The inaugural, in-person Family and Community Engagement (FACE) Academy at Brandon High School in November 2024 served as a model of what’s to come at a similar event scheduled in March at Tampa Bay Technical High School.
Together, the two signature events spread the word about the school district’s FACE offerings, an ongoing initiative that involves roughly 250 FACE ambassadors at schools districtwide. Educators work with school and community leaders, groups and organizations to foster a sense of community and mutual support driven to ensure student success.
“We’re trying to make sure we wrap our arms not just around the kids but also their families, and we’re trying to do it in a very present and active way,” said Sandra Misciasci, a longtime educator and now the school district’s FACE supervisor.
According to Misciasci, more than 800 families reported back to FACE, through a survey, that they needed to learn more about social and emotional well-being and financial literacy and workforce skills.
“Another huge component was literacy skills, all of which [have] a direct relationship on a student’s attendance, their behavior and course completion,” Misciasci said.
At the inaugural FACE Academy at Brandon High in November, Principal Jeremy Klein said he was a firm believer in the FACE Academy, which offered roughly 20 workshops on a variety of topics, including mental wellness; empowering literacy at home and for college success; literacy strategies for students in pre-K through grade 12; navigating digital literacy; using AI to aid with homework; financial literacy, including raising a money-smart kid as well as understanding and building credit; and creating and maintaining generational wealth.
“When I think about FACE, I think about our partners,” Klein said at the event in November 2024, where exhibitors included representatives from the YMCA, the Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office, Seniors in Service, United Way Suncoast, Feeding Tampa Bay, Lutheran Services and the Florida Diagnostic and Learning Resources System.
“As a community school,” Klein said, our aim is to see how can the community support the work on campus, and how can we support the needs of the community.”
For more information, visit www.hillsboroughschools.org/page/10718.
