My name is Brittney, and this is my 3rd year at Fargo South as the Social Worker. This year, my role looks a little different. My formal title is now the Communities in School (CIS) Site Coordinator. Some of what I do stays the same for example providing support for students who might be struggling with their mental health and helping find community resources for students and their families. Here are some of the new things Communities In Schools entails! I started this year by conducting an in-depth school assessment including 15 pages of qualitative and quantitative data about South and the Fargo community. From this assessment, Mrs. Brandt and I determined truancy is a huge challenge for some of our students. To help students struggling with trancey, I created a South High support plan including several supports I will be implementing to help students, staff, and families address truancy issues. This includes increasing communication home to families, starting small groups for students, and incentives for students who have good or improving attendance. Throughout the year, my team members and I will be monitoring the impact of supports with the hope of reaching my goal of decreasing truancy by the end of the school year! As you may suspect, this is a huge task and I’m always on the go!
I’ve been a social worker for 10 years and am learning everyday from the people I work with. I love building strong, trusting relationships with people using warmth and empathy (sprinkled with humor and sarcasm). I have a partner of 4 years and together we have 5 children so my house busy and chaotic, but I wouldn’t have it any other way. I have an eclectic love for music and will catch a live show whenever I can! I love thrifting and cooking different delicacies from all over the world. They don’t always turn out, but I have to say, I think I’ve mastered my pho’ recipe.
My hope is every student has a safe trusting adult here at South. If you’re struggling finding connection or want to learn more about me and what I do, come say hi! I’m housed in student services with South’s amazing team of counselors!”