Community Schools Program: Addressing The Needs Of Our Students

When considering mental health, one sees that Sierra County has high rates of youth attempted suicides and youth feelings of sadness and hopelessness4. As difficult as it may be to look at the data, we can’t hide from it. What picture does all of the combined data provide? We see that there are significant, interrelated problems and a great need for more programs and services for young people and their families.

A Community Needs and Assets Assessment for Hot Springs High School and Arrey Elementary was developed in 20225. A summary from this report also shows that youth in Sierra are at severe risk. Surveys conducted in the schools and community were taken by students, teachers, administrators, and parents. Poverty, limited employment, basic needs, and behavioral health risk factors were the primary needs identified. All schools in the district have noticed a decline in parental engagement, a rise in youth misbehaviors, and ongoing truancy issues. Bullying and fighting have been on the rise as well.

One of the programs that supports HSHS and Arrey Elementary is the Community Schools Program. Only 69 schools out of roughly 854 schools in New Mexico received Community Schools funding. This is huge for the District.

The Program provides more student supports, enhanced learning opportunities outside of the classroom, family and community engagement, and building collaborative leadership. The Community School Coordinators are the heart and soul of the work being done directly in the schools.

Melani Armendariz is the Coordinator at HSHS, and Yolanda Tafoya the Coordinator at Arrey Elementary. Coordinators are additional supportive adults within the school who are available to listen and help students as well as provide support for teachers.

Both Coordinators are part of active truancy teams to address absenteeism. Coordinators connect families to resources like food pantries and resources related to basic needs. Coordinators work with the school social workers and leadership to refer families for a variety of services. Coordinators have been a crucial piece in building student engagement, and keeping kids in school.

Community Schools helps connect families to local School Council and PTO. In Arrey, parents can come for “have coffee with the Principal” day. There is a very inviting, and nice space set up for parents to sit and check in. The Health Fair in Arrey in October was highly successful and provided and connected families with many different resources. In November, HSHS had a Resource Fair and provided similar resources for youth and families.

A career and college day is in the works at HSHS as well as a mental health week. Last year, Community Schools had more than 17,500 student and family contacts, encounters, and services.

Yolanda sums up beautifully, what her goals are as the Coordinator. “My goal as a Community Schools Coordinator is to provide our students and teachers with extra support. Our teachers provide the most essential role in our student’s education, and I want to alleviate any extra stress on our teachers. For this reason, I have strived to provide support that helps our students in whole wellbeing, social services, basic food and clothing needs, educational enrichment, and connecting students to mentoring.

“Since we brought mentors to help the students, our student’s grades have increased and behaviors decreased. This is a plus for students as well as teachers”. 

Community Schools is doing great work, however, some of the needs cannot be addressed by Community Schools alone. Collaborative leadership and building a network of partnerships are a big piece of Community Schools work.

Social Worker Ashleigh Pratt, at HSHS has been a crucial piece of the Community Schools team. She not only supports students with counseling services, she also works hard to provide additional opportunities for students (Mental health training, working with students to provide advocacy and support for other students, taking students to attend Diversity Conferences, and front running planning for Mental Health Week).

Some of the other partnerships include the Club, which provide a variety of services for youth including afterschool tutoring and mentoring and the Olive Tree, which is addressing some of the behavioral health needs in the schools. Developing partnerships with Mesilla Valley Hospital, the Department of Health, and the Center for Health and Innovation’s Prevention Program will bring more support and resources in the upcoming year. 

Eventually, the Community Schools Model could be expanded to all schools in the District. Principals are actively engaged and support Community Schools. Superintendent Bergen has expressed she is deeply committed to creating programming to meet the needs of the whole child. Eventually, the goal of Community Schools is to build the schools into a high performing community engaged place where students, parents, teachers, staff, and community organizations, and volunteers work together. 

One of the many strengths Sierra County possesses is the sense of community. When we come together, we can do great things. There is a need for investment now in youth and families. This will reduce the even greater risks and costs to people and the economy in the future6. 

1 Moskowitz, R. (2021, February). Poverty in New Mexico: 2019. dws.https://www.dws.state.nm.us/portals/0/dm/lmi/poverty_in_nm_2019.pdf

2 New Mexico Department of Health. New Mexico Substance Use Epidemiology Profile, 2021

3 Teen Birth Rate by County. Girls Age 15-19, New Mexico, 2018-2020. Retrieved January 5th, 2023 from New Mexico Health Indicator Data and Statistics website: https://ibis.doh.nm.gov/indicator/view/birthteen.1519.cnty.gtml

4 New Mexico Department of Health. New Mexico Substance Use Epidemiology Profile, 2021 

5 Egan. A., with Aguirre, A., Pratt. A., Garcia, R. (2022 for SY 2023). TCMSD Community Schools, Community Needs and Assets Assessment- Hot Springs High School. Building a Collaborative Network of Care for Children, Families, Teachers, and Schools. New Ventures Consulting for TCMSD Community Schools.

6 Egan. A., with Aguirre, A., Pratt. A., Garcia, R. (2022 for SY 2023). TCMSD Community Schools, Community Needs and Assets Assessment- Hot Springs High School. Building a Collaborative Network of Care for Children, Families, Teachers, and Schools. New Ventures Consulting for TCMSD Community Schools.