stevens
of San Francisco, said they want to help students transform dangerous
peer pressure into positive peer support. Students learned to deal
with their dislike or disassociation with other students, and many
participants received apologies for hurtful behavior in the past.
Both schools have expressed interest in bringing Challenge Day back.
Contact:
Angie Kimmes, 970-879-6188,
angelakimmes@hotmail.com
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Two high schools
in San Miguel County, Telluride and Norwood, have been named sites
for the El Pomar Youth Philanthropy program. The sites were chosen
because of the region's three years of experience with the Assets
for Rural Youth initiative's focus on youth empowerment.
Contact:
Sarah Silver,
wsf@mesa.net
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Summit County
Schools celebrated Goodwill and Friendship Week in February and
found ways to reach out to each other to promote goodwill and assets.
Some activities included creating welcome bags for new students and
staff at the school, making valentines for caring people in the community,
and making banners to hang in the lunchroom.
Contact:
Tara Eaton, 970-668-2077
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Western Hills
Elementary in Adams 1 School District brought the 79-member staff
and two parent representatives together for an afternoon asset training.
The strategy was a way to set common goals and become intentional
about creating a caring school climate. Parent Lisa Bryant wants to
bridge the "cultural disconnect" between the Latino and
Anglo parents of the 670-plus students. Principal Betty C de Baca
has started "Breakfast with Betty" as a time for parents
to talk with the principal about school issues. At one breakfast,
the group played La Loteria, or "Assets Bingo," based on
a popular Mexican Bingo game as a way to become familiar with the
40 assets through a game popular with both cultures.
Contact:
Patsy Roybal, 303-985-0122,
patsyjr@aol.com
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Monaco Elementary,
in the Adams 14 School District, is training staff and parents on
the assets. Principal Paula Arroyo invited Assets for Colorado Youth
staff to train English and Spanish-speaking parent groups at Monaco
Elementary in the asset framework separately, and then in a joint
training-of-trainers workshop to help solidify their partnership.
Parents chose specific assets they would like the school to promote
and these were shared in two, schoolwide trainings for staff.
Contact:
Patsy Roybal, 303-985-0122,
patsyjr@aol.com
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Adams 50 School
District is infusing the asset approach into its district through
many facets. The district has brought asset trainer Steve Vande Ven
into six schools to do asset trainings. Meanwhile, two parents, Ted
Chavez and Bernadette Cisneros, are working with groups of students
at Westminster and Ranum high schools who are becoming asset champions
in their schools and community. After meeting with the Mayor of Westminster,
some of the youth have joined the Mayor's Youth Advisory Council.
Bernadette is also helping to pilot a Las Madres program for English-
and Spanish-speaking mothers to compliment a similar Los Padres program
for fathers at S.M. Day Elementary School. The parents meet weekly
for 14 weeks and are introduced to the asset framework, as well as
other tools to increase their involvement in their child's education.
Finally, the district's bus drivers received asset training prior
to the beginning of the 2001-02 school year. Ways the drivers determined
that they could help support the students on their routes included:
"Let them know you enjoy having them ride your bus and that you
are glad they are attending class;" "Notice how students
are feeling when they get on the bus. Ask them if they need to talk;"
and "Criticize in private. Complement in public."
Contact:
Patsy Roybal, 303-985-0122,
patsyjr@aol.com
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At East Middle
School in the Aurora School District, the prevention counselor
is infusing assets through a number of strategies. He introduced the
asset framework to teachers through an in-service training where he
presented findings from the Search Institute Attitudes and Behaviors
survey of East's students. The results had an impact and the information
helped move staff from a deficit to a positive approach with their
students. The prevention coordinator has placed asset messages throughout
the school: a banner over the school entrance reads, "East Builds
Assets," and each classroom has a framed message promoting each
of the 40 assets (students change the message in the frame each week).
Also, asset information is published in the school newsletter and
the counselor stocks a library of asset materials for teachers to
check out.. Students involved in after-school enrichment programs
fill out an asset survey for assessment. Finally, "Most Valuable
Player" nights are held five times/year in partnership with the
local recreation center. More than 300 students attend the event and
dance.
Contact:
Brad Brauer,
303-326-2000, x25239
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Special education
students at Smoky Hill High School in the Cherry Creek School
District are learning about the 40 assets as part of their English
class. With guidance from their teacher, Joyce Aranson, the 18 students
will produce a video for their final project on what the assets mean
to them.
