By Kelli Ainsworth

Last year, Katy ISD's Partners in Education program recruited more than 17,000 community volunteers who dedicated more than 800,000 hours in service to district schools. Volunteers can participate in any of five distinct Partners in Education initiatives, allowing them to volunteer in a way that works with their schedule and taps their interests.

"They've proven this 'it takes a village' thing. Everybody does their part to help the kids succeed," said Tammy Stringer, community relations liaison for Partners in Education. "We think it sets an example for those kids. They see their parents in a volunteer role, and that becomes a way of life."

Though most volunteers are parents or grandparents of KISD students who volunteer at the schools their family members attend, Partners in Education welcomes volunteers from the community as well.

Volunteers in Public Schools is Partners in Education's largest program, Stringer said. Volunteers can serve as chaperones during field trips, help in the library or lead teacher appreciation efforts during school hours. Participants whose schedules prevent them from volunteering during the day often form and lead booster clubs for sports teams or the fine arts, said Janet Theis, director of community partnerships for Partners in Education.

Many of the VIPS volunteers also teach Junior Achievement, Theis said. The Junior Achievement program is based on a national standard curriculum designed to teach students from kindergarten through 12th grade about the American economy in an age-appropriate way. Volunteers teach students interactive Junior Achievement lessons in the classroom either once a week for five weeks, or deliver all five sessions in a single visit.

Although both of these programs allow volunteers to work with several students, the Keep Encouraging Youth Toward Success mentoring program pairs a volunteer with a student for a yearlong mentoring relationship. Mentors meet with an assigned student for an hour a week on the student's campus during the school day.

Students enrolled in the KEYS program often need a little extra support, Stringer said. These students may be struggling in class, or they may be experiencing difficulties at home, such as a divorce or death in the family. Teachers and counselors can recommend the student for the KEYS program, and parents give their approval. On occasion, parents ask that their child receive a KEYS mentor.

Stringer, who is is a KEYS mentor, said when she meets with the girl she mentors, they often sit and visit and play games. If her mentee needs to spend their allotted hour working on a class assignment, Stringer helps her.

Another program, Partners in Education School-Business Partnerships, pairs a business with one or several local schools to allow the businesses to give back to KISD schools.

"The partnerships are mutually beneficial, helpful to both the company and the school, and they are crafted and managed by the campus and business itself so no two partnerships are alike," she said.

Businesses may sponsor events, give donations, or employees may volunteer their time. In the past, Brazos Valley Bank has had breakfast delivered to all KISD teachers as a part of the School-Business Partnership program. Local business owners and their employees have come to junior high career days to talk about their jobs and answer student questions.

One of Partners in Education's fast-growing programs, Sister Schools, gives KISD teachers and students an opportunity to help each other. Schools are paired with another campus, usually one across the district at the same grade level. The program's motto is "sharing our strengths."

"[Sister Schools] started as the district got bigger and bigger, it was an idea to keep schools connected," Stringer said.

Sister schools work together in a variety of ways. Staff at one school often invites their sister staff to share in a planned training or development session. When one school has a spirit night at a local restaurant, they might invite their sister school to join them or share their proceeds with the sister school. For the past two years, Beck and Katy junior high schools got together in December to make stuffed bears and tigers to deliver to Texas Children's Hospital West campus, Stringer said.

"We tell [our volunteers] to think outside the box and come up with whatever ideas they can," Stringer said.

For more information or to volunteer, contact Janet Theis at the Katy ISD offices at 281-396-2461.