The mission of Communities in Schools of the Permian Basin (CISPB) is to surround students with a community of support, empowering them to stay in school and achieve in life.
From individualized case management services to facilitated services or programs for a targeted group of students, CISPB helps ease the burden on schools, strengthen relationships between home and school, and increase opportunities for positive life choices and academic achievement. By implementing this approach, CISPB creates a community of caring adults who work directly with educators and are able to reach students most at risk for dropping out of school.
Communities in Schools of the Permian Basin has the following programs:
- XY-Zone: XY-Zone is a male mentoring initiative at Midland and Ector County High Schools. It creates lasting change by building strong, positive relationships with each of our students and providing these young men with positive, consistent male role models who are invested in their success.
- Project Athena: Project Athena is a female mentoring and empowerment program at Midland and Ector County High Schools that changes the lives of young women one relationship at a time. Project Athena focuses on building up each young woman’s sense of self-worth and self-esteem in order to affect permanent change.
- Introduce A Girl To Engineering Day: A one-day program encouraging girls to consider a route into engineering. The program is attended by students from all our middle schools served. The girls are introduced to different disciplines within engineering by participating in a variety of engineering activities and a design challenge.
- STEM GEMS: A new girls’ club promoting interest in STEM education, careers and activities is being piloted at Goddard Junior High. Working with the Permian Basin Petroleum Museum, an eight-month project-based STEM curriculum has been developed to parallel the scope and sequence of the school’s math and science departments as much as possible. The GEMS will meet weekly after school to hear presentations, discuss each month’s topic and work on projects.
- I.M.P.A.C.T: IMPACT is a female mentoring program tailored specifically to the girls at Midland Freshman. This program, in collaboration with Junior League of Midland, provides female mentors who are professionals in the community. The girls meet with their mentors twice a month to discuss each month’s topic. The program runs 8 months and covers areas such as self-esteem, healthy living, professional work skills, and others. Lunch is also provided.
- Pink Pantry: The Pink Pantry exists to provide feminine hygiene supplies (including pads, tampons, feminine wipes, shampoo, soap, and deodorant) to young women in need.
20% of young women will miss at least one day of school this year due to lack of feminine hygiene supplies. The Pink Pantry changes this reality for students at Goddard Junior High School, Alamo Junior High School, Midland Freshman High School, Midland High School, Lee Freshman High School, and Lee High School. The “Pink Pantry” is stationed at each school with the Communities in Schools campus coordinators and students have access to them at any time, no questions asked.
- Beyond School Walls: In Spring 2019, Communities In Schools of the Permian Basin, Big Brothers Big Sisters of the Permian Basin, and the Midland Chamber of Commerce joined forces to launch Beyond School Walls, a mentoring program that takes students to the mentors, as opposed to mentors going to the students. Twice a month, 20-25 at-risk high school students in the Communities In Schools program (12 from Midland High and 12 from Lee High) travel to the Midland Chamber of Commerce offices.
In a group setting, students learn about professional topics such as goal setting, business and personal etiquette, building a resume, interviewing skills and career planning. After a group presentation, the students break into smaller groups of two or three students per staff member to practice what they just learned. There will be a cycle each semester (Fall and Spring) which will involve 5-6 sessions with a different business. Big Brothers Big Sisters and Communities In Schools will continue to identify partnering businesses to host Beyond School Walls sessions.
