A Message from the Executive Director
What a year! Citizen Schools North Carolina and our partner schools in Charlotte and Durham wrapped up yet another phenomenal year of student achievement and success! Not only did our students get 40% more learning time than students not enrolled in Citizen Schools, they also found themselves exposed to amazing experiences and opportunities.
Jonathon P. designed a video game with the UNCC STARS Alliance at Martin Luther King, Jr. Middle School, Kiara B. performed respiratory tests with NIEHS scientists at Lowe's Grove Middle School, and Leslie R. participated in a mock trial with volunteers from NCCU School of Law at Neal Middle School. Those are just a few examples from the 85 apprenticeships taught by 249 Citizen Teachers this school year.
Thanks to our school partners, Citizen Teachers, partners, families and, most importantly, our students for making the 2012-2013 school year such a success.
See you in the fall!
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Citizen Schools Launches US2020 with the White House
"I want us all to think about new and creative ways to engage young people in science and engineering, whether it's science festivals, robotics competitions, fairs that encourage young people to create and build and invent-to be makers of things, not just consumers of things." - President Barack Obama
Citizen Schools, working in conjunction with the White House, is helping to bring this vision to reality. If you are interested in STEM, you will want to check out what Citizen Schools and leading organizations are doing around the country to ensure that the STEM employee pipeline is inclusive and extensive, increasing opportunity and strengthening the US economy.
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NEW Results Section on CSNC Website
 We are excited to announce our new Results section on the Citizen Schools North Carolina (CSNC) website! This new web page includes short-term and long-term data on attendance, grades, End-of-Grade tests, high school graduation and college enrollment - all specific to our North Carolina region.
Currently, the page shares results and data from the 2011-12 academic year, along with highlights from the CMS longitudinal study, including the graph above comparing Math proficiency between Citizen Schools participants and non-participants.
The Results page will be updated twice yearly as we receive data from our school partners, examine longitudinal data from school districts, and collect more success stories from student alumni.
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We Made Them Say...WOW!
 Our Spring WOW! events were a huge success this semester! The showcase of student learning was beyond impressive, and the celebration of our Citizen Teachers was inspiring. We had many special guests, including dignitaries from local government, school districts, school boards, and corporate partners. This video from Mayor Anthony Foxx of Charlotte was also shared at the Martin Luther King, Jr. Middle School WOW!
Additionally, we hosted our first breakfast event in North Carolina on May 15 at the Mint Museum Uptown in Charlotte. Over 200 community members and leaders attended Celebrating Community Collaboration and were inspired by the words of our alumna, Mary Espinosa, along with our board members, Citizen Teachers, staff and co-founder and CEO, Eric Schwarz. We celebrated the great work of Bank of America, The Belk Foundation, Principal Jennifer Dean of Martin Luther King Jr. Middle School, and seven current Citizen Schools students, all of whom received awards at the event. Flip through some highlights from the event in our online photo album here. Also, take a couple of minutes to watch this great new video below about our program in North Carolina.
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Get Involved! Citizen Schools students love to see how their current learning will apply to future success in college and careers. Becoming a Citizen Teacher, hosting an exploration at your office and volunteering as a guest speaker are great ways to make that connection happen. The options are endless, and our students want to learn from you and explore what you do!
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Citizen Schools Volunteers Win Futures for Kids Award
 In early May, Citizen Schools North Carolina had the pleasure of nominating some of our volunteer Citizen Teachers and partner organizations for the Futures for Kids (F4K) Community Partner Award. Of the nominations submitted, two were selected. Page Potter, Director of Pro Bono Program at North Carolina Central University (NCCU) School of Law, received the School Partner Award, and Jerry Diehl, Citizen Teacher from EMC, accepted the Career Coach Volunteer Award.
Page, Jerry, and many other individuals and organizations across North Carolina were recognized and honored on May 15th at the Governor's Mansion for their dedication to helping students understand and imagine the workplace. Lieutenant Governor Dan Forest read a proclamation by Governor Pat McCrory declaring the day Futures for Kids Day.
Please join us in congratulating our award-winning volunteers and partners! Read more about our partnerships with NCCU School of Law and EMC on our website. Additional details about the awards ceremony can be found in this article from The Herald Sun.
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New Faces, New Places
Board Updates
 Sue Breckenridge joined the Citizen Schools North Carolina Advisory Board in April. Sue is the newly appointed Executive Director of the NC Business Committee for Education (NCBCE), which is a nonpartisan, nonprofit organization that sits in the office of the Governor of North Carolina, whose mission is to ensure every student graduates from high school ready for life and work in a global society. Prior to accepting this position, Sue was the VP of Regional Communications for Time Warner Cable's Carolina Division. Sue worked for Time Warner Cable for nearly 20 years, the majority of the time in the Charlotte Division as the VP of Public Affairs. Citizen Schools was recently featured on the NCBCE website's news section here and can be found in the online Resource Guide.
Staff Updates
 Citizen Schools North Carolina Campus Director Jin Ellington is moving into the Manager of External Engagement position with our state office beginning in June. Jin joined Citizen Schools as a Teaching Fellow at Lowe's Grove Middle School in 2008, and she moved into the role of Campus Director at the same campus two years later. Since January, Jin has served as a Senior Campus Director for North, where she has become more involved in the external engagement work of our region. Join us in congratulating Jin on her new role!
 We are also pleased to announce our next Campus Director for Lowe's Grove Middle School - Louis Metcalf. Louis is currently completing his post-master's certificate in Public School Licensure at Western Carolina University, where he received an M.A. in English Education. He will bring to our team a wealth of experience in various educational settings in North Carolina, including his current roles as an English Language Arts Teacher and Certified Alternative to Suspension Teacher in Buncombe County. Prior to his work in high schools, Louis was a Day Treatment Coordinator and Family Services Case Manager in Asheville and an Education Services Coordinator for an orphanage where he developed curriculum and provided management support. Louis is eager to join Citizen Schools and return to the Raleigh-Durham area, where he attended UNC Chapel Hill and received his B.A. in English. He will officially join our team on. Please join us in welcoming Louis to Citizen Schools North Carolina!
 Unfortunately, at the end of June we will be saying goodbye to our Special Assistant, Abby Whisenant. Abby joined Citizens Schools North Carolina in July 2009, as a Teaching Fellow at Eastway Middle School. During her second year in the fellowship, Abby served as our first Civic Engagement Analyst, working closely with our Civic Engagement team to recruit, train, and support Citizen Teachers. After graduating from the fellowship in June 2011, Abby joined the State Team in her current role as Special Assistant, where she has excelled in managing our website, newsletter, event materials, and providing tremendous support to our entire NC team. She will be missed! Please join us in wishing Abby the best as she continues to pursue her passion for working with youth at the Oasis Center in Nashville, TN, a nationally recognized organization offering crisis and counseling services, emergency shelters, youth engagement and action programs, and college access. At Oasis Center, Abby serves as the program coordinator for two newly-formed youth engagement and action programs: the art studio and a youth advisory council for Nashville Metropolitan Transit Authority. Abby invites you to stay connected with her via LinkedIn.
We've Moved!
The school year is coming to a close - and so is our old location. Our state office has been packed up and moved Uptown, from the Charlotte East Office Park into Packard Place - 222 S. Church Street. Packard Place is renowned as the hub for entrepreneurship and innovation in Charlotte, and we are very excited to become part of the Packard Place group!
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