Contact:
Lynn Stambaugh, 303-486-4247,
jstam@uswest.net
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To bolster
student empowerment, the principal at Highline Community School
in the Cherry Creek School District, David Fischer, used the district's
bullyproofing curriculum in conjunction with a strong asset component
to teach students the importance of a caring majority. Fischer firmly
believes that achievement best happens when students feel safe and
cared about. In five years, the school's test scores have climbed
from the 30th percentile to the 70th. The strategy works in the midst
of student mobility because a critical mass of students are trained
in the assets and violence-prevention strategies. Teachers and counselors
reinforce the behaviors. The elementary school partners with Overland
High School to provide older "buddies" for the students.
Students also learn citizenship skills working with seniors at a near-by
senior's center. The principal makes a conscious effort to call each
student he passes in the hall by name. His motto: "Students are
more than just a name. If you value them and empower them, then get
out of their way because they are going to do great things."
He believes that to have parent involvement, the principal and the
teachers have to build trust through focusing on parents' strengths.
He worked with teachers to change attitudes, knowing that "if
parents know someone loves their child, they will follow that person
anywhere." This schoolwide attitude, along with providing day-care,
hiring bi-lingual office staff, and making home visits, has raised
parent-teacher conference attendance to 95 percent. The principal
interviews all new parents and tells them, "This will be the
best school your child has been to-if not, I want to hear about it."
Teacher empowerment is another key component. Staff meetings begin
with teacher recognition for what they are doing for kids. Teachers
are involved in every decision at the school.
Contact:
David Fischer, 720/747-2300
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A school psychologist
at Sunrise Elementary School in the Cherry Creek School District
realized her school had no positive recognition for leadership or
asset building. She came up with the idea of Sunrise Awards and presented
it to teachers. At the beginning of school assemblies each month,
students are recognized for their positive behaviors and academics.
The shift by teachers and students from deficit thinking to positive
thinking has caught on, and the number of awards has grown from 3
to 25/assembly. A bulletin board in the hallway posts the students'
names on a star and they remain up for the semester.
Contact:
Melissa Reeves, 720/886-2900
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Five Denver
Public Schools are working in formal partnerships with Assets
for Colorado Youth to assist school staff and parents in three schools
rated "low" or "unsatisfactory" by the state of
Colorado to bolster student achievement through increasing parent
engagement and creating a caring school climate. This effort marks
the first partnership to link parent engagement, developmental assets
and academic achievement in school reform plans. A research team from
the University of Denver will conduct an evaluation of the pilot project.
ACY will partner with Castro and Smedley elementary schools, Horace
Mann and Kepner middle schools, and Lincoln High School to provide
training, resources and technical assistance in this pilot project.
Colorado law requires schools with a majority of students scoring
at "unsatisfactory" levels on Colorado Statewide Assessment
Program (CSAP) standards test to put a reform plan in place to improve
academic achievement. At Horace Mann Middle School, for example, the
district's Community Relations office is working with Principal Jim
Trevino and the staff to rewrite its objectives to include asset building.
In addition, Assets for Colorado Youth has trained the staff on the
developmental assets and had them outline the specific roles teachers,
students, and parents need to play to guarantee academic outcomes.
The staff put these ideas into a "pledge of support" and
asked students, as well as the parents attending parent/teacher conferences,
to sign them. The exercise of defining expectations for the three
groups empowered teachers. The challenge will be determining how each
group accounts for what they do.
Contact:
Stephanie Hoy, 303/863-2105,
stephanie@buildasests.org
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Kepner Middle
School in Denver is adding three asset-based leadership elective
classes (6th, 7th and 8th grades). The students, taught by Jen Goldberg,
are developing the school's parent engagement plan and will be among
the leaders reaching out to parents.
Contact:
Stephanie Hoy, 303/863-2105,
stephanie@buildasests.org
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At Palmer Elementary
School in Denver, a focus group with parents in 2000 asked what
they felt was most needed in the school. The parents said they wanted
more student achievement and connection to the school. As a result,
a parent group meets regularly to identify and implement asset-building
strategies. One strategy was to start after-school clubs, including
a homework club, karate, language clubs, and a neighborhood club where
students get to know and help out their neighbors. Now, 80-percent
of the students participate in one of the clubs and the building is
full until 5 p.m. every night. To promote the asset message among
parents, the PTA gives out Assets for Colorado Youth calendars to
each family at the holiday program. Also, a Pep Night for Parents
was held earlier in the 2001-02 school year that provided dinner and
speakers on the topic: "10 Ways to Help Students Have a Great
Year." The principal now provides an introduction to assets in
intervention meetings with parents whose child is struggling.
