[{"_1":2,"_100":-5,"_101":-5},"loaderData",{"_3":4,"_26":27},"root",{"_5":6,"_17":10,"_18":19,"_20":21,"_22":10,"_23":-5,"_24":-5,"_25":10},"user",{"_7":8,"_9":10,"_11":10,"_12":-5,"_13":-5,"_14":15,"_16":-5},"roles",[],"isAuthenticated",false,"isPremium","planName","subscriptionStatus","featureFlags",{},"insightsBudget","isDevelopmentHost","userPreferences",{},"recaptchaSiteKey","6LcvOJcUAAAAAHsB-gPGfGktcRlKpH7OTIU_dMTD","isImpersonating","impersonation","affiliateStatus","isFreedomPortal","routes/v2/article/layout",{"_28":29,"_30":31},"notFound",true,"relatedArticles",[32,76,88],{"_33":34,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":40,"_41":42,"_43":44,"_45":46,"_47":48,"_49":50,"_51":52,"_53":54,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":60,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":66,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":74,"_75":74},"mediaId",6529610,"mediaKeyId","3797679-6ba54b24fd9726a1cbc09b9ce6ecd970","parentId",3797679,"title","Committee favors regional ‘Spotlight’ student recognitions, adds seniors and community showcases after summit review","audioSeconds",1701,"startMs",4771000,"endMs",6472000,"viewUrl","/Search/View?dp=1&key=3797679-6ba54b24fd9726a1cbc09b9ce6ecd970&start=4771&end=6472","thumbnailUrl","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/3797679-6ba54b24fd9726a1cbc09b9ce6ecd970/thumbnail_4771000.jpg","articleUrl","/articles/6529610/North-Carolina/Committee-favors-regional-Spotlight-student-recognitions-adds-seniors-and-community-showcases-after-summit-review","mediaUrl","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6529610-324de96ab12f8bcd8136c602ba49fc01/orig.mp4?Expires=1771195172&Signature=cHSD5b9OgG7xhKiFU0xiDjd2JJnll8x1clDLw9~q-uoNHxBxijHxmbMJb7gguS8Y8tb~WpW4C7pn80YMpJxxirnRb68QIN1dy5dBfnlTfHsP8jv96CytlWXy4AOJnXUm~bHyu27fvmDqEDuO4r1Eo4TqjHsdG0vP~~H0OQwGRFlLd9ElVXxRIlLf1QUoEA9V9hvimy9FHpmhYiKdsOkgjraw~09AFGtL1WOELoAmrRj-fwEWZO1EmjslQu8qoAE5Vqbdbrr642DJAHI18ogsZm-odqiDPv0NO9S090kcCWyCovMjvqFp6UYCXNP5wNj9bO15cQ1dRqwZLO1u7-bP5g__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","author","Wake County Schools","date","2025-06-11T10:03:10.54Z","article","At a June 10 meeting, Wake County Public School System staff presented options to expand the Spotlight on Students recognitions and to incorporate a broader, regional approach and community partner participation. Committee members favored pairing schools by geographic proximity rather than by Board Advisory Committee (BAC) areas and endorsed adding a senior recognition category at no extra cost.

Student Services staff described three options: keep the current boardroom format with an additional date, organize multiple regional recognition events (four or five sites) that would include community resource fairs, or pair regions for larger combined events. The district’s staff (identified in the meeting as the Student Services presentation team) said their office would keep responsibility for vetting write-ups, coordinating plaques and training regional presentation teams.

Dr. Norfleet and Dr. Pettiford (Student Services presenters) asked the committee to consider travel times for families, facility capacity and translation services at regional sites. Dr. Burton, chair of the district family and community engagement committee, summarized summit feedback earlier in the meeting and said the district wants to continue to build “clear, accessible and consistent information” and to expand community engagement, citing the April family-and-community summit’s attendance and breakout-session model.

Committee members said the regional model should preserve the ceremony’s formality (students receiving recognition in front of a school/district audience) while allowing community outreach tables so families can connect with local resources. Members also requested cost estimates for the regional format before a final decision; several members noted the county budget cycle and sought assurance the model would be sustainable.

Staff summarized the April 26 family-and-community summit: more than 30 community and district tables, a Friday kickoff at Marbles Museum, high-quality keynote and breakout sessions, and positive attendee ratings (average ratings reported between 4.1 and 4.4 out of 5 for preparedness, usefulness and likelihood to attend again). Non-attendee feedback cited other obligations, unavailable public transportation and child-care needs as barriers. The district said it will continue to request feedback and to align future sessions to family needs using existing survey data.

