Volunteers enrich education

By Marcia Hughes

For me, the arrival of spring is heralded not by the appearance of daffodils but by the flurry of well-deserved events honoring volunteers.

In the Cedar Rapids Community School District, volunteers are recognized informally all school year long. Each spring, however, school staff and students take time to formally recognize the contributions of time and expertise generously given by so many community members.

Schools schedule student presentations, salute breakfasts and luncheons and music-filled assemblies. The district also holds an annual recognition honoring one outstanding volunteer from each school at a televised meeting of the Board of Education. That annual Volunteer Hall of Fame also posts to our Web site (www.cr.k12.ia.us/aboutus/volunteer/

volunteerrecognition

2010.html). There is much for which to be grateful from these friends of education.

Volunteer involvement reflects the cultural diversity of our schools, bringing together thousands of distinct individuals with a common motive: support and enrich the learning environment for all students. A centralized District Volunteer Services Program coordinates the 33 individual school programs. Each school has a champion or team of lead volunteers; Title 1 schools are supported with an on-staff enrichment coordinator.

Nearly 7,000 volunteers contributed more than 134,500 hours during the 2008-09 school year. These contributions helped to enrich the learning environment for more than 16,000 students and support some 1,300 teachers.

Volunteers make a positive impact on student achievement in numerous ways. They may help to build literacy skills as Rockin' Readers, mentor a student through a Buddy program, share career or community history insights as resource speakers, provide in-class assistance with writing or math skills, lend a hand with a field trip, support student groups in competitions, serve on oversight and advisory committees or as a member of the Board of Education or bring an entire organization into the volunteer work force as a formal school partner.

Last year volunteers in our schools outnumbered staff by a ratio of more than 2 to 1. This is equivalent to 123 teacher associates working six hours a day.

I am proud to tip my hat to the outstanding volunteer work force that adds so much to the quality of education in our schools.

Marcia Hughes is the community relations supervisor for the Cedar Rapids Community Schools and manages the district's Volunteer Services Program. To learn more, contact the Community Relations Office at 558-2124 or e-mail

volunteer@cr.k12.ia.us