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Romulus highlights partnerships, expands student supports with year-long speaker series and 'Glow Girls' program
Summary
Karina Coleman, Romulus Community Schools partnerships coordinator, told the board the district ran a year-long Inspire & Ignite speaker series and an 18-week student-led 'Glow Girls' program that strengthened family engagement, yielded a 3D-printer donation from EMU and created pathways for internships and entrepreneurship.
Karina Coleman, the district partnerships coordinator, presented a year-in-review to the Romulus Community Schools Board of Education on June 8, outlining a suite of partnership-driven programs that the district piloted or expanded this school year.
"My name is Karina Coleman. I am the partnerships coordinator here at Romulus Community Schools," Coleman said, then described the Inspire & Ignite speaker series at Romulus High and Middle Schools and a set of community engagement events the district ran throughout the year.
Coleman said the speaker series spread career exposure across the school year rather than concentrating it in a single career day. The district hosted alumni and community professionals, distributed 50 signed books during reading month, and connected students with entrepreneurs and service providers. Coleman said Eastern Michigan University’s STEM Education Outreach and Workforce Institute donated a 3D printer to the high school and provided hands-on programming for students.
The presentation placed special emphasis on Glow Girls, a student-led program evolved from a partnership with the nonprofit Pretty Brown Girls. "This school year we decided to evolve it a bit and just make it our own program. We ran it for 18 weeks," Coleman said, adding that the program consistently engaged the same cohort of young women and included activities ranging from yoga to small-business workshops.
Coleman told trustees the partnerships work had three strategic values: increased student engagement, stronger community partnerships and scalable program models that can produce expanded real-world opportunities for students. She recommended clearer entry points for family involvement, earlier notice of speakers for staff planning, and a capstone or showcase to highlight student work and sustain family engagement.
Board members expressed appreciation for the effort and attendance at partnership events. Trustees said the programs offered visible opportunities for alumni to return and model pathways into careers and entrepreneurship. Coleman said she will follow up with leadership to operationalize timeline and communications recommendations so programs can be scheduled and sustained in future years.
The board did not take an action item on the presentation; Coleman’s recommendations were slated for follow-up with district leadership and staff.
