A grandma eager to help the next generation and a prospective teacher studying how to educate children: Jean Loyd and Emily Hernandez are just two of the many volunteers who help out at Robbinsdale Area Schools.
Loyd volunteers at Northport Elementary and Robbinsdale Cooper High School. For Loyd, she started getting involved with the district when her children attended school. Now it’s her grandchildren who attend.
Loyd said the reason she continues to volunteer with students is “because there’s a light that happens in their eyes when they feel like they’ve succeeded at something.”
This light is something she feels too.
“There’s just this dance of life,” Loyd said. “Not only will their eyes brighten up, but your eyes will brighten up too.”
Loyd said not everyone will enjoy spending time with children all day, but it’s a good idea for everyone to volunteer in some capacity.
“You get present to what the teachers are going through, even what the custodian has to deal with. You’re like ‘oh my goodness, I appreciate you a lot more now,’” Loyd said.
She added that in supporting teachers she supports the classroom and in supporting the classroom she helps the next generation.
Loyd said she’s fortunate to be in place where she can spend some of her time volunteering. Beyond working with children and teens, Loyd has her own business as a life coach and “all parts healing.” Loyd’s business can be found at realliferealtalkllc.com.
Hernandez studies elementary education at North Hennepin Community College. Last semester, when she had to volunteer somewhere for class, Hernandez looked at her alma maters: Forest Elementary and Robbinsdale Middle School. She volunteered for about three months with the middle school’s English learners class and today continues to show up at Forest Elementary.
This is not her first volunteer post, Hernandez recalls her drive to help began with packing cookies in a monastery in Mexico. Lately she has spent a lot of time at Ascension Church in Minneapolis. Hernandez said her church is predominantly Hispanic people like her.
“Another reason why I wanted to do the Spanish class at RMS,” Hernandez said. “... I feel like I really connect to them with that and we can talk in a different language.”
Hernandez said the English learners were delighted when they learned she could speak their language:
“They didn’t know until I said something in Spanish and they were like ‘you speak Spanish!’ I was like, ‘Yes Julio, I do.’”
Principal Melissa Jackson added that at least one first-grader recently told her he wished more people could speak Spanish at the school.
Hernandez plans to work at a school after completing her degree, perhaps in Robbinsdale Area Schools.
Hernandez said anyone can volunteer, and but the best volunteers will really feel a drive to engage with the students and enjoy it.
“I really do like it,” Hernandez said.
The schools have about 380 ongoing volunteers and 400 volunteers at special events.
There are many opportunities to volunteer in District 281, including clerical roles and many opportunities to be in classrooms.
For those wanting to help out, Coordinator Mindy Potvin is actively looking for people to help with summer programs. K-8 and High School Credit Recovery run June 10-28 in the morning.
“This is a great way for our volunteers to ‘get their feet wet’ by trying a short term placement,” Potvin said. “Volunteers typically work one to two hours, one to two days per week with the same class or teacher. In the case of summer programming, because it’s so short, it’s typically a bit more often.”
New volunteers fill out an online application, pass a background check and attend a short orientation. More information can be found at ced.rdale.org/community/volunteer.
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