2018 CIIP Program Book CIIP Booklet 2018 | Page 8

Something I’ve always strongly believed is that a city’s education system wholly reflects the city itself – and Baltimore is no exception. My time at the Baltimore City Public Schools’ district office has been a lot like my time in the city: eclectic, unpredictable, and different. I think that, just like the city itself, Baltimore’s school system has a lot of negative stereo- types, but also similarly, it’s because most people don’t get to see the complicated, yet deeply compassionate network that runs through. I think my time at the office hasn’t been marked by just one or two things; strangely enough, it hasn’t even really been marked by the projects I got to lead. Instead, when I think about this internship, I think about the people I was able to work with and how each of them was able to let me see what engagement really looks like through their eyes: sometimes it’s a school visit that ends with chasing after a runaway student; sometimes it’s a caffeine-buzzed crawl through the office trying to get through your third meeting of the day; sometimes it’s sitting in a 90-degree (plus humidity!) evening giving out free books… but a lot of the time, it’s feeling like you put so much work into something, yet still end up only half a step from where you started. Even so, it was often impossible to feel upset because within a second, my coworkers would be bouncing around new ideas, asking new questions, and getting excited about all the possibilities to come. Through the ups and downs of my experience at BCPS, I have always admired my cowork- ers’ tenacity to embody this all-important job our office holds of being the link between communities and schools. And no matter how complicated everything in the school sys- tem is, and how frustrating that can be at times, I am so thankful I got to learn from them what it means to be part of a team and what it looks like when you’re truly unafraid to do the work others might be too scared to do. • Designing block party layouts, including logistics such as set-up, assigning shifts, and contacting exhibitors and volunteers • Creating relevant literature on par- ent engagement in Baltimore City schools • Recruiting and engaging volunteers for upcoming events in the new school year 7 Community Partner: Baltimore City Public Schools - Office of Engagement Intern: Grace Ren Site Supervisor: Monique J. Simms What is BCPS - Office of Engagement? The Baltimore City Public Schools Office of Engagement implements and supports district policies, practices, and opportuni- ties that enable families and community partners to engage with schools; mobilizes and aligns public, private, and philanthropic resources within identified neighborhoods and school communities; helps coordinate responses to the community around issues and concerns; provides ombudsman ser- vices for resolving concerns and complaints.