A Glimpse Into Student Experiences at Community Schools

Often when you step inside a school now you are greeted with Smart TV’s. On the screen, you’ll often see celebrations of recent school news or highlights of the after-school clubs for the upcoming semester. Going into the classrooms you’ll find smartphones, laptops, and tablets all ingrained into the fabric of what students and staff are learning. 

Maybe this is radically different from the environment that you experienced, However, once you look past the iPhones in the hands of each student and the smart screens on the walls you will find that there are themes of school that have not changed from your very own grade-school days. You will still find bustling lunch rooms self-organized by friend groups, hall passes, homework, trends, and lessons of all sorts. 

As part of the collective impact strategy of United Way of Asheville and Buncombe County, community schools play a vital role in supporting the students, their families, and the school staff. With 7 schools in Buncombe County operating in conjunction with UWABC, we are in an incredible position to listen to the students about the matters they face inside our public schools. We interviewed a student from each Community School asking questions about their goals, dreams, and realities. As we share their quotes, one by one, we ask you to reflect on your own experiences and how our youths ask that adults show up for them.