2018 All In For Students Awards Recipients Announced

For Release: August 22, 2018  

Contact: Anya Harrington | 703-518-2598 | [email protected] 

Communities In Schools Announces “All In For Students” Honorees   

Award Winners to be Recognized at Annual Leadership Town Hall Conference in Charleston    

Arlington, Va.  -  August 22, 2018 -  As students and teachers across the country prepare for back to school, Communities In Schools (CIS) affiliates are preparing to converge on Charleston, South Carolina, on September 13th for the annual Leadership Town Hall conference, culminating with the “All In For Students Awards.” The awards recognize community members and leaders who have done exemplary work to empower the students they serve to succeed in the classroom and beyond.    

This year’s honorees include: 

• LaToya Montague, Alumna & Executive Director, Communities in Schools of Wake County, North Carolina 

• Lisa Walls, Principal of Chapa Middle School, Kyle, Texas 

• Leyna Ronzon, Site coordinator, Communities In Schools of Pennsylvania  

• Richard Proffitt, Superintendent, Chanute, Kansas  

“The All In Awards celebrate the spirit of making a difference. The nominees and winners have varied stories and backgrounds, but they have one important thing in common: they cleared the way for students to succeed,” said Communities In Schools President and CEO Dale Erquiaga.  

The Tomas Carreon and Alonso Guillén Distinguished Service Award will be presented annually to the alumnus who best demonstrates the Fifth Basic that Bill Milliken identified decades ago: the importance of giving back to your community. Tomas and Alonso were two CIS alumni and childhood friends from CIS of East Texas. In August 2017, after seeing the impact of Hurricane Harvey on Houston, Tomas and Alonso drove 100 miles to help rescue people caught in the flooding. They drowned when their boat was caught in the flood waters and overturned. These young men were well known in their community of Lufkin, Texas. Friends and family describe them as having a “servant’s heart.” It’s a testament to their selfless community spirit that they sacrificed themselves in the service of others. This year, alumna and Executive Director of Communities in Schools of Wake County will receive the award.  

The awards ceremony will follow a Town Hall Conference earlier in the week where CIS leaders from across the country will join prominent education thought leaders, policy makers and key school district leaders to discuss community solutions to help at-risk students.  

Follow @cisnational on Twitter and the hashtag #AllInForKids for news updates.