Kenton Kelley named panelist at Communities in Schools Summit

April 30, 2019

Safe travels to our fellow Hornet, Kenton Kelley, who will be taking a trip to Washington, D.C. to speak at the Communities in Schools (CIS) 2019 Milliken Dialogues and Policy Summit.

Communities in Schools is an organization dedicated to assisting at-risk youth by helping to build healthy relationships that empower students to succeed inside and outside of the classroom. 

Kenton is an alumnus of the Communities in Schools-Charleston Program. The Charleston native was first introduced to the program while in the eighth grade after his single mother struggled to make ends meet and was forced to find a program that could assist her son in becoming successful. He went on to high school and remained in the program that supported him throughout his academic and athletic career.

Kenton has been a strong advocate of the CIS program. He credits the organization for helping him figure out his career path and college choice. In 2018, he traveled to Washington, D.C. and met with Sen. Tim Scott (R-S.C.), Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.), and Rep. Jim Clyburn (D-S.C.) to explain the goals of CIS and sought financial support.

Kenton will join a number of panelists to discuss how integrating a focus on social, emotional and academic development improves the overall climate of a school and the behaviors amongst our youth.

Joining Kenton on the panel are a number of notable influencers including Arne Duncan, Managing Partner at Emerson Collective, Stephanie Marken, Executive Director of Education Research at Gallup, Karen Nussle, President of Conservative Leaders for Education, and Judge John J. Romero, Jr. President at National Council of Juvenile and Family Court Judges to name a few.

The one-day Summit will be held at the Newseum in Washington, D.C.

Read more about Communities in Schools here.