CIS Student, First Ward Elementary
Nine-year-old Marquis is especially excited about the upcoming weekend, as he and his mother and little sister are going to the Bobcats basketball game! Marquis got the tickets from his CIS Site Coordinator, Michelle Price, as a reward for having perfect attendance for the first quarter of the school year. Marquis is also on the A-B Honor Roll at First Ward Elementary and his favorite subject is writing.
Ms. Price says Marquis has shown dramatic improvement both socially and academically since she first met him in 2008. “Marquis really struggled with reading and that hindered his other subjects, too,” she said. “He has come a long way – to make the A-B Honor Roll from where he was is just amazing!” She believes his improved confidence and grades are due to his involvement in CIS, and in particular the relationship he has developed with his “school buddy,” Mr. Richard Williams.
Richard Williams and his wife, Phyllis, both volunteer at the school through their church, Little Rock A.M.E. Zion. Ms. Price matched them to Marquis and his sister two years ago, and they’ve been coming to First Ward every Thursday since then, having lunch and working on assignments and literacy skills with the children.
“Marquis and his sister have had a lot of challenges and loss in their young lives,”says Ms. Price. “But the Williams have provided a great sense of stability and security for them here at First Ward. I need fifty more just like them.”
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