The Syracuse City School District is leaning more on the community this year to offer students and families support beyond the classroom. At Bellevue Elementary School on Stolp Avenue Tuesday morning, that meant new pencils from the fire department and hugs and hellos from old friends.
This year, though, that first-day support is evident beyond the schoolyard, with yard signs and community members rallying support for students as they begin a new year with the introduction of a program called Syracuse Stands for Students.
"Syracuse Stands is us coming together collectively as a community with the districts and different agencies—the police department, the fire department, neighborhoods—to say, 'Hey, we need help. Can we all come together and just make sure our students are supported and in our seats so that our educators can teach?'" said Tamica Barnett, Syracuse Board of Education resident.
Syracuse City School District Superintendent Pamela Odom said Syracuse Stands for Students goes beyond academics, in a district that includes four schools identified as failing by New York state and nine others on the verge of failing.
"We want to make sure that all students know that they have our support," Odom said. "We're not just going to support them with learning. We're going to support them emotionally, socially."
In a district where many schools sit in the midst of high-poverty neighborhoods, Syracuse Mayor Sharon Owens said it’s a concept the entire community can benefit from.
"It's also showing the parents and the adults and the kids that we're here," said Owens. "It's not just about today, it's about every day in this school year. Really rallying around our kids, helping them when the snow starts to fall—nobody wants to get up and trudge through the snow. We're gonna need you even more than that."
In the troubled schools, the district is implementing a holistic plan called Elevate 315 that is meant to improve student outcomes with a focus on community engagement, climate and culture, school leadership and teacher effectiveness.
