We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Annie & Dymond Jones. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Annie & Dymond below.
Hi Annie & Dymond, thanks for joining us today. If you’re open to it, can you talk to us about the best (or worst) investment you’ve made. What’s the backstory and the relevant context behind why you made the investment
By far, the best, and most important investment we have made is in our staff. We tell prospective families, “Our teachers are our curriculum,” because we know that our program would be nothing without the right people. Our teachers are mentors first, and they are proud to play this role in our students’ lives.
Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers
We started CORE Community School in 2016 with two students, and have grown to over 60 students. We serve students who have learning and/or social-emotional struggles in grades 5-12. We are a school for the whole family, in the sense that we believe the work we do with our students doesn’t stop when they leave our building. Our ultimate goal is for our students’ increased confidence, sense of identity and overall happiness to carry over to all aspects of their lives, and to improve the family lives of our students. We offer various events and opportunities throughout the year for our parents to know and support each other, and to learn more about themselves and their children. For example, we offer weekly Parent Yoga classes at our school farm, CORE Community Farm @ Lakeview. We also offer monthly “Coffee with the Counselor” meetings, book clubs, and welcome expert speakers to share with our community.
How do you keep your team’s morale high?
We work hard to make sure our teachers know they are loved, appreciated and supported. Our teachers are lifelong learners and we support their growth by providing various professional development opportunities throughout the year. We encourage our teachers to take time to do the things that make them happy, and to invest in themselves and their own wellbeing. Parker Palmer said, “You teach who you are,” which is so true, and we regularly remind our teachers that their own individual wellbeing and happiness is just as important, if not more important, than their academic curriculum. Our students and parents recognize that our teachers enjoy what they do each day and that makes a huge difference.
Any advice for growing your clientele? What’s been most effective for you?
Many of our prospective families found out about us from other parents, which we feel is the best type of advertising. We have not spent much money on marketing and advertising, but instead we work to connect ourselves and our students to the community. We also take time to meet with local counselors, therapists and other education and mental health professionals to share who we are and what we do. Most of the time, when a family comes to us it is because multiple other options didn’t work, and they are often times desperate for support.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.thecoreschool.org
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/explore/locations/1179105382108078/core-community-school/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/corecommunityschool