Class acts: Share and share alike
Clothing and supply exchange brings community together at Beaumont school
Published: June 28, 2012
The Great Recession has taken its toll on families throughout California, and those in the Beaumont Unified School District’s Brookside Elementary School are no exception. Some are challenged to keep their children well-equipped with school supplies and clothing, and that stress was affecting students’ attendance, attitudes and academics.
Volunteers swung into action, gathering support and donations to open a “gently used” clothing exchange where donors can drop off clothing their children have outgrown and pick up items they need. Now the Brookside “Tuesdays’ Take or Trade” serves as a hub of community support, providing not just clothing and school supplies, but also referrals to tutoring, counseling, food banks, after-school care and other community services, according to Program Coordinator Terry Carrizosa.
Student volunteers have also been organized to work in the center through two service learning groups, and community organizations remain strong supporters. Schools and families throughout the district are now welcome to visit the Take or Trade area at Brookside—not just on Tuesdays, but year-round. The program won a CSBA Golden Bell Award in 2011 and a Title I Academic Achievement Award in 2012.
As trust has grown among community partners, school personnel and parents, so has Brookside’s Academic Performance Index. In the two years that Take or Trade has been offered and API results are available, the school’s score has grown more than 50 points, to 873. Attendance remains high, and disciplinary referrals have decreased more than 15 percent.
Principal Carolyn Goode attributes the improved school climate to the way the program allows all participants to retain their dignity. “When students’ basic needs are met, students come to school more often, gain confidence, and are better prepared to achieve academically,” she says.
—Kristi Garrett