Black Hills Special Services Cooperative

Recently, our Career Learning Center's ESL classroom did a "Practice and Potluck" in the park! The students were able to go and speak with people in the community and practice their new English skills. In addition, they celebrated their success thus far on their English learning journey and shared part of their culture with each other. Some quotes from their reflection on this experience include: “We talked with a young family with children and with people on different topics.” “People say that they like fall in Rapid City and were friendly. After this experience, I felt free.” “I felt before a little bit nervous. During practice I was talking to so many other people in the park. I wasn’t worry for me. I was ok. After that I am so happy for this project. This was a good experience because we practiced English.” “The people were friendly and kindly. I was so happy” This month our ESL program also enrolled and started a new group of students–nearly doubling our class size for the fall quarter!

Join Our Team! Black Hills Special Services Cooperative (BHSSC) is hiring a Graphic Design Specialist to serve our Compass Partners in Learning and Community & Family Services divisions. In this role, you'll create eye-catching visuals and engaging multimedia content that tells our story and supports our mission to build stronger communities. Your creativity will be key in maintaining brand consistency across all our digital and print materials! Are you ready to use your design skills to make a difference in our community? Apply today and let's create something amazing together! Check out the details here: https://lnkd.in/eGBcezBh

Compass Learning Specialists, Scott Simpson, Sharla Steever, Nicole Uhre-Balk, and Andrew Ley from Compass’s Culture & Climate team are leading a Courage and Renewal Retreat with?JAG-South Dakota?teachers at Placerville Camp. JAG-SD empowers students facing barriers to graduate and achieve their dreams. These retreats help educators recharge and strengthen their resilience to keep supporting students’ success. Together, we are building stronger communities and brighter futures! Compass Partners in Learning is a division of BHSSC. Learn more about our Culture & Climate Services:?mypath.link/culture

Join us as we chart a clear course together, equipping you with the knowledge, confidence, and support to lead your school community forward—toward a future of success and opportunity for all. We hope to see you in Rapid City on April 28-29, 2025. ?? Stay tuned for more info! ?? tieconference.net

Kelsey Smith, BHSSC Director of Development and Grants Management, is the Emerging Leader 2024 recipient for the University of South Dakota Alumni Achievement Awards! https://lnkd.in/gw2GBbJp The award celebrates Kelsey's personal and professional achievements, service within her community, and loyalty to USD. Congratulations, Kelsey, on such a well-deserved award! We are grateful for your outstanding leadership here at BHSSC!

Black Hills Special Services Cooperative is excited to announce that our very own Deputy Executive Director, Dr. Pam Lange, has been selected as a 2024-2025 White-Riley-Peterson (WRP) Policy Fellow! The WRP Policy Fellowship is run by the @rileyinstitute at Furman University and equips participants with a real-world understanding of the art, science, possibilities, and realities of policy-making around afterschool and expanded learning. For the next 10 months, Dr. Lange will be learning how to improve afterschool programs and opportunities in the state of South Dakota. We can’t wait to see what wonderful things these fellows do across the country! Learn more about the fellowship at https://bit.ly/riley-wrp

We are so excited to share that our Community & Family Services Division Learning Specialist, Tyresha Grey Horse, has been selected by Education Evolving and The Bush Foundation to join their Student-Centered Learning for Equity 2025 Advisory Council! The SCL4E Advisory Council will guide Education Evolving, the Bush Foundation, and their planning partners in developing the vision of and design for the annual SCL4E Conference, one of the largest educator convenings in the region. Congratulations on your selection for this leadership role, Tyresha! Learn more about the SCL4E Conference: https://scl4e.org/

Our Compass Partners in Learning division was thrilled to receive a grant from the South Dakota Community Foundation's Beyond Idea Grant (BIG) program. Compass will partner with the University of South Dakota to develop and test opportunities with AI to support educators across the state. Teachers, follow our Facebook page @bhsscsd for project updates and invitations to participate! Offered in partnership with Bush Foundation, the BIG program supports community-based problem-solving efforts in South Dakota. Thank you, SDCF and Bush Foundation!

We have some exciting news to share! Kaitlin Brown, from the 21st Century team, has been selected by BOOST Collaborative to join their Ambassador Team! Kaitlin is passionate about the conference and its valuable information for out-of-school time (OST) educators. We're so proud of her for taking this leap to become an ambassador in addition to attending the conference itself. Congratulations, Kaitlin! Learn more about BOOST! here: https://lnkd.in/gJ8RnMax #boostconference

Congratulations to the Career Learning Center of the Black Hills on receiving the Elevate Rapid City 2024 Non-Profit of the Year Award! View the award video: https://lnkd.in/e7xQrprZ The CLC is a key part of our Education and Workforce Development Division, which provides the region with the education and training necessary for economic success! For more than 30 years, the CLC has empowered individuals through education, training, and employment to foster self-sufficiency.