Meet Grace

Grace is a student at Lakeview Middle School who began her relationship with CISSC in 5th grade at Alexander Elementary School. While she has faced many struggles along her educational journey, including bullying by classmates, her positive attitude and smile are ever-infectious. She learned to never let the thoughts and actions of her peers get in the way of her own educational success and personal growth.

As Grace was in her 7th grade year of school, she was struggling with her grades and her self-confidence began to wain. The CISSC support coach site coordinator worked closely with Grace to help her prioritize her studies and to provide needed emotional support and encouragement that taught her to rise above her own self-induced roadblocks and the actions of others. After a few months of working with Grace and upon returning from winter break, she completed work not handed in, caught up on Mathia, and focused all the positive energy she could muster into each class. As Grace raised her grades and passed her classes, her confidence increased, as did her pride and excitement for her own accomplishments.

“We are proud of Grace and she should be very very proud of herself. She is an inspiration to us all with a relentless and unapologetic self-expression, even in the face of any challenge.”

Kelbie Winther CISSC Site Coordinator

Grace’s infectious attitude revealed itself when her English Language Arts (remove extra space) teacher reached out to the CISSC coach site coordinator on her own volition. It was to share how well Grace did did during the class Socratic Seminar and the impact she had on others in the class. Grace stepped outside of her comfort zone to present what she had prepared for discussion in front of the class. It was a testament to her educational and emotional progress and self-confidence. Better yet, Grace sought out her CISSC coach site coordinator to report her success, beaming with pride. That same week, Grace took her reading inventory test and scored a 760, over 120 points better than her previous score!

Grace is a bright start star in the CISSC family of students. She has used her positive momentum to continually improve her grades, to expand her passion for rap music, and for being a good friend. Grace is proof positive of what CISSC programs can mean to aspiring students!