Board hears two community partners: Nurturing Hearts and Asbury Woods describe services to local students

The board heard paired presentations from two community partners that partner with the district.

Shante Pium Brown, founder and executive director of Nurturing Hearts, described a two-decade partnership offering gender-specific, evidence-based programming for girls aged about 10 to 18. Brown listed 12 curriculum "pillars" (positive self-esteem, healthy choices, leadership, financial literacy, counseling among them) and cited evaluation findings from Keystone Research Corporation: a reported 90% improvement in positive thinking and attitudes and notable gains in goal-setting and healthy choices; she said surveys of program participants showed reductions in suicidal ideation in pre/post measures for a small cohort, though she described that analysis as preliminary. Brown said the organization served roughly 110 students in its programs last year and about 150 at the annual "Beautiful Girls" workshop.

Sarah Bennett, executive director of Asbury Woods, and education director Emma Mater described a multi-year expansion of environmental-education programming with the district and United Way Community Schools. Asbury Woods is offering multiple themed six-week afterschool modules for elementary grades (examples: "Nature Detectives") and reported 60 site visits over the year across nine of the district's elementary schools; teachers and administrators have requested repeat sessions at several schools.

Board members thanked both organizations and asked about referral pathways, coordination with district behavioral health staff, and alignment with the district's suicide-prevention initiative. Nurturing Hearts and Asbury Woods said they are open to coordination and referral relationships with district staff.