School Neighborhood Advisory Committee connects Calvert families with community resources

Calvert Elementary School’s Community Learning Center (CLC) and its School Neighborhood Advisory Committee (SNAC)  know what it means to be a good neighbor. 

“I am incredibly passionate about the Calvert community. I knew that SNAC was a place to cultivate ideas that enrich Calvert and could feel its power after the first meeting,” Calvert SNAC parent member Katie Kinsella-Boles said. She’s been a member since 2020.

SNACs are a vehicle to connect parents, youth, neighborhood residents, educators, community organizations and service providers to our CLCs. They help in the planning, communication and oversight of them.

“It is meant to be made up of a diverse representation of the community that wants to make their school and neighborhood a better place,” Calvert School Community Coordinator Carly Horstman said. 

Calvert’s SNAC shows its dedication to the school and the neighborhood in various ways. The group constantly looks for opportunities to engage Calvert families and build bonds throughout the year. Members helped launch Community Cafes at Calvert and they recently started hosting  hangouts at Henry Park. 

“We saw a need, figured out an easy and fun way to do it and planned it like lightning. It isn’t incredibly hard to make changes that help your community grow stronger, and this was an example of that,” Kinsella-Boles said.

The group’s free community baby shower is another example of how the Calvert SNAC rallied to support its neighborhood. Members organized the July event after noticing below-average scores for prenatal and maternal care for women who lived in the area. The SNAC gathered donations for free giveaways including maternal massages, strollers and other infant necessities. Members recruited community partners like Milkworks and Lincoln Community Baby Closet for the event.

“Our Calvert SNAC is like a connector between resources our families need and resources that are available in the community,” Calvert fifth grade teacher Lauren Thies said. Theis is also one of the educators involved in the Calvert SNAC. 

Some Calvert SNAC parents even lend a hand leading certain CLC clubs like frisbee golf during the week. 

“SNAC truly supports a full-service community schools model, and all stakeholders – schools, neighborhood and the community, “ Calvert Principal Jeff Brehm said.

“ A thriving community bleeds over into a thriving school. We are all working together to help our children succeed,” Thies said. 

 

Look at some highlights from Calvert’s CLC: 

Visit the Lincoln Community Learning Centers website at https://clc.lps.org/ to learn more about our CLCs and SNACs in your neighborhood.

 

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