This post was originally published on this site.
Hamilton County, TN — Lily Smith is helping Red Bank Elementary School, and the community that surrounds it, thrive.
As the school’s Community School Coordinator, Smith helps connect students, families, school staff, and community partners with the resources, relationships, and opportunities they need to succeed.
Smith, who is entering her second year in the role, came to Hamilton County Schools with a background in school-based mental health and behavior intervention. She studied psychology at Taylor University in Indiana before moving to Chattanooga, where she worked at Montessori Elementary in Highland Park.
Smith is one of 10 Community School Coordinators serving schools in Hamilton County through Northside Neighborhood House, which provides wraparound support, afterschool programming, educational opportunities, and connections to community resources.
For Smith, the role is about making sure those connections happen. “Community schools are a strategy. They’re a place-based strategy, and my role here is as a bridge between community partners, parents, families, school staff, and administrators,” Smith said. That can mean helping a family access school supplies or clothing, connecting individuals with outside resources, or bringing community partners into the school to meet student and school needs.
But for Smith, the work goes beyond connecting people with resources. It is about building relationships and creating a school community where students and families know they are supported. “We are more than just an educational institution,” she said. “We are a partner in their child’s life and in their family’s life, and so we want to really support them.”
That mindset is reflected in the partnerships Smith has helped build throughout the Red Bank community. La Paz, Calvary Baptist Church, Mountain Creek Church of Christ, and White Oak Bicycle Co-op are among the community partners that contribute their time, resources and expertise to the school. Those relationships have also helped create new opportunities for students, including Red Bank’s eLab through Volkswagen and its Culinary Arts Program supported by Whole Foods and the Red Bank City Commission. “I feel like they see this school as their school too,” Smith said.
“It’s not just the neighborhood school, it’s our Red Bank school, and our Red Bank community.”
One of Smith’s favorite parts of the job is bringing those partners and school staff together to imagine what is possible for students. “It is so fun to be able to dream with teachers and come up with fun ideas, fun people we can bring in,” she said. That spirit of collaboration can be seen not only in the opportunities created for students, but also in the ways the Red Bank community comes together when families need support.
As Red Bank has continued to grow as a Community School, the school recently completed an 18-month cohort with the National Center for Community Schools and has established a site steering committee made up of parents, staff, and community partners who help shape the school’s vision.
The committee has also helped Red Bank respond to immediate needs in the community. During SNAP benefit cuts, members came together to brainstorm ways to support families, ultimately organizing a grocery card drive-through with gift cards donated by churches and other community partners.
That same spirit of community support was evident during the holiday season last year, when a family experiencing financial difficulties missed the deadline for holiday assistance. After a parent offered to donate to the school, Smith and Principal Lindsay Hagan connected the donor with the family, helping provide furniture, clothing, and other gifts before Christmas.
Smith said these experiences remind her how fortunate she is to work alongside a community willing to step up for students and families. “I just love being part of a school that makes sure that every student is seen, known, and supported,” Smith said.
Looking ahead, Red Bank is continuing to expand opportunities for students. Red Bank’s feeder pattern (Red Bank Elementary, Red Bank Middle and Red Bank High) was selected as one of several groups in the country to participate in a three-year partnership with MIT focused on invention education. The partnership will expand opportunities for students, including through the school’s eLab and forest program.
While Smith is proud of what Red Bank has accomplished, she is quick to point out that Community Schools work is bigger than any one person.
“Red Bank is magical,” Smith said. “This whole school is a community school. And it’s not just me implementing this strategy. It’s everyone partnering together to do that work.”
As we recognize Lily Smith during Community School Coordinator Week, her work is a reminder that strong schools are built through strong relationships. Her consistency, care, and commitment to connection will continue to help Red Bank students and families feel seen, known, and supported.
Thank you for all you do, Lily! 