Contact:
Stephanie Hoy, 303/863-2105,
stephanie@buildasests.org
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Denison Montessori
School, a Denver Public School's magnate school for K-6th graders,
is infusing the asset framework through a two-pronged approach: student-based,
and staff-parent-community-based. Last year, the focus for students
was on student identity/leadership/ satisfaction. The school merged
life skills training and the assets into one program, the Peace Program,
and created a logo. One result of this was a talent show. For the
adult component, the principal first sought the endorsement of the
Collaborative Decision-Making committee. She then sent out a needs
assessment to parents and organized a CSAT team to carry the message
forward. The principal also purchased the ACY publication, The Power
of Parents, for each teacher. She provided them with other ACY education
materials: the Youth Assets Quarterly education newsletter and the
Assets and Academic Achievement handouts, and overlaid the Montessori
philosophy onto the framework for the staff. Parent engagement is
now an objective for teachers and a part of their appraisal. Each
must create a parent-engagement portfolio. "You have to institutional
it to make it happen."
Contact:
Martha Urioste, 303/934-7805,
Martha_Urioste@dpsk12.org
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Family advocates
from a cluster of 7 Denver Public Schools in southwest Denver
are using the asset framework to strengthen student achievement and
community relations. For example, English- and Spanish-speaking parents
at Newlon Elementary received asset training to help them create a
vision that would unite all parents. The other schools include: Valverde
Elementary, Monroe Elementary, Knapp Elementary, and Rishel Middle
School.
Contact:
Patsy Roybal, 303/985-0122,
patsyjr@aol.com
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The Center
for Effective Parent Involvement in Public Schools is working
with a group of Title VII schools in the Denver Public Schools to
provide training to Spanish-speaking parents. Parent groups from Schenck,
Munroe, Bryant Webster, and Cheltenham elementary schools discuss
the developmental assets in each training workshop as a way to reach
their overall goal of supporting the education of their children.
Contact:
Patsy Roybal, 303/985-0122,
patsyjr@aol.com
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Through a Safe
Schools/Healthy Communities grant, Denver Public Schools is developing
an asset-based curriculum to address bullying behavior.
Contact:
Patsy Roybal, 303/985-0122,
patsyjr@aol.com
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In the suburban
Denver Jefferson County School District, the PTA is using the
asset framework to intentionally create a welcoming environment in
each school. PTA members learned some hands-on ideas at the Healthy
Communities o Healthy Youth National Conference and from Clay Robert's
publication, Great Places to Learn.
Contact:
Lori Hoffner, 303/ 432-5391,
lorih@jcmh.org
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Sixteen high
school students from Lake County High School in Leadville spent
two days in November training to become asset ambassadors in their
school and community. Trained by Patsy Roybal and Richard Garcia from
the Center for Effective Parent Involvement in Public Education, the
students, who call their group the "Panther Assets," have
begun an "Asset of the Day" project in their school. The
school principal is supporting the students in their activities and
they meet together twice monthly during lunch. The members have established
committees for placing weekly asset messages in the school; writing
asset articles for the school newsletter and town newspaper; and facilitating
asset presentations to various groups. One member gave an asset presentation
to a group of parents of 7th graders, which led to establishing a
pen pal program with a 7th-grade class. The Panther Assets group also
plans to train 8th graders on the assets during high school orientation
this spring.
Contact:
Patsy Roybal, 720/890-0123,
patsyjr@aol.com
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Thompson Valley
Preschool and After-School Program at Monroe Elementary in Loveland,
are led by asset champions who are thoughtfully infusing the message
into their programs. At the preschool, director Albertha Moorlag focuses
on families' strengths in all her interactions with parents and their
children. Parents are first exposed to the asset framework at the
annual orientation. They receive progress reports that include references
to the assets that the staff are intentionally building in their children.
Parents also help create Craft Packs with asset-building craft projects
that are available to purchase. Asset checklists are placed in all
the school's library books that are checked out by the students, detailing
the assets addressed in the story. Staff also spread the asset framework
when they network with other childcare providers. The after-school
program, offered to students at Monroe Elementary each Wednesday for
the school's early-release day, is led by asset champions, Lisa Sader
and Victoria Hamm. Youth are involved in making decisions about their
activities and giving input on guest speakers to invite. The youth
planned and facilitated a "movie day" fundraising event.
The school is committed to building and spreading the word about assets,
and the efforts are easily incorporated within its budget.
Contact:
Lisa Sader, 970/667-6552,
LJSader@cs.com
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A group of
youth trained in the asset framework at Trinidad High School has
started an after school Asset Building Club. One of the club's ongoing
activities is to produce asset PSAs for a weekly local radio show.
Contact:
Chico Martinez, 719/846-4414,
seniors@rmi.net
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