The committee reached a working consensus in favor of a phased regional rollout: preserve the Spotlight program’s core format, add senior recognition, hold multiple regional events by proximity (four suggested), coordinate translation services and include local community resource tables. Staff will return with recommended dates, locations and estimated costs for implementation.","mediaType","Video","parentTitle","2025-06-10 Community Engagement Committee","oneSentenceSummary","Wake County committee members and staff agreed to pilot a regional recognition model for the Spotlight on Students program (four events by proximity), add a senior recognition category and broaden community partner involvement after reviewing summit outcomes and participant feedback.","taxTitle","Wake County Schools, School Districts, North Carolina","taxId",14083,"location","North Carolina","headline","","shortSummary",{"_33":77,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":78,"_41":79,"_43":80,"_45":81,"_47":82,"_49":83,"_51":84,"_53":85,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":86,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":87,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":74,"_75":74},6529616,"District C reports fast growth in Wake County summer \"teamship\" internships; committee raises questions about pay and access",262,2858000,3120000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=3797679-6ba54b24fd9726a1cbc09b9ce6ecd970&start=2858&end=3120","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/3797679-6ba54b24fd9726a1cbc09b9ce6ecd970/thumbnail_2858000.jpg","/articles/6529616/North-Carolina/District-C-reports-fast-growth-in-Wake-County-summer-teamship-internships-committee-raises-questions-about-pay-and-access","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6529616-f08efc8570a2834b63b96ecd3bd7a621/orig.mp4?Expires=1771195172&Signature=iELgsCqTsFpkbFJQVCB6RIasg5a~ikTfzAKzcU7OLcxvGhAFHK4hH38NwWgVEt9g54Ep-5-V4e0qfMBcK2JrOgZudud1sVE8Ahkv5oxOuPTYcfsYmK0qk0i0QYGfU0CD5pYb7O2V8XZUvMm1OCP2tA9CgwNZ8SxEMOALB88PH6F-PsBaNZsVOryIT7GyKK0yp8NHuRXlzHxX11XToL1ngVUeR0-RCJfKKkxFkxkdTkUZB-km0iaIo0b1Dk4iu4NNT-80DJ2PHFxb2sapMbQYqoqOcx1qFT7L92ukNk1sIroo-Ih3HMv2ZbL4toyZv9~gp4EzbgAbyJcVLSu9SB4PrQ__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","District C, an education nonprofit that runs reimagined internships called teamship, told the Wake County Community Family Engagement Committee on June 10 that its summer career accelerator (SCA) program has expanded rapidly in Wake County and will serve 341 students in 2025.

Karen Cho, senior programs manager for District C, and Dan Gonzales, chief executive officer and cofounder, described two models: a direct model (District C runs the program and sites) used in Wake County’s summers, and a member model used during the school year where certified District C coaches bring teamship into coursework. Cho said District C reached 26 Wake County students in 2022, 124 in 2023, 168 in 2024 and is slated for 341 in 2025. She said almost 1,300 students applied to this year’s summer program.

Cho said teamship places teams of high school students with real businesses to solve authentic problems and that District C trains school staff as certified coaches. Dan Gonzales said the member-model during the school year created 170 student internship opportunities last year, often as course capstone projects in CTE classes.

Board members raised questions about whether internship experiences should be paid. Cho said the Wake County summer teamships have not been paid; she explained reasons include program length, business partners’ inability to select individual students, and administrative complexity. Gonzales and committee members discussed alternatives such as stipends funded by school-district sponsors or grant dollars; Gonzales said “a stipend just for someone's successful completion is probably the cleanest way to do it” to avoid employment-law complications.

Committee members also asked about selection and equity. Cho said summer slots were filled on a first-come, first-served basis before priority deadlines but acknowledged that high application volume leaves many students without a summer site; District C said it redirects interested students to virtual teamship programs and school-year opportunities. Cho described targeted school recruitment through certified coaches and some paid advertising and said District C plans marketing steps (swag bags, targeted outreach) to raise participation among admitted students.

Cho and Gonzales described business benefits as well: District C reported growth in the number of business partners (three in the first Wake County year to an expected 27 in 2025) and several examples in which partners hired or offered part-time roles to students after pitch events.

