Implementation of Hi Neighbor!
Schools
Educators
Students
Our main hack was the “Hi Neighbor!” events and then the expansion into the Family Ambassador program. "Hi Neighbor!" is a way to learn about and celebrate important cultural events like Día de los Muertos (Day of the Dead), the Lunar New Year and Ramadan, as told by families who honor these traditions and live in our community.
What did you do in practice?
The idea to host a “Hi Neighbor” event came from Avonworth’s design sprint team in 2021. The team had conducted empathy interviews in the district and learned about the richness of cultures and traditions around them. We wanted to elevate this and asked parents to help co-create an event where families could learn about different cultures, engage in an hands-on art and literacy activity related to these traditions. Through these events, not only do families learn from each other but also teachers and parents. This has built foundational trust and respect in our school community.
Why did you do this implementation trial?
With changing demographics in our community, we wanted to truly engage with our school community. We didn’t want to just involve parents and caregivers by providing a list of things to help us with (e.g., donate cookies for the holiday party) but truly have parents join us as partners. We felt that if our school and families were truly engaged, then it would provide a better support system for our students and their learning journey and that students and families would feel they belonged in our school community.
How did the hack go?
"Families see the effort the school is making and those from diverse cultural backgrounds feel more valued, appreciated and respected. They’re excited to share their stories now," shared one of the parents. The inaugural "Hi Neighbor!" event was a success. We've now hosted multiple events, including one designed by middle and high school students.
Our family-school engagement work has begun to have a ripple effect across the school district. At the primary center, holidays are incorporated into classroom learning now. It’s also led us to revise our school forms to include cultural questions.
We are excited that the “Hi Neighbor!” series has expanded to the secondary campus. We’ve also created “coffee chats” with the principals and school administration so parents and school staff have intentional space and time to learn from each other. The school district board members have also participated in a “Be a Student for a Day” to better understand student needs which has helped embed family-school engagement into the school policy and structure.
The Avonworth School District is a small suburban school community located eight miles northwest of downtown Pittsburgh. The district encompasses a land area of 10.54 square miles in the Boroughs of Ben Avon, Ben Avon Heights, and Emsworth, along with Ohio and Killbuck Townships.
