Featured Speaker Spotlight: Creating Community Programs With PENCIL

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In this episode, we're joined by Aimee Wyatt, SREB's director of leadership and professional learning, and our special guests from PENCIL: Alayna Cate, director of partnerships, and Bob Kucher, chief partnerships and programs officer. PENCIL is a Nashville-based non-profit dedicated to connecting businesses and the community with Metro Nashville Public Schools. 

In this episode, you'll learn about:

• Pencil's Mission and History: Discover how PENCIL, a 43-year-old non-profit, serves as a vital link between the business community and public schools in Nashville, based on the belief that a thriving school system creates a thriving city. 
• The Definition of "Partnership": Understand how PENCIL differentiates between one-off volunteer opportunities and sustained, long-term partnerships that are embedded into the culture of both the school and the business, fostering deeper impact. 
• Innovative Ways Communities Partner With Schools: Explore various engagement methods, from volunteerism, guest speaking about career journeys and mentorship to more in-depth career experiential learning like job shadows, work-based learning and even support for school events or operational needs. 
• "Goosebump Moments" and Student Impact: Hear compelling examples of how partnerships have transformed student perspectives, such as a high school junior discovering a new career path in the automotive industry beyond her imagination through a Bridgestone partnership and HCA Healthcare providing hands-on hospital job shadows and paid internships leading to employment upon graduation. 
• Tips on Creating Community Partnerships on Your Own: Even if you do not have a PENCIL in your community, there are ways to create amazing community partnerships for your students. 

This episode is packed with actionable advice for anyone looking to foster meaningful connections between schools and their surrounding communities! 

The Southern Regional Education Board is a nonprofit, nonpartisan organization that works with states and schools to improve education at every level, from early childhood through doctoral education and the workforce.

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