Committee members encouraged District C to explore stipends and to work with the district to align curricula and assessment so the program’s outcomes are easier to show to potential funders. Cho said the program already collects applicant and program data and that District C can provide alignment materials when requested.","District C told the committee its summer career accelerator (teamship) program has grown from 26 Wake County students in 2022 to a planned 341 in 2025, with nearly 1,300 applicants this year; presenters and board members debated unpaid internships, stipends and equitable recruitment.",{"_33":89,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":90,"_41":91,"_43":92,"_45":93,"_47":94,"_49":95,"_51":96,"_53":97,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":98,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":99,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":74,"_75":74},6529620,"Give Back program aims to steer Southeast Raleigh students from gangs into STEM, careers and mental-health supports",104,387000,491000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=3797679-6ba54b24fd9726a1cbc09b9ce6ecd970&start=387&end=491","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/3797679-6ba54b24fd9726a1cbc09b9ce6ecd970/thumbnail_387000.jpg","/articles/6529620/North-Carolina/Give-Back-program-aims-to-steer-Southeast-Raleigh-students-from-gangs-into-STEM-careers-and-mental-health-supports","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6529620-7df372dac92eb7c1308c64ef43448b21/orig.mp4?Expires=1771195172&Signature=QDPIzCK5d0YkLYcK6MgRhSIEcaL5FOs62KW-CgGOsAOGoTeTSxCLRrN6K7kuJ4x6dR~RPmPdUyAquh5ZMRIW0xeqzgoO~L~fVIJ3r6ySPmKRCLp~tceZShjDzxCRHpzHEV0~Hl5xroKH346i110u05q-dz9s~9j4iDYLZwwHCgeuaqjgM-tFdcHSYGZ8WnzKQ2r6O38qlNhBIEALFn7skNPiFsTQO~wtHNsFAUg8to3XnzvT1Mi5CynoBsJW20M9a-X3iE9oC6YFbHyK~Lh7M0dpiZo3WSOgC8~mYxByzjwK7t5s-q6-XRQxGKi1zixpZZ16xppVFBEyx2C5iMjZ6Q__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","Ronnell Robinson, founder of the Give Back organization, told the Wake County Public School System’s Community Family Engagement Committee on June 10 that his group created a program called “Games over Gangs” to steer students away from neighborhood gang activity by teaching them game design and coding at nearby universities.

The presentation, given along with Carlos Pope of a university health-affiliated pipeline program and Jasmine Preston of Mentor, Raising Mentors Behavioral Health Services, outlined three linked program components: a STEM/game-design summer camp, multi-generation workforce and career pathways exposure, and weekly integrated behavioral-health sessions for participating youth.

The program’s core offer, Robinson said, originally sent students to NC State for four- to five-week camps where participants learned to code video games and experience a university environment they otherwise might not see. Robinson said the camp began as an effort to answer two questions: “How can we deter young students away from gangs? And the second question was, what do they like to do?” The answer led to game-design programming and expanded career exposure.

Carlos Pope described the Scholar Excel and PACE components as an “earliest exposure to college, career and workforce development,” saying the model includes college visits (UNC and NC State were named), industry site visits (Cisco was mentioned), and parent-facing components intended to align family expectations and support for students pursuing postsecondary pathways.

Jasmine Preston, chief executive officer of Mentor, Raising Mentors Behavioral Health Services, said the program will provide short weekly counseling sessions for students (25–30 minutes, one to two sessions per week) focused on problem solving, emotional regulation, coping skills and family engagement. “We want them to learn how to be great team players…to be responsible and be accountable for their actions,” Preston said.

Robinson said the Give Back organization was founded in 2003 and has worked for years in Southeast Raleigh. He and other speakers stressed that the program focuses on some of the district’s most vulnerable families and that gang activity in parts of Southeast Raleigh contributes to dropout risk. Robinson estimated recent cohorts of the camp include about 30 students each year and described an effort to add an optional third week and to connect Wake Tech for trade- and certification-focused pathways for students who will not attend a four-year college.

On funding, Robinson said about 80% of this summer’s support is coming from WellCare, with additional partnership support from Cisco, which is expected to help provide refurbished laptops for participants. The presenters said they collect pre- and post-program surveys with school partners and can provide outcome data to Wake County staff; Carlos Pope and others said they already run pre/post assessment for pipeline programs at UNC and can share that information to support alignment and funder requests.

Committee members asked about scale and follow-up. A committee member asked how many youths are served; Robinson said cohorts are typically 30 (split by gender in some years). Committee members and presenters discussed barriers that limit some participants from pursuing college — cited reasons included early parenting, financial pressure and local street economies — and they emphasized that the program’s multi-pathway model seeks multiple routes to stable employment and postsecondary credentialing.

The presentation concluded with committee members urging stronger school-based marketing and easier access for families, and with Robinson and partners agreeing to share assessment data and follow-up materials with Wake County staff to support future funding and expansion.

The committee approved the April 15 minutes at the start of the meeting; the motion to adopt was moved by Sheryl (committee member) and seconded by an unnamed member, and passed by voice vote.","Presenters from the Give Back organization told Wake County’s Community Family Engagement Committee they run STEM, career-exposure and behavioral-health components that target vulnerable students in Southeast Raleigh, and said partners provide most program funding and in-kind supports.","actionData","errors"]

Article not found

Committee favors regional ‘Spotlight’ student recognitions, adds seniors and community showcases after summit review

District C reports fast growth in Wake County summer "teamship" internships; committee raises questions about pay and access

Give Back program aims to steer Southeast Raleigh students from gangs into STEM, careers and mental-